1. When a bear stands up it is going to charge. false- Bears are very curious and are often just checking out the situation 2. All black bears are black. false- Check out Keeper Jill’s post on the different colors black bears can be- here 3. A bear’s sense of smell is better than a dog’s. true- Bears sense of smell is 7 times greater than a bloodhound’s 4. Bears can’t climb trees. false- Black bears are amazing climbers, gettingRead more
Posts filed in: Education
Black Bears: True or False
Thanks to the Appalachian Bear Rescue website I found this true or false quiz. See if you can answer them correctly- I’ll post the answers soon. The Appalachian Bear Rescue Mission Statement is: (a) to rehabilitate orphaned and injured bears for release to the wild; (b) to educate the public about black bears and the regional threats facing them; and (c) to research bear attributes which may help solve other environmental or health-related issues When a bear stands upRead more
Happy Mothers Day
Happy Mothers Day to all the moms out there Here are some great moms of the animal kingdom Elephants: After carrying a baby for 22 months, she delivers 250 lbs of cuteness. Octopus- Talk about self sacrifice,this mom (depending on its species) can lay up to 200,000 eggs. As if that’s not enough work she may decide to eat her own arms because she will not leave the area to look for food. The kicker is after all that sheRead more
AAZK Annual Rummage Sale
Its about that time again where our AAZK (American Association of Zookeepers) is having a rummage sale. This year it will be held on May 5th, RAIN OR SHINE from 7am to 11am under the picnic dome here at the museum. Our mission is to promote the continued development of animal caregivers and the welfare of animals through encouraging excellence in husbandry, supporting continuing education and collaboration between professionals, and promoting conservation through fundraising and stewardship. So, come on outRead more
Speaking of eggs…
Let’s talk about egg laying mammals- sounds crazy but it’s true! There is a very small group of mammals that actually do lay eggs. They are called Monotremes which include the duckbilled platypus and the echidna. Duck-billed platypus- The breeding season lasts from June through October. Male platypuses are polygmous, meaning they mate with more than one female during the breeding season. The females have two ovaries but strangely only the left one is functional. A typical platypus burrow entrance isRead more
Candling the eggs
The other week we had a candling session with some of our staff. Candling is when you take the egg, shine a light underneath it in the dark and are able to see a shadows from inside the egg. If you were to candle an egg from the supermarket you would see However, if you were to candle a fertile egg you would see That picture there is of a fertile egg. In the video below you can see someRead more