Woodland Park Zoo Field trip - Kevin Gomez

Woodland Park Zoo

I went to the Zoo March 2^nd on Friday. We are able to locate the northern side of the zoo but unfortunately it was under maintenance. That area had the Steller’s sea eagle and the mountain goat.  I chose this trip because it’s always been a great time every time I go. It reminded me when my parents use to take me and the field trips I use to go on as an elementary kid.

Brown bear

 

1.

 What was the most interesting thing in the brown bear exhibit?

It was interesting how small of an area both of the bears slept in, it looked as if they could have fallen in the water if they twitched in their sleep.

2. What did you learn about adaptations or characteristics of brown

Bears?

Cubs weigh only about a pound at birth which is way less than a human baby.

The male bears can be over 1000 lbs heavier than the female.

3.

 What would be 3 characteristics you would expect to see on a skull of

a brown bear (eye placement, size of orbits, nasal turbinates, sagittal

crest, etc.)?

I assume they would have a sagittal crest for jaw strength and canines for chewing up meat. Also, they should have very complex turbinates since they are able to smell food from a very large distance.

4.

 Did you see the brown bears? If so, what were they doing? If not, why

do you think they were not around?

Thankfully i was able to see bears for the first time in captivity. They were sleeping

5.

 Compare/Contrast brown bears with another type of bear.

Brown bear in comparison to a polar bear require less meat in their diet as opposed to polar bears who don’t have access to that so they require meat to supplement themselves. Polar bears are said to be more aggressive, possible due to their diet limitations to meat and less vegetation.

6.

 What is the distribution of brown bears in the PNW?

There are different areas in which there are recovery projects in the upper north (middle) of washington and the north east side where sightings have been recorded.

 How can someone identify the difference between an adult

male/female brown bear?

Adult males are significantly bigger than the females weighing about 1000 lbs where as the female weighs in at 175-450lbs

8.

 How many cubs does a mother typically give birth to at once? How big

are they at birth?

they usually give birth to twins weighing at about 1 lb per cub.

9.

 What does a brown bears diet mostly consist of?

Mostly Vegetation and some meat

10.

Write 1 thoughtful question using the information signs posted around

the exhibit. They must be specific questions that can be (mostly)

answered using the signs provided.

What areas around the world are brown bears located in?

River Otter

1.

 What was the most interesting thing in the river otter exhibit?

I liked how the water is contained to where it's the height of kids so that they can see them swim

2.

 What did you learn about adaptations or characteristics of river otters?

They have waterproof fur that, obviously, repels water and prevents them from getting fur by interlocking hairs that trap air and further insulate the otter

3.

 What would be 3 characteristics you would expect to see on a skull of

a river otter (eye placement, size of orbits, nasal turbinates, sagittal

crest, etc.)?

Eye placement are in the front of its face since it hunts for prey.

 They also have complex turbinates for a great sense of smell. Another thing is that they have a small sagittal crest which helps them gain jaw strength to tear the food that they eat with their canines.

4.

 Did you see the river otters? What were they doing?

I saw one that was sleeping on a wet log

5.

 Compare/Contrast river otters with another type of otter.

Sea otters are smaller and are the biggest of the weasel small despite being the smallest marine mammal

6.

 What is the distribution of river otters in the PNW?

They are located near the islands and on the very west coast,

7.

 Are river otters born swimmers?

No they do not know how to swim at birth.

8.

 What family of animals do river otters belong to?

Mustelids

9.

 Where do river otters like to live? Who makes their homes?  

They like to den near rivers, lakes or ponds, roots of trees, under rocks, and in burrows built by other semi aquatic animals.

10.

Write 1 thoughtful question using the information signs posted around

the exhibit. They must be specific questions that can be (mostly)

answered using the signs provided.

How do polluted waters affect the habitat of river otters?

Gray wolf

1.

 What was the most interesting thing in the gray wolf exhibit?

Very wide open and they have a rock that overlooks all the people that come to see the wolf.

2.

 What did you learn about adaptations or characteristics of wolves?

3.When food is scarce, they hunt in packs but when food is plentiful, they are able to hunt alone and bring back small prey.

 What would be 3 characteristics you would expect to see on a skull of

a gray wolf (eye placement, size of orbits, nasal turbinates, sagittal

crest, etc.)?

Sagittal crest for great jaw strength to shred/eat meat. Nasal turbinates very complex to smell prey from a large distance. Eye placement in the front of the face as it is a hunter.

4.

 Did you see the wolves? What were they doing?

The wolf laid on its rock and watched all the yummy looking children.

5.

 Compare/Contrast brown gray wolves with another type of canine.

Domestic dogs are a lot smaller (most of them) and pups are not trained to hunt for food

6.

 What is the distribution of gray wolves in the PNW?

Found mostly in the southern cascades and the northwest coast.

7.

 What are three reasons that gray wolves howl?

One reason is to tell other wolfs to stay away from their territory. Another is to find pack members. Last, they use this to communicate with each other socially.

8.

 How much meat does an adult wolf eat in a day?

4-7lbs

9.

 Statistically, how likely are wolves to be successful while hunting a

Moose?

Wolves only successfully get to kill and eat 1/16 moose that they chase

11.

Write 1 thoughtful questions using the information signs posted around

the exhibit. They must be specific questions that can be (mostly)

answered using the signs provided.

Why do mothers prefer to have their offspring in the spring?  

Porcupine

BIOL&21| MAJORS ANIMAL BIOLOGY  |  FIELD TRIP | WINTER 2018

1.

What was the most interesting thing in the porcupine exhibit?

It was netted as opposed to a cage. It might make the porcupine feel less enclosed(?)

2.

What did you learn about adaptations or characteristics of porcupines?

It has quills to defend against predators. Each quill has little barbs within them that continue to drive into the victim. They spend most of their times in the trees and sleep during the day.

3.

What would be 3 characteristics you would expect to see on a skull of

a porcupine (eye placement, size of orbits, nasal turbinates, sagittal

crest, etc.)?

They have large incisors, Not very complex turbinates since they feast on plants mostly. They also have flat molars in order to chew their plants a lot easier than most who do not have those

4.

Did you see the porcupine? What was it doing?

Hiding in its little den

5.

What are porcupines’ closest relatives? What do they have in

Common?

There closest relatives are rodents due to similarities of their spines

6.

Why is the porcupine exhibit so stinky?

The exhibit did not stink while i was there

7.

What is the distribution of porcupines in the PNW?

They are located all around washington except in the south east areas where there are less trees.

8.

Where do porcupines most like to reside? Ground, trees, etc?

They like to hang out in the trees.

9.

What do porcupines eat during the winter when plant matter is scarce?

They tend to eat conifer needles and tree bark.

10.

What makes a porcupine’s quills different than needles?

They are barbed. The more you move, the deeper it goes in.

11.

Write 1 thoughtful question using the information signs posted around

the exhibit. They must be specific questions that can be (mostly)

answered using the signs provided.

How are you able to remove a porcupine spine if it is barbed?

Snowy Owl

1.  What was the most interesting thing in the snowy owl exhibit?

Very open and netted so that they can fly around with ease. A giant rock that overlooks any visitors that come to see the owl.

2.  What did you learn about adaptations or characteristics of snowy owls

Is able to live on the tundra year round. During the days it catches its prey.

(compared to great gray owls)?

3.  What would be 3 characteristics you would expect to see on a skull of

a snowy owl (eye placement, size of orbits, nasal turbinates, sagittal

crest, etc.)? How would you differentiate a snowy owl skull from a great

gray owl skull?

Very large orbits meaning great eye vision to locate mice in the dark. They have a beak for picking apart meat. They also do not have complex turbinates so their sense of smell is not efficient

4.  Did you see the snowy owl? What was it doing?

I was barely able to get a look at them but i was able to see the trainer/zookeeper feed them. They were very calm as they ate the food out of his hand.

5.  Compare/Contrast great gray owls with snowy owls. How are they

similar? How are they different?

They differ in color and the shape that their feathers make on there face. The gray owl has more of a concave shape on its face. While the snow owls feathers on its face just barely shape its skull. They appear to be similar in size. I was not able to get a better look at the snow owl which was unfortunate so i couldn't get enough details about it. The gray owl stared us down heavily as we walked passed it.

6.  What is the distribution of snowy owls in the PNW?

They are vaguely seen in the PNW up in the north west areas.

7.  What sense does the snowy owl rely on the most for hunting?

sight

8.  If you were to find a completely white snowy owl, they would most

likely be an [adult/youth] [male/female]?

It would be an adult male since they are characterized as pure white as compared to females who have dark spots on them.

9.  Describe the nests of wild snowy owls.

They are dug up from the ground into a bowl shape which is where they lay their eggs

10. Write 1 thoughtful question using the information signs posted around

the exhibit. They must be specific questions that can be (mostly)

answered using the signs provided.

What makes them accidentally migrate too far south?

Compare & Contrast

One of the animals i would like to compare is the ostrich and the owl. Although the biggest comparison between them two is their size and the inability of one of them to fly. they are both mobile but in different ways. the owl flies with the ostrich is able to run and use its wings to propel its self forward or to stop itself. an ostrich has a very long neck it needs in order to pick up its food from the ground since its long legs keeps its head high above the ground. An interesting thing i think about is the inability for the ostrich to fly. It may have derived from an ancestor who was once able to fly but for some reason it didn't need to anymore. could this be due a vast amount of options for diet on the ground as opposed to that in the air?

Reflection

One of the things i was able to use in class at the zoo was look at the info from the diagrams and the animal itself and be able to determine why its able to see so well. also, why its able to eat meat and hunt efficiently. Another thing i took away from bio &212 was the info on phylums and how each of the organism is categorized by. it helps you understand what their abilities are, like wolfs, and how they share similar characteristics to other species under that phylum. definitely seeing the animals after bio 212 helped me understand them on a different level rather than just going to the zoo and say "oh cool". now im able to give a piece of info about them.