An increasing number and diversity of animals "are coming home" during a period called "the Anthropause," and our new neighbors are likely to be around for a long time.
A neighborhood red fox and his family were frequent visitors to
my mountain home - Marc Bekoff
Research shows 93% of behaviors are different from those of
non-urban animals.
"Our results clearly demonstrate that mammals are responding to the
urban environment by changing their behavior. Much less clear is
what these changes mean in terms of urban mammalian diversity,
survivability, management, and conservation." —Kate Ritzel and
Travis Gallo
“That the universe is a communion of subjects rather than a
collection of objects is the central commitment of the Ecozoic.
Existence itself is derived from and sustained by this intimacy of
each being with every other being of the universe.” —Thomas Berry:
Reflecting on Emotions, Heart and Conservation
Street-smart animals show fascinating adaptions for living
in human environs
I've long been interested in how nonhuman animals (animals) who wind
up in human environs change their behavior when compared with wild
members of the same species (conspecifics). It's also known that
their skulls change when they become urbanized. A recent video about
urban raccoons called
Are we making raccoons smarter? supports some
of what I write here about how animals adapt to our presence....
Please read the ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE (PDF)