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Ringed Salamander, photo by Taylor Carlson
Surveyors Study Secretive Salamanders

Less than an inch of rain fell on Oct. 9, 2018, but it was enough to prompt 196 ringed salamanders to emerge from their underground homes and embark on their annual journey.

Swift Fox
Track Surveys Shed Light on Swift Fox

Biologists keep tabs on Oklahoma’s smallest fox, the swift fox, with annual track surveys across the High Plains.

Two men and a woman stand on a boat with bows and arrows in hand.
Simulated Bowfishing Tournament Gives Insights to Sport

The Wildlife Department partnered with Oklahoma Fish Stickers to learn about the impacts of bowfishing on native nongame fishes in a unique bowfishing tournament.

A brown and tan blotched snake is curled with its head pointing above the coil.
Highlights from Oklahoma’s History of Herpetology

The archived history of herpetology shows the compounding value of past reptile and amphibian conservation efforts and incredible potential for the future.

A man looks through a spotting scope attached to an open truck door.
Breeding Birds Counted in Trio of Surveys

Biologists surveyed along public roads to document the bird community found in a Breeding Bird Atlas block located in Jackson and Tillman counties.

Two men are checking in their harvest turkey after a hunt.
Hunting and Fishing Boost Oklahoma's Economy

Southwick Associates (SA) ran an economic impact analysis on data collected as part of the National Survey of Hunting, Fishing and Wildlife Watching. An economic impact analysis looks at how certain activities influence the economy of a specific location. For this analysis, SA looked at how hunting, fishing and target shooting impact different pieces of the economy in Oklahoma.

A small brown butterfly is perched on a twig.
Small Butterfly Gets Big Status Update

A team organized by the Oklahoma Biological Survey tracked down the handful of frosted elfin butterfly records for the state and made it their mission to increase the number of known locations for the species.

An American black bear stands near a pile of logs with its nose in the air.
Study Focused on Panhandle Black Bears Gets Big Picture Results

Camera traps and hair snares give landowners and biologists answers about status and origin of Panhandle black bears.

A tan frog with dark blotches floats in the water.
It’s Raining, It’s Pouring … the Crawfish Frog is Snoring

A team from Oklahoma State University has been studying the state’s secretive crawfish frog with research and survey sites spanning from a single breeding pond to the eastern one-third of Oklahoma.

Two biologists in coats hold a big catfish while standing on a boat.
Rethinking Sampling Gear Gives Better Estimate of Big Catfish

Study finds electrofishing may catch the largest numbers of blue catfish but misses a “shocking” number of big fish.