Archive for the ‘Primates’ Category

Jan
31

First Ever “Crowd Curated” Exhibit!

Posted by in Animal Info,Crowd Curated Exhibit,Mammals,Primates,Wortham World of Primates

I wanted to give everyone a quick update on where we are with our exhibit.  I have contacted the New World Primate Taxon Advisary Group (TAG) leader to find out the availability of our most frequently mentioned choices.  I included emperor tamarins, callimico (Goeldi’s monkeys) and titi monkeys. 

Titi monkeys are known for the endearing habit of entwining their tails.

Taxon Advisary Groups work under the umbrella of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and over see an entire taxa of animals, for example I mentioned the New World primate TAG. There are also a Felid TAG, a Lizard TAG and many more. If you read my last blog you may remember what an SSP is.  TAGs oversee SSPs.  Have you picked up on the fact that the zoo world has a LOT of acronyms?  The AZA website even has a list you can refer to because there are so many!  For now I think if we can keep AZA, TAG and SSP straight we should be good.

I will keep you posted on what the TAG says about our choices.  I also asked if there were any species that particularly needed space. It’s always good to play nice so if we need to place an animal in the future the TAGs and SSPs will remember that we were willing to help out.

For all the rodent fans out there, there are agoutis available, although we’re not sure how far down the cement around the bottom of our exhibit reaches.  We’re going to look into that to see if there is enough of a dig barrier to contain a rodent species.

Another option comes from reader MC. MC suggested a South American opossum species.  Any ideas of what species might work?  Post your ideas to the comments!

???

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Jan
13

First Ever “Crowd Curated” Exhibit!

Posted by in Crowd Curated Exhibit,Mammals,Primates,Wortham World of Primates

Hi All.  Hope everyone enjoyed the holidays!

On our exhibit front, bad news on pudu. Currently there are none available, and it doesn’t look like there will be any time soon. Many species in North American zoos have what is called a Species Survival Plan(SSP). This is a management group that is under the umbrella of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums(AZA). The SSP committee keeps track of genetics of all the animals in accredited zoos in North America and makes breeding recomendations in order to preserve genetic diversity in captive populations.  The pudu population in North America is very small and there are no available animals at the moment.  Dissapointing, especially since the husbandry manual indicates they are very tolerant of both humidity and temperatures below freezing so they would be perfect in Houston’s climate.  Any other ideas?

On the primate side, tamarins still seem to be the popular vote, especially Emperor tamarins. I will start checking to see if Emperor tamarins are available, and if not then what other species may be.

Gotta love those moustaches! Photo credit: Aspex Design

All of you should think about what other species we may want to investigate in lieu of pudu. 

Let me know what you come up with!

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Jan
04

Mangabeys Munching

Posted by in Primates

Mangabeys munching are a fun sight to see at the Houston Zoo. We have Red-capped mangabeys, native to central Africa; they are the most colorful of the mangabey species with a bright red “cap” on the top of their heads. These are very social animals that usually live in a harem, which consists of one male and several females and their offspring. These monkeys eat lots of fruits, nuts and leaves and occasionally bugs, small birds or lizards. When one member of the group finds a fruit or nut tree, they will alert the rest of the group where they are, so the entire group can have a snack too.

At the Houston Zoo, when the mangabeys see the keepers coming with their food, they will do a similar vocalization; we call it the “happy cackle” because they usually are excited about their food. In the wild, they usually cooperate and can sit together eating food peacefully, but in captivity, sometimes they aren’t too keen to share (especially the males – for some reason they think they should get all the good food! – sound familiar?), so keepers have to make sure to spread the food around as much as possible so that all group members get an equal share of the food and to prevent any “arguments”. Also, mothers will often share their food with their offspring, so they can learn what is good to eat and what isn’t.

Often keepers will hide some of the food, so the monkeys have to spend time finding their food, we call that foraging. In the wild, monkeys spend many hours foraging for food, so keepers try to recreate that in captivity. Sometimes the food can be hidden in pine bark, a paper bag, or in a cardboard box to name a few; it will be something different everyday.

 

When the mangabeys aren’t eating they are engaging in lots of social behaviors. When you visit the exhibit, you will most likely see them grooming
each other. Grooming isn’t just for removing dirt (and no, they don’t have fleas –those are just on dogs and cats) it is also very socially bonding. A subordinate animal will gain favors by grooming a more dominate animal. The mangabeys also have a strict social order and when one of the subordinate animals steps ‘over the line’ the dominate animal will have to discipline them; usually by way of chasing and screaming…you may have seen that too since it happens several times a day. Next time you are at the zoo, spend 15-20 minutes watching them; there’s a lot going on with the mangabeys…in addition to munching!

Written by Dena Strange, Houston Zoo Primate Supervisor

 

 

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Dec
23

First Ever Zoo “Crowd Curated” Exhibit!

Posted by in Crowd Curated Exhibit,Mammals,Primates,Wortham World of Primates

So many good thoughts this week!  Several of you  brought up good points that must be considered when curating an exhibit.

I think you’re right Trowaman when you say capybaras might be better off in a large area like our South America yard but pudu might do well in a space the size of our exhibit.   As Laci Bertrand pointed out, pudu live in dense forest habitats so we’d need more plantings to provide hiding places for them to feel safe, but that’s easy enough to accomplish.
MP, you bring up a very good point.  Sometimes even if we want a species to exhibit in our zoo, they just aren’t available.  Trowaman‘s comment about never having seen a uacari in a zoo is probably a good clue that they aren’t easy to obtain.

 Pudu Baby. Pretty cute! Photo credit: Belfast ZooBaby pudu.  Pretty Cute! Photo Credit: Belfast Zoo

Spider monkeys are a popular option so I looked up space requirements for spider monkeys. As a zoo that exhibits animals for the public, we are subject to standards that are regulated by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) branch of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)  There are many standards to which we must adhere and we can be inspected without warning at any time. We work diligently to remain USDA compliant at all times. Space requirements are part of these standards. Technically our exhibit is big enough for several spider monkeys, but unfortunately our holding area is not.

So from the comments, it looks like pudu might be a good choice for the ground so I’ll start talking to other zoos to see if any are available. We still need more consensus on a primate species though.  Again going by comments and the space we have available, emperor tamarins, golden headed lion tamarins, Goeldi’s monkeys and titi monkeys could all work.  Over the Christmas weekend, think about which of these species we should look into and hopefully by New Year’s weekend we’ll at least know what we’d like to explore as far as primate species.

Enjoy whichever holiday you celebrate with your family & loved ones!

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Dec
14

First Ever Zoo “Crowd Curated” Exhibit!!

Posted by in Crowd Curated Exhibit,Mammals,Primates,Series,Wortham World of Primates

The bald uacari. Definitely one of the strangest monkeys on the planet. Photo credit: ABC Vozes dos Animais

Thanks everyone for your ideas and input on what we should put in your exhibit. Keep sharing this series with your friends and help increase the size of our Crowd!

So far we’ve had suggestions from very small and cute, such as Goeldi’s monkeys, to larger and stranger like uacaris.

The idea of having a multispecies exhibit is also very intriguing. The exhibit is too small for  giant anteaters, and while I really like the idea of having birds and monkeys together, the thought of a tiny monkey finger in the mandibles of a macaw makes me a rather nervous. But overall the idea is very cool!

 

Big birdie beak + tiny monkey fingers = OUCH! Photo credit: barloventomagico on Flickr

Below is a list of suggestions we have had so far, in no particular order! I left off the species that have been suggested that we already have here at the zoo. This week your job is to peruse the list and let me know your vote for which of these species you think should be in the exhibit. Vote by leaving your thoughts in the “Comments” section at the end of this post. Tell me if you want just one species or more than one. As a curator, some of the things you need to consider are what niche each species fills in the wild. Where does it like to hang out? Do you want all arboreal animals or do you want some down low and some up high? It all depends on how much space you have, the needs of each species and what you want your final exhibit to look like for the guests. You have to think about if the space is appropriate for that species and if the type of containment will hold the particular species that you want.

 

Have fun, maybe do some research on the different species. You can vote on this list even if you didn’t make any suggestions. I hope to hear from more people each week, so feel free to jump in!

 

Goeldi's monkey. One of the cutest monkeys on the planet. Photo credit: bayucca on Flickr

Possible Species:

Primates:                                            NonPrimates

Spider monkeys                                  Capybaras

Squirrel monkeys                                Brazilian porcupines

Common marmosets                           Pudu

Emperor Tamarins

Golden bellied capuchins

Titi monkeys

Woolly monkeys

Uacaris

Goeldi’s monkeys

Golden headed lion tamarins

The ever popular spider monkey. Photo credit: Primates.com

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Dec
14

Aurora Orangutan: 9 months old and counting…

Posted by in Animal Info,Babies,Primates,Volunteers,Wortham World of Primates,Zoo Births

For the last few months, zoo staff and volunteers have been very busy in the orangutan building. Baby Aurora has been flourishing under their care:  from her birth weight of 3 pounds she is up to a whopping 12 pounds in December. She has gone from a tiny, clinging being to an independent, personality-infused kid who is able to traverse her room all the way up to the skylight and back down again in a heartbeat.  She spends her days interacting with and watching her surrogate mom-to-be, Cheyenne, and her big-sister-in-waiting, Indah, now 7.

Photo by Janet Hughes

Cheyenne seems less than patient on the occasions when Aurora is engaged in play away from the mesh introduction panel placed in between their rooms. Chey kiss-squeaks loudly to get her attention, fishes for her with plant stalks or other modified tools, or makes throaty rumbling sounds in her direction. Cheyenne will come over to the introduction door with a blanket over her head to see if the baby will notice, and when she does, Chey engages her in gentle play through the mesh.  Her tenderness and avid interest in this infant is very touching to see.  Indah is a little more rambunctious in her attentions, and it is evident that she will be a great playmate to the baby once they are all together.

Other activities for Aurora include familiarizing herself with the outdoor exhibit, where she goes every morning prior to the zoo opening as the yard is serviced by keeper staff.  Her volunteer caregiver brings her outside in all but very chilly weather, and she curiously investigates the grass, the pool, the wooden structures and the windows. She enjoys sampling various types of edible browse, watching the fish and ducks get their morning breakfast, and just enjoying the morning air and the sounds of the birds chattering back and forth.

Photo by Tammy Buhrmester

 

Aurora still drinks formula from a bottle, but instead of being held by a caregiver while taking it, she simply receives her bottle through the mesh wall of her room.  This will facilitate the upcoming introduction, as of course human contact will be unnecessary once she goes in with Cheyenne.  She feeds herself bites of fruits, vegetables and primate biscuits and disdains the spoon for her cereal: caregivers just hand her a bowl of the mixture and she makes quick work of it.  She is very comfortable with our more distanced relationship now, which gives us high hopes that she will be quite ready to meet Cheyenne when the time comes.  We expect to start the first full introductions around the first of the new year.  Once Cheyenne and Aurora are fully comfortable with each other, we will work Indah into the mix.

Photo by Diane Chesley

 

This will be Cheyenne’s  fourth adopted baby since 1999.  Now age 39, she has been a great mom to previous kids Luna, Elok and Indah.  Adding Aurora to her brood is something that fulfills Cheyenne’s seemingly never-ending maternal potential. For Indah, at age 7, having a new baby sister will provide a bit of practice for her own child-rearing skills in the future, as well as letting her roughhouse with someone closer to her own age.

We look forward to the introduction and will keep you all posted on their progress!

Dec
05

First Ever Zoo “Crowd Curated” Exhibit!

Posted by in Crowd Curated Exhibit,Mammals,Primates,Wortham World of Primates

Have you ever wondered what a Zoo Curator does? When I tell people I am a Curator at the Houston Zoo they quite often get a puzzled look on their faces because most people think of museums and art or fossil collections when they think of a Curator. Zoo Curators fill a very similar role to Museum Curators, only we plan which animals go in which exhibit instead of which painting goes on which wall. We have to make sure animals are compatible with each other rather than making sure that an Oligocene carnivore jaw bone isn’t identified as a Pliocene primate femur.  Both museum and zoo Curators want our exhibits to be engaging and educational.  We want kids to love them instinctively and students to gain knowledge from them.  We want people to leave wanting more and for them to talk about what they saw to their family and friends, and our highest hope is that people will act to preserve what they have enjoyed so much on a given day.

Hopefully the title of this blog caught your attention.  But what is a “crowd curated exhibit” you might ask. If you do an Internet search for “crowd curated exhibit” you’ll find a handful of articles about museum exhibitions that have been crowd curated, but none on crowd curated zoo exhibits. In the art world it’s actually highly controversial, believe it or not. There are those that don’t believe a crowd has the background to properly curate an exhibition, but using a crowd to reach a decision is a phenomenon called ”crowdsourcing” that has actually been studied and tested for some time. The results are really quite fascinating. I urge you to read some about crowdsourcing and suggest a very engaging book entitled “The Wisdom of Crowds” by James Surowiecki. Mr Surowiecki discusses crowdsourcing and gives some extremely interesting examples. I’d love to hear your thoughts in our “Comments” section if you decide to look into crowdsourcing.

Our exhibit waiting for YOU to help CURATE!

As far as I can tell, no one has yet attempted to crowd curate a zoo exhibit so we’ll be exploring new territory with this project. I have been eager to try this idea for some time, so when we found ourselves with an empty exhibit in Wortham World of Primates I jumped at the opportunity to try out what museums have done with quite a bit of success. I am also excited to share the experience of being a zoo curator with all of you.  It really is one of the best jobs in the world.

Follow this blog in the coming weeks as we go through the process of developing an exhibit, identifying and obtaining animals, making the environment inviting for the new residents, and finally opening the exhibit. We have hung a banner in front of the empty exhibit with a QR code that people can scan with their smart phones. It takes them to this page: http://www.houstonzoo.org/crowd-curated-exibit/ where they can learn about this blog and join in as Curators, so hopefully we’ll build up a nice size crowd.  The bigger the crowd, the better so tell your friends and share this blog on your Facebook page and Twitter feeds.

This week, I’m going to give you a few parameters and then open the process to start developing a list of which animals you might want to put in your new exhibit.  We always have to take into account things like the size of the exhibit, temperature requirements of animals, which other animals we already have in our collection, which animals are available etc. So here’s what we have to work with:

  • The exhibit is in Wortham World of Primates, so the species in the exhibit must include primates.
  • We are lucky to live in the south, so harsh winters are not a major concern for us, although the opposite is true. Species that live in cold climates need climate controlled exhibits here. This is an outdoor exhibit.
  • The size of the exhibit is 15’W X 15’L X 15’H
  • The mesh is 1½” woven wire, which means it has some give to it but is very strong. The mesh completely encloses the exhibit.
  • When housing primates in close proximity to one another, you have to maintain strict standards because of cross contamination between species.  Very often New World primates carry diseases that affect Old World primates and vice versa.  All of our primates come inside to their holding areas at night.  The holding building that this exhibit is attached to houses New World primates that go out in the other exhibits during the day, such as our howler monkeys and various tamarin species.
  • We do not like to duplicate species that we already exhibit elsewhere in the zoo.  For example, the Natural Encounters building houses saki monkeys and golden lion tamarins as well as other primate species, so we don’t want to exhibit those same species in Wortham World of Primates.

Based on the above information, your task as a Curator this week is to develop a list of species that may be appropriate for this exhibit. Post your ideas in the “Comments” section at the end of this blog post. The early phases of this process are a lot of fun because your ideas can be pie-in-the-sky. Brain storm and throw out names of species without worrying too much about if it would ever be possible to obtain them. It’s always fun to dream.

Follow the comments of your fellow Curators and see what others think would be cool in this exhibit. Do you agree with them? Why or why not? Next time we’ll start narrowing down our list of possibilities.

Have fun and thanks for helping us develop the First Ever Crowd Curated Zoo Exhibit!

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Nov
10

International Orangutan Caring Week at the Houston Zoo

Posted by in Primates

It’s International Orangutan Caring Week !  Learn about orangutans and their rainforest habitat. 

International Orangutan Caring Week is observed globally from Nov. 12 to Nov. 20.  And during that same period, the Houston Zoo’s primate staff will conduct a Meet the Keeper Talk at the Wortham World of Primates orangutan habitat daily at 12:00 PM.

Plus, visit our booth at the orangutan exhibit to shop for painted magnets, photo note cards, and many other items to raise funds to protect them in the wild. We will have available the beautiful one-of-a-kind orangutan painted Christmas ornaments, that can only be purchased once a year at this event. 

Amazingly beautiful, Orangutan painted ornaments can be yours...

This year we are debuting painted jewelry.  Our orangutans have painted beautiful clay objects and then keepers made them into necklaces.

Jewelry painted by Orangutans are also available to raise funds

The staff will have activities for children to participate in — they will be able to try on an orangutan sized sweater to see how they measure up and they will be able to play a game by putting a paper cutout orangutan back in the tree. 

Trying on this Orangutan sweater is only one of the cool things you can do!

 All proceeds from Orangutan Caring Week sales will support the Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Project that helps orangutan and elephant conservation projects inIndonesia.

About Orangutans

Asia’s only great ape, orangutans are one of the most endangered species.  Many experts believe orangutans will become extinct in the wild over the next 20 years. 

Approximately 5,000 are thought to perish every year as the rainforests on which they depend are cut down for logging and palm oil production.

Originally some 300,000 orangutans lived throughoutSoutheast Asia. Today they survive only in isolated pockets on the islands of Borneo andSumatra. In the past 20 years, 80 per cent of their habitat has been destroyed – and only about 2 per cent of what remains is legally protected in reserves.

Orangutans (the name means “man of the forest”) are one of our closest relatives, sharing about 97 per cent of ourDNA. Mothers keep their babies with them for 8 to 10 years, and have a single baby every eight years or so.  Their rate of reproduction – the slowest of all the great apes – makes them particularly vulnerable.

Orangutans have long been threatened by the pet trade for every one that is sold as a pet, five or six are thought to die. And they are also killed for meat.

But it is the destruction of the rainforest that is their greatest threat.  It has long been cleared for logging and agriculture, but this has accelerated to meet the booming demand for palm oil.  Palm oil can be found in cookies, crackers, frozen dinners, shampoo, lotions, cosmetics, pet food, and many other products, palm oil is now the most widely produced edible oil. It is also found in a wide array of products sold in natural food stores, and it is being used as a possible fuel alternative.
Written by Tami Buhrmester

 

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Oct
25

FOTO Friday Winner of the Week

Posted by in Contest,Funny,Primates

Welcome to the Houston Zoo’s FOTO FRIDAY Caption Challenge results post from Friday, October 21!

Last Friday, we asked you to leave your best caption in the comment section. Then readers could “like” each caption comment to vote for their favorites. Their votes, combined with those of our own panel, determined the caption to appear under the picture right here on the Official Houston Zoo Blog this week. We hope you’ll come back for the fun EVERY FRIDAY.

Here is the picture that was posted - taken by Houston Zoo volunteer Juile Bearman –with the top voted caption by Rebecca Dolen Bowers ! ** Insert a Halloween Happy Dance!**

YOUR VOTES HELP DETERMINE THE WINNERS!

Darling, please tell me where you get your hair done. That is the exact color I was going for.

FIRST RUNNER UP:

 

Sandra Fleming Studios: Take a deep breath. Does it hurt here? What about here? _________________________________________________________________________________

A SECOND RUNNER UP:

Donna Weaver: “We’ll have to let those trousers out just a little around the waist.

_______________________________________________________________________________

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

 

Sharika Brooks: ARE THEY SURE IM NOT A CHAMELEON?

Paul White: cousin it!

Shannon Smith Stilwell: Oooh a well ventilated little Tamarin casa just for me. Now, how do I get in?

Randall Laughlin: I swear I left my keys right here!

Stephanie Feller Lundy: I….I think i love you!

Kathern Sparks: “Orange you glad it’s Halloween? I know I am!” 4

Lori Schumacher: I’ll hide behind you and when they walk up I’ll jump out and yell, “Boo!” 4

Christine Forisha: Hey bud, have you tried the Hair Club for Primates? Works great!

_________________________________________________________________________________

 

Thanks for joining in the fun!

And please come on back for next Friday!

You can come get your very OWN pumpkin from our pumpkin patch on any one of the TEN, count ‘em TEN days of Zoo Boo this year. Visit our website for dates and details. Times vary, so be sure to check. See you ghouls, goblins and geeks there!


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Oct
18

FOTO Friday Winner of the Week!

Posted by in Contest,Funny,Primates

Welcome to the Houston Zoo’s FOTO FRIDAY Caption Challenge results post from Friday, October 14!

Last Friday, we posted  not one but TWO photos on Facebook and asked you to leave your best caption in the comment section. Then readers could “like” each caption comment to vote for their favorites. Their votes, combined with those of our own panel, determined the caption to appear under the picture right here on the Official Houston Zoo Blog this week. We hope you’ll come back for the fun EVERY FRIDAY.

Here is the picture that was posted on Facebook last Friday, with the top voted caption by Julie Wood! ** Insert a Halloween Happy Dance!**

YOUR VOTES HELP DETERMINE THE WINNERS!

Picture # 1

It'll be better feng shui if I put the pumpkin over here.

 

FIRST RUNNER UP:

Stacey Ricks: JACK! My Orange Brotha from anotha Motha!

_________________________________________________________________________________

A  SECOND RUNNER UP

 Carla Combs: Now, How am I supposed to light the candle in this big orange thing all my appendages are busy already !!!

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Honorable Mentions: 

Montero Aura: I Got This!

April Walker:  My pumpkin and I are just hanging around…

Rosie Villegas: Its mission impossible!

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FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, THERE IS A TIE FOR THE WINNING CAPTION! CONGRATUALTIONS TO Cassidy Lentsch and  Shannon Krugman. In honor of this momentus occasion, we will post two, count ‘em two of the pictures, so you each can see how your caption looks in the wining spot! SWEET!

This caption is from Shannon Krugman: 

Picture # 2

Ok kid, this is how were gonna do it. First we carve out the pumpkin. Then we put it on our head and walk right out of the gate just like all the other trick or treaters.

 

And this caption is from Cassidy Lentsch:

That tiger from last week thinks he's going to win the zoo pumpkin carving contest? HA! Now hand me the knife, Indah- one gourd-geous Mona Lisa coming up!

 

FIRST RUNNER UP:

Sandra Fleming Studios: You are going to eat this monkey biscuit and like it, Pumpkin! 
 ________________________________________________________________________

A  SECOND RUNNER UP

Alma Garza Mescher: You do it your way and I’ll do it mine!

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THIRD RUNNER UP!
 
 Crystal Worley:  WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?
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Funny Honorable Mentions:

Cathleen Grauel Schlechte: Heyyyy! Can’t we get some alone time with our pumpkin please?

Kasi Silguero: Ready to get my carve on

Jennifer Hillier Rodriguez: I’m going to play this pumpkin just like Matthew McConaughey plays the bongos!

Guppy Man:  What do you mean, you are supposed to roast the seeds first? These tatse just fine!

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CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!

Thanks for joining in the fun!

And please come on back for next Friday!

You can come get your very OWN pumpkin from our pumpkin patch on any one of the TEN, count ‘em TEN days of Zoo Boo this year. Visit our website for dates and details. Times vary, so be sure to check. See you ghouls, goblins and geeks there!


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