Top Photo: Excited by the sound of sirens in the distance, the red wolf pups howl in response. Some mornings the wolves howl multiple times, always stimulated by passing sirens. The precipitating frequency seems to be consistent. Fire trucks are preferred. Mornings are the active period of day for the family. The pups, however, may be excited by the most mundane of things at any time. They were very suspicious of a floating mass of foam bubbles in the poolRead more
Posts filed in: Mammals
Red Wolf Names and Family Fun
Top Photo: From left to right, Adeyha, Cedar, Juniper, Oak, Sassafras, Maple (or it could be). The photo above depicts the two parent red wolves here on exhibit, Adeyha and Oak, and all but one of the pups born April 21, 2024 at the museum (the fifth pup is off to the side). And thanks to you who voted for them, the pups now have names. Cedar Juniper Maple Sassafras Tupelo I for one cannot distinguish who is who amongRead more
Mimi and the Pool
Top Photo: Mimi by the waterfall. It’s a well known fact that Mimi Bear likes to take a swim in the bear pool. It stands to reason that she also likes to sit next to the waterfall in the Black Bear Enclosure and let the splash cool her down in the heat of the day. Mimi’s the largest and oldest of our three bears. Note the white marks on her chest. The other bears, besides being smaller with more brownRead more
Feeling the Heat?
Top Photos: Green treefrog peeks out from frog pipe in Earth Moves. It may be hot out there, but at least their’s plenty to look at to get your mind off the temperature, somewhat. If you’re going to take a photo of a silver-spotted skipper, do it fast, they don’t sit still long. You never know what or who you’re going to run into. Yes, it’s hot, but you can’t see any of these things sitting inside with the A/CRead more
Dinner Time at Red Wolf Enclosure
Top Photo: Oak, the pups, and Adeyha. Come see what’s going on at the Red Wolf Enclosure in Explore the Wild.Read more
Cicadas and Other Things Around the Campus
Top Photo: Magicada tredecim, one of two species of periodical cicadas emerging this spring in the Central Piedmont of North Carolina. You’ve most likely heard about the emergence of two broods of cicadas this spring, Brood XIII and Brood XIX of seventeen year and thirteen year periodical cicadas, respectively. Here in Durham and surrounding counties there is no overlap of the two broods but there are two species emerging at the same time from Brood XIX. Magicada tredecim and MagicadaRead more
Red Wolf Play
Top Photo: Oak in the grass. Oak, our female red wolf on display in Explore the Wild, is the more active of the two wolves in the enclosure. You’re more likely to see the sleek Oak trotting about the enclosure than the big lumbering male Adeyha. Here, in true Oak fashion, she romps in the tall grass of the compound. On the other side of the enclosure… The object of Oak’s attention is a deer pelt given her by theRead more
Lemurs Eat, Tree Swallow Inspects, and Chickadee Nests
Top Photo: Lemur relishes redbud flowers. As you all know, or should know, redbud flowers are edible. To me, they have a sweet, crispy taste. They make a nice topping on a salad. Lemurs eat redbud flowers too. They seem to enjoy the colorful flowers with uncommon delight, as recently displayed by our resident ring-tailed lemurs. The flowers were placed in their enclosure by the Animal Care Team (ACT) and were quickly pounced upon by the primates. Here’s a fewRead more
Awakenings
Top Photo: Adeyha and Oak (front) sticking close. It’s February and the season for procreation begins. Red wolf Oak is in estrus, Canada geese have arrived, hawks are soaring above screaming out their intentions, and songbirds are ramping up their melodious twitterings. Oak and Adeyha have been much more attached to one another over the past week, estrus has arrived. As of yet, I’ve not witnessed a tie, which is required for the female to become pregnant. Each year inRead more