Archive for June 2010
Posted by Andrea Pohlman in Behind the Scenes,Elephants,Featured,Keepers,Tortoise,Vet Clinic,Volunteers
Jenn shows off Miles, a Texas Tortoise, who is a resident animal at the ClinicHometown: Corpus Christi, TXSection: Clinic- Clinic KeeperSpecial Interests/ Hobbies:Anything outdoors, 4-wheeling in Goliad, TX and fishing.Interesting Fact:I have an identical twin sister.What made you want to become a zookeeper?I've always loved animals . I originally started volunteering in elephants and then was hired as a keeper there. I then transferred to the clinic so I could work with a greater variety of animals.How would you describe your job duties?As clinic keepers we are mainly in charge of daily husbandry. That means we clean, feed, medicate, and observe clinic “patients”. We also assist vets with treatments of the animals.We also maintain quarantine, and its animals. Zoo quarantine is not for sick animals, it is used to keep all incoming animals separate from the zoo collection until thoroughly examined and free of illnesses.Jenn assists the Zoo's Vets and Vet Techs with many procedures. Here she secures a dove while Vet Tech Ryanne tube feeds him.
What is a typical day like working in the clinic?
Every day is different, you never know what it will hold.
What is your education, training, and previous institution(s) you attended before coming to the Houston Zoo?
I have a one year certification from HCC as a veterinary paramedic.
What sort of advice would you give to anyone wanting to enter the zoo field?
Start volunteering and stick with it. It is a great way to get the experience zoos require and you have a greater chance of getting hired on when you have been a volunteer.
What is your favorite animal story?
My great-grandparents had a ranch in Goliad, TX where I spent a lot of time as a child. When I was about 10 I tried to get the goats and cows to like me and to approach me willingly. Finally, 2 bulls approached me and I was able to hand-feed them. All the time afterwards that they lived on my great-grandparent’s ranch, I could walk up to the fence and call them over and they would come running to me. That was my first big animal experience.
Posted by Hollie in African Forest,Chimpanzees
A few more weeks of construction and the building has a roof – this place is starting to look like a chimp building.
check out the truck for a size reference - this place is huge!
The tall part of the building is the 2-story dayroom – lots of natural light and lots of room to play.
soon this space will be filled with benches and climbng structures
Oh yeah, one more thing – if you’re on Twitter, we’re tweeting about chimps! Follow @HZIChimps for even more info about animals and construction, including updates from the road as the chimps make their way to Houston.
Posted by Tina Carpenter in Adaptations,Animal Info,Birds,Children's Zoo,Conservation,Endangered,Events,Featured,Insects,Mammals,Natural Encounters,Pollinators,Primates,Reptile House,Reptiles,Swap Shop,Tropical Bird House
Blue Faced Honeyeater Photo courtesy of: www.plantbiology.siu.edu
Honeyeaters are important pollinators of many Australian flowering plants. All 170 species of honeyeaters have a unique adaptation: a long tongue with a brush-like tip that they use to get nectar from flowers. The tongue can be extended into the nectar about 10 times per second!
Honeyeaters aren’t the only birds that help pollinate. Honeycreepers, sunbirds, Brush-tongued parrots, and hummingbirds are just a few of the birds all over the world who are pollinators. There are 2,000 bird species globally that feed on nectar, the insects, and the spiders associated with nectar bearing flowers.
For more Bee-lieve it or Not facts, come join the Houston Zoo in celebrating National Polinator Week on June 26th and 27th. We will have tables and chats from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. all about our favorite pollinators. Bee sure to record your pollinating adventures in a nature blog to share at the Swap Shop!
Posted by Hollie in African Forest,Behind the Scenes,Chimpanzees
At the last update, the building was just starting to take shape – once the walls start going up you can start to picture what its going to look like. Building a home for chimpanzees is a little different than building a house in your neighborhood. First, it has to be strong – imagine building a daycare for superheroes. Second, it has be easy to clean – imagine said superheroes keep house like college kids. Third, it has to be comfortable and meet all the needs of one of the smartest, most complex species on the planet.
Concrete is the best material to meet the first 2 needs – its strong and can be hosed down for cleaning. After the slab was poured, forms were built for the walls and filled with concrete.
A few days later the forms come down and we can see walls!
Of course you may have noticed there still isn’t a roof, but at this point we could walk around the building, see the layout, and start to appreciate how much space 4000 square feet really is.
Posted by Tina Carpenter in Adaptations,Animal Info,Children's Zoo,Conservation,Endangered,Events,Featured,Insects,Mammals,Natural Encounters,Pollinators,Primates,Reptile House,Reptiles,Swap Shop,Tropical Bird House
Bumblebee on Lantana
In the U.S., the economic value of pollination services provided by native insects (mostly bees) is estimated at $3 billion each year. Bumblebees are highly efficient in pollinating many crops such as tomatoes, peppers, cranberries, and blue berries. Yumm! Best of all, most bumblebees won’t bother you unless you bother them. When gardening at home, please consider using native plants. Most of all, be kind to pollinators, consider going organic. Insecticides tend to kill indiscriminately and will eliminate a lot of your pollinators. The larger the variety of wildlife in your yard or garden (insects, birds, toads, lizards, etc.) the less “pest” insects you will have. Naturally!
For more information on creating a native garden, visit: http://www.xerces.org/pollinators-south-central-region/
For more Bee-lieve it or Not facts, come join the Houston Zoo in celebrating National Polinator Week on June 26th and 27th. We will have tables and chats from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. all about our favorite pollinators. Bee sure to record your pollinating adventures in a nature blog to share at the Swap Shop!
Posted by Tina Carpenter in Adaptations,Animal Info,Birds,Children's Zoo,Conservation,Endangered,Events,Featured,Insects,Mammals,Natural Encounters,Pollinators,Primates,Reptile House,Reptiles,Swap Shop,Tropical Bird House
Photo taken by Beatriz Moisset
Wait! Don’t squash that bug!
Beetles get a bad wrap due to “messy pollination”. No one ever taught them not to dedicate where they eat giving them the name “mess and soil pollinators”. Due to sheer numbers, beetles comprise of the largest set of pollinating animals. They are responsible for pollinating 88% of the 240,000 flowering plants globally! So next time you stop to smell a Magnolia, think of your beetle friends!
For more Bee-lieve it or Not facts, come join the Houston Zoo in celebrating National Polinator Week on June 26th and 27th. We will have tables and chats from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. all about our favorite pollinators. Bee sure to record your pollinating adventures in a nature blog to share at the Swap Shop!
Posted by Tina Carpenter in Adaptations,Animal Info,Birds,Children's Zoo,Conservation,Endangered,Events,Featured,Insects,Mammals,Natural Encounters,Pollinators,Primates,Reptile House,Reptiles,Swap Shop,Tropical Bird House
Photo taken by Jean-Christophe Vié
On the island of Madagascar, black and white ruffed lemurs are the main pollinators of traveler’s trees or traveler’s palm. These trees are typically 40-feet-high. They lemurs use their nimble hands to pull open the tough flower bracts. They stick their long snouts and tongues deep inside a tree’s flower. As a result, they collect pollen on their muzzle and fur, and then transport it to the next flower. The resulting fruits are a major source of food. It appears that no other creature has the strength and nimbleness to pollinate the palm. This gives the black and white ruffed lemur the award of the world’s largest pollinator!
For more information go to: http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/unusual.shtml
For more Bee-lieve it or Not facts, come join the Houston Zoo in celebrating National Polinator Week on June 26th and 27th. We will have tables and chats from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. all about our favorite pollinators. Bee sure to record your pollinating adventures in a nature blog to share at the Swap Shop!
Posted by Tina Carpenter in Adaptations,Animal Info,Birds,Children's Zoo,Conservation,Endangered,Events,Featured,Insects,Mammals,Natural Encounters,Pollinators,Primates,Reptile House,Reptiles,Swap Shop
Endangered Species Chocolate
What would a life without pollinators look like…Well a world with out chocolate! That would be a pretty bleak world in my opinion. Some of my favorite desserts are chocolate. Others seem to agree because the chocolate industry brings in about $50 billion dollars a year worldwide!
Who do we have to thank for our delicious treats? Bats and other pollinators! Monkeys and other small mammals even help with seed dispersal.
Lesser long-nosed bat - Photo taken by Merlin D. Tuttle of Bat Conservation International
Chocolate isn’t the only food we can thank pollinators for. Bats are the major pollinators for bananas, dates, coconut, cloves, vanilla, Brazil nuts, avocados, and the agave plant (tequila)!
For more Bee-lieve it or Not facts, come join the Houston Zoo in celebrating National Polinator Week on June 26th and 27th. We will have tables and chats from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. all about our favorite pollinators. Bee sure to record your pollinating adventures in a nature blog to share at the Swap Shop!
Posted by Tina Carpenter in Adaptations,Animal Info,Children's Zoo,Conservation,Events,Featured,Insects,Mammals,Natural Encounters,Pollinators,Primates,Reptile House,Reptiles,Swap Shop,Tropical Bird House
Male Leafcutter Bee
A fairly common bee in the Houston area is the leafcutter bee. These bees are smaller than honeybees, grey and black, and a little bit fuzzy. It’s easy to spot a female because the bright yellow pollen she collects from flowers is carried underneath her abdomen, not on her legs. Leafcutter bees use leaves from various plants, such as roses, to help seal their nest chambers (this keeps the larvae protected while they grow). If you notice semicircular patches missing from individual leaves in your garden, you probably have leafcutter bees around – but don’t worry, they don’t take much. You can even build a bee house to attract these and other kinds of fascinating bees: http://www.xerces.org/fact-sheets/
For more Bee-lieve it or Not facts, come join us in celebrating National Polinator Week on June 26th and 27th. We will have tables and chats from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. all about our favorite pollinators. Don’t forget to record your pollinating adventures in a nature blog to share at the Swap Shop!
Posted by Tina Carpenter in Adaptations,Animal Info,Conservation,Events,Featured,Insects,Mammals,Natural Encounters,Pollinators,Primates,Reptile House,Reptiles,Swap Shop,Tropical Bird House
Halictid Bee
You may be familiar with our country’s most widely utilized pollinator, the European honeybee… but did you know there are about 4,000 species of bee that are native to the United States? Compare that number to the 5,000+ species of mammal in the entire world.
You can find about 200 bee species right here in Houston! They are not aggressive and are great fun to watch – if you plant a pollinator friendly garden you might attract these little beauties to your own backyard!
You can even build a bee house to attract these and other kinds of fascinating bees: http://www.xerces.org/fact-sheets/
For more Bee-lieve it or Not facts, come join us in celebrating National Polinator Week on June 26th and 27th. We will have tables and chats from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. all about our favorite pollinators. Bee sure to record your pollinating adventures in a nature blog to share at the Swap Shop!
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