The Asiatic or Asian Lion (Panthera leo persica) is simultaneously a beast of legend and mystery. At a casual glance, this big cat is one in the same with its African cousins, yet a studious eye begins to tease out the subtle distinctions among these great cats. Unlike its better-known cousin, the Asian Lion typically sports a fine peppering of black or buff-gray spots in its coat. Aside from certain skull differences, males possess shorter, more sparse manes, rarely exceeding four inches in length, leaving their ears visible. All Asian Lions also possess a much larger tail tuft, a skin fold along their abdomen and typically attain smaller sizes than their African counterparts with males rarely exceeding 9.5 feet in length and 380 pounds in weight.
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Written by: Zoe Glover |
AFRICAN GREY PARROT African grey parrots are an endangered species mainly found in the lowland moist forests of central and West Africa, as well as the island of Principe. In their natural habitat, African greys are omnivorous, and mainly feed on nuts, fruits, leafy matter, insects, bark, and flowers. Social and chatty birds, they communicate within their flock using squawks, whistles, shrieks, and screams. The adult African greys have pale grey plumage, or feathers, with whitish edges on the head and neck and a prominent bright red tail. Juveniles, however, have a grey-tinged undertail with a bright red tip. Here at the zoo, we have Zari, our chatty Ambassador Animal, so be sure to look for her on programs! |
Written by: Lorraine Hillgen-SantaConservation Discovery Corps, Teen Volunteer My name is Lorraine Hillgen-Santa and I am going into my Junior year of high school at Choate Rosemary Hall. This year I joined Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo’s Conservation Discovery Corps. Conservation Discovery Corps, also known as CDC, is a program for high school students which allows them to spend time over the summer working with the Zoo both on and off grounds. Every new or “first-year” student goes through a training program on the weekends throughout the Spring. |
Written by: Jim Knox Curator of Education at Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo From Great White Sharks to Tasmanian Devils, when it comes to certain creatures, Hollywood has forever shaped our perception of the actual beasts with dramatic, or sometimes comedic flair. For one in particular, many doubt the actual existence of the creature behind the animated character, who is always one step ahead of its nemesis. |
Written by: Jim Knox Curator of Education at Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo “Can we pet him, Daddy?” my young daughters asked in near unison at the sight of the giant creature some yards away. “No girls. We’ll just watch him safely from here,” I responded in a hush so as not to startle the object of our amazement. Along with a growing caravan of onlookers, we sat quietly a few car lengths behind the huge animal, with the driver’s window cracked open, observing its every move. When the mountain breeze in the notch shifted, we could hear it munching on the undergrowth along the western shoulder of the ascending road. We were treated to a sight of the wild north country. We took in the enormous creature before us. It stood on four impossibly long legs, its blackish-brown barrel-shaped body dominating our field on view. With palm-like antlers crowning its head more than seven feet above the ground, we beheld New England’s largest land mammal. |
Written by: Jim Knox Curator of Education at Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo The frigid blast hit me the instant I stepped outside. While two degrees Fahrenheit was not surprising for a January morning in New England, it was bracing. Before I eased into the comfort of my warming car, I gazed around me, sweeping from north, to east, and then south. I thought of the Whitetail deer and the Red-shouldered hawks in the forest and wetland surrounding me and how they would need to eat to generate vital body heat to survive the freezing day ahead and even colder night to follow. I then thought of the countless woodland denizens who would sleep off the coldest and harshest months of the year, safe, secure, and warm…or at least relatively warm…beneath the frost line of the rock-hard ground. One among these creatures, a cousin from the far north, immediately came to mind. |
Written by: Jim Knox Curator of Education at Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo “Hey, what do you think about the new orangutan?” my friend asked. Knowing his sense of humor, I cocked my head and smiled, waiting for the punchline. “Go ahead…” I encouraged him to finish the joke. The roar of the crowd under the Friday night lights pulled us from our conversation to focus on the game. “Seriously. What do you think?” he asked earnestly, after the next set of downs. “I haven’t heard,” I responded in surprise. Now it was his time to smile. “You’re not kidding…” he replied. “Nope. Tell me. I haven’t read anything about it,” reflecting on an especially busy week gone in a flash. It was the fall of 2017. Our boys were good friends and teammates, so our friendship had grown as well, our conversations ongoing, wide-ranging, and always fun. Now confident neither was pulling each other’s leg, he began. I listened and learned of an amazing discovery. |
We're very grateful to the many people who make up our Zoo community. Beyond our animals and staff, the Zoo family comprises volunteers, students who engage with us in Conservation Discovery Corps and Explorers, members, and many more who make the Zoo the vibrant place that it is. We want to share some "Friends of the Zoo.” Today, meet Charlotte D., 8, of Westport. Charlotte and her family have been members of the Zoo since 2018. |
While many of us are looking up and out, watching for trees and flowers to burst into bloom, Zoo Director Gregg Dancho is looking down. His gaze is on the here today-gone tomorrow vernal pools. Also known as ephemeral pools, vernal pools appear in woodlands for a brief period each spring. Formed during the fall and winter by snow and rain pooling in shallow depressions, by summer they’re gone. While they’re here in spring, however, they offer a critical nursery for many species: tree peepers, wood frogs, and fairy shrimp, among others. When the weather is about fifty degrees at night and a light rain is falling, the spring migration begins. It’s a march of amphibians, from uplands to lowlands. A steady procession starts with spotted salamanders when ice still covers the pools’ surfaces, but then extends to red back salamanders, wood frogs and others. These are obligate vernal pool species, “obligated” to use a vernal pool for a part of their life cycle. |
Written by: Jim Knox Curator of Education at Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo Would you believe me if I told you there is a pretty little songbird–an occasional visitor to Connecticut–which preys upon snakes (more than twice its size) and fellow songbirds alike? I know…it sounds like a bad sci-fi movie. As outlandish as it may sound, it’s absolutely true. This animal causes us to rethink everything we thought we knew about wild creatures. Overlooked due its small size, and similar in appearance to a common native species, it is simultaneously baffling and amazing. |
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