The Last Word: ‘Wild DFW’ Author Amy Martin on Nocturnal Urban Wildlife in North Texas

“Our urban green spaces really come alive at night.”

Amy Martin
Author of “Wild DFW”
.…on nocturnal wildlife in North Texas, via the Dallas Morning News.

Amy Martin [Photo: Stalin SM]

Most North Texans have walked outside at night to spy a raccoon or possum nosing around in the dark. But you may be surprised to know how many creatures really burn the midnight oil across Dallas-Fort Worth. Alligators, bats, bobcats, the American mink, river otters, green tree frogs, and owls galore are just some of the nocturnal urban animals that feel right at home here.

But that can cause issues when developers clear a landscape for a new project.

Sam Kieschnick, an urban wildlife biologist for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, told the Dallas Morning News’ Jordan Chapman that he strives to reduce those conflicts.

“The next disturbance [when humans remove natural landscapes] is on the way,” he told the DMN. “That next parking lot is coming and so [if you’re an animal] you better move, you better adapt, or die. Those are kind of the three choices that urban wildlife has.”

Read more in the DMN story.

For more of who said what about all things North Texas, check out Every Last Word.

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