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Caribou/Reindeer
Arrived at the Zoo: Sept. 28, 2007
Caribou / Reindeer Exhibit
Just before Christmas, Rosie the reindeer and her 6-month-old daughter, Kyllikki, arrived at the Milwaukee County Zoo. When the newbies were introduced to the Zoo’s longtime caribou, Larry and Young Mother, with whom they share a yard, the youngster ran to greet the older animals. “The little calf was the first one to start interactions!” says Tracey Dolphin, the Zoo’s curator of large mammals. “She is a very bold and inquisitive animal.” Reindeer and caribou are two names for the same species, but it can be confusing what to call them. Originally reindeer referred only to these hoofed animals found in forests across northern Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, Mongolia and northeastern China, while caribou was the name for this species in the Arctic tundra of Alaska, Canada and Greenland. The subspecies of caribou and reindeer later interbred, says Deputy Zoo Director Bruce Beehler.
Reindeer (made popular in Christmas songs) is now the North American term for domesticated animals of this species, but caribou is still used to describe these animals that run wild in North America. Zoogoers may notice subtle differences between the animals, says Dolphin. For example, reindeer are heavier and have shorter legs. Both reindeer and caribou have plenty of coldweather adaptations: an excellent sense of smell to help find food, large hooves that spread apart for easy walking through snow and digging for food, antlers on both males and females for protection, and two layers of fur. A woolly layer next to their skin is covered by a coat made of straight, tube-like hair that captures and warms air. These nomadic animals migrate for hundreds of miles every winter in search of food. Good runners and swimmers, they can cover up to 50 miles a day at up to 48 mph. Rosie and Kyllikki will be outdoors all winter in their yard at the west end of the Zoo.
Opossum
Arrived at the Zoo: Sept. 18, 2007
Northwestern Mutual Family Farm
It looks like a rodent but is a cousin to the Australian kangaroo: Meet the Virginia opossum. This common backyard dweller is actually one of the few animals that is a marsupial – an animal that carries and nurses its offspring in a pouch. Despite its name, this animal is found throughout North America, including most of Wisconsin. Olivia, the Zoo’s new opossum, came to the Zoo from the Wisconsin Humane Society’s wildlife department. This summer, she will be featured in daily animal programs held at the Stackner Animal Encounter in the Northwestern Mutual Family Farm. Opossums in urban areas don’t always have it so easy. They are hardy animals that can survive in a variety of habitats, but they often fall victim to humans and cars.When facing one of their many animal predators such as dogs, coyotes or badgers, opossums fall to their side, play dead and produce a foul-smelling mucus. They sometimes go into a catatonic state and take hours to wake up! Solitary animals by nature, they avoid confrontations and hide in trees and logs during daytime. At night, they scurry around looking for food and show off talents such as using their long tails like a fifth “hand” to stretch from branch to branch. Can’t wait until summer to meet Olivia? Keep an eye out for the many wild opossums that live on Zoo grounds on your next visit.
Armadillos
Arrived at the Zoo: August 29, 2007
Small Mammals Building
If you spot two scaly, cantaloupe-sized balls in a Small Mammals Building exhibit, you’ve just met the Milwaukee County Zoo’s new southern three-banded armadillos, Zorro and Earth Mover. Native to South America, armadillos are small, nocturnal animals known for their hard shells that are covered with overlapping scales called “scutes.” Armadillos curl up in a nearly impenetrable ball when they sleep, feel insecure or sense a predator. Armadillo even means “little armored one” in Spanish. Zookeepers hope that Zorro and Earth Mover will put down their armor this winter. The pair, which have produced one healthy offspring at another zoo, came to Milwaukee for breeding. Zorro and Earth Mover get along well: “They know each other; there’s absolutely no aggression whatsoever,” says Rhonda Crenshaw, Small Mammals Building area supervisor. Zorro lives up to his name: This scaly male is very active and outgoing, adds Crenshaw. “He wants to see everything and inspect everything.” His female companion, Earth Mover, “is more shy and reclusive. She likes to curl up in a ball.” When armadillos are relaxed, they stretch out on their bellies. “Hopefully, we’ll see a lot of that,” says Crenshaw. If the couple come out of their shells, zoogoers may see a golf-ball-size offspring as early as this spring. Check out Zorro and Earth Mover in the night side of the Small Mammals Building. If you spot just one scaly critter, congratulations may be in order: Earth Mover is pregnant and enjoying some privacy off exhibit.
Australian snake-necked turtle
Hatched: August 20, 2007
Aquatic & Reptile Center
Can you imagine a snake’s neck connected to a turtle’s body? Believe it or not, there’s an animal called a snake-necked turtle. Its long, snake-like neck makes up more than half of its body length. The Milwaukee County Zoo’s latest hatchling, Binky, is the cutest baby reptile Craig Pelke, area supervisor of the Aquatic & Reptile Center, has ever seen. “It is all neck and head,” Pelke says. The picture at left, with the tiny turtle crawling on fall leaves, shows just how small Binky was when it hatched. Adult Australian snake-necked turtles can grow to 9 to 13½ inches in diameter. After Binky’s mother laid the egg, it was removed from the parents’ exhibit right away to be incubated. The exhibit can’t duplicate the temp erature, humidity and other conditions of nature, says Pelke. An incubator gives the egg a better chance at hatching. Australian snake-necked turtles are nicknamed stinkers in some areas because they create a strong odor when picked up or put in danger. These interesting turtles live in the wild in southeastern and eastern Australia. They swim in slow-flowing rivers and streams. Their diet is full of things found in the water: tadpoles, frogs, crabs and other crustaceans, and small fish. Zoo hatchlings are fed crickets, black worms, blood worms, or, for a change, prepared turtle pellets. The snake-necked turtle is a common species that is not in any danger in the wild. Binky may go on exhibit as his size increases or may go to another zoo. You can see his parents in the Aquatic & Reptile Center.
