Effects of Nicotine and Caffeine on Isopod Behavior

WOODLAND PARK ZOO FIELD TRIP

I attended the Woodland Park Zoo Field Trip headed by Tom on February 9 from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM. We visited all of the exhibits, except those for the mountain goat and the Steller's sea eagle since it appeared that they were doing construction. The weather was relatively cloudy, but not raining.
I chose this trip because I really enjoy animals, and I haven't been to the zoo since I was little.

Brown bear

Figure 1. Brown bear eating marrow from a large bone

I think that the most interesting thing in the brown bear exhibit was watching them eat from what looks to be pieces of bone. I was able to see both brown bears. Both were eating from a large piece of bone, and using their claws to dig out the inside, which I thought was very cool. Brown bears can be found all throughout the Pacific Northwest and are very large, with well-developed shoulders and strong claws for digging out roots, insects, and small mammals to eat. Brown bears can be found all throughout the Pacific Northwest. They have brown fur that helps camouflage them from prey. Also, they can run up to 35 miles per hour, and can drag a dead animal heavier than itself. The skull of a bear is one that is typical for any predator. It has forward set eye placement, which gives it binocular vision and depth perception. The size of the orbits is medium sized. It has a long snout with a lot of nasal turbinates, which means that it has a very keen sense of smell. It has a sagittal crest, which implies that it has very strong jaw muscles for catching prey. And finally, it has both canines and molars, of an omnivore that eats both meat and vegetation. They eat mostly wide variety of vegetation (200 different plant species in North America alone), although they also eat meat. They can eat elk and salmon, catching about a couple fish per hour. Males are much heavier than females at over 1000 pounds versus the female’s range of 175 – 450 pounds. A female can have 1-2 cubs, usually twins, and each one weighing less than a pound at birth.

The only other bear in the zoo was the sloth bear. In comparison, these bears live almost exclusively in the country of India, are much smaller, and eat a different set of food source. They eat fruits, eggs, carrion, 

Question: How long do brown bears live?

River Otter

Figure 2. North American River Otter resting on a log

 To be very honest, the only interesting thing about the river otter exhibit was that the otter was bigger than I imagined it to be, since the one I saw was mainly just resting on a log. It was resting on a log when I was there, so I didn’t have a chance to see it swimming. As implied by the name, river otters can be found up north through Canada and Alaska in the Taiga, which refers to the boreal forests that lie between the Pacific Northwest temperate forests and the far northern tundra. Otters are part of the Mustelid family and are adept on land and in water, both freshwater and marine. They spread natural oils over their fur when they groom, which helps repel water. Also, the interlocking hairs trap air and insulate the otter from cold conditions. The skull of a river otter has forward set eye placement, which gives it binocular vision and depth perception. The size of the orbits is medium sized. It has a short snout with a lot of nasal turbinates, which means that it has a very keen sense of smell. It has a sagittal crest, which implies that it has very strong jaw muscles. They also have large canines for catching prey. River otters are not born swimmers. Their mothers teach them how to swim at around 2 months of age. Also, river otters live in dens built by other semi-aquatic animals such as muskrats, woodchucks, and beavers near clean rivers, lakes, and wetlands.

The North American River Otter is much bigger compared to the Asian small-clawed otter. Also, it eats only fish, catches good with its mouth, and the toes are fully webbed for swimming. Asian small-clawed otters eat crabs, snails, fish, and frogs. They catch food with their paws, and have nimble fingers for grasping.

Question: How does the structure of features displayed by the North American river otter and Asian small-clawed otter show the different types of food and hunting skills between the two?

Gray wolf

Figure 3. Gray wolf resting

The most interesting thing at the gray wolf exhibit was that the “gray” wolves weren’t actually “gray” like I thought they would be. In fact, they were more crème or white-colored similar to that of a Samoyed, although everything else, such as the overall shape, the amount of fur, and the texture was similar to that of a Husky. I was able to see 3-4 wolves, although all were just lying down and resting. There are still wolves in the northern parts of the Pacific Northwest, although the numbers are very few. Wolves are very unique in that they live and hunt in packs, which is unlike most large predators. They, like many other predators, have forward set eye placement, which gives it binocular vision and depth perception. The size of the orbits is medium sized. It has a long snout with a lot of nasal turbinates, which means that it has a very keen sense of smell. It has a sagittal crest, which implies that it has very strong jaw muscles. Finally, they also have large canines for catching prey. Wolves howl to find each other, reinforce close relationships in the pack, and warn strangers to keep their distance. An adult wolf eats 4-7 pounds of meat every day, and the pack may travel 10-30 miles in a single day to get enough food to support the entire pack. Wolves may only be successful in killing 1 out of 16 moose they chase.

The only other wolf at the zoo was the Maned Wolf. It can be found in South America and are also very rare. Unlike the Gray wolf, they are solitary creatures with a reddish-orange coat and eat only small animals, fruits, and vegetables. 

Question: How many pounds of meat must be obtained to support an entire pack?

Great Gray Owl

Figure 4. Great gray owl perched on a branch

The most interesting thing about the Great gray owl exhibit was that large the two owls were and how flat their faces were. The great gray owl was mostly just sitting on a branch or log, looking around or sleeping. The great grey owl can be found all over the Pacific Northwest. The skull of a great gray owl has forward set eye placement, which gives it binocular vision and depth perception. The size of the orbits is are very large, meaning that it relies on its vision to catch prey. It has no of nasal turbinates, which means that it does not rely on its sense of smell. There is no sagittal crest, which implies that it does not need very strong jaw muscles for catching prey. It also has relatively large ear openings, implying that it relies much on its hearing to detect prey. It also has a curved and pointed beak, which is used to tear into the flesh of their prey. The shape of the great gray owl uniquely resembles a “radar dish” which allows it to detect prey via their sensitive hearing. Great grey owls on average, have a body length of 2 feet, a wingspan of 4.5-5 feet, and weigh 2-4 pounds. The great grey owl’s plumage not only provides it warmth, but also camouflages it from its prey and possible predators.

The great gray owl, unlike the snowy owl, hunts at night and have specialized feathers that absorb sound so that they can swoop down noiselessly behind their unsuspecting prey.

Question: What adaptation allows great gray owls to fly silently?

Snowy Owl

Figure 5. Snowy owls perched on logs

The most interesting thing about the snowy owl exhibit was how much the owls stuck out from their surroundings. One owl was just sitting on a log while the other appeared to be flapping its wings violently and grooming itself. The snowy owl can be found all over the Pacific Northwest. The skull has forward set eye placement, which gives it binocular vision and depth perception. The size of the orbits is are very large, meaning that it relies on its vision to catch prey. It has no of nasal turbinates, which means that it does not rely on its sense of smell. There is no sagittal crest, which implies that it does not need very strong jaw muscles for catching prey. It also has relatively large ear openings, implying that it relies much on its hearing to detect prey. It also has a curved and pointed beak, which is used to tear into the flesh of their prey. Because snowy owls hunt in the day, they rely mainly on their keen vision for most of their hunting. A completely white snowy owl is most likely an older male, since males get whiter with age. Females tend to be darker than males and never become fully white. Wild snowy owls make their nests with dried plants from the Tundra, although some say that when food is plentiful they also surround the nest with dead lemmings. 

The snowy owls are white with black speckles and appear to be smaller than the great gray owl. Also, as mentioned earlier, snowy owls hunt during the day and so rely on their vision for hunting, while great gray owls hunt at night and so rely on their hearing for hunting. They both have relatively flat faces, short curved beaks, and large talons.

Question: What is the difference in the plumage between male and female snowy owls?

COMPARE AND CONTRAST

Figure 6. Female lion resting on a rock 

Figure 7. Malaysian tiger sleeping on a rock

I chose to compare the African lion and the Malaysian tiger, both of which belong to the Felidae (felines). African lions live in a group called a "pride" with an alpha male and many females. As the name implies, they live in Africa, specifically in the Savannah, where they hunt large prey in groups, similar to wolves. They tend to be golden colored to camouflage themselves from their prey since their fur matches the color of the grass in the Savannah. Also, males and females are clearly distinct from each other, with the males being much larger and having dark manes around their heads. The Malaysian tiger lives in Malaysia as the name implies. they are solitary creatures with a mainly orange coat with black stripes, also to camouflage itself in its environment from its prey. Males are larger than females, but besides that, there is no physical distinction between the two. Unlike the lion, it is known to be able to swim decently well and more often. Both felines have similar skulls shape and features. Their skull is typical for any predator. It has forward set eye placement, which gives them binocular vision and depth perception. The size of the orbits is large sized, implying that they rely on their vision for hunting. They have a relatively short to medium sized snouts with a lot of nasal turbinates, which means that it has a very keen sense of smell for tracking prey. It has a sagittal crest, which implies that it has very strong jaw muscles for catching prey. They have canines which are important for catching fast moving or strong prey. Finally, both exhibit strong muscles and claws. General ancestral traits include the similar skull structure, since both are feline predators. Derived traits may include the distinct coat patterns and colorings as well as the adaptation for group living for lions, rather than solitary living as seen in tigers.

REFLECTION

I learned that animals exhibit many unique adaptations that are built specifically for their living conditions. However, even animals that come from completely different areas of the world can have similar traits, which are likely ancestral traits inherited from a common ancestor. I think that the field trip did in some sense change my perspective on animal biology in terms of being able to see the similarities and differences in the characteristics of each animal and using them as clues to tell me things about the animal that I probably wouldn't have thought of before. When I look and compare different places around the world, I can now almost predict some of the features that would be common in animals in that area and see how different they are from other animals in different areas or niches, even if they belong to the same family. I can now appreciate the great amount of diversity that the world has, and will now see that just observing these simple ideas is in of itself an adventure.