Creatures of habitat : the changing nature of wildlife and wild places in Utah and the intermountain West / / by Mark Gerard Hengesbaugh; Dan Miller, photo editor; foreword by Barry Scholl.

• Author: Hengesbaugh, Mark Gerard.
• Year of Publication: 2001
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (225 p.)
• Notes: Includes index.

From flying squirrels on high wooded plateaus to hanging gardens in redrock canyons, the Intermountain West is home to some of the world's rarest and most fascinating animals and plants. Creatures of Habitat details many unique but little-known talents of this region's strange and wonderful wild inhabitants and describes their connections with native environments. For example, readers will learn about the pronghorn antelope's supercharged cardiovascular system, a brine shrimp-powered shorebird that each year flies nonstop from the Great Salt Lake to Central Argentina, and a rare

Table of Contents

Contents; Foreword: Lessons from song dogs; Introduction: How well do you know your neighbors?; PART ONE-WHAT'S HAPPENING TO WILDLIFE?; 1. Animal life on the edge: Does it take a special breed?; 2. Endangered animal communities: The keystone concept; 3. Historic herds: Reintroducing native large animals into today's limited space; 4. Alpine plants and animals: Hardy inhabitants of Utah's high country; 5. Great Basin birds: Frequent flyers at Utah's busiest airport; PART TWO-WHAT'S HAPPENING TO WILD PLACES?; 6. Island syndrome extinctions; 7. Aliens have invaded! Weeds take over habitat

8. Western hydro-logic floods critical wildlife habitat9. Can Utah's golf courses go green?; 10. Transforming the Wasatch Mountains into an amusement park.; PART THREE-WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?; 11. The legacy of predator control; 12. Decline of hunting leaves habitat hurting; 13. The Nature Conservancy of Utah; 14. Birdwatching in the Beehive State: Its popularity soars; 15. Watching wildlife in wild places; 16. The Blame Game: Whose responsibility is habitat loss?; Appendices; A. Utah Sensitive Species List; B. Utah Wildlife Species Checklist; C. Utah Wildlife Viewing Locations

D. Intermountain Wildlife RefugesAbout the author; About the contributing artists; Index