Posted by Hollie in African Forest,Conservation,Memories
Wednesday, July 14, the day we arrived in Houston with chimpanzees, was also the 50th anniversary of the beginning of Jane Goodall’s research at Gombe. This 50 year anniversary got me thinking about my first encounters with chimpanzees years ago at Sunset Zoo. I was just an intern but I was fascinated with chimpanzees Mac, Suzy, Rachel and Sesa and wanted desperately to be a chimpanzee keeper. Eager to learn more about chimps (and to impress my boss with my knowledge), I spent my lunch breaks reading Through a Window, caught up in the lives of Fifi and David Greybeard.
Fifi and Family - Michael Nichols, National Geographic
Like many other young women interested in primates, I was inspired by the work of Jane Goodall and dreamed of traveling to Africa and to study chimpanzees in the wild. Last weekend Jane Goodall wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal about those early years at Gombe and about how much things have changed. I did make it to east Africa eventually and found it really was the magical place she described. But unlike her, I couldn’t stay, my work was here at the zoo.
Sixteen years after I first opened Jane Goodall’s book I find myself responsible for 10 chimpanzees that now make their home at the Houston Zoo, which supports chimpanzee conservation all over Africa. I hope Dr. Goodall would approve.
Posted by Tina Carpenter in Adaptations,Animal Info,Birds,Children's Zoo,Conservation,Endangered,Events,Featured,Insects,Mammals,Natural Encounters,Pollinators,Primates,Reptile House,Reptiles,Swap Shop,Tropical Bird House
Blue Faced Honeyeater Photo courtesy of: www.plantbiology.siu.edu
Honeyeaters are important pollinators of many Australian flowering plants. All 170 species of honeyeaters have a unique adaptation: a long tongue with a brush-like tip that they use to get nectar from flowers. The tongue can be extended into the nectar about 10 times per second!
Honeyeaters aren’t the only birds that help pollinate. Honeycreepers, sunbirds, Brush-tongued parrots, and hummingbirds are just a few of the birds all over the world who are pollinators. There are 2,000 bird species globally that feed on nectar, the insects, and the spiders associated with nectar bearing flowers.
For more Bee-lieve it or Not facts, come join the Houston Zoo in celebrating National Polinator Week on June 26th and 27th. We will have tables and chats from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. all about our favorite pollinators. Bee sure to record your pollinating adventures in a nature blog to share at the Swap Shop!
Posted by Tina Carpenter in Adaptations,Animal Info,Children's Zoo,Conservation,Endangered,Events,Featured,Insects,Mammals,Natural Encounters,Pollinators,Primates,Reptile House,Reptiles,Swap Shop,Tropical Bird House,Uncategorized
Bumblebee on Lantana
In the U.S., the economic value of pollination services provided by native insects (mostly bees) is estimated at $3 billion each year. Bumblebees are highly efficient in pollinating many crops such as tomatoes, peppers, cranberries, and blue berries. Yumm! Best of all, most bumblebees won’t bother you unless you bother them. When gardening at home, please consider using native plants. Most of all, be kind to pollinators, consider going organic. Insecticides tend to kill indiscriminately and will eliminate a lot of your pollinators. The larger the variety of wildlife in your yard or garden (insects, birds, toads, lizards, etc.) the less “pest” insects you will have. Naturally!
For more information on creating a native garden, visit: http://www.xerces.org/pollinators-south-central-region/
For more Bee-lieve it or Not facts, come join the Houston Zoo in celebrating National Polinator Week on June 26th and 27th. We will have tables and chats from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. all about our favorite pollinators. Bee sure to record your pollinating adventures in a nature blog to share at the Swap Shop!
Posted by Tina Carpenter in Adaptations,Animal Info,Birds,Children's Zoo,Conservation,Endangered,Events,Featured,Insects,Mammals,Natural Encounters,Pollinators,Primates,Reptile House,Reptiles,Swap Shop,Tropical Bird House
Photo taken by Beatriz Moisset
Wait! Don’t squash that bug!
Beetles get a bad wrap due to “messy pollination”. No one ever taught them not to dedicate where they eat giving them the name “mess and soil pollinators”. Due to sheer numbers, beetles comprise of the largest set of pollinating animals. They are responsible for pollinating 88% of the 240,000 flowering plants globally! So next time you stop to smell a Magnolia, think of your beetle friends!
For more Bee-lieve it or Not facts, come join the Houston Zoo in celebrating National Polinator Week on June 26th and 27th. We will have tables and chats from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. all about our favorite pollinators. Bee sure to record your pollinating adventures in a nature blog to share at the Swap Shop!
Posted by Tina Carpenter in Adaptations,Animal Info,Birds,Children's Zoo,Conservation,Endangered,Events,Featured,Insects,Mammals,Natural Encounters,Pollinators,Primates,Reptile House,Reptiles,Swap Shop,Tropical Bird House,Uncategorized
Photo taken by Jean-Christophe Vié
On the island of Madagascar, black and white ruffed lemurs are the main pollinators of traveler’s trees or traveler’s palm. These trees are typically 40-feet-high. They lemurs use their nimble hands to pull open the tough flower bracts. They stick their long snouts and tongues deep inside a tree’s flower. As a result, they collect pollen on their muzzle and fur, and then transport it to the next flower. The resulting fruits are a major source of food. It appears that no other creature has the strength and nimbleness to pollinate the palm. This gives the black and white ruffed lemur the award of the world’s largest pollinator!
For more information go to: http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/unusual.shtml
For more Bee-lieve it or Not facts, come join the Houston Zoo in celebrating National Polinator Week on June 26th and 27th. We will have tables and chats from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. all about our favorite pollinators. Bee sure to record your pollinating adventures in a nature blog to share at the Swap Shop!
Posted by Tina Carpenter in Adaptations,Animal Info,Birds,Children's Zoo,Conservation,Endangered,Events,Featured,Insects,Mammals,Natural Encounters,Pollinators,Primates,Reptile House,Reptiles,Swap Shop
Endangered Species Chocolate
What would a life without pollinators look like…Well a world with out chocolate! That would be a pretty bleak world in my opinion. Some of my favorite desserts are chocolate. Others seem to agree because the chocolate industry brings in about $50 billion dollars a year worldwide!
Who do we have to thank for our delicious treats? Bats and other pollinators! Monkeys and other small mammals even help with seed dispersal.
Lesser long-nosed bat - Photo taken by Merlin D. Tuttle of Bat Conservation International
Chocolate isn’t the only food we can thank pollinators for. Bats are the major pollinators for bananas, dates, coconut, cloves, vanilla, Brazil nuts, avocados, and the agave plant (tequila)!
For more Bee-lieve it or Not facts, come join the Houston Zoo in celebrating National Polinator Week on June 26th and 27th. We will have tables and chats from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. all about our favorite pollinators. Bee sure to record your pollinating adventures in a nature blog to share at the Swap Shop!
Posted by Tina Carpenter in Adaptations,Animal Info,Children's Zoo,Conservation,Events,Featured,Insects,Mammals,Natural Encounters,Pollinators,Primates,Reptile House,Reptiles,Swap Shop,Tropical Bird House
Male Leafcutter Bee
A fairly common bee in the Houston area is the leafcutter bee. These bees are smaller than honeybees, grey and black, and a little bit fuzzy. It’s easy to spot a female because the bright yellow pollen she collects from flowers is carried underneath her abdomen, not on her legs. Leafcutter bees use leaves from various plants, such as roses, to help seal their nest chambers (this keeps the larvae protected while they grow). If you notice semicircular patches missing from individual leaves in your garden, you probably have leafcutter bees around – but don’t worry, they don’t take much. You can even build a bee house to attract these and other kinds of fascinating bees: http://www.xerces.org/fact-sheets/
For more Bee-lieve it or Not facts, come join us in celebrating National Polinator Week on June 26th and 27th. We will have tables and chats from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. all about our favorite pollinators. Don’t forget to record your pollinating adventures in a nature blog to share at the Swap Shop!
Posted by Tina Carpenter in Adaptations,Animal Info,Conservation,Events,Featured,Insects,Mammals,Natural Encounters,Pollinators,Primates,Reptile House,Reptiles,Swap Shop,Tropical Bird House
Halictid Bee
You may be familiar with our country’s most widely utilized pollinator, the European honeybee… but did you know there are about 4,000 species of bee that are native to the United States? Compare that number to the 5,000+ species of mammal in the entire world.
You can find about 200 bee species right here in Houston! They are not aggressive and are great fun to watch – if you plant a pollinator friendly garden you might attract these little beauties to your own backyard!
You can even build a bee house to attract these and other kinds of fascinating bees: http://www.xerces.org/fact-sheets/
For more Bee-lieve it or Not facts, come join us in celebrating National Polinator Week on June 26th and 27th. We will have tables and chats from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. all about our favorite pollinators. Bee sure to record your pollinating adventures in a nature blog to share at the Swap Shop!
Posted by Tina Carpenter in Adaptations,Animal Info,Children's Zoo,Conservation,Events,Featured,Insects,Mammals,Natural Encounters,Pollinators,Primates,Reptile House,Reptiles,Tropical Bird House
What is a reptile doing on a pollination page? Well, normally we think of bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds as the major pollinators of the world, but did you know….
- There are 37 different species of lizards known to pollinate plants
- The seed production of agave plants (where tequila comes from) drops to one-three thousandth of normal when bats are not around to cross pollinate them
- On the island of Madagascar, black and white ruffed lemurs are the main pollinators of Traveler’s trees or Traveler’s palm
Come join us on June 26th and 27th to learn more about the pollinators around the world. Meet-the-Keeper chats will be throughout the zoo to answer any and all questions about the pollinators you can see right here at the Houston Zoo! Stop by and check out the tables supporting conservation efforts and activities throughout the zoo.
For more information on pollinators go to: http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/unusual.shtml
For more information on Day Geckos check out www.nbii.gov. Photo taken by Dennis Hansen
Posted by bschaefer in Adaptations,Animal Info,Carnivores,Conservation,Endangered,Mammals,Natural Encounters,Uncategorized
“What is THAT??” That’s a question we hear each time we take our binturong, Hannah, out for a public appearance. And it’s the reason behind why she’s here at the zoo. Introducing our guests to species they’ve never encountered before is what we do best at Natural Encounters. Binturongs are hard to describe, difficult to relate to other species and are elusive in the wilds of southeast Asia where they are from. Even taxonomists, who are paid to do this sort of thing, have a hard time classifying them. Currently they are classified in a group of small carnivores called civets that includes things like genets (which is another little known animal, once again, hard to describe).
Even though binturongs are classified with carnivores, they are actually omnivores. They like fruit very much and act as seed dispersers in their rain forest homes. As omnivores, they also eat small mammals like mice and other rodent pests, thereby helping keep those populations under control.
Since she lives in the rain forest you might expect to see that she has adaptations for life in the trees. When you look at Hannah you’ll see that she has claws that are good for climbing, and also her most distinctive feature, that long luxurious tail. Her tail is prehensile which means she can use it to hang onto things, namely tree branches. Even when they are sleeping, which is mainly during the day for these nocturnal creatures, they will hang onto the branches with their tail so they won’t fall out of the tree.
True to her binturong nature, Hannah is an elusive individual. She lives in an area of Natural Encounters that is not on exhibit. She has indoor areas and a large outdoor yard to explore when the weather is nice. She has recently started making appearances around the zoo for our guests to see her. Hannah is still learning about large crowds and things like strollers, so there is no set time for her appearances. You never know when you might be lucky enough to see Hannah exploring the zoo. Here she is at one of her recent outings, checking out the Dinosaurs that are visiting for the summer.
