Fozblog

Tuesday Trivia - Drum or Animal?

When many of us hear bongo, we probably think about drums. However, bongos are also animals. Bongos are the largest species of African forest-dwelling antelopes, reaching nearly 900 pounds and eight feet in length. They can be found in the forests in West, Central and East Africa. Bongos feed on high-protein vegetation including leaves, herbs, roots, twigs and fruit.

Male bongos are usually solitary, while females form herds of up to 50. Though they are clumsy and short-winded runners, they are great high jumpers. However, they prefer to go under or around obstacles and can disappear quickly in the forests.

Bongos have a bright chestnut to dark brown coat. The shape of the bongos’ horns matches the contour of their backs. When they tilt their horns on their backs, they can run through the densest forest without impediment.

True or False: Only male bongos have horns.

Email your answer to trivia@dickersonparkzoo.org by Wednesday at noon for your chance to win a pair of one day passes to Dickerson Park Zoo! Remember to include your mailing address in the email for your chance to win.

Visit FOZblog on Wednesday for the correct answer and more information about our amphibian friend.

One submission per mailing address. And, we ask that each family submit only one answer and not submit answers with different email and mailing addresses.

Tuesday Trivia Answer - Spring Forward!

For last week's Tuesday Trivia question, if you answered B) By waving their hands and feet, you are correct. Like many humans who lack the ability to hear, golden frogs use a form of sign language, called semaphore, to signal to one another. They "wave" their hands or raise and move their feet to defend territory, try to attract a mate, or even to greet one another. While they do some vocalizing, they actually have no external ears with which to hear! Researchers continue to study and learn more about this unique method of frog communication.

The Panamanian golden frog averages about 2 inches in size, but their brightly colored skin warns predators that they are toxic and would be dangerous to eat. They are native to the wet rain forests and dry cloud forests in the Cordilleran Mountains of Panama. Sadly, they are listed as critically endangered, and may actually be extinct now in the wild.

There is still hope for the Panamanian golden frog with continued efforts to protect and preserve golden frog habitat through breeding programs in zoos and aquariums.

Congratulations to Cassi J., in Lamar, whose name was selected from the correct answers. Visit FOZBlog next week to play along with Tuesday Trivia!

Tuesday (Wednesday) Trivia - Spring Forward!

Panamanian Golden Frog

March 10 marked the start of daylight saving time, causing us all to “spring forward.” Who else likes to spring forward? Frogs!

Dickerson Park Zoo is home to two Panamanian golden frogs. These frogs are known for their light yellowish green to bright golden skin and usually have one to several black markings on their backs and legs.

How do Panamanian Golden Frogs communicate with each other?

A) By making a whistling sound
B) By waving their hands and feet
C) By making a deep croaking sound

Email your answer to trivia@dickersonparkzoo.org by Thursday at noon for your chance to win a pair of one day passes to Dickerson Park Zoo! Remember to include your mailing address in the email for your chance to win.

Visit FOZblog on Wednesday for the correct answer and more information about our amphibian friend.

One submission per mailing address. And, we ask that each family submit only one answer and not submit answers with different email and mailing addresses.

Tuesday Trivia Answer - Run Like the Wind

Cheetahs are built for short-distance speed, more like greyhounds than felines. A cheetah can reach speeds between 60 and 70 miles per hour for distances of approximately 300 yards before becoming exhausted. Their speed gives them an advantage when hunting prey that other big cats like lions can't.

What adapatations do cheetahs have for speed? A flexible spine and long legs (in relation to its body) for long strides, large thigh muscles and cleat-like claws for traction. (If you answered that B. slim thigh muscles is not a trait of cheetahs, you were correct.)

Once a cheetah catches its prey, it grabs the animal's throat and suffocates it. Another adapation for cheetahs is their enlarged nasal passages which allows the cat to breathe (and recover from its burst of speed) maintaining its grip on its prey.

Unfortunately for cheetahs, their kills are often stolen by opportunistic leopards, lions or hyenas - all much stronger than the cheetah.

Congratulations to Dan W., in Lebanon, whose name was selected from the correct answers. Visit FOZBlog next week to play along with Tuesday Trivia!

Tuesday Trivia - Run Like the Wind

Usain Bolt from Jamaica may be the fastest human on earth with his record-setting 100-meter dash during the 2012 Olympic Games in London, but a cheetah at Cincinnatti Zoo recently beat the Olympian's time by more than 3.5 seconds.

This week's Tuesday Trivia question explores how cheetahs are adapted for speed. Which of these traits does not contribute to a cheetah's ability to run?
    A. a flexible spine
    B. slim thigh muscles
    C. cleat-like claws
    D. long legs in relation to body size

Visit FOZblog on Wednesday for the correct answer and more information about cheetahs.

Email your answer to trivia@dickersonparkzoo.org by Wednesday at noon for your chance to win a pair of one day passes to Dickerson Park Zoo! Remember to include your mailing address in the email for your chance to win.

(If you or a member of your family has won once this year, please let others have an opportunity to win. One submission per mailing address. And, we ask that each family submit only one answer, even if you are submitting answers with different email and mailing addresses.)

Tuesday Trivia Answer - Too Cool!

If you answered TRUE to this week's Tuesday Trivia question about elephants, you are correct. If you saw the back of an elephant's ears you would see a network of large blood vessels. When an elephant flaps its ears, it cools the blood in these veins. That cooled blood helps to cool the animal's body.

The term "pachyderm" means "thick skin"; this term is often used to refer to both elephants and hippopotamuses. Although an elephant's skin may be up to an inch thick on certain parts of their body, it is very sensitive. When you've observed the elephants at Dickerson Park Zoo, you've probably noticed they often through water, dirt, hay and grass on their backs. This helps protect their skin from insect bites and the sun.

Elephants enjoy water and are surprisingly good swimmers. To care for their skin, our zookeepers usually bathe the elephants every day. The public can view elephant bath time daily at 11 a.m. (unless something with the herd changes and public bath time is canceled).

Congratulations to Cindy Thompson from Springfield, whose name was randomly drawn from those submitting the correct answer this week!

Tuesday Trivia - Too Cool!

Summer officially begins for us with the summer solstice on Wednesday, June 20, at 6:09 p.m. Of course, our temperatures have already been heating up.

It's important for the animals at the zoo to stay cool in the summer heat. You'll often see the animals resting in shade provided by trees and shade cloths, near misters and sprinklers, and taking it easy, in general, during the peak of summer heat.

Today's Tuesday Trivia question tests your knowledge of animal adaptations.

True or False: An elephant flaps its ears to stay cool.

Email your answer to trivia@dickersonparkzoo.org by Wednesday at noon for your chance to win a pair of one day passes to Dickerson Park Zoo! Remember to include your mailing address in the email for your chance to win. (If you have already won once this year, please let others have an opportunity to win. One submission per mailing address. And, we ask that each person only submit one answer, even if you are submitting answers with different email and mailing addresses.)

Check FOZblog on Wednesday for the correct answer and more information about Asian elephants .

Tuesday Trivia Answer - An Earth Day Celebration

If you answered B. 1970 to this week's trivia question, you are correct! April 22 that year was a Wednesday and so chosen because it fell between spring break and finals for college students who were considered a vital population for the environmental movement.

More than 20 million Americans celebrated the first Earth Day including thousands of colleges and universities. Many celebrations featured teach-ins with motivational speakers concerned about the health of the environment. This first Earth Day spurred the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Several pieces of legislature were also consequently passed including the Clean Air Act of 1970, the Clean Water Act of 1972 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973 among others.

In 1990, Earth Day went global with more than 200 million people in 141 countries participating. This worldwide conservation movement led to the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Earth Day Network, a leader in the environmental movement, estimates that more than one billion people from across the globe will participate in Earth Day this Sunday.

And, you can start the celebration a little early with Party for the Planet, Dickerson Park Zoo's Earth Day celebration on Saturday, April 21. Visit the zoo's website for all the details. Dickerson Park Zoo is one of more tha 100 AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums throughout North America celebration Earth Day through Party for the Planet 2012.

Congratulations to Kaitlyn Grose from Ozark, Mo., whose name was randomly drawn from those submitting the correct answer this week! 

Play along again next week for your chance to win a pair of one-day passes to Dickerson Park Zoo!

Tuesday Trivia - An Earth Day Celebration

This upcoming Sunday, April 22, is Earth Day. This international observance was founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson after realizing that the state of the environment was a non-issue in government. Today, Earth Day continues to encourage respect for life and promote conservation efforts for soil, water and air in communities at every level.

Internationally, this year's Earth Day theme is "Mobilize the Earth" sponsored by Earth Day Network, an organization that has its roots in the first Earth Day and is considered a leader in the environmental movement. "Mobilize the Earth" is part of Earth Day Network's "A Billion Acts of Green" campaign. This campaign asks people around the globe to register their Earth Day activities with the ultimate goal of reaching one billion acts before the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio +20) in Rio de Janeiro this June.

Locally, Dickerson Park Zoo will once again host Party for the Planet for Earth Day. This sixth annual event will be celebrated by more than 100 zoos and aquariums across North America, making it the largest Earth Day celebration in North America!

What year marked the first Earth Day?
A. 2000
B. 1970
C. 1930
D. 1900

Email your answer to trivia@dickersonparkzoo.org by Wednesday at noon for your chance to win a pair of one-day passes to Dickerson Park Zoo! Remember to include your mailing address for your chance to win.

Check our FOZblog on Wednesday for the correct answer and to learn more about Earth Day!

A tale of a lemur tail

A friendly face has returned to the lemur island at Dickerson Park Zoo -- "Charlie," a black and white ruffed lemur. Lemurs like Charlie use their long tails to help them move about the trees they naturally dwell in.

How long are black and white ruffed lemurs’ tails?
a) 12’’-16’’
b) 18’’-22’’
c) 23’’-26’’
d) 36’’-40’’

E-mail your answer by Wednesday at noon to trivia@dickersonparkzoo.org for a chance to win two admission passes to Dickerson Park Zoo. Remember to include your mailing address for your chance to win.

Check out FOZblog on Wednesday for the correct answer and for more information about lemurs.