The Cats of America: Ancient History and Modern Conservation

The cat family includes some of the most charismatic, yet endangered, species of mammals on earth. Did you know that ancestral sabertooths and cheetahs once roamed North America? I’ll talk about the evolution of cats, my research on bobcats in the Midwest and North America, their Lynx cousins, the status of pumas, and endangered ocelots. We’ll look at the conservation challenges presented by habitat loss, conflicts and hunting, and climate change.

Some interesting science, lots of great pictures, and time for your questions.

Speaker: William R. Clark, Professor Emeritus of Wildlife Ecology at Iowa State University