Research Report: Distribution and abundance of Barbary sheep and other ungulates in Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Novack A, Fuhrmann K, Dorman-Johnson K, Bartell S. 2009. Research Report: Distribution and abundance of Barbary sheep and other ungulates in Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Park Science. 26(2):92–98
Investigators surveyed the abundance and distribution of ungulates in Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico). Three species of ungulate inhabit the park: mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and collared peccary (Tayassu pecari) are native, while Barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia) is nonnative. Barbary sheep became established at the same time as hunting reduced native desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) below viable population size throughout most of their New Mexico range. Investigators made ground observations from 11 transects distributed throughout the park among three landscape categories—canyon, ridge, and escarpment. They surveyed a total of 297 miles (478 km) of transect lines from March 2004 to September 2005. Barbary sheep were concentrated primarily in canyons and secondarily along the escarpment. Mule deer and collared peccary primarily occurred on the escarpment. Results of this study provide a baseline from which to evaluate Barbary sheep removal and bighorn sheep introduction.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Novack, Anthony; Fuhrmann, Kelly; Dorman-Johnson, Kristin; Bartell, Scott
- Units
- CAVE , NRSS
- Keywords
- barbary sheep, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Javelina, Mule Deer, nonnative species, Wildlife Survey