Fozblog

Tuesday Trivia - Hop on By

Dickerson Park Zoo is home to a "mob" of red kangaroos. The scientific name for this species is Macropus rufus. This week's Tuesday Trivia question tests your language knowledge. What does "macropus" literally translate as?

A. Big tail
B. Big foot
C. Big body
D. Big jump

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 family submit only one answer, even if you are submitting answers with different email and mailing addresses.)

Visit FOZblog on Wednesday for the correct answer and more information about this week's mystery animal.

Tuesday Trivia Answer - Who "Nose"?

This week's Tuesday Trivia was a little more difficult. If you think the nose belongs to a bongo, you are correct.

Bongos are timid forest antelopes from West, Central and East Africa. We have eastern bongo at Dickerson Park Zoo. According to the International Bongo Foundation's website, the Antelope Specialist Group has suggested that the eastern bongo population in human care may be equal to or exceed the wild population.

Bongos are chestnut-colored with vertical white or cream stripes. This coloring likely helps as camoflauge in the forest. They are the largest and heaviest forest antelope and can run well through the forest undergrowth if threatened.

Bongos are unique among the Tragelaphus genus in that both males (bulls) and females (cows) have horns. This animal genus also includes greater and lesser kudus, bushbucks, nayalas and elands.

Next week, Tuesday Trivia goes on vacation for the Fourth of July holiday. Join us again for the fun on July 10!

Congratulations to Janna White from Mt. Vernon, whose name was randomly drawn from those submitting the correct answer this week!

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 - Birds of a Feather

In the bird world, males and females often have different appearances. Consider the cardinal, commonly found in Missouri. The male's striking red plumage is all the more impressive when sitting side-by-side with a female, with her drab brown feathers. This difference is referred to as sexual dimorphism.

Among the birds at Dickerson Park Zoo, you'll see those in which there is no difference between males and females (like macaws, cranes and storks), those with considerable differences (Peafowl are a great example!), and those that are different but equally colorful (eclectus parrots).

Eclectus parrots are boisterous birds with brilliant coloring. Their sexual dimorphism is unique because males and females are different colors - but equally colorful. One is mostly emerald green; the other is red with touches of blue and purple.

Today's Tuesday Trivia challenge is this: Identify the male and female eclectus parrots by their coloration.

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. (If you have already won once this year, please let others have an opportunity to win. 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 eclectus parrots.

Tuesday Trivia Answer - A Bear of a Question

If you answered False to this week's trivia question, you are correct! Instead of hibernation, North American black bears enter aestivation, a form of dormancy, much like a deep sleep, in which bodily functions are slowed but not suppressed to the same degree as true hibernators. In fact, black bears will rouse from their sleep during warm winter days and even leave their dens for short periods of time. True hibernators do not awaken during the hibernation period.

During the summer and early fall months leading up to aestivation, black bears will consume as much food as possible to store as body fat in preparation for the winter months. Black bears are commonly considered "opportunistic omnivores," meaning their diet varies by season and availability of food. If food becomes scarce, black bears will seek human-related food sources instead. That is why you should be "bear aware."

For more information about aestivation, visit the Missouri Department of Conservation's blog Fresh Afield.

Congratulations to Jennifer Penning from Springfield, 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 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 Answer - Where Is This?

If you answered the Education Building to this week's trivia question, you are correct! After the 1915 World's Fair, Nathan Galloway's "Lion in a Cage" was displayed at Doling Park. It was moved to Dickerson Park Zoo sometime between 1922 and 1956. (The exact year is unknown.) "Lion in a Cage" was displayed at Swinea Hall which then housed the reptiles and the zoo's administrative office.

A Hillcrest High School class restored and painted the piece in 1970, and it was later taken off display. "Lion in a Cage" was refinished by zoo staff and the Springfield Wood Carvers Association in 1992 and now remains in the Education Building on zoo grounds.

Galloway carved many other pieces during his lifetime including more than 300 fiddles and the world's tallest totem pole at an astounding 90 feet high, weighing more than 28 tons! However, his "Lion in a Cage" wood carving remains his most famous work.

Congratulations to Justin Johnson from Lamar, 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 - Ocean Fun

The ocean is connected to major lakes, rivers and waterways because all major watersheds on Earth drain into the ocean. There are many rivers here in Missouri, such as the Missouri River. These rivers support diverse wildlife, including animals such as River Otters, which you can see here at Dickerson Park Zoo.

So this week's Tuesday Triva question focuses on water:
True or False -- The Missouri River flows directly into the ocean.

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 rivers in Missouri and their connection to the ocean.

Happy Chinese New Year

In honor of Chinese New Year festivities last week heralding the Year of the Rabbit, we want to introduce you to the zoo’s Flemish Giant rabbit, Sterling.

Sterling is a two-year-old, steel gray, 10-pound male. Flemish Giant rabbits originated during the 16th century in Belgium. They are a cross breed of Belgium and French species.  Ranging in seven different colors, which are black, blue, fawn, light gray, sandy, steel gray and white, Giant Flemish rabbits are popular pets because of their size (some grow to 20 pound our more) and color. Sterling’s diet consists of rabbit pellets, garden greens and the occasional fruit treat. 

Recycling After the Holidays

After the celebrations end and the trash is full and ready to be taken out, remember to recycle everything possible. Springfield-Greene County Health Department outlines on page 5 of its E-magazine a few "green" ways to dispose of live (cut) Christmas trees.

Electronics - computers, monitors, keyboards, phones, speakers, DVD players and more - can be recycled at Computer Recycling Center on North National Avenue. It accepts other recyclable items such as fluorescent light bulbs, Styrofoam, bicycles and power tools.

Basic paper, plastic, tin, aluminum, glass and cardboard can be recycled at area recycling centers.