Darwin might be jealous. Dr. Cody Thompson has a front row view for watching animals evolve in real time. As the Collections Manager and Associate Research Scientist for the University of Michigan’s Museum of Zoology, Mammals division, Dr. Thompson oversees about 150,000 specimens, which is the fifth largest university collection in the U.S.
Do you have a favorite mammal specimen?
A pink fairy armadillo. It was gifted to us by a former president of Argentina who received an honorary degree from U-M. He gave the armadillo and a few other specimens as a thank you present. It’s a very unusual specimen, and I’ve always liked the interesting backstory of how we acquired it.
What excites you in the world of mammals right now?
As mammalogists, we are on the frontline to see changes in populations in real time. Right now, we’re in a period of rapid change. More animals are being displaced, due to climate change or deforestation, or other causes. And with that, there are greater opportunities for species to intersect in new ways. We’re seeing the effects on animals, and while we’re not necessarily thinking about human implications in our research, we can see those connections as well.
What does this new intersection mean for mammals and humans?
When habitats are taken away, and natural populations are disrupted, we can foresee potential conflict with humans or other animals. For example, opossums are a mammal we typically see on the roadside here in southeastern Michigan, but until recently, were never found in the Upper Peninsula. That’s because opossums are intolerant of cold temperatures, they can get frostbite and they can’t be active in freezing temperatures. Now, with our recent milder winters, we’re finding opossums as far north as Bismark, ND, allowing opossums to interact with humans, pets and livestock in new environments.
How does habitat loss lead to pathogens concerns?
When animals lose their habitats, it can cause stress and animals in stress shed viruses. We’ve seen the ramifications of this with COVID, SARS, ebola and many other viruses. Pathogens and viruses are hard for people to think about because you can’t see them. As mammalogists, pathogens become real when we start seeing increased interactions between humans and species that did not historically mix. We’re able to put this into context. This is happening not just here but all over the world as animals lose their habitat and move into new areas.
What or who is inspiring you in the world of science?
I’m interested in how scientists are using new technology to answer old questions. I think about the human genome project, and how initially it was so expensive and it took so long to get answers, and now I can get a genome overnight. It’s exciting to think about what we’ll be able to answer or solve next.
What’s the truth about wolverines in Michigan?
Wolverines have never lived in Michigan, at least according to historical and archaeological records. Even the fur trade, which was quite large in our state at one time, has no record of wolverines in Michigan. The only record of wolverines in Michigan is relatively recent and that was in the thumb. We suspect it may have traveled over from Canada, which does have a population. In the U.S., wolverines live only in the Rockies and Alaska.
