Written By: Aimee Turcotte When you think of Giant Anteaters (Myrmecophaga Tridactyla), what do you see? These animals were called Ant Bears because of their size and insectivorous (feeding on insects) diet (2.). We certainly do not see Giant Anteaters in Connecticut, so you would only know what Giant Anteaters look like by seeing them in zoos, out in the wild in South America, or by researching them. If you have not seen a Giant Anteater before, I can testify that these animals are very intriguing. These animals have elongated snouts and tongues up to a third of their body length that allows them to eat termites living on the forest floor (2.). Giant Anteaters can occasionally dine on ripe fruit as well, such as oranges. These animals are opportunistic eaters, so they will eat whatever is readily available if insects are scarce (3.).
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Written By: Aimee Turcotte Bats are creatures that some individuals believe are ‘bewitching’ or ‘bizarre’ and therefore, are a perfect symbol of Halloween. In fact, bats are frequently associated with vampires. Depictions of bats as vampires appeared in many cultures as far back as prehistoric times. For instance, there is a myth about a blood-feeding Philippine manananggal who would cleave the upper part of her body and then grow bat-like wings for flight (1.). The perception of vampires changed in Eastern Europe in the 18th century when horror stories would describe vampires as undead shapeshifters who would be active during the night. Like the Phillippine manananggal, Eastern European vampires transformed into bats for easier travel and for drinking the blood of the living (1.). By the 19th century, vampires became popular in Gothic fiction. In the early 20th century, Dracula became one of the most famous vampires in Gothic fiction. He turned into a bat multiple times in Bram Stocker’s 1897 novel “Dracula” to avoid being recognized and to travel efficiently (2.). Moreover, bats are often misunderstood because they are frequently mentioned in vampire stories as being associated with death and the underworld due to their nocturnal nature (3., 9.). Written By: Aimee Turcotte Bats are phenomenal animals typically shrouded in myths that make them feared and misunderstood. Many individuals are unaware of bats’ ecological importance in pest control, seed dispersal, and pollination. In this blog, we will uncover the truth about bats and how many of the resources we have would not be available without them. I attended an evening lecture at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo led by Keelyn Kotecki, a research student pursuing a master's at Southern Connecticut State University. She had the wonderful opportunity of becoming a bat expert by studying Vampire Bats in South America. During this lecture, she shared some general facts about bats that I found very interesting. Did you know that bats are the only mammals capable of true flight (1.)? Even though other mammals like flying squirrels can glide in the sky, they do not have the bone structure to support long flights. Bats have patagia, which are wing membranes that stretch over the bones of a bat’s wing to assist with wing flexibility and lift. Furthermore, bats are a part of the order Chiroptera, which can be split into two major suborder groups, Megachiroptera and Microchiroptera (1., 2.). Throughout the world, there are approximately 1,400 species of bats, so many that these bats make up 20% of all mammals (1.). Written By: Aimee Turcotte Gray Wolves (Canis lupus) are a part of the family Canidae, which is composed of animals that are “dog-like” [1.]. There are five main subspecies of Gray Wolves: Arctic, Great Plains, Eastern Timber, Northwestern Gray, and Mexican. There are many similarities and differences between these five subspecies. There are Mexican Gray Wolves at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo. Mexican Wolves are a species at the zoo protected under the American Zoo and Aquarium Association’s Species Survival Plan (SSP). The SSP is a “binational captive breeding program between the United States and Mexico for the Mexican Wolf. The SSP mission is to reestablish the Mexican Wolf in the wild through captive breeding, public education, and research” [8.]. Mexican Gray Wolves are the smallest and rarest subspecies of Gray Wolves that live in North America [1.]. These wolves are approximately 4 to 5 feet long and 2 to 3 feet tall [2.]. Mexican Gray Wolves can weigh 60 to 90 pounds. When comparing their size to a domestic dog, they are roughly the size of an adult German Shepherd [2.]. Occasionally, Mexican Wolves are called ‘El lobo’ because of their light brown and gray mottled fur, which allows them to camouflage in mountain forests and grasslands [4.]. The forest habitats of these wolves range from northern Mexico, Arizona, and New Mexico [2.]. Mexican Wolves are carnivores typically seen wandering around their territory searching for prey such as small mammals like rabbits [2.]. Unfortunately, in the 20th century, there was a population decrease of deer, elk, and livestock in forests, leading people to believe that wolves were eating these animals [3.]. The government decided to eradicate Mexican Wolves through trapping and poisoning campaigns, which caused these animals to become endangered by the early 1970s [3.]. In 1997, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was permitted by the government to capture the last few Mexican Wolves and breed them in hopes of reintroducing them to their natural environments while increasing their population to prevent extinction [4.] Written By: Aimee Turcotte Years ago, Red Wolves (Canis rufus) were thriving in the bottomland forests, dense mountains, coastal prairies, swamps, and marshes of the southeastern United States [1.]. Unfortunately, their historic range has decreased due to habitat loss and is now limited to a designated area in northeastern North Carolina’s Albemarle Peninsula. Within the lands of the Albemarle Peninsula, Red Wolves occasionally interact with Coyotes, resulting in competing for resources or mating when a Red Wolf cannot find a mate of their species. The hybridization of Red Wolves and Coyotes has resulted in the loss of genetic diversity between these species. If there are more Coyote and Red Wolf hybrids, the population of Red Wolves may continue to decrease, resulting in this critically endangered species being closer to extinction. A Red Wolf pack typically includes a breeding pair and their young. There can be 5 to 8 individuals in one pack. A breeding pair of Red Wolves usually mate in February and tend to remain monogamous, only mating with each other. Once pups are born in April or May, they are blind and deaf until about 10 to 14 days after birth. When the young reach 1 to 3 years old, they leave the pack. Red Wolves live approximately 7 years on average in the wild and 15 years in human care. Written By: Aimee Turcotte Sloths: serene, sleepy, and slow. When Europeans discovered sloths in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, sloths were seen as unimpressive because of their slow movements and their perceived lack of motivation. In fact, sloths were named after the Middle English word slewthe or slouthe which means laziness [1]. The history of sloths goes back about 2.5 million years to 10,000 years ago during the Pleistocene epoch [2]. Sloths in the Pleistocene epoch could be found in the same grasslands, forests, mountain regions, tropical regions, and arid and semi-arid areas in South America as extinct animals. For instance, the extinct animals in these ecosystems include 1. The Terror Birds, a large extinct family of carnivorous flightless birds, 2. the Thylacosmilus, saber-toothed metatherian mammals, and 3. Glyptodonts, large armadillos. Written By: Aimee Turcotte When you think of Red Pandas, how would you describe them? Would you say that they are closely related to the Giant Pandas? Or would you mention that Red Pandas are herbivores because they eat bamboo? Well, these statements are a false perception of Red Pandas. Red Pandas are unique animals because their closest relatives are raccoons, skunks, and weasels. However, these pandas are a part of their own taxonomic group, Ailuridae. The scientific name of the Red Panda is Ailurus fulgens, meaning ‘cat shining.’ Red Pandas are also known as ‘lesser pandas’ or the ‘red bear cat’ because of their color and the fact that they are smaller than Giant Pandas. Written By: Aimee TurcotteRed Wolves are gorgeous animals that are now rare to see in the wild. These canines used to range from central Texas to southern Pennsylvania to Florida, but now you can only see Red Wolves in the wild in northeastern North Carolina’s Albemarle Peninsula. Red Wolves prefer habitats such as bottomland forests, dense mountains, coastal prairies, swamps, and marshes. Unfortunately, the land of the Albemarle Peninsula is susceptible to climate change due to sea level rise, since the coastal plains in this area are only three feet above sea level. It is estimated that within the next century, up to a third of the coastal plains can disappear underwater. Furthermore, saltwater intrusion and storm surges from hurricanes can further harm the land of the Albemarle Peninsula. If Red Wolf habitat is damaged, then the land is no longer feasible for Red Wolf survival, resulting in these animals having to search for a new home that can provide them with an abundance of resources. Written By: Aimee Turcotte Zoo Educator Tigers, typically found in 13 countries in Asia, are beautiful black and orange cats. Even though these animals are cats, they are strong predators with a powerful roar. Unfortunately, due to threats such as trafficking and habitat loss, tiger populations have declined significantly, by 97%. Now, these animals are listed as ‘endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Fortunately, through conservation work, some tiger populations in Asia have increased. Written By: Aimee Turcotte Zoo Educator Did you know that Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo has a Bald Eagle? Kodiak is a 17-year-old male Bald Eagle from the Alaska Raptor Center, AK. He arrived at the zoo in 2010 due to an injury in his wing. Unfortunately, Kodiak most likely would not survive in the wild because he cannot fly. As a result, he cannot be released back into the wild. Kodiak is currently living in a temporary home between the tiger and leopard habitats. His habitat will be renovated to have more perches, an enhanced pond, and a protective cover. |
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