Published accounts describe the eggs of spotted frogs (Rana luteiventris and Rana pretiosa) as having either 1 or 2 jelly envelopes surrounding the ovum. Eggs of R. luteiventris are typically reported to have a single jelly envelope, whereas those of R. pretiosa are reported to have 2 envelopes. We found, however, that both species' eggs actually have 3 jelly envelopes. In this paper we describe the eggs of both species, and identify the origin of the discrepancy in the scientific literature.

I observed Black-billed Magpies (Pica hudsonia) in a residential backyard in Montana during November-December 2019 and February 2020, as they cached food 10 times in a snow cover 10- to 12-cm deep and recovered 3 caches from the snow. The magpies carried food items up to 7 m from a food source before caching them, and tended to cache more closely to the food source when alone rather than in the presence of other magpies. Most of the snow caches were on the ground, but 1 cache was made 1.5 m above ground in a snow-covered vine thicket, and a 2nd cache at the same height in snow accumulated on the roof of a parked trailer. Cached foods included chicken scratch (grains and cracked corn), sunflower seeds, crab apples, dried mealworms, and commercial suet. These observations appear to constitute the 1st report of Black-billed Magpies caching food in snow.

Social rank and personality (consistent behavioural traits) can influence access to resources that could be critical for fat accumulation and survival from disease. For Little Brown Bats (Myotis lucifugus) recovering from the fungal disease white-nose syndrome, understanding behavioural dynamics may also be important for maintaining animals in captivity for conservation research. We hypothesized that Little Brown Bats will exhibit social structure in captivity, and that social rank and personality affect feeding behaviour. We predicted that bats would arrive at the feeding dish in a similar order each night and that higher ranked and more active individuals would spend more time and feed more frequently at the food dish. Bats arrived at the feeding dish in a similar order each night, suggesting that social rank may affect feeding in captive bat colonies. However, neither the order of arrival or personality correlated with feeding behaviour. We recommend that future studies test for the influence of dominant-subordinate relationships on social structure in captive and free-ranging insectivorous bats.

Southern Torrent Salamanders (Rhyacotriton variegatus) are a cold, headwater-inhabiting amphibian native to the Pacific Northwest. This genus of salamanders is considered highly aquatic, even in postmetamorphic stages, although instances of terrestrial movement have been observed. This note reports our opportunistic field observations for terrestrial movement in R. variegatus, which primarily occurred in the vicinity of Marys Peak, Benton County, Oregon.

Survival estimation is critical to studies of wildlife population biology, and recent model developments allow for temporal covariates on mortality risk. To test model assumptions that scavengers do not influence either perceived mortality cause or location, we randomly placed 24 radio-marked Chukar (Alectoris chukar) carcasses over gradients of grassland habitat conditions in eastern Montana in both April 2017 and July 2018, and monitored scavenging activity at intervals relevant to gamebird telemetry studies. High rates of scavenging (12.5–78%, depending on season and relocation interval) suggest that scavenging activity could confound determination of cause-specific mortality, but that its influence varies with season. Scavenging activity did not significantly influence perceived mortality locations regardless of season or local habitat conditions with a relocation interval of 3 d (8% of carcasses moved), but mortality locations may be biased over longer periods (50% of carcasses moved in 7-d period), particularly in warm seasons or regions.

The Western Pond Turtle (Actinemys marmorata) has been declining throughout its range due to several stressors, including habitat degradation and loss, exotic competitors, nonnative predators, and epidemic disease. California's only native turtle is listed as a Species of Special Concern and a candidate species for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act. Few studies have examined their population ecology in lentic environments subject to livestock grazing. From 2011 through 2016, staff and volunteers from the East Bay Regional Park District used radiotelemetry or tracked visually the seasonal movement patterns, habitat use, and nest site selection of Western Pond Turtles (n = 38) in eastern Contra Costa County, California. Statistical analyses of this multiple-year database showed that male and female turtles used the pond environment differently; however, they all overwintered in the same relative location. Gravid females on average moved 24.4 m (s = 17.5 m.) away from the ponds during the first 2 wk of June to oviposit on south-facing slopes (aspect = 134°, s = 31.9°), with mean residual-dry-matter levels of 1345 lbs/ac (1510 kg/ha) and vegetation heights ranging between 26.6 and 39.5 cm. These findings on how Western Pond Turtles used their pond and upland environments may have significant conservation and management implications for rangelands.

We present updated distribution information for the Pacific White-sided Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens, PWSD) in the southeastern Bering Sea, including Bristol Bay. The northern extent of this dolphin's range currently includes Bristol Bay and a 150-km swath north of the Aleutian Island chain, and presence in the Bering Sea has been described as rare. Our review of National Marine Fisheries Service marine mammal survey data (1991 to 2010) and sighting reports from sources such as the Platforms of Opportunity Program, whaling and fisheries catch records, and naturalist reports (1975 to 2016) found numerous sightings (n = 191) and year-round presence within the current range. We also found 18 sightings, 2 of which were bycatch in commercial fisheries, that occurred north of the existing range and in all seasons. Based on these results, we suggest PWSD presence in the Bering Sea is not rare, occurs year-round, extends farther north than shown on current range maps, and that site-fidelity may occur in areas near and within Bristol Bay.

We report the 2nd occurrence of a warm water teleost predator, Swordfish (Xiphias gladius), in Canadian Pacific waters, and the first seen in coastal waters of British Columbia. A Swordfish was observed on 5 September 2017 approximately 20 nm (37 km) from the Brooks Peninsula, Vancouver Island, British Columbia (UTM: Zone 9, 560062 E, 5526365 N, WGS84) in above average water temperatures.