\u201cIf there are fewer prey species, there will be fewer predators. Animals will be dying as a consequence of these conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Published Dec 09, 2023<\/span> \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 3 minute read<\/span><\/p>\n Small children with sleds and snowshoe hares are waiting for the snow to come back \u2014 but not for the same reasons.<\/p>\n What\u2019s recreational for skiers is life and death for small mammals betrayed by their own changing coats in an El Ni\u00f1o year.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Dr. Mark Boyce, professor of biological sciences at the University of Alberta, said the driest November now on record at the Edmonton International Airport is having consequences for species that turn colour. The soft white camo uniform that serves them well most winters is a bull\u2019s-eye flag to predators.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n REGISTER TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cWhite-tail jackrabbits and snowshoe rabbits have turned white and they really stand out against the dark background,\u201d he said, noting that white-tailed jackrabbits are showing up on campus in places they don\u2019t usually frequent.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s because they\u2019re trying to find some type of cover,\u201d Boyce said. \u201cWhen the weather is doing strange things, they don\u2019t do so well.\u201d<\/p>\n The culprit is the El Ni\u00f1o cycle\u2019s weather patterns, caused by winds and sea surface temperatures spawned by the Pacific oscillation. All that perturbs mammals that depend on specific conditions, he said.<\/p>\n Last weekend, 10 cm of snow on the ground in Nordegg in west central Alberta disappeared at lower elevations in a bareness that wreaks havoc on Alberta\u2019s small mammals.<\/p>\n Typically, \u201csubnivean\u201d mammals like the marten prey on mice below the snow\u2019s blanket of insulation against the cold.<\/p>\n Without that white blanket, they\u2019re more visible, and vulnerable, to larger predators.<\/p>\n Most winters, the ermine \u2014 short-tailed weasel \u2014 blends in beautifully in a stunning robe of white.<\/p>\n Headline News<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n But the mice, woodrats, flying squirrels, even small birds on the carnivore\u2019s menu become hip to their predator\u2019s tricks against the brown backdrop on a snowless winter\u2019s day.<\/p>\n Denuded, small mammals are a midnight feast for large winged predators \u2014 great grey owls, great horned owls and others \u201care doing well,\u201d Boyce said.<\/p>\n Coyotes, too, spy stand-out prey from a longer distance \u2014 and pick them off accordingly. Sleek, healthy fur and a bright demeanour on coyotes observed on the outskirts of the Henday and on trails in Edmonton\u2019s river valley show signs of a good feeding year.<\/p>\n Edmonton\u2019s 1,500 coyotes have, for the most part, adapted to co-exist with humans, Boyce said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re doing very well indeed \u2014 some focus on wild prey, like jackrabbits, snowshoe hares and small mammals and birds. But there\u2019s some that become garbage specialists and feed on human-left resources,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Generally, for the moment, until Alberta gets some substantial snow, it\u2019s a predator\u2019s market \u2014 but that, too, is cyclical.<\/p>\n \u201cSpecies that rely on small mammals are going to take a hit because small mammal populations are going to decline because of these strange weather conditions,\u201d Boyce said.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Eventually, a run on prey animals trickles up to predators, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf there are fewer prey species, there will be fewer predators. Animals will be dying as a consequence of these conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n For the moment, the ungulates \u2014 deer, moose and elk \u2014 enjoy the snowless moment, foraging more easily for plant life that\u2019s closer to the surface.<\/p>\n \u201cMoose are well adapted to the Alberta environment and do fine most years under most conditions,\u201d Boyce said.<\/p>\n In contrast, heavy snow can be hard on the ungulates. If it\u2019s followed by warm weather melt and then another hard freeze, it creates a real barrier for them to access vegetation, he said.<\/p>\n With or without snow, ultimately, last summer\u2019s drought conditions and fewer feet of snow would make life a bit harder for the ungulate crowd, Boyce said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe drought will affect the vegetation and the vegetation affects the animals. The ungulates and hares and jackrabbits all feed on vegetation. If you have poor vegetation growth because it\u2019s been dry, that\u2019s going to have a negative effect on the wildlife,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n And in spring, a smaller overall melt would not saturate as well, and as a consequence plants wouldn\u2019t grow as well. That would affect the entire system \u2014 humans, crops, the flow downriver \u2014 and the wildfire season, because everything would be drier than what\u2019s ideal, Boyce said.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Share this article in your social network<\/p>\n![\"Edmonton](\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/edmontonjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/20231101db012.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&h=216&sig=oreEgaUtyXutDCtA7KuYlA\" "\\"\\"")
A rabbit sits in the tall grass in the Bissell Centre parking lot, in downtown Edmonton Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023.<\/span> Photo by David Bloom<\/span> \/Postmedia<\/span><\/p>\nArticle content<\/h2>\n
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Beneath the snowy mantle<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nFair foraging, smaller melt<\/h3>\n