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The invasion of exotic plant species in California's southern San Joaquin Valley has created an almost impenetrable habitat for some ground-dwelling vertebrates. It is argued that managed livestock grazing could reduce such exotic species and allow at-risk populations of native animals and grasses to be sustained.

The capture and marking of small mammals can be difficult and is reliant on radio collars, intraperitoneal implants and subcutaneous implants, However, invasive techniques can seriously harm animals and collars may cause skin abrasions. A new radiotag made of beaded-chain has been designed and tested on kangaroo rats. It is concluded that the collar is a safe and reliable alternative to traditional tagging methods.

Recent research has considered the performance of transmitters attached to Temple Tags and placed on the interdigital webbing of rear flippers of sea otters translocated to San Nicolas Island, CA. A number of important findings were made, including the fact that tag loss and flipper damage can be minimised by not attaching the transmitters between the fourth and fifth digits. The transmitters are generally reliable, and are retained for around 263 days on average.

Presents a study which discussed data on the translocation of California red-legged frogs. Methods; Results; Discussion.