Top Photo: Mimi Bear swims in upper pool at Main Black Bear Overlook. If you know our black bears, you know that Mimi is the one who likes a little dip in the pool more than any of the others, though lately Little Bear is giving Mimi a run for the money. But regardless of the two bears’ mutual fondness for water, Mimi prefers to swim alone, all by herself. Little Bear tends to annoy the adult female bears inRead more
Posts tagged: #yona
It’s all About the Snout
Top Photo: An older photo of three of our bears. Our three adult black bears can each be identified by muzzle only, though it may take a little practice. But first, how do you tell male from female in the Black Bear Exhibit? Male black bears (we have one, Gus) have longer, straighter legs, bigger heads and longer necks, and a more angular body shape. Females tend to be more rounded or rotund. Even though the photo above is tenRead more
Bear-watching
Top Photo: Two diehard bear-watchers staring at Yona Bear but hoping for a glimpse of the “little bear.” Morning is the best time for seeing our new cub, which is why the two intrepid bear-watchers above are braving a chilly morning in Explore the Wild to search for the “little bear.” There she is, up on the stump behind Gus! Come on out and see if you can spot her.Read more
FLASH! Marked Turtle Seen In Wetlands
On Friday (3/15), a Yellow-bellied Slider bearing a notch in her shell was seen basking on a log next to the Main Wetlands Overlook. This turtle was marked last year by myself as part of a turtle survey. It could not be determined which of some dozen turtles it was since only one notch was visible (some of the turtles have notches on both sides of their shells, left and right), however, it was clearly one of last year’s subjects.Read more
You snooze, you lose
Yona had the yard all to herself yesterday afternoon as Gus snored away in the cave, Mimi reluctantly slept outside the cave on her little bed of straw, and Virginia snoozed up on the cliff. She took advantage of the time alone to enjoy the bear chow offerings left by the Animal Keepers on one of the four stumps in front of the Bear House. Take your time and enjoy, Yona, everybody else is off stacking z’s.Read more
Catching Up
As predicted, dragonflies have been steadily emerging from the deep. I’ve seen numerous Common Whitetails and Common Baskettails, fresh out of their nymphal skins, fly off to a safe place to further dry and harden before starting their life cycles anew; feeding, mating, and ovipositing in the Wetlands. Hatchling Yellow-bellied Sliders continue to be seen hiking down the paths and trails of the Museum heading for the Wetlands or other suitable bodies of water in which to take up residence.Read more
The Finer Points…
…of identification of the Black Bears at the Museum of Life + Science. If you’ve spent any time around the Black Bear Exhibit you probably already know that we have four Black Bears on display, Mimi, Virginia, Gus, and Yona. You may also know how to tell them apart from one another, Mimi has two thin white lines on her chest, Virginia has a large white “V” on her chest, Gus is long and lanky, and Yona is the smallest ofRead more