Fozblog

Tuesday Trivia Answer - Don't Fry Day

If you answered B. 5-6 minutes to this week's trivia question, you are correct! Hippopotamuses can be found during the day in or near rivers and lakes in Africa while the nighttime is spent grazing near these bodies of water. In fact, hippopotamus in Greek means "river horse."

A hippopotamus's body is well-equipped for its aquatic lifestyle. Their eyes, nostrils and ears are located on top of their head to allow for easy seeing, breathing and listening above water while the rest of a hippo's body is submerged. When a hippo does dive underwater, their nostrils seal to keep water from entering. Also, their eyes have a clear membrane that protects them when seeing underwater.

Hippopotamuses are not true swimmers. Instead, they amble along by pushing off the bottom of the river or lake. Hippopotamuses have been widely recognized for their grace while "swimming."

Congratulations to Kaitlyn Grose from Ozark, whose name was randomly drawn from those submitting the correct answer this week!

Tuesday Trivia goes on holiday next week. We'll be back on June 5 with more fun!

Tuesday Trivia - Don't Fry Day

This Friday, May 25, is Don't Fry Day at Dickerson Park Zoo. The National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention reminds you to Slip! Slop! Slap! or Wrap! the Friday before Memorial Day every year.

• Slip on a shirt.
• Slop on sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher (the council recommends SPF 30).
• Slap on a wide-brimmed hat.
• Wrap on sunglasses.

Remember to follow safe sun practices whenever you and your family are outdoors.

Did you know that one particular resident at Dickerson Park Zoo has his own natural sunscreen? Henry, like all other hippopotamuses, secretes a thick red substance from his pores. Along with being a natural sunscreen, this mucous keeps a hippo's skin moist while on land which prevents dehydration. This mucous also acts as an antibiotic warding off infection on even large wounds on a hippopotamus's skin.

How long can a hippopotamus stay submerged in water?
A. 1-2 minutes
B. 5-6 minutes
C. 10-12 minutes
D. 15-17 minutes

Email your answer by Wednesday at noon to trivia@dickersonparkzoo.org for your chance to win a pair of one-day passes to Dickerson Park Zoo! Remember to include your mailing address for your chance to win.

Check our FOZblog on Wednesday for the correct answer and more information about hippopotamuses.

Tuesday Trivia Answer - Where Is This?

If you answered the sundial near the Junior League Amphitheatre, you are correct! It is believed that this sundial was created by master-craftsman Don Peryer with the Kent-Clark Monument Company sometime around 1980. Peryer, originally from New Hampshire, learned the art of stonecutting from European masters.

The sundial is engraved with, "This sundial was placed here by Springfieldians to commemorate two hundred years of American independence and freedom." The dates 1776 and 1976 can be found in the center of the sundial. Also, the names of the Springfield Park Board members at the time are engraved including Lynn Livingston, Chairman, and James Ewing, Director.

Congratulations to Patricia Blankenship from Marionville, Mo., whose name was randomly drawn from those submitting the correct answer this week.

Play along again next week for your chance to win a pair of one-day passes to Dickerson Park Zoo!

Tuesday Trivia - Where Is This?

With our last "Where Is This?" Tuesday Trivia question, we learned about the historical wood carving "Lion in a Cage" located in the Education Building. So, this time we brought another admired object into focus. Do you know where in the zoo this picture was taken?

Email your answer to trivia@dickersonparkzoo.org by Wednesday at noon for your chance to win a pair of one-day passes to Dickerson Park Zoo. Remember to include your mailing address for your chance to win.

Check our FOZblog on Wednesday for the correct answer and more information about this item.

Tuesday Trivia Answer - A Holiday Weekend

If you answered True to this week's trivia question, you are correct! European white storks will use the same nest from year to year to hatch their eggs - that is unless severe weather or human interference destroys the nest. In fact, it is believed that storks, though monogamous, are more loyal to their nest than their partner. If a male stork challenges another male for a nest, the female stork may mate with the winning male just to stay in the same nest.

Each year, new sticks, twigs and grasses are added, often creating huge nests. Some nests have even been in use for hundreds of years and measure more than nine feet deep and six feet wide! To signal the end of the rebuilding stage, the male stork will place one final leafy branch at the edge of the nest.

Male and female storks will then take turns incubating the clutch of three to five eggs for 33-34 days. After hatching, both parents feed their young until they fledge the nest at approximately nine weeks old. However, the fledglings may return to the nest to continue begging for food from their parents.

For more information about the European white stork, visit the Smithsonian's National Zoo or San Diego Zoo.

Congratulations to Shawn Scott from Lenox, Mo., whose name was randomly drawn from those submitting the correct answer this week!

Play along again next week for your chance to win a pair of one-day passes to Dickerson Park Zoo!