File under “food for thought”: according to an article in the New York Times, four Mount Graham red squirrels and hundreds of Three Forks springsnails are being raised in captivity at the Arizona Zoo. For the squirrels, the reason is a worse than average fire season has increased the threat to the rare squirrel.

The Mount Graham red squirrel was once thought to be extinct. It was placed on the federal Endangered Species list in 1987. It has been controversial because it once held up the construction of the Mount Graham International Observatory in one of those somewhat rare and always fascinating big science vs. wildlife conservation showdowns.

The Times article includes a link to further species info on the squirrel.

Photo: Mount Graham red squirrel, courtesy of the US Fish and Wildlife Service