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
Posts filed in: Mammals
One handsome dude
No pressure, 1414, but let’s hope he does what’s expected of him. Note: Red Wolf estrus occurs in January/FebruaryRead more
The Howling
I usually don’t post much about the animals on exhibit, focusing more on the wildlife around the campus here at the Museum. But Red Wolf 1414 has been getting so much press lately that I feel compelled to give a little time to our female wolf, #1287, if only with just a few photographs. So, without further delay, here she is. Female 1287 often howls at the passage of sirens in the distance. Fire engines, I believe, are what setsRead more
Welcome 1414
As you may already know, male Red Wolf #1414 has arrived at the Museum and is now on display. He’s not shy and, so far, has made himself available to visitors by frequently moving around the enclosure. When he does lie down to rest it’s been on the ground level under the shrubs to the left of the waterfall. He’s also been seen at the top of the hill next to the fence, but if you can’t find him thereRead more
Squirrels
I caught this gray squirrel lying down on the job in Explore the Wild. I don’t think that our tired little tree squirrel has yet begun to build a nest or store away food. Although I have seen a few signs of other squirrels having buried acorns and other nuts, I think this squirrel is just resting between meals. The cold temperatures upon us now, though, may help stimulate this guy into stocking the shelves. Speaking of squirrels and eating,Read more
Red Wolf: Strange Behavior.
Animal Department Director, Sherry Samuels’ recent post about Red Wolf #1369 leaving us for the Pacific Northwest prompted me to post the sequence of photos below. The photos are from this past week and appear to be strange behavior by our female #1287 towards our departing male on October 18, a Thursday. The female persists in running around the male trying to engage him in play. He obviously isn’t in the mood to play. After several minutes of tolerating her… On aRead more
More things to look for
While walking up the boardwalk from Explore the Wild I noticed a large jumping spider perched in the middle of the walkway. The spider was black with bold white markings. As the spider turned to face me, I noticed green chelicerae, or jaws. If you’ve never had a close look at a jumping spider I urge you to do so, they can be quite colorful. When I first saw this spider I thought that it was a Bold Jumping Spider (PhidippusRead more
Where are the Wolves
At times, the wolves can be devilishly difficult to locate. They’re the same color as the soil in their enclosure and while they’re lying down and not moving finding them can be problematic. Often they lie down in a hole and dissappear, an ear is sometimes all that’s visible. There are still, however, two fairly reliable places to spot the wolves, two places (one for each wolf) favored by them that they keep coming back to. It’s worth checking these twoRead more