The Southwest's drought is shrinking wildlife's suitable habitat

[OKIsItJustMe]

https://news.umich.edu/the-southwests-drought-is-shrinking-wildlifes-suitable-habitat/

May 26, 2026
Contact:
Matt Davenport

As people in the United States are coping with historic drought conditions, the country’s wildlife is also facing problems because of the extreme aridity.

Herbivores, omnivores and carnivores in the southwestern U.S. have all seen the extent of their suitable habitat shrink due to drought, according to a new study led by the University of Michigan.

“The take-home message is that the effects of drought are huge and widespread. These results aren’t just from one small study system,” said Kirby Mills, a lead author of the new study published in the journal Communications Earth and Environment.

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The study analyzed 12 years worth of data collected by GPS collars worn by mule deer, black bears and cougars—herbivores, omnivores and carnivores, respectively—in Nevada and Utah (currently, Utah is one of nine states completely covered by some level of drought). During severe drought conditions, each species saw at least a 10% reduction in the area of highly selected, or highly suitable, habitat.

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Leclerc, M., Mills, K.L., Ditmer, M.A. et al. Extreme droughts shrink suitable habitats and reduce fitness for large mammals in the American West. Commun Earth Environ 7, 450 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-026-03530-y