Thomas O'Shea, PhD
Tom O'Shea is a Scientist Emeritus at the USGS Fort Collins Science Center.
Tom O'Shea has conducted research on bats, sirenians, and other mammals in the U.S., Africa, South and Central America, Asia, and Oceania. Dr. O'Shea is the author or co-author of about 140 scientific publications. He was formerly a researcher with the USGS, National Biological Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. His current research emphasis is on bats (after a long hiatus in marine mammal studies and federal research management), particularly topics related to diseases, population biology, natural history, and environmental contaminants.
Professional Experience
Scientist Emeritus, U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center 2009-present
Research Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center 2001-2009
Branch Chief, U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center 1996-2001
Assistant Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/National Biological Survey, National Ecology Research Center/Midcontinent Ecological Science Center, Fort Collins 1992-1996
Research Wildlife Biologist, Sirenia Project Leader, Field Station Leader, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Fish and Wildlife Laboratory/National Ecology Research Center, Gainesville, Florida 1979-1992
Research Zoologist, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, Maryland 1977-1979
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Zoology, Northern Arizona University, 1977
M.S. Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, 1973
B.S. Zoology, Colorado State University 1970
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Society of Mammalogists
National Museums of Kenya
Florida Museum of Natural History
Museum of Southwestern Biology (University of New Mexico)
California Academy of Sciences
Colorado State University
University of Florida
University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Wildlife-At-Risk (Vietnam)
Advisory committees of a number of national and international conservation organizations and agencies, including the Committee of Scientific Advisors to the US Marine Mammal Commission.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 116
Alphacoronaviruses in New World Bats: Prevalence, Persistence, Phylogeny, and Potential for Interaction with Humans
Bats are reservoirs for many different coronaviruses (CoVs) as well as many other important zoonotic viruses. We sampled feces and/or anal swabs of 1,044 insectivorous bats of 2 families and 17 species from 21 different locations within Colorado from 2007 to 2009. We detected alphacoronavirus RNA in bats of 4 species: big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus), 10% prevalence; long-legged bats...
Authors
Christina Osborne, Paul M. Cryan, Thomas J. O'Shea, Lauren M. Oko, Christina Ndaluka, Charles H. Calisher, Andrew D. Berglund, Mead L. Klavetter, Kathryn V. Holmes, Samuel R. Dominguez
Status and Natural History of Emballonura Semicaudata Rotensis on Aguiguan, Mariana Islands
Pacific sheath-tailed bats (Emballonura semicaudata rotensis) in the Mariana Islands declined greatly in abundance and distribution during the 20th century. The small island of Aguiguan now supports the only persisting population. We studied abundance and natural history of this population from 1995–2008. There was a likely population increase during the study, with 359–466 (minimum and...
Authors
Gary J. Wiles, Thomas J. O'Shea, David J. Worthington, Jacob A. Esselstyn, Ernest W. Valdez
Alphacoronaviruses in new World bats: Prevalence, persistence, phylogeny, and potential for interaction with humans
Bats are reservoirs for many different coronaviruses (CoVs) as well as many other important zoonotic viruses. We sampled feces and/or anal swabs of 1,044 insectivorous bats of 2 families and 17 species from 21 different locations within Colorado from 2007 to 2009. We detected alphacoronavirus RNA in bats of 4 species: big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus), 10% prevalence; long-legged bats...
Authors
C. Osborne, Paul M. Cryan, Thomas J. O'Shea, Lauren M. Oko, Christina Ndaluka, C.H. Calisher, A.D. Berglund, Mead L. Klavetter, R.B. Owen, K.V. Holmes, S.R. Dominguez
Diets of the sympatric pacific sheath-tailed bat (Emballonura semicaudata rotensis) and Mariana Swiftlet (Aerodramus bartscht) on Aguiguan, Mariana Islands
The Pacific sheath-tailed bat (Emballonura semicaudata rotensis) and Mariana swiftlet (Aerodramus bartschi) are two rare insectivorous taxa restricted to the southern Mariana Islands in western Micronesia. It is believed that populations of both have dwindled because of impacts to their food resources. However, there is little information on the food habits of A. bartschi and none exists...
Authors
Ernest W. Valdez, G.J. Wiles, Thomas J. O'Shea
Host and viral ecology determine bat rabies seasonality and maintenance
Rabies is an acute viral infection that is typically fatal. Most rabies modeling has focused on disease dynamics and control within terrestrial mammals (e.g., raccoons and foxes). As such, rabies in bats has been largely neglected until recently. Because bats have been implicated as natural reservoirs for several emerging zoonotic viruses, including SARS-like corona viruses...
Authors
D.B. George, Colleen T. Webb, Matthew L. Farnsworth, Thomas J. O'Shea, R.B. Owen, D.L. Smith, T.R. Stanley, L.E. Ellison, C. E. Rupprecht
Nonrandom patterns of roost emergence in big brown bats, Eptesicus fuscus
In most colonial species of bats individuals emerge en masse from day roosts each evening to begin foraging. Although some aspects of emergence behavior are understood, one previously unexplored area is the specific order in which individuals emerge. The goal of our research was to determine if big brown bats, Eptesicus fuscus, fitted with passive integrated transponder tags emerge from...
Authors
E.H. Gillam, Thomas J. O'Shea, R.M. Brigham
Non-USGS Publications**
Helm, R.C., D.P. Costa, T.D. DeBruyn, T.J. O'Shea, R.S. Wells, and T.M. Williams. 2015. Overview of effects of oil on marine mammals. P. 455-484, in M. Fingas (ed.) Handbook of Oil Spill Science and Technology. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ
Luis, A.D., T.J. O'Shea, D.T.S. Hayman, J.L.N. Wood, A.A. Cunningham, A. T. Gilbert, J.N. Mills, and C.T. Webb. 2015. Network analysis of host-virus communities in bats and rodents reveals determinants of cross-species transmission. Ecology Letters 18:1153-1162. DOI: 10.1111/ele.12491
Marsh, H., T. O’Shea, and J. Reynolds. 2011. Ecology and conservation of the Sirenia: dugongs and manatees. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 538 p.
O’Shea, T.J. 2014. Family Trichechidae. P. 548-562 in D.E. Wilson and R.A. Mittermeier, eds. Handbook of Mammals of the World 4. Sea Mammals. Lynx Editions, Barcelona.
Peel, A.J., J. R. C. Pulliam, A. D. Luis, R. K. Plowright, T. J. O’Shea, D. T. S. Hayman, J. L. N. Wood, C. T. Webb, and O. Restif. 2014. The effect of seasonal birth pulses on pathogen persistence in wild mammal populations. Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences B 281: 20132962 (pages 1-9).
Restif, O., Hayman, D.T.S., J.R.C. Pulliam, R.K. Plowright, D.B. George, A.D. Luis, A.A. Cunningham, R.A. Bowen, A.R. Fooks, T.J. O'Shea, J.L.N. Wood, and C.T. Webb. 2012. Model-guided fieldwork: practical guidelines for multidisciplinary research on wildlife ecological and epidemiological dynamics. Ecology Letters 15:1083-1094. DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2012.01836.x
Son, N.T., T.J. O’Shea, J.A. Gore, G. Csorba, V.T. Tu, T. Oshida, H. Endo, and M. Motokawa. 2016. Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of the southeastern Truong Son Mountains, Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam. Journal of Threatened Taxa 8:8953-8969. DOI: httpdx.dofi.org/10.11609/jot.2785.8.7.8953-8969
Webber, Q.M.R., Brigham, R.M., Park, A.D., Gillam, E.H., O'Shea, T.J., and Willis, C.K.R. 2016, Social network characteristics and predicted pathogen transmission in summer colonies of female big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 70: 701-712. DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2093-3
Woolf, A. and T. J. O'Shea. 1968. Two bighorn sheep-coyote encounters. Journal of Mammalogy 49: 770. DOI: 10.2307/1378747
Woolf, A., T. J. O'Shea and D. L. Gilbert. 1970. Movements and behavior of bighorn sheep on summer ranges in Yellowstone National Park. Journal of Wildlife Management 34: 446-450. DOI: 10.2307/3799031
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 116
Alphacoronaviruses in New World Bats: Prevalence, Persistence, Phylogeny, and Potential for Interaction with Humans
Bats are reservoirs for many different coronaviruses (CoVs) as well as many other important zoonotic viruses. We sampled feces and/or anal swabs of 1,044 insectivorous bats of 2 families and 17 species from 21 different locations within Colorado from 2007 to 2009. We detected alphacoronavirus RNA in bats of 4 species: big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus), 10% prevalence; long-legged bats...
Authors
Christina Osborne, Paul M. Cryan, Thomas J. O'Shea, Lauren M. Oko, Christina Ndaluka, Charles H. Calisher, Andrew D. Berglund, Mead L. Klavetter, Kathryn V. Holmes, Samuel R. Dominguez
Status and Natural History of Emballonura Semicaudata Rotensis on Aguiguan, Mariana Islands
Pacific sheath-tailed bats (Emballonura semicaudata rotensis) in the Mariana Islands declined greatly in abundance and distribution during the 20th century. The small island of Aguiguan now supports the only persisting population. We studied abundance and natural history of this population from 1995–2008. There was a likely population increase during the study, with 359–466 (minimum and...
Authors
Gary J. Wiles, Thomas J. O'Shea, David J. Worthington, Jacob A. Esselstyn, Ernest W. Valdez
Alphacoronaviruses in new World bats: Prevalence, persistence, phylogeny, and potential for interaction with humans
Bats are reservoirs for many different coronaviruses (CoVs) as well as many other important zoonotic viruses. We sampled feces and/or anal swabs of 1,044 insectivorous bats of 2 families and 17 species from 21 different locations within Colorado from 2007 to 2009. We detected alphacoronavirus RNA in bats of 4 species: big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus), 10% prevalence; long-legged bats...
Authors
C. Osborne, Paul M. Cryan, Thomas J. O'Shea, Lauren M. Oko, Christina Ndaluka, C.H. Calisher, A.D. Berglund, Mead L. Klavetter, R.B. Owen, K.V. Holmes, S.R. Dominguez
Diets of the sympatric pacific sheath-tailed bat (Emballonura semicaudata rotensis) and Mariana Swiftlet (Aerodramus bartscht) on Aguiguan, Mariana Islands
The Pacific sheath-tailed bat (Emballonura semicaudata rotensis) and Mariana swiftlet (Aerodramus bartschi) are two rare insectivorous taxa restricted to the southern Mariana Islands in western Micronesia. It is believed that populations of both have dwindled because of impacts to their food resources. However, there is little information on the food habits of A. bartschi and none exists...
Authors
Ernest W. Valdez, G.J. Wiles, Thomas J. O'Shea
Host and viral ecology determine bat rabies seasonality and maintenance
Rabies is an acute viral infection that is typically fatal. Most rabies modeling has focused on disease dynamics and control within terrestrial mammals (e.g., raccoons and foxes). As such, rabies in bats has been largely neglected until recently. Because bats have been implicated as natural reservoirs for several emerging zoonotic viruses, including SARS-like corona viruses...
Authors
D.B. George, Colleen T. Webb, Matthew L. Farnsworth, Thomas J. O'Shea, R.B. Owen, D.L. Smith, T.R. Stanley, L.E. Ellison, C. E. Rupprecht
Nonrandom patterns of roost emergence in big brown bats, Eptesicus fuscus
In most colonial species of bats individuals emerge en masse from day roosts each evening to begin foraging. Although some aspects of emergence behavior are understood, one previously unexplored area is the specific order in which individuals emerge. The goal of our research was to determine if big brown bats, Eptesicus fuscus, fitted with passive integrated transponder tags emerge from...
Authors
E.H. Gillam, Thomas J. O'Shea, R.M. Brigham
Non-USGS Publications**
Helm, R.C., D.P. Costa, T.D. DeBruyn, T.J. O'Shea, R.S. Wells, and T.M. Williams. 2015. Overview of effects of oil on marine mammals. P. 455-484, in M. Fingas (ed.) Handbook of Oil Spill Science and Technology. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ
Luis, A.D., T.J. O'Shea, D.T.S. Hayman, J.L.N. Wood, A.A. Cunningham, A. T. Gilbert, J.N. Mills, and C.T. Webb. 2015. Network analysis of host-virus communities in bats and rodents reveals determinants of cross-species transmission. Ecology Letters 18:1153-1162. DOI: 10.1111/ele.12491
Marsh, H., T. O’Shea, and J. Reynolds. 2011. Ecology and conservation of the Sirenia: dugongs and manatees. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 538 p.
O’Shea, T.J. 2014. Family Trichechidae. P. 548-562 in D.E. Wilson and R.A. Mittermeier, eds. Handbook of Mammals of the World 4. Sea Mammals. Lynx Editions, Barcelona.
Peel, A.J., J. R. C. Pulliam, A. D. Luis, R. K. Plowright, T. J. O’Shea, D. T. S. Hayman, J. L. N. Wood, C. T. Webb, and O. Restif. 2014. The effect of seasonal birth pulses on pathogen persistence in wild mammal populations. Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences B 281: 20132962 (pages 1-9).
Restif, O., Hayman, D.T.S., J.R.C. Pulliam, R.K. Plowright, D.B. George, A.D. Luis, A.A. Cunningham, R.A. Bowen, A.R. Fooks, T.J. O'Shea, J.L.N. Wood, and C.T. Webb. 2012. Model-guided fieldwork: practical guidelines for multidisciplinary research on wildlife ecological and epidemiological dynamics. Ecology Letters 15:1083-1094. DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2012.01836.x
Son, N.T., T.J. O’Shea, J.A. Gore, G. Csorba, V.T. Tu, T. Oshida, H. Endo, and M. Motokawa. 2016. Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of the southeastern Truong Son Mountains, Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam. Journal of Threatened Taxa 8:8953-8969. DOI: httpdx.dofi.org/10.11609/jot.2785.8.7.8953-8969
Webber, Q.M.R., Brigham, R.M., Park, A.D., Gillam, E.H., O'Shea, T.J., and Willis, C.K.R. 2016, Social network characteristics and predicted pathogen transmission in summer colonies of female big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 70: 701-712. DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2093-3
Woolf, A. and T. J. O'Shea. 1968. Two bighorn sheep-coyote encounters. Journal of Mammalogy 49: 770. DOI: 10.2307/1378747
Woolf, A., T. J. O'Shea and D. L. Gilbert. 1970. Movements and behavior of bighorn sheep on summer ranges in Yellowstone National Park. Journal of Wildlife Management 34: 446-450. DOI: 10.2307/3799031
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government