She’s back! After over a month and a half of peaceful coexistence (downright playful coexistence) between our two red wolves, the female has resorted back to her aggressive behavior towards our male red wolf. I watched this morning as the male pawed at a small tree just outside the den in which our female spends much of her time. He was obviously trying to get the female’s attention. He did. The female emerged with a most unfriendly greeting. Let’sRead more
Posts filed in: Mammals
The Lemur Boys
As you probably already know, our ring-tailed lemurs have been released to the outdoor viewing area at the Lemur House. Our five male ringtails, up until very recently, have been indoor lemurs. I’ll leave it to others to tell you about their lineage, their family ties, and where they came from. I’m here to show you images of our lemurs and what you may see if you decide to take the short hike out to the Lemur House and have aRead more
Birds, Insects, Reptiles and Mammals Too!
If you keep your eyes and ears opened while hiking the Explore the Wild and Catch the Wind Loop you’re likely to see and hear all sorts of wonderful sights and sounds. Birds that have spent the winter in the tropics are back home and full of song. Insects that have spent the last few months or longer in pupal or larval states are entering the next phase of their lives. Reptiles are taking advantage of locally plentiful food andRead more
Some Old Familiar Faces
The fine weather of the past week has brought out some old friends. A large female northern water snake that likes to spend her spring days basking in the sun under the still bare branches of the dawn redwoods at the base of the boardwalk is back doing just that. Look for her on the right side of the boardwalk as you walk down the last descending portion of the boardwalk. Although a few common snappers haveRead more
News From the Wild
Top Photo: Two young males and a female hooded merganser. It’s definitely spring and things are happening fast. Here’s a handful of observations from Explore the Wild and Catch the Wind. Still hanging in there as part of our wetlands avifauna are three hooded mergansers. The trio consists of two males in juvenal plumage and a female (not sure of her age). While the ducks were resting on an island just off the boardwalk in ExploreRead more
Things are Getting Heated with Red Wolves
Ever since red wolves 1784 and 1794 were released in the Museum’s Red Wolf Enclosure, the male has followed the female wherever she roamed, relentlessly. She, wanting no part of him, would allow no closer than perhaps a dozen feet between them before she would turn, bare her teeth, arch her back, and, if necessary, lunge at him. Our female is entering estrous and she is now allowing the male closer approach, although she still holds him back with aRead more
Tracks in Ice
As I stood on the Main Wetlands Overlook, I noticed a track of smooth ice coming from the willows on the north side of the Wetlands and heading directly towards the platform on which I stood. The track was frozen over, but frozen over more recently than the surrounding ice. Obviously, some creature had swum through the ice when it was slushy, creating a trail and the trail had subsequently frozen over. I looked over the rail at theRead more
Cold Outside
That’s right, it’s cold outside. It’s been in the teens most of the day (2/19) with single digits forecast for tonight and early tomorrow. You can always go out and see who or what has been leaving tracks in the snow. Don’t let the cold keep you from enjoying the out-of-doors. Of course, dress warmly, but don’t let lack of heat stop you from doing what you want to do. Oh,Read more
Into the Darkness
I happened to be at the Red Wolf Overlook late in the day on January 31 when I noticed the female sniffing around the entrance to the man-made den inside the wolf enclosure. The den is in the enclosure to facilitate the birthing and rearing of pups, should our wolves successfully mate this season. The entrance is directly in front of the overlook. There is a camera mounted on the ceiling inside the den. Our previous male red wolf (#1414)Read more