Urban wildlife

Some urban wildlife, such as house mice, are synanthropic, ecologically associated with and even evolved to become entirely dependent on human habitats.

For instance, the range of many synanthropic species is expanded to latitudes at which they could not survive the winter outside of the shelterings provided by human settlements.

[2] Arthropods (insects, spiders and millipedes), gastropods (land snails and slugs), various worms and some reptiles (e.g. house geckos) can also thrive well in the niches of human settlements.

[3][4] Among vertebrates, a case is urban great tits, which have been found to sing at a higher pitch than their rural relatives so that their songs stand out above the city noise, although this is probably a learned rather than evolved response.

[8] For instance, when female birds deposit androgens into their eggs, this affects many diverse aspects of offspring development and phenotype.

[12] Humans have lived alongside and near wild animals for centuries, but the expansion of the study of urban ecology has allowed for new information surrounding human-wildlife interactions.

The presence of native species allows systems and food chains to function in a healthy way, providing ecosystem services to the humans living around these areas.

Some areas are subject to more extreme conflicts between humans and wildlife, such as in Mozambique and Namibia, where more than 100 people are killed each year by crocodiles.

Artificial wetness brought about by swimming pools and watered lawns alongside supplementary feeding has made urban areas conducive for waterbirds such as African woolly-necked storks and hadada ibises in South Africa.

[32] Some species of native animals in Australia, such as various bird species including the Australian magpie, crested pigeon, rainbow lorikeet, willie wagtail, laughing kookaburra and tawny frogmouth, are able to survive as urban wildlife,[33] although introduced birds such as the Old World sparrow are more common in the centre of larger cities.

In Queensland and parts of New Guinea, the local cassowary population has also shown behavioural changes to better adapt in the urban environment as their original rainforest habitats decline in size.

These birds were far more alert and rested less than the more 'wild' counterparts and had quickly adapted to foraging on human waste as it offers a greater reward in food bounties.

The Australian white ibis has reached pest status in parts of Australia, necessitating the killing of eggs in an effort to control the species.

[35][36] Some of the most resilient small marsupial species, including the common ringtail/brushtail possum, sugar glider and northern brown bandicoot, and some megabats such as the grey-headed flying fox have also adapted somewhat to the urban/suburban environment.

Although culled aggressively in most of Japan for being a pest, the Sika deer is, for religious reasons, protected in the city of Nara and has become part of the urban environment.

[39] Due to the denseness of Japanese cities, birdlife is not as common as other parts of the world, though typical urban birds such as crows, sparrows, and gulls have adapted well.

[40] The declining human population in several urban and rural settings in Japan has led to federal plans to prevent species reestablishment or remove recolonized animals capable of increasing human-wildlife conflict.

A large number of waterbirds nest on trees in Indian cities, benefitting from people's positive attitudes towards the birds despite the noise and smell around such breeding sites.

The painted stork (Mycteria leucocephala) breeding colonies in the National Zoological Park in Delhi have been studied for over three decades.

[52] The patchwork of vegetation (both native and exotic) alongside natural relief and associated habitats such as scrub and grasslands, when juxtaposed with urban elements such as open plots readied for development, can create conditions to support a relatively large number of bird species such as in Udaipur city, India.

Great tits living in noisy cities have to compete with the low-frequency sounds of heavy traffic, which means their songs go up in pitch to make themselves heard.

One red fox was even found living at the top of the then-partially completed Shard in 2011, having climbed the stairwell to reach its temporary home some 72 stories above ground.

[62] Wild roe deer are becoming increasingly common in green areas in Scottish towns and cities, such as in the Easterhouse suburb of Glasgow.

Omnivores such as raccoons, Virginia opossums, and striped skunks are abundant, but seldom seen, due to their elusive and nocturnal nature.

[citation needed] Red-tailed hawks are a common sight in urban areas, with individuals such as Pale Male being documented nesting and raising chicks in New York City since at least the 1990s.

The American alligator, a once-threatened species that was saved from extinction through farming and conservation, can frequently be found in the southern United States living in open areas with access to water, such as golf courses and parks, in its native range.

[68] In 2009, a large blobby mass made of colonies of tubifex worms was found to be living in the sewers of Raleigh, North Carolina.

Revealed by a snake camera inspection of sewer piping under the Cameron Village shopping center, videos of the creature went viral on YouTube in 2009 under the name "Carolina poop monster".

[71] Human-wildlife conflicts in urban areas are increasing in several South American countries, with species that include jaguars, pumas, capybaras, and wild boars.

[72] Urban expansion has led to a novel and underreported challenge to wildlife: an increase in the demand for wild meat that includes several taxa such as birds, turtles, small mammals and caimans.