ZOO-tography gives Z.E.B.R.A. students an opportunity to take photographs and learn about the animals from a "behind-the-scenes" aspect. Photos were submitted by students: Stephen Edson and Stephanie Davis.
To see these and other updated photos from Dickerson Park Zoo, visit http://budurl.com/ef4g
Facts about the River Otter
Scientific Name: Lutra canadensis
Range & Habitat: Major watersheds of Missouri and throughout North America near streams, rivers, and lakes, usually bordered by timber.
Size: 36-53 inches; 10-25 pounds
Life Span: Up to 19 years in captivity
Gestation: 9-12 months; 2-4 young
Wild Diet: Fish, crayfish, and sometimes frogs, snakes, birds, turtles, snails and earthworms
Zoo Diet: Carnivore diet, smelt, mackerel
Habits: When traveling, members of the family keep in touch with each other by giving bird-like chirps. Otters enjoy sliding on their bellies down steep slopes of clay or ice. They also toss, dive for and play with rocks and clam shells in the water, probably as a social activity. They can dive to a depth of 55 feet and remain submerged for 3-4 minutes. Before the young swim by themselves, the parents often carry them on their backs in the water.
Status: In recent years they have been exterminated in large sections of central and western United States and are generally rare where they do occur. Some still live along the Missouri River.
Pictured are Stache and her pups, born March 19, 2009. Click here to see a video of the trio!
It’s “Tuesday Trivia” time! This week, the focus turns to our river otter, Stache, who has been cooling off in the pool with her pups.
E-mail your answer and mailing address to trivia@dickersonparkzoo.org by midnight tonight. We'll draw from the correct responses for a winner, who will receive a pair of one-day admission tickets to Dickerson Park Zoo!
Check out FOZblog.org tomorrow to read more information about this week's animal and see the correct answer to "Tuesday Trivia."
True or False: The River Otter can remain submerged under water for three to four minutes.
Facts about the Hippopotamus Scientific Name: Hippopotamus amphibius
Range & Habitat: Grasslands, wetlands and rivers throughout Africa
Size: Weighs 2½ to 5 tons; body length is up to 15' long; stands 5' tall
Life Span: Can live up to 49 years in captivity
Gestation: 210-255 days, usually single births; calf weighs about 100 lbs.
Wild Diet: Aquatic plants, grass and foliage
Zoo Diet: Hay, grain, produce (watermelons and cantaloupes as treats)
Habits: Hippopotamuses live in groups of females and their young, and the bulls live separately. Mating, birthing and nursing usually take place in the water. A hippopotamus can remain completely submerged for up to five minutes. Its eyes, ears and nostrils are situated on top of its head to remain above the water while the hippo stays
underwater. When diving, its nostrils and ears close.
Hippos spend the day in the water and the night foraging on land. On land, they are good walkers and relatively fast runners. The hippo's skin has glands which secrete a viscous reddish-pink fluid that moistens the skin during dry periods and provides protection from the sun. Before the purpose of the fluid was determined, it was once thought that hippos sweat blood
Hippopotamus is a Greek name meaning "River Horse."
Welcome back to "Tuesday Trivia!" Considering the heat index, we decided to choose an animal that was "temperature appropriate."
E-mail your answer and mailing address to trivia@dickersonparkzoo.org by midnight tonight. We'll draw from the correct responses for a winner, who will receive a pair of one-day admission tickets to Dickerson Park Zoo!
Check out FOZblog.com tomorrow to read more information about this week's animal and see the correct answer to "Tuesday Trivia."
To moisten and protect skin from the sun, Hippopotamuses excrete a(n) __________-colored fluid.
a. pink
b. blue
c. green
d. orange
Facts about the Ostrich
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Struthio camelus
RANGE & HABITAT: Deserts, savannahs and grasslands of East, West and southern Africa
SIZE: Up to eight feet tall and 300 lbs. Hatchlings are up to one foot.
LIFE SPAN: Can live up to 25 years in captivity
INCUBATION: 40 days; up to 20 eggs
WILD DIET: Berries, succulent plants, occasionally insects and reptiles
ZOO DIET: Ratite grain
HABITS: Largest of all birds. Too heavy to fly, but can run up to 45
mph. Each foot has two toes, and it can defend itself by kicking.
Several females lay eggs in one nest, producing clutches of up to 30
eggs. Females share daytime sitting duties - male sits at night. Eggs
are the size of cantaloupe, weighing up to 3 lbs. Males have black and
white plumage; females are brownish. Males make loud, booming calls and
perform elaborate displays during the breeding season. After the eggs
hatch, the male is solely in charge of the young for about 40 days.The
ostrich is semi-nomadic and will travel long distances to find grass
and other plant food.
Welcome to the first "Tuesday Trivia" post. E-mail your answer to trivia@dickersonparkzoo.org by midnight tonight. We'll draw from the correct responses for a winner, who will receive a pair of one-day admission tickets.
Visit FOZBlog.org tomorrow to read more information about this week's animal and see the correct answer to "Tuesday Trivia."
The ______ is the largest of all birds, standing as tall as 8 feet and weighing
up to 230 pounds.
a. Emu
b. Rhea
c. Mute Swan
d. Ostrich
Jon Wassner, co-author of "America's Best Zoos: A Travel Guide for Fans and Families," visited Springfield's Dickerson Park Zoo last Friday. Today, he posted his impressions of our park to his America's Zoo Scoop blog with very favorable comments.
Very often, when travel writers and other journalists visit the zoo, we provide a guided tour with a few behind-the-scenes opportunities. We're grateful for these opportunities which usually come via the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau.
But, Jon's visit was different. He specifically asked to tour the park unaccompanied because he wanted to experience Dickerson Park Zoo as our guests would. We provided him a media kit with background information and photographs and welcomed him as we would any other member of the general public.
Thank you, Jon, for a very complimentary review.
Three of Dickerson Park Zoo’s elephants will celebrate milestone birthdays during Zoobilee on Saturday, May 30. Ol’ C.C., the zoo’s oldest elephant, is estimated to be 60 years old this year. The herd matriarch, Pinky, turns 45; and Patience will be 35 years old. Dickerson Park Zoo’s elephant herd comprises four adult cows (female) and one adult bull (male).
C.C. was wild-born in the Assam region of India in approximately 1949 and
came to Dickerson Park Zoo from the Dusit Zoological Park in Bangkok,
Thailand, in May 1954. Although she has never given birth to a calf of
her own, she has many years of experience as an “auntie” to calves both
here and at other zoos. She spent many years in the role of herd
matriarch but recently “retired” from that position.
Pinky was wild-born in approximately 1964. She came to Dickerson Park Zoo on November 25, 1981, from the Abilene Zoological Gardens in Abilene, Texas. Pinky fulfills the role of herd matriarch. She gave birth to a stillborn calf in 1985, Kate in 1991 and
Asha in 1995. Asha lives with her half-sister Chandra at the Oklahoma City Zoo
(currently on breeding loan to Tulsa Zoo).
Patience was born in Thailand in 1974. She arrived at Dickerson Park Zoo
from Brookfield Zoo in Chicago in October 1990. Patience gave birth to Kala in
1998 and Haji in 2000.
If you read the article in the Springfield News-Leader or a post from a local blogger this past week about looming budget cuts affecting the Springfield-Greene County Park Board – and more specifically, Dickerson Park Zoo – you might be wondering what you will (or won’t) see on your next zoo visit.
First, be
assured, contrary to the information published in the News-Leader’s article, there are not six closed exhibits. Have we
reduced numbers of animals among certain species? Yes. Probably the animals
getting the most attention were a pair of striped hyenas that had never been on
public exhibit and were simply animals living at the zoo in a behind-the-scenes
area. To trim expenses and streamline the zookeepers’ workload, those hyenas
were relocated to ZooBoise.
In reality,
when you visit Dickerson Park Zoo, you will only see one entirely vacant exhibit, not six reported by News-Leader.
In trimming
our budget, our primary focus has always been two-fold: maintain the
highest professional standards of animal care and have the least effect on our
guests’ overall zoo experience. Dickerson Park Zoo is very proud to have an
86-year history in the Springfield area. We are YOUR community and regional zoo,
with more than 75 percent of our guests coming from within a 120-mile radius.
So, visit
Dickerson Park Zoo this summer. We promise you will admire hundreds of animals
from around the world, be inspired by the informational and conservation
messages, and enjoy an oasis of green in the city.
