Woodland Park Zoo Field Trip

Woodland park Zoo
For my assignment I decided to participate in the Woodland Park Zoo field trip. The trip occurred on February 25 on a Sunday, began 9:00 AM, and ended around 3:00-3:30 PM. The other two field trip options were Snow Tracking and the Seattle Aquarium. While it would be nice to participate in all the field trips I settled for the trip that would interest me the most. I find terrestrial animals more interesting than aquatic animals, so my decision for this trip was easy. Snow tracking also sounds fun, but I believed going to the zoo would be more enjoyable and relaxing.

(All the photos of the animals were taken by me during the Field Trip.)

Part 1 (5 Animals Observed)

Gray Wolf

- Our group first stopped by the gray wolf exhibit. What I found most interesting about this animal was how calm they seemed. We happened to visit during feeding time, so we were able to see how the wolves react when they are near humans. I didn’t know much about wolves but would always stereotype them as attacking humans on sight. So when they acted calm near the feeders it was a surprise to me. I learned that the gray wolves are light on there feet and will always walk in the tracks of their front paws which would make them harder to track. They also have thick coats to keep them warm during cold weathers, such as the weather on our field trip. For a gray wolf’s skull I would expect it to have long canines, Incisors teeth, and a large zygomatic arch. These characteristics are mainly found in canines and since the wolf is a canine I would expect to see this in their skulls. The wolves were feeding during the time we observed them, after feeding at least one of them decided to rest and maybe take a nap. Coyotes and Gray wolves share some similarities and differences. Some similarities would be their thick coats and skull structure, they both are canines so it would make sense for there skulls to be similar. The difference would be in size and abundance. Coyotes are much smaller, but have a higher population and inhabit a much larger range compared to gray wolves. Both have predatory natures so they both are seen as wild and dangerous. GRay wolves are considered endangered species in washington state (PNW). Back in 1790 wolves populated most of American, but ever since 1990 most were forced upwards towards Canada. Gray wolves howl to help find each other, reinforce close relationships between their pack, and warn strangers of their presence. A single Gray wolf will eat around four to seven pounds of meat a day. Since wolves are only successful in eating one out of sixteen mooses they chase I would consider this not very efficient. I also found it funny that the wolves exhibit was right next to the moose exhibit. A question that could be answered using the zoo’s signs is: What is the scientific name for a gray wolf? The answer would be Canis Lupus.





Porcupine

- During our zoo visit our group was able to see a porcupine. What fascinated me the most was the size of the porcupine. I originally thought it would be only slightly bigger than a hedgehog, but I was wrong once I saw it at the zoo. A major adaptation of the porcupine was its large quil needles on its back. They are used to defend itself from predators making it nearly impossible to eat. Since the quills are barbed they slide into the predators skin easily, but become difficult when trying to pull the needles out of the predators skin. Some characteristics of the skull would be long and sharp incisors, lack of canines, and its lack of sagittal crest. They characteristics are most commonly found in rodents, which is the family the porcupine is classified in. The porcupine we observed was constantly walking to and from the feeders door. Our group made the assumption that it was feeding time and the porcupine was pacing back and forth waiting for its food. I believe porcupines closest relative would be the hedgehog. It becomes obvious when you see that both have long incisors and point quills around its body. The main difference would be its size. Porcupines are stinky as a defense mechanism. It is used as a signal so other organisms know of its presence; it wants other animals to know that it is there. Porcupines, similar to wolves, migrated more towards the north near Canada. There's still a large amount in Washington, but a large amount moved from places like California to place more North of the country Porcupines spend most of their time around the trees, sadly the one we saw spent all its time on the ground. During the winter a porcupines main diet consist of conifer needles and tree bark. Porcupine quills are unique because they are barbed, unlike needles. This makes them easy to insert into predators, but hard to pull out of predators. Once a predator learns this they stay away from porcupines. A question using the zoo’s sings could be: When do porcupines sleep and when are they most active? The answer would be that they sleep during the day and search for food at night.





Snowy Owl

- Another organism we were able to see was the Snowy owl. I found it’s white feathers interesting. This lead me to believe it’s natural habitat is one with an abundance of snow, besides the fact that is is also named snowy owl. I believe the feathers also covered the owls feet. When comparing this to a great grey owl our group observed, we saw that this owl had a white and thicker coat than those of the grey owls. This is because the snowy owls habitat is much colder than that of the great grey owls. The owls we observed were not moving much and possible sleeping, considering most owls are nocturnal. I would expect this owl’s skull to have a scleral bone (large eye socket), sharp and pointy beak, and its nasal aperture. The greatest difference between great grey owls and snowy owls, that i mentioned before, is the thickness and color of feathers. Grey owls are less thick and more grey while snowy owls are more thick and have white feathers. The snowy owl also tends to be larger than the great grey owl. A similarity would be the skull structure and anatomy. I would expect the skulls to look relatively the same, proof of this is that they both have beaks. The snowy owls have migrated mostly up north near the top of Washington and Canada. They can also be found in parts of Russia and the very top of Greenland. They tend to populate in cold areas that are filled with snow. These owls rely a lot on their hearing to hunt for food. It uses its great hearing to be able to catch prey in order to feed. A completely white owl would most likely be an adult male snowy owl. Female or adolescent snowy owls of both sexes will have dark bars and spots on them. Since snowy owls tend to live in the open arctics, trees are not as common. This means they tend to form nest on the ground or on short posts; here they can easily look for prey to hunt. Which way do owls migrate if food is scarce in their habitat? The answer to this question would be south.





River Otter

- What i found interesting about the river otter was its comfort in the water. The otter seemed comfortable both on land and water which isn’t common in a lot of organisms. An interesting adaptation that was present in these otters were their webbed feet and flat/wide tail. This combination contributes to the river otter’s excellent swimming form. In a river otters skull you would expect to see canines and a lack of molars, a zygomatic arch, and its small orbital. Our groups saw the river otters when they were very active. They were swimming and moving near the glass of the exhibit. They swim very fast in my opinion. River otters and sea otters share similarities and differ in many ways. Similarities would include the webbed hands and feet, since both are accustomed to the water. A big difference would be the size of the otters and their tails. The sea otter is two or three times bigger than the river otter, but had a shorter and flatter tail. The river otter is smaller, but has a longer and pointier tail. This most likely is due to habitat. The distribution of river otters are mainly in the Taiga. Taiga refers to the forest that lies between the Pacific Northwest temperate forests and the far northern Tundra. River otters are not born swimmers, despite how good they are at it. When they are born they need to be taught how to swim, similar to humans. The mom usually teaches its offspring how to swim once it is born. While river otters are comfortable in fresh water they are not confined to it. They can also live on coastal shorelines, which would be on land. Once an otter decides on where it would like to live, usually the shore line, it will bring vegetation in order to make the ground softer, warmer, and dryer to maximize comfort. River Otters make their own home once they find a spot. What does a River Otter’s diet consist of? The answer is fish and amphibians including turtle, crayfish, and insects.




Brown Bear

- I found it interesting how calm it was when seeing humans through the glass. Maybe it had become accustomed to humans watching it. Some adaptations that we observed was its size and thick coat of fur. The bear’s size probably attributes to its strength, making it easy to rip apart prey. Its large coat helps it stay comfortable in weathers that are very cold, such as the weather in our state. I would expect to see large canines and molars, large sagittal crest, and long nasal turbinates. This bear is an omnivore so I would expect to see canines and molars. I was able to see one bear up close; the bear was sleeping so it was not doing too much. When comparing brown and black bears you could see the difference in size and anatomy. Brown bears tend to be bigger and have a more angled forehead while black bears are smaller and have a flat head. Brown bears also have straight frontal toes, this makes tracking between bears easier when looking at paw prints. Their skull structure would still be similar, just small differences. They also both have large coats that help them survive in different weather conditions. Brown bears live in the forest of northern North America, so they would be distributed mainly north of Washington. They also tend to live in northern Europe and Asia, so mostly in colder areas. A way to distinguish a female and male bear would be the size. Males will mostly be 1000 pounds or above while females vary from 150 pounds to 450 pounds. You could also look at the way they urinate, males streams will flow underneath its torso and females streams will flow out its backside. Lastly you could check to see if the bear has any cubs; if cubs are present it is most likely a female. Cubs are usually born as twins and often weigh less than one pound at birth. They will stay with the mother for three to four years and they live independently. Brown bears actually eat more vegetation than meat. They also use there strong muscles to dig out for roots, insects, and small animals to eat. So the brown bear eats vegetation and meat, but more often vegetation. They eat long grasses and blueberries from bushes, while also finding small animals and insects. Why do cubs spend two to three years with their mother? Besides safety and nurturing, the cub will live with its mother to learn which plants are safe to eat and how to find them.




Part 2 (Compare & Contrast)
- The two types of animals I would like to discuss are the Asian Black Bear (or Moon Bears) and the Brown Bear I observed on my trip. When looking at pictures of both you can see distinct differences and similarities. The Brown bear I observed is much larger in weight and size while the asian black bear is smaller. The Asian black bear has a wider face and the males weigh on average 150 to 440 pounds. The Asian black bear is often noted as similar to brown bears, but is more slender and lighter in build. A very noticeable difference is the white v-shaped line on the asian black bears chest. A behavioral similarity would be that both bears do not hibernate during the winter. If you happen to find either bear sleeping during the winter you must be carefully, as they could wake up and attack you. Their skull structure is very similar and almost identical. Besides the size the structure looks about the same in both bears. Both bears prefer to live in forest infested areas, but the brown bear is more accustom to colder weathers. In my opinion they both have strong claws and strong jaws which would probably be an ancestral trait considering most bears have this trait. Something derived would be their coats. Since brown bears have thicker coats they must have derived that somewhere recently in their phylogenetic tree. The shoulder hump that is only apparent in Brown bears is another traits that would most likely be derived. While these bears share a lot of similarities, it is important to point out how different these to bears can be. It’s amazing how bears from across the world could be so similar.

Part 3 (Reflection)

- This field trip reminds me most about phylums and our skull lab. You can see how all the different animals can be placed in different phylums and skull families. Although most of the animals were in the Chordata phylum, many of the animals were in different skull families. I was able to see rodentia, feline, canines, and many more. This field trip really showed me how different and similar animals can be. They all evolved to have a better chance of survival in their habitat, but if you look closely you can see how similar all the animals really are. It gives me a better understanding of how all organisms came from a common ancestor. I believe the most important thing about this field trip was how every animal connected in a way. Whether it was the behavior of the animal, the food they ate, their skull structure, or outer appearance of the animal every animal connected in one way or another. It’s amazing how diverse animals have become, yet they still are the same in many ways. This trip really promotes the idea of universality and evolution. I am glad that I could participate in this field trip.