Field Trip - Woodland Park Zoo

General Details (2 points)

I began my adventure to the Woodland Park Zoo at 12:00pm on 02/25/18, Southbound from Lynnwood. The wether was very cloudy and raining at while driving down I5 but as I got there(12:20pm) at the South Entrance, it cleared up and the sun began to shine half way through the trip.

I chose Woodland Park Zoo as my field trip assignment because I love looking at different kinds of animal from different part of the world. It is truly amazing to be able to see their similarities in behavior and characteristics of one animal from Northern Trail and another from Tropical Asia.

PART 1

Gray wolf

The most interesting thing in the gray wolf exhibit was that one of the wolves was playfully chasing after the crows. One characteristic that I have learned about the gray wolves would be that they howl to find each other and as well as a warning to strangers to keep their distance. Another characteristics would be that they travel in pack. A characteristic I would expect to see on gray wolf's skull would be a prominent canine since they are considered carnivores. Another characteristic to see on a skull of gray wolf would be forward eyes in the orbit specifically for hunting. Lastly, a long snout would be expected on gray wolf's skull because they tend to hunt at night which favors the sense of smell over sight.Yes I got to see the wolves. There were about 4-5 of them present at the moment. Two of the gray wolves were eating meat while the other was chasing after crows. One of them was taking a stroll around the perimeter. Gray wolves and domestic dogs share a common ancestor and belong in the same phylum. Although both are similar in terms of appearance but they are quite different in their behavior and characteristics. Dogs tend to have smaller skull compare to gray wolves, which indicates the body size differences as well. Gray wolves have instincts to hunt other preys for survival and in contrast, domestic dogs are fed from their owners. In terms of traits, domestic dogs have shorter snout compare to wolves with a bigger snout for hunting. The gray wolves are distributed throughout Pacific Northwest but many of them are located specifically in Eastern Washington while some packs can be found in Northern Cascades, and Southern Cascades and along the Northwest coastline. In addition, gray wolves howls to find each other, reinforce close relationships in their pack, and to warn strangers to keep their distance. An adult wold can eat meat up from four to seven pounds a day. Statistically, biologists have found that wolves were able to kill and eat only one moose of every 16 they chased.

How long do gray wolves usually take to travel to find enough food in a day?

Great Gray Owl

The most interesting thing in the great gray owl exhibit was none that I noticed at the moment. The owl was very still the entire time. They are nocturnal, which means they hunt at night unlike Snowy owls whereas they hunt during the day. It's feathers allow them to swoop down without any noise towards the prey while Snowy owl has their thick coat of furs for mainly to keep warm and possibly for hiding. One characteristic I would expect to see on skull of an owl would be their auditory bullae to be large because during winter times, they can hunt by sound alone. Their eyes would expected to be in the center of the orbit as well for hunting purposes. Lastly, I would assume that their nasal passage is small compare to other parts since they heavily rely on sense of hearing. Yes, I saw the great gray owl. It was doing nothing at all, not even a slight movement. They are distributed in Eastern Washington, and Southern cascades. The purpose of the shape of the great gray owls face is to be able to "collect" sound and guides it to its ears. They are two feet tall and their wings can expand up to 4-5 feet. Their plumage can provide protection from predator as well.

How does their feather give them an advantage while hunting for prey?

Brown bear

The most interesting thing in the brown bear exhibit would be the long stream that is connected to the River Otter exhibit. They are carnivores but main eat vegetable more than meat. They also have strong shoulder and claws to dig out dinner from roots, insects. Their claws are mainly for digging rather than defense. One characteristic I would expect on brown beat skull is big canine since they do eat meat, but not so sharp pre and post molars because they do eat vegetables most of the time. Second characteristic I would expect to see would be prominent nasal passage because their sense of smell. LASt characteristic I would expect to see is their auditory bullae, but not so prominent since their hearing sense isn't what they rely on to hunt. Yes, I saw two brown bears. One was laying down peacefully in a clawed out pit. The other brown bear was Laying on a hard surface by the stream. Another type of bear that I have looked at was sloth bear. In terms of characteristic, the sloth bears were much more energetic and playful. With a smaller size compare to brown bears, sloth bears were climbing logs and playing with each other. Brown bears are distributed throughout the pacific northwest but Northern Cascades has the highest rate of brown bears than any other parts of the pacific northwest. You can identify the difference between an adult male/female brown bear by their size. Adult females are anywhere from 175 to 450 pounds while males typically weigh over 1000 pounds. A mother typically give birth to twins. Cubs weighs less than a pound at birth, which is astonishing because they can end up weighing over 500 pounds within years. Although brown bears are considered carnivore, they actually eats more vegetation than meat.

What is their lifespan? (estimate)

River Otter

The most interesting thing in the river otter exhibit would have to be the two representatives of the zoo showcasing bears and wolves skull.

I have learn that river otters has water-repellent fur and as well as sensitive whiskers for muddy water. The water-repellent fur is a adaption that favors their survival. I would expect to see a prominent canine from their skull because they are considered carnivores but they do eat variety of food they can get their hands on. Second characteristic I would expect would be sagital crest, since they are marine animal. Lastly, their eyes is most likely in the center f the orbit, primary for hunting rather than defense. River Otter are agile in water so they barely gets harmed. Yes I noticed two river otters. One was laying on the side of the exhibit next to the water. River Otters are incomparable to Sea Otter in terms of size and strength. Sea Otter has a much more prominent whiskers but does have a water-repellent fur as well. Sea-Otter are much more territorial compare to sea otters, whereas they will habitat places most convenient. The distribution of river otters in pacific northwest are scattered throughout but commonly seen on the coastline. They are not born swimmers. Their parents has to teach them to hunt, swim, and survive. River otters belong in the Mustelids family. River otters live in a den near rivers, lakes and ponds. Their homes are made by other semi-aquatic animals.

During a 16-month study, how many den sites does one male otter used?

Porcupine

Porcupine is hidden under the log.

The most interesting thing in the porcupine exhibit would be that its exhibit is in between gray owl, and the snowy owl. Also the porcupine itself was interesting. I learned that the needle-like quills of porcupines are used for defense against predators. Porcupines shed but does not shoot their quills. One characteristic I would expect would be a big nasal passage for their sense of smell. Another characteristic I would expect to see on porcupine skull is non-spike pre molars because are considered herbivore. Lastly, their eyes are not inward in the orbit because they need to have sights for predators. Yes, I saw the porcupine. It was hidden in one of the logs. One of the closest relatives to porcupines are beavers. They have similar shape of front teeth. Porcupine releases a distinct odor when they feel disturbed. They distributed throughout the coastline and northern cascades of the pacific northwest. They most likely to reside on the trees. During winter, porcupine eats twigs and tree barks, although it lack nutrients but they are able to absorb a lot of those than any other animals. Their quills are easily detachable and harden when threaten unlike needles where its always hard and pointy.

where do they spend most of their time and when do they usually sleep?

PART 2

Compare & Contrast (4 points)

The two animals that I observed were Brown bear and Sloth Bear which belongs in the Ursidae family. Both of the animals have distinct differences while still sharing a similar appearance and some traits. The Brown bear is located in the Northern trail, which is crucial when it comes to survival. Winter are long and growing seasons are short. On the other hand, the sloth bear are located in the Tropical Asia, whereas environment are much more sustainable and geologically rich.The brown bears are significantly bigger in size and shape compare to sloth bears. But sloth bears are much more mobile and has better agility than the brown bears do. According to their exhibit at Woodland Park, brown bears has a stream running down, while Sloth bear's exhibit has a minimal area of stream. A stream can be used as food source for Brown bears, where they will hunt for fish like salmon. Sloth bears mainly focus on the termites as their food source and insects or fruits. They showed little to no interest in going down by the stream. In terms of behavior, sloth bear are much more playful than brown bears. Sloth bears has long sickle-shape claws for climbing around while brown bears has a more narrow claws. The long sickle-shape claws from sloth bear are a sign of derived traits, where they acquire it over time due to the environment. The long nasal passage and thick fur coat can be assumed as ancestral traits because all the different species of bears share this one common trait.

PART 3

Reflection (4 points)

In this field trip, I have learned that one animal from a different part of the world can be little to close relative of another animal from a different geological part of the world. As shown in the example above; brown bears from Northern Trail and Sloth Bears from Tropical Asia. They share many similar characteristics and appearance, which we have learned in class about Animal Diversity and the phylogeny of all organism. It is known that both of these species derived from the same common ancestor from their homology traits but due to migration and convergent evolution causing homoplasy to occur. Both of the species evolved their similar traits independently from their surroundings (adaptive radiation).

On this field trip to the Woodland Park Zoo, I came to realization that all animals share a common ancestor through evolution. The significant differences in animals is due to change in allele frequencies from natural selection. Adaptation and sexual selection has given these animals distinctive traits and to become their own species. It is amazing how much diversity has expand throughout all organism.

The most important/interesting thing that I have learned from this field-trip to the Woodland Park Zoo is to really appreciate the information and knowledge that are given all over the park. I personally don't like to go to the zoo but the times that I have gone, I have never actually take the time to understand where all the different animals come from or what they have in common. This field-trip has given me an opportunity to genuinely read all the signs and facts about the animals from different parts of the world.