In the spirit of cooling weather and a quickly approaching fall season, we’ve decided to give away free tickets to the Zoo!
All you have to do is post a response to this blog with your favorite Zoo memory. It can be the first time you came as a youngster and saw a baby giraffe, or the first time you brought your child and saw how excited they were when a tiger walked by.
Sigh… everyone goes through life feeling sorry for themselves every once in awhile. Sign, I don’t have this; sigh, I don’t look like that. But how often do you ever see a giant anteater feeling bad for itself? Granted, it isn’t like you just see these guys walking down the street like Fifi the poodle or Patchy the kitty-cat, but still, don’t you think having an enormous protruding jaw that looks like a nose, no teeth, poor eyesight, and two-foot-long tongue would be enough to depress even the most confident person…or animal?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
Well, the giant anteater must know something that we all don’t about the secret of true beauty, for this five-to-seven-foot-long South American citizen knows and acts as though it has everything it needs to ensure itself a long and happy life…and, in fact, it does.
Nature has purposely configured the apparently odd features of giant anteaters’ bodies in order to assist them in the hunt for their main sources of food, termites and ants. Giant anteaters’ elongated jaws are extremely efficient at poking around anthills and termite mounds, and their extra sticky saliva and 24-inch-long tongue are perfect for lapping up little scrambling insects. And even though they have poor eyesight and no teeth, their fantastic sense of smell and muscular, food-grinding stomachs are able to take over and compensate for the features they lack.
Despite its exotic appearance and strangely-functioning body parts, the anteater maintains an optimistic outlook on life and shows ill-will toward none. While munching on ants or termites, it never destroys the insects’ mounds – it just uses its long jaw to carve an opening large enough to slurp out some supper before moving on to another anthill or nest. Anteaters lack the ability to bite (no teeth, remember?), and aren’t aggressive animals. When threatened, however, they are able to fight off predators, such as jaguars and cougars, with their sharp, four-inch-long claws.
Olive the baby giant anteater
All that said, at the end of the day, perhaps we should take a moment to study the giant anteater’s example and understand that we were all made to look the way we do for a purposeful reason, for true beauty is written on the heart, not on the face.
Maya Ford and the Houston Zoo at the Texans Training Camp
As a proud volunteer for the Houston Zoo, I’m always delighted to see how many places the Zoo has a presence, by virtue of it’s participation in so many of the events and activities that go on in our community.
Take this week for example. Football is such a huge part of life here, and every year the public is invited to watch the Texans training camp in early August next to Reliant Stadium. I was there Sunday morning, and the stands were packed with adults and children alike.
Behind the bleachers there was an upbeat atmosphere, with music playing, concession stands and booths giving things away. I went back to get some water and lo and behold, I saw the familiar green logo on a table front and center!
I walked up and met members of the marketing department seen here: Maya Ford and Nolan Vander Haagen. They were doing a drawing for a free membership to the zoo… and had a give away wheel where lucky spinners could win prizes like a green conservation bracelet or a free ride on our beautiful carousel.
Houston Zoo give away wheel where lucky spinners could win prizes.
And everyone who spun the wheel got a tattoo of Toby, our new red panda (the Cutest Animal in the World!!) as well as a shiny Tiger paw print stamped on their hand in gold.
The Texans Training Camp continues through this week so if you’re going to be there, stop by, enter the Membership Giveaway and give the Houston Zoo wheel a spin!
In the my last entry, I wrote about our dense canopy. Shade is another important means of keeping plants happy during extreme weather. It not only keeps the air cooler by preventing the intense sun from getting through, but it also helps the soil retain more water. If it isn’t as hot, will the water evaporate as quickly? Unfortunately even big trees that provide the shade also require additional water. Especially when the temperatures are high and a fair number of trees throughout Texas haven’t been hand watered or irrigated because they haven’t needed it until now. When we experience temperatures near 100 degrees and haven’t had rain, there just isn’t available ground water. Another drawback to assessing the water requirements of large trees is that by the time they are showing that they need water it can be too late.
Most plants appear to appreciate shade of whatever type recently. We have a number of plants that desire full sun, planted in a fair amount of shade. With the frequency and the intensity of the sun here, most plants will meet their required light needs. A negative of planting where the light requirements aren’t met is that plants will become “leggy”, stretching towards the sun with a decrease in the amount of foliage. We haven’t had a big problem with this.
Those of us that have attempted vegetable gardens this summer have seen signs of what the heat and sun can do. Even when the garden is prepared and planted exactly as it’s recommended, our yield is greatly reduced and normally not as appealing. There are a few vegetables like squash, corn and okra that don’t miss a beat, but plants such as tomatoes and peppers tend not to even set fruit when the temperature is near 100 degrees. A method that can be utilized is putting some type of shade structure above your plants, so they are protect during the heat of the day. This could be as simple as tarp on some type of post such as bamboo, 2×2 lumber or anything that keeps the tarp high enough that it doesn’t actually touch the plants. Tarps are usable, but there are quite a few, very affordable, shade cloth options, which are available at most home improvement stores or garden centers.
In summation, when temperatures are this high, plants need shade. Providing some means of protection from intense sun and heat for your plants could be just enough help to keep them alive and thriving. Look for my next post, where I discuss irrigation and hand watering.
Article written by: Joe Williams, Manager of Horticulture at the Houston Zoo
This video features our adult male Allen’s Swamp Monkey, Naku, and our sixteen month old Schmidt’s Red-Tailed Guenon, Matani. They have recently started playing with one another, despite the fact that they are two different species and that Naku is the dominant animal in the exhibit and prefers to spend most of his time playing in his pool. Naku and Matani began interacting by chasing each other around the exhibit, much like Naku and Kabili, Matani’s father, do on occasion. In this video they are on a suspended platform which is attached to the cage mesh by rubber hoses, making it somewhat challenging for the more terrestrial Swamp Monkey. Despite how intense these interactions may appear, they are all part of normal play behavior between a younger and older primate. The other animals in the exhibit watch from a distance to ensure Matani’s safety. Our Allen’s Swamp Monkeys and Schmidt’s Red-Tailed Guenons share an exhibit and both Matani and Naku can be seen playing daily in Wortham World of Primates.
Video taken by Elliott Rosenthal, Houston Zoo Primate Zoo Keeper
Our infant sifaka was named Kelyfamata (which means “small but mighty”) because he was just 85 grams at birth, but very vigorous and healthy. Once he was able to locomote on his own, the keepers built him a special jungle gym that was sized specially for his petite dimensions, and that is what you see him jumping on in this video. He has almost outgrown it, but still enjoys leaping around on it in entertaining bouts of play.
Meet The Animal: Blanco Age: Approximately 21 years old Scientific Name: Alligator mississippiensis
Houston Zoo's Blanco
Lifestyle:
Blanco spends half his time in water and the other half on land. He eats previously frozen rats, small rabbits, and about once a year is treated to a turkey.
What Makes Blanco Special:
Because of his white skin, most assume that Blanco is albino. However, that is not the case. Blanco’s skin color is due to leucism, or reduction in all types of skin pigment, not just melanin. Not many zoos have alligators of this color, making him a unique attraction.
Blanco responds to target enrichment without having to be shown food to move. This shows that Blanco understands what keepers want him to do without food being his primary motivator.
Interesting Facts:
When temperatures drops, alligators stop eating (internal temperature below 73 degrees) and they cannot digest food.
Females are very protective of their nests and young. They protect their young for up to one year.
Nest temperature determines the sex of offspring; in the low 90s produces all males, in the low 80s produces all females. Mid-to-high-80s produces a mix of males and females. Females control next temperature by moving off and on the top of the nest.
Just missing the cut… Taco Bell Chihuahua, Charlie B. Barkin
10. Lassie
Trouble at the Old Mill?
You’ve gotta love Lassie. Have any other dogs ever won an Emmy Award?
9. Black-tailed Prairie Dogs
Kids get an up-close look.
Ok, so they’re actually rodents and not canines, but it says dog in their name, so it counts. You can find these little guys (2-4 pounds) in our Children Zoo area.
Prairie dogs live in huge colonial burrows called towns. Each member has its own den and drives any intruders away. Towns can extend for hundreds of miles and often contain thousands of individuals. Be sure to check them out this summer, because they hibernate during the winter.
8. Santa’s Little Helper
The Simpsons Pet
Most underrated Simpsons character besides Maggie. He can fly a plane, save Homer from being trapped in a cornfield maze, and had over 25 puppies. Enough said.
7. Underdog
Have No Fear Underdog Is Here
Underdog speaks only in rhymes. Now he’s on my dog blog.
6. African Wild Dogs
Takin' a Swim
First of all, our African wild dogs have awesome names: Aries, Blaze, and Mikita. In the wild, they live mainly in Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Swaziland.
Pack sizes in the wild can be anywhere from 5-30 individuals. These guys are fast, running at 35 mph for over three straight miles.
You might’ve noticed their unique coats – and like a fingerprint, no two dogs have the same coat pattern.
5. Brian Griffin
Million-Dollar Smile
Bipedal, high IQ, sarcastic, eloquent, voice of reason. Also – afraid of vacuums.
4. Snoopy
Pioneer of the Thought Bubble
No one can forget the impact that Charlie Brown’s pet beagle had on us as children. Plus, someone had to cheer up Charlie Brown after Peppermint Patty bullied him around.
3. Anatolian Shepherds
Living in Harmony
Taji and Tusker make up one of the most amazing stories at the Houston Zoo. Not only are they a beautiful breed that’s been around for over 6,000 years – they live with our cheetahs, Kiburi and Kito.
Dogs and cats living together. Hard to imagine? Not for us.
He could eat 20 pizzas at once. Or a hamburger with 10 patties. All while solving mysteries and saving kids from haunted amusement parks. Scooby rode around in the Mystery Machine, which automatically makes him the coolest fictional dog of all time in my book.
1. Max the Elephant Dog
That's right. I live with elephants.
A recent addition to the Houston Zoo family and a big hit around here is Max the Elephant Dog. Recently rescued from the side of the road, Max now lives it up at the McNair Asian Elephant Barn.
His full name is Maximus. He was named after the scientific name for elephants (Elephas maximus). Max serves a very important role in training and enrichment of our elephants.
So much here at the Houston Zoo goes unnoticed by the casual visitor. Take for instance my personal favorite Zoo animal, Forest. He’s a slow loris.
And…I…mean….sllloooooowwwwwwwww…
Not only does Forest move in super slo mo, he’s usually curled up in a ball in his tree – so he’s tough to spot. But if you can use your Where’s Waldo skills to find him, you won’t forget him.
We adopted him from Moody Gardens after Hurricane Ike. He’s so calm and laid back that he can live in peace with Asian small-clawed sea otters in the same exhibit. Pretty cool.
If I was an animal I’d be Forest the slow loris.
He’s just like me. He moves around really slow. He’s curled up in a ball most of the time. He even looks like me when I wake up in the morning.
Hit The Snooze Button
Find Forest in Natural Encounters next time you visit. You won’t be disappointed.
