Noah Perlut discusses the fate of animal species since Maine became a state with the Portland Press Herald

Noah Perlut, chair and associate professor in the Department of Environmental Studies
Noah Perlut, chair and associate professor in the Department of Environmental Studies

Maine recently marked the bicentennial of its statehood. In honor of the occasion, the Portland Press Herald took a look back at how some of the state’s animals have been impacted through the years.

According to the article, during the 200 years that Maine has been a state, humans have had an impact on whether animals have vanished, returned, arrived, or thrived.

Animals no longer found on the Maine landscape include the gray whale, the eastern cougar, the gray wolf, the wolverine, and the woodland caribou.

Some of the species that vanished from Maine over the last 200 years have since returned, including the peregrine falcon. A total of 153 young peregrines were reintroduced in Maine between 1984 and 1997. Since 2009, Maine has been home to at least 25 nesting pairs

“In a lot of regions of the Northeast, peregrine falcons only nested on cliffs,” Noah Perlut, Ph.D., chair and associate professor in the Department of Environmental Studies, told the Press Herald. “Now they are nesting on bridges and quarries and buildings.”

A number of other non-native species have successfully moved here, too, including two species of vultures: the turkey vulture and the black vulture.

Perlut tells the Press Herald there are reports that black vultures are now breeding here in Maine.

 

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The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.