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San Diego Wild Animal Park30 Oct, 1 Nov 1998 |
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We spent two fascinating days at this wonderful place, and still didn't see everything! We took our time and absorbed the visions of animals in their almost-natural habitats. It was fun observing their behaviors, playing "Where's Waldo" trying to find the tigers and lions (who sleep nearly all the time), and picnicing out on the African plains. We had the surprise bonus of being at the park during mating season--the perfect time to talk about mammal reproduction. It was a natural way to glide onto human reproduction a few weeks later at home. As parents, we were surprised at how easy this sometimes uncomfortable subject was to teach our children. |
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Its all about HabitatsThis view of "East Africa" is a good representation of the kind of habitats that have been created at the Wild Animal Park (WAP). Though the cheetah couldn't get to the other animals, it seemed he was contemplating his next meal as he lounged. The WAP is a special place because they have tried hard to create natural environments for their animals. This has lead to a high birth rate among most of the species--something quite rare in captive situations. The concept at Wild Animal Park is to put the people in the cages, as they ride around the park in the monorail cars. |
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Picnic in East Africa - by AmandaWe ate lunch while watching zebras, giraffes, rhinos and lots of other animals. It was almost like being in Africa. After our picnic, I looked at baby rhinos with some binoculars. They were very cute! |
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Rhinoceros - Mammal version of Ceratopsian DinosaursThere are five species of rhinos: white, black, Indian, Javan and Sumatran. The word rhinoceros means "nose horn". They are the only living animals with horns on their noses. Unfortunately, their unique horns make them prized and hunted by humans. Because of this, all five species are very close to extinction. The Javan and Sumatran rhinos are among the most endangered animals on earth. The Wild Animal Park has two kinds of rhinos: the white and the Indian. White rhinos are the largest of all land animals species, second only to elephants. They can be up to six feet tall at the shoulder, and weigh almost 8,000 pounds--as much as 50 men! The skin of the Indian Rhino grows flabby, creating folds, and develops bumps. With the grey color, it looks like plates of metal armor with rivets all over. Although it isn't really armor, the Rhinos are very tough and can become angry very quickly. A rhino's eyesight is poor, being very near sighted. Some scientists think that is why rhinos are so dangerous. Since they can't see far away, they charge at anything that may look threatening, like a jeep, or even a tree. A charging rhino can run up to 35 miles/hr. By the time the rhino gets close to the subject, it may recognize it to not be a threat, but it is too late....BASH! It is pretty hard to stop 6,000 pounds of charging rhino! Evolution is pretty amazing, with the environment selecting which features survive. Rhinos fill the same kind of niche in the ecosystems today that the great ceratopsians (Triceratops) did in the Mesozoic period. It is no wonder that rhinos resemble ceratopsians both in look and possibly behavior. |
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Lorakeets - By HarrisonI got to feed some really cute parrots called Lorakeets. I fed them a special zoo recipe of nutritious nectar from a little cup. Feeding the lorakeets was like having bees buzzing around me and I stood totally still. I fed two lorakeets. I even got pooped on by the one that got on my hat. Luckily, when you buy the nectar, they give you some wipes! |
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What are ruminants? They are cud-chewing animals, including cows, sheep, deer, goats, buffalo and antelope and other related species. Ruminants can take in large amounts of food quickly, so they are only exposed to danger from attacking animals while their heads are down. They can then find a safe place with a good view for seeing any approaching preditors, and work on digesting their load of grass. They have 4-chambered stomachs: 1-the rumen (the fermentation chamber), 2-the reticulum, 3-the omasum, and 4-the adomasum (rennet stomach). They bring up a mouthful of grass from the rumen and chew it well, then swallow it and bring up another mouthful. As the grass passes from one stomach chamber to the next, it is broken down more and more by enzymes, until it is digestable. We saw many types of ruminants at the Wild Animal Park, including these Thompson's Gazelles and Garanook (Giraffe antelope), where they had plenty of grazing and chewing space. |
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Zebras -by HarrisonWhy the stripes? A leopard doesn't know the difference beetween greyscale and color. He confuses a zebra with the grass! Are their stripes white on black or black on white? See the answer below. Zebras are actually related to horses, too! |
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Gorillas - By SusanGorillas' skulls are larger than humans', but their brains are 1/3 the size. Their genes differ by only 3% from our own. Adult gorillas can't stand upright very long, but young ones have a lower center of gravity and can stand longer. Gorillas belong to the ape family, which are all tail-less. Only monkeys have tails. Gorillas have bigger muscles in their arms than in their legs, and their arms are much longer than their legs. They are six times stronger than humans. Their hands are very human-like, complete with fingerprints. They are choosy eaters, eating only the stalk of a certain kind of plant, or only the roots of another. They sometimes make neat stacks of the parts they don't want. They spend most of their time eating--up to 40 pounds of plants per day for an adult male. They rarely drink water, since they get so much moisture from the plants they eat. Their strong jaws are needed to grind up the tough plants. Gorillas are gentle, peaceful creatures that only need adequate food to survive. They can only find the food they need in dense forests, which are being destroyed at a staggering rate. Gorillas are endangered, but most tragically the mountain gorillas. There are only about 400-600 of them living in a 285-square-mile area. Poaching also kills many of them. |
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Resources |
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From the makers of the popular GeoSafari learning machine (right), this CD-ROM is packed with facts about all kinds of animals. |
The world's most popular electronic learning game is a favorite of teachers and students alike. This exciting knowledge game includes a 20-lesson National Geographic Society Basic Map Pack. |
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The true story of Koko, the signing Gorilla and her pet kitten. Amanda fell in love with the story of Koko, and she loves kittens too! |
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PLEASE DONATE GENEROUSLY TO HELP THE VICTIMS OF HURRICANE KATRINA
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Try
out some of these recommendations for your own learning activities.
GeoSafari
Animals Platinum Edition CD-ROM
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Koko's
Kitten