Alopecia and depilation are big words that refer to hair loss. Depliation is the intentional removal of hair using mechanical or chemical means, while alopecia refers to hair loss due to physiological processes. During the spring and summer there is a lot of hair loss going on at the museum . Many wild animals shed out of a winter coat into a sleeker, cooler summer coat. Our red wolves are transitioning from thick coat to a thin coat and canRead more
Posts tagged: #Larry
Species Survival
Many of the posts on our blog have dealt in one way or another with red wolves. Keeper Marilyn has written a detailed series on the plight of the species and the efforts to reestablish it to the wild in North Carolina. Over the last 20 years the eastern North Carolina population has increased dramatically and has become a textbook example of reintroducing an extirpated species. Unfortunately, the only wild population of red wolves has been threatened by one ofRead more
Munch Cam Fun
Munch Cam is a new feature of the Museum’s web site that focuses on our animals eating. These clips are short, humorous, and informative. Check out some of the Munch Cam clips below and see others on the Munch Cam page of the Museums web site or on the Museum’s YouTube channel. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfbO1ssRCNg] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZljWw7Ltpzo] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBcVLDJvLXI] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=On04t6OZorg]Read more
Rubber donkey you’re the one…
Just a quick post to show you a donkey dust bath. Lightning the donkey gets to go on a walk in the mornings before the museum opens. One of his favorite things to do while out is to scrape up some stone dust and roll around in it. Lots of mammals take dust baths to add to a layer fine grit to their coats. The powdery material is irritating to small insects and thus cuts down on the annoying fliesRead more
Born Free, Bat Free!
A few months ago we discovered we had an uninvited guest living on the 3rd floor of the Museum of Life + Science. During the cold of winter a big brown bat, Eptesicus fuscus, was found snoozing near some storage areas in the museum’s attic. We did not release the bat immediately because the likelihood of it surviving was very low. This species normally hibernates much of the winter and would not normally be seen outside in colder months. Luckily,Read more
Is a bear always a bear?
Keeper Marilyn did a good job of outlining the different kinds of bears in her recent post. But did you know there has been quite a bit of debate about whether one those she listed should be considered a bear? Giant Panda feasting on bamboo Panda bears or more correctly Giant Pandas are native to China and certainly look like bears. But what about the Red Panda? Obviously, it got the name “panda” because it shares many of the featuresRead more