If you live in a place called Pigeonroost, Wolfpit, or Rattlesnake Ridge, the name of your village may contain important clues for preserving and restoring the local fauna. John Cox, a graduate student in conservation biology at the University of Kentucky, says that most landmarks named after wildlife accurately map the animals and birds that covered North America before European colonization. In some cases, these names are the only evidence left of the area's original occupants.
Photographs courtesy of John Cox (5).
