Whatever you call it, if you have a pet cat at home (especially if it’s a male) you’ve likely seen this face before. It goes by many variations of the same name: Flehmen Response, Flehmen Position, Flehmen Reaction, or simply Flehming. Flehmen (pronounced: FLAY-men) Responses are used by a wide variety of hoofstock (ungulates) and many cats (felids). Males and females, adults and babies, all exhibit this silly facial expression. The silly look on the animal’s face helps toRead more
Posts filed in: Education
Crazy like a Fox
Foxes are omnivores in the Canidae family. This family also includes wolves, dogs, and jackals. With an acute sense of smell they hunt small mammals, fish, insects and eggs, they also eat berries, fruits, and grasses. They cache any excess food, burying it for later. There are several species of fox, all quite beautiful if you ask me. The arctic fox can survive temperatures as low as -58 degrees F. Often they follow behind Polar Bears, eating leftover scraps. TheyRead more
Return from AAZK conference
I have recently returned from the 2012 AAZK conference held in Syracuse, N.Y. It was held at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo and I was really impressed with the conference. My day started at about 7am and lasted till about 5pm. All day I was in classes, lectures and one of the days we got to go to the zoo. The conference offered several workshops or classes that I signed up for and paper presentations between. Some of these included RaptorRead more
Largest living lemur
Back when people first explored Madagascar there was a 400 lb lemur the size of a gorilla! Unfortunately, due to hunting this species was quickly wiped out. Today the largest living lemur is the Indri. This lemur is two and a half feet in length and typically weighs 13-15 lbs. It’s a diurnal lemur that feeds on canopy fruit and leaves and travels through the tree tops, often leaping 30 feet between tree trunks! They are known for theirRead more
What makes this snake the King?
The King Snake gets it’s name because part of it’s diet includes other snakes. They can even venomous snakes because they have a natural immunity to the pit-venom! Because of it’s white markings it is often called a chain snake or chain king. There are several types of King Snakes and color variations. Eastern King Snakes are medium sized snakes reaching 3 to 6 feet in length. Along with other snakes the King Snake eats a variety of preyRead more
I Spy
Have you ever looked closely at a goat or sheep and noticed their weird rectangular eyes? I hear guests commenting on them every few weeks; some people love them, some people are disturbed by them, I think they’re awesome! Ungulates (hooved animals) are prey animals and need to have a great field of vision to avoid being snuck up on by a predator while they’re grazing. The rectangular pupil of the sheep and goats allow them to see in nearlyRead more