Zoo Field Trip
I went on the Woodland Park Zoo field trip on February 25 from 9am to 2pm. I chose this field trip because I like going zoos and seeing the variety of animals.
Part 1: Animals of the Northern Trail
Brown Bear:
The most interesting part of the brown bear exhibit was learning about brown bear cubs. One of the signs about the brown bears said that cubs are usually less than a pound at birth. I thought this was interesting because it seems really small for something that grows up to be 400 to 1000 pounds. One thing I learned about the characteristics of brown bears is that their claws are mainly used for digging instead of fighting. Three characteristics I would expect to see on the skull of a brown bear are front-facing eyes, large canines, and a large sagittal crest. When we saw the brown bears, they were just sleeping or relaxing in their exhibits. One of them moved a little but for the most part, they were just laying there. When comparing a grizzly bear (a type of brown bear) to a polar bear, you can see differences in where they live and size. Grizzly bears typically live in the northern parts of North America while polar bears live the Arctic. Grizzly bears are also typically smaller than polar bears, averaging at 6.5 feet long and 300 to 600 pounds depending on the sex. Polar bears are about 6 to 10 feet long and 300 to 1,000 depending on sex. The distribution of brown bears in the Pacific Northwest is in remote mountainous wilderness areas like North Cascades National Park. Someone can identify an adult male brown bear from an adult female brown bear by size, males are a lot larger than females. A mother typically gives birth to twins and they are usually less than a pound. A brown bear’s diet consists more vegetation like roots and berries but they also eat fish and small mammals. Question: How long do brown bears usually live?
River Otter:
The most interesting part about the river otter exhibit was seeing the otter swimming around and little kids running after it. One thing I learned about the adaptations of river otters is that when they groom themselves, the release natural oils onto their fur which helps to repel water. Three characteristics one would expect to see on the skull of a river otter are forward-facing eyes, a short nose, and large canines. I saw one river otter in the exhibit, it was swimming along the side and going in and out of the water. When comparing a river otter to a sea otter, you see differences in size and how they swim. River otters are about 10 to 30 pounds while sea otters can be 50 to 100 pounds. River otters also swim on their bellies while sea otters typically swim on their backs. River otters are common in the Pacific Northwest around both fresh and saltwater. River otters are not natural born swimmers but are taught to swim by their mothers. River otters belong to the mustelid family. River otters like to live in dens near water usually in tree roots or under rocks. Their dens are made by other animals like muskrats and beavers. Question: What does a river otter’s diet consist of?
Elk:
The most interesting part of the elk exhibit was the size of the elk, I didn’t expect them to be so big. One thing I learned about the characteristics and adaptations of elk is their fur color, they have “white rumps” that help them blend in. Three characteristics one would expect to see on the skull of an elk is eyes on the sides of their head, large grinding teeth, and a small sagittal crest. I was able to see the elk and they were grazing the entire time I saw them. When comparing elk to reindeer, you can see differences in size and their antlers. Elk are significantly bigger than reindeer, weighing anywhere from 500 to 730 pounds, depending on sex, while reindeer weigh 200 to 400 pounds, also depending on sex. Only male elk grow antlers while both male and female reindeer grow antlers. Throughout the Pacific Northwest, elk are found in forest and mountainous areas. Three questions: What does an elk’s diet consist of? What animals prey on elk? How fast can they run?
Gray Wolf:
The most interesting part of the gray wolf exhibit was seeing the wolves carrying around the big chunks of meat. One thing I learned about the characteristics and adaptations of gray wolves is that they have a really thick coat which helps keep them warm and camouflage. Three characteristics of one would expect to see on the skull of a gray wolf are front-facing eyes, large canines, and a large sagittal crest. The wolves were pretty active compared to other animals I saw. Instead of sleeping or eating, they were roaming around and sometimes would run. When comparing a gray wolf to a domestic dog, you see differences in size and behavior. Wolves are typically larger than domesticated dogs, weighing 50 to 120 pounds and are about 2.5 to 3 feet tall. Because of the wide variety of domesticated dogs, it can be hard to generalize but for the most part, domesticated dogs are smaller than wolves. Wolves also behave differently than domesticated dogs with wolves living in packs with an alpha male while domesticated dogs live with humans. The distribution of wolves in the Pacific Northwest is small because people are killing them to protect their livestock but they live in in a wide variety of habitats from mountains to grassland. The three reasons wolves howl is to find each other, to strengthen relationships in their pack and to warn others in their pack. An adult wolf eats 4 to 7 pounds of meat every day. Wolves are only successful when hunting moose 1 in 16 times. Question: What season are wolf pups usually born?
Great Gray Owl:
The most interesting thing about the great gray owl was seeing it groom itself. One adaptation I learned about when compared to the snowy owl is color. The great gray and the snowy owl were different colors that helped them blend into their habitats better. Three characteristics I would expect to see on the skull of a great gray owl are front-facing eyes, large auditory bulla, and offset ears. When I saw the great gray owl, it was pretty much just sitting there although it did groom itself a little. Great gray owls would be found in forested areas. The purpose of the round shape of the great gray owl’s face is that it helps it hear extremely well which is one of its primary sense. Great gray owls are about 2 or 3 pounds but can have a wingspan as long as 5 feet. Besides warmth, one benefit of the great gray owls plumage is to help them with hunting by keeping them silent. Question: What does the great grey owl’s diet consist of?
Part 2: Compare and Contrast
The animals I’m going to compare are the brown bear and the sloth bear, both of which are in the family Ursidae. Both types of bear cubs stay with their mothers for a few years to learn survival skills. They also have similar diets, consisting of vegetation and some small animals. Brown bears have long claws used for digging for food like roots. They live in northern parts of Europe, Asia, and North American in the mountainous wilderness. Sloth bears also have long claws as well as a long snout, both of which are good for getting insects, their primary source of food. They live in grasslands and forests in southern Asia. Brown bears are also larger than sloth bears, being about 400 to 1000 pounds and 5 to 9 feet long, depending on sex. Sloth bears, however, are 120 to 300 pounds and 4 to 6 feet long. An ancestral trait of brown bears and sloth bears could be their claws. Both brown bears and sloth bears have long strong claws that are used for obtaining food. A derived trait in brown bears could be bigger body size and muscle mass which helps to keep them warm in the cold winters. A derived trait in sloth bears could be their long snout and tongue that are used to get insects.
Part 3: Reflection
I really enjoyed the zoo field trip because it was a real version of the kind of stuff we were looking at in class. The biggest connection I made was to the skull lab. I was able to think about the different characteristics of the skulls of the various animals. I was also able to see how a certain characteristic such as eye placement affected the animal and something like its position on the food chain. This experience on the field trip changed my perspective on animal biology because looking at real animals made it more relevant instead of just looking at models. The most interesting thing I learned on the field trip was how small brown bear cubs are.
Part 1: Animals of the Northern Trail
Brown Bear:
The most interesting part of the brown bear exhibit was learning about brown bear cubs. One of the signs about the brown bears said that cubs are usually less than a pound at birth. I thought this was interesting because it seems really small for something that grows up to be 400 to 1000 pounds. One thing I learned about the characteristics of brown bears is that their claws are mainly used for digging instead of fighting. Three characteristics I would expect to see on the skull of a brown bear are front-facing eyes, large canines, and a large sagittal crest. When we saw the brown bears, they were just sleeping or relaxing in their exhibits. One of them moved a little but for the most part, they were just laying there. When comparing a grizzly bear (a type of brown bear) to a polar bear, you can see differences in where they live and size. Grizzly bears typically live in the northern parts of North America while polar bears live the Arctic. Grizzly bears are also typically smaller than polar bears, averaging at 6.5 feet long and 300 to 600 pounds depending on the sex. Polar bears are about 6 to 10 feet long and 300 to 1,000 depending on sex. The distribution of brown bears in the Pacific Northwest is in remote mountainous wilderness areas like North Cascades National Park. Someone can identify an adult male brown bear from an adult female brown bear by size, males are a lot larger than females. A mother typically gives birth to twins and they are usually less than a pound. A brown bear’s diet consists more vegetation like roots and berries but they also eat fish and small mammals. Question: How long do brown bears usually live?
River Otter:
The most interesting part about the river otter exhibit was seeing the otter swimming around and little kids running after it. One thing I learned about the adaptations of river otters is that when they groom themselves, the release natural oils onto their fur which helps to repel water. Three characteristics one would expect to see on the skull of a river otter are forward-facing eyes, a short nose, and large canines. I saw one river otter in the exhibit, it was swimming along the side and going in and out of the water. When comparing a river otter to a sea otter, you see differences in size and how they swim. River otters are about 10 to 30 pounds while sea otters can be 50 to 100 pounds. River otters also swim on their bellies while sea otters typically swim on their backs. River otters are common in the Pacific Northwest around both fresh and saltwater. River otters are not natural born swimmers but are taught to swim by their mothers. River otters belong to the mustelid family. River otters like to live in dens near water usually in tree roots or under rocks. Their dens are made by other animals like muskrats and beavers. Question: What does a river otter’s diet consist of?
Elk:
The most interesting part of the elk exhibit was the size of the elk, I didn’t expect them to be so big. One thing I learned about the characteristics and adaptations of elk is their fur color, they have “white rumps” that help them blend in. Three characteristics one would expect to see on the skull of an elk is eyes on the sides of their head, large grinding teeth, and a small sagittal crest. I was able to see the elk and they were grazing the entire time I saw them. When comparing elk to reindeer, you can see differences in size and their antlers. Elk are significantly bigger than reindeer, weighing anywhere from 500 to 730 pounds, depending on sex, while reindeer weigh 200 to 400 pounds, also depending on sex. Only male elk grow antlers while both male and female reindeer grow antlers. Throughout the Pacific Northwest, elk are found in forest and mountainous areas. Three questions: What does an elk’s diet consist of? What animals prey on elk? How fast can they run?
Gray Wolf:
The most interesting part of the gray wolf exhibit was seeing the wolves carrying around the big chunks of meat. One thing I learned about the characteristics and adaptations of gray wolves is that they have a really thick coat which helps keep them warm and camouflage. Three characteristics of one would expect to see on the skull of a gray wolf are front-facing eyes, large canines, and a large sagittal crest. The wolves were pretty active compared to other animals I saw. Instead of sleeping or eating, they were roaming around and sometimes would run. When comparing a gray wolf to a domestic dog, you see differences in size and behavior. Wolves are typically larger than domesticated dogs, weighing 50 to 120 pounds and are about 2.5 to 3 feet tall. Because of the wide variety of domesticated dogs, it can be hard to generalize but for the most part, domesticated dogs are smaller than wolves. Wolves also behave differently than domesticated dogs with wolves living in packs with an alpha male while domesticated dogs live with humans. The distribution of wolves in the Pacific Northwest is small because people are killing them to protect their livestock but they live in in a wide variety of habitats from mountains to grassland. The three reasons wolves howl is to find each other, to strengthen relationships in their pack and to warn others in their pack. An adult wolf eats 4 to 7 pounds of meat every day. Wolves are only successful when hunting moose 1 in 16 times. Question: What season are wolf pups usually born?
Great Gray Owl:
The most interesting thing about the great gray owl was seeing it groom itself. One adaptation I learned about when compared to the snowy owl is color. The great gray and the snowy owl were different colors that helped them blend into their habitats better. Three characteristics I would expect to see on the skull of a great gray owl are front-facing eyes, large auditory bulla, and offset ears. When I saw the great gray owl, it was pretty much just sitting there although it did groom itself a little. Great gray owls would be found in forested areas. The purpose of the round shape of the great gray owl’s face is that it helps it hear extremely well which is one of its primary sense. Great gray owls are about 2 or 3 pounds but can have a wingspan as long as 5 feet. Besides warmth, one benefit of the great gray owls plumage is to help them with hunting by keeping them silent. Question: What does the great grey owl’s diet consist of?
Part 2: Compare and Contrast
The animals I’m going to compare are the brown bear and the sloth bear, both of which are in the family Ursidae. Both types of bear cubs stay with their mothers for a few years to learn survival skills. They also have similar diets, consisting of vegetation and some small animals. Brown bears have long claws used for digging for food like roots. They live in northern parts of Europe, Asia, and North American in the mountainous wilderness. Sloth bears also have long claws as well as a long snout, both of which are good for getting insects, their primary source of food. They live in grasslands and forests in southern Asia. Brown bears are also larger than sloth bears, being about 400 to 1000 pounds and 5 to 9 feet long, depending on sex. Sloth bears, however, are 120 to 300 pounds and 4 to 6 feet long. An ancestral trait of brown bears and sloth bears could be their claws. Both brown bears and sloth bears have long strong claws that are used for obtaining food. A derived trait in brown bears could be bigger body size and muscle mass which helps to keep them warm in the cold winters. A derived trait in sloth bears could be their long snout and tongue that are used to get insects.
Part 3: Reflection
I really enjoyed the zoo field trip because it was a real version of the kind of stuff we were looking at in class. The biggest connection I made was to the skull lab. I was able to think about the different characteristics of the skulls of the various animals. I was also able to see how a certain characteristic such as eye placement affected the animal and something like its position on the food chain. This experience on the field trip changed my perspective on animal biology because looking at real animals made it more relevant instead of just looking at models. The most interesting thing I learned on the field trip was how small brown bear cubs are.
Hey Morgan,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post. I was wondering what your other favorite animals were in the zoo. I really liked your attention to detail on the skulls of different animals.
Morgan, I enjoyed reading your post, it was very thorough. I learned something from your post, that river otters release oils that repel water. I always kind of wondered why otters looked so sleek and almost greasy, and it is fascinating to know that this is something they excrete on themselves.
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