#docent class

[animalworld]

NICOBAR PIGEON (Caloenas nicobarica) Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens Los Angeles, California ©Laura Quick

the Nicobar Pigeon’s breeding range encompasses many of the island nations in Asia

This species nests in dense forest on offshore islets, often in large  colonies.

The species is also trapped for the local pet market, but as it is on CITES Appendix I, such trade is generally illegal.Internationally, captive breeding is able to supply the birds  demanded by zoos, where this attractive and unusual bird is often seen

Though the bird is widely distributed and in some locations very  common –  even on small Palau it is still reasonably plentiful, with an  estimated  1,000 adult birds remaining –,

its long-term future is  increasingly  being jeopardized.the IUCN considers C. nicobarica a Near Threatened species

Fact Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicobar_Pigeon

Other photos you may enjoy:

Nicobar Pigeon

Nicobar Pigeon - sideview

Judgemental Rock Pigeons

[quickwitter]

I took my Zoo Class final on Saturday.

With any luck I passed the class and after 23 weeks, creating 65 animal fact cards, taking 7 take-home tests, cramming for both a midterm and a final, and having my fingerprints taken, I can safely volunteer (for free) to lead tours at the Los Angeles Zoo.

Just in time for everyone to be quarantined.

Anyway, photos to follow from the last weekend of classes.

[animalworld]

SUMATRAN TIGER Panthera tigris sondaica ©Laura Quick

Sumatran tigers are the smallest surviving tiger subspecies and are distinguished by heavy black stripes on their orange coats. The last of Indonesia’s tigers—less than 400 today—are holding on for survival in the remaining patches of forests on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia.

Other posts you might like:

Dancing Tiger

Bengal Tiger

Snarling Tiger

[animalworld]

Lazy Afternoon with GIANT OTTER Pteronura brasiliensis Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens Los Angeles, California ©Laura Quick

I stopped by the otter midday and they were all sleeping, when I stopped by on my way back through the zoo they were still crashed out. Initially I was disappointed, but they are so active you almost never see them in repose. And I like the images of them sleeping.

The head-body-tail length of an adult giant otter can be over six feet. Adult males weigh up to 70 pounds, females are a little smaller. They have many adaptations for life in the water. The toes are fully webbed. Their long, torpedo shaped bodies move through the water with minimal resistance. A powerful laterally flattened tail provides swimming power. There are numerous vibrissae (sensory whiskers) on the muzzle and head to help find prey in murky water. The fur is very dense and water repellent. The giant otter is one of the few species of carnivore whose nose is completely covered with fur.

Other Posts you might like:

European Sea Otter

Sleeping South American Sea Lions

Sleeping Swift Fox

[animalworld]

GIANT OTTER Pteronura brasiliensis ©Laura Quick Hard to photograph as they are always moving! The river otter's eyes and ears are located high on its head for surface swimming. A third eyelid, or nictitating membrane, protects the eye and allows the otter to see when swimming underwater like swim goggle would. River otters have long, stiff and highly sensitive facial whiskers that aid in locating and capturing prey. These are freshwater river otter from South America Other posts you might like:

Giant Otter

North American River Otter

Asian Small Clawed Otter

[animalworld]

GREEN TREEN PYTHON Morelia viridis ©Laura Quick

The  green tree python is a species of python native to New Guinea, islands in Indonesia, and Cape York Peninsula in Australia. Described by Hermann Schlegel in 1872, it was known for many years as Chondropython viridis. As its name suggests, it is a bright green snake that can reach 6 feet/2 m in length and about 4 pounds/1.6 kg in weight, with females slightly larger and heavier than males. Oviparous, laying up to 25 eggs, Green Tree Pythons start out life with red or yellow scales which change to primarily green over time.  Living generally in trees, the green tree python hunts and eats small reptiles and mammals. It is a popular pet, and numbers in the wild have suffered with large-scale smuggling of wild-caught green tree pythons in Indonesia. Despite this, the green tree python is rated as least concern on the IUCN Red List of endangered species. 

Other posts you might like:

Rainbow Boa

Green Indonesian Tree Python

Northern Brazilian Boa

[animalworld]

Year End

I’m now nearly halfway through a 23-week docent course at the Los Angeles Zoo. It’s really hard work and time consuming, like taking a PhD course in Zoology. Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be using this blog to help cement some of the concepts I need help remembering, so please bear with me.

This program has been a fascinating journey by the way, and we’ve learned a ton about animals, conservation and how modern zoos function.

The class ends in April, and I’ll be celebrating a few weeks after its conclusion with a trip down to Costa Rica for a biodiversity study (with Earthwatch.org), and few weeks traveling around the country (+ maybe Ecuador) with my camera.

[animalworld]

ACORN WOODPECKER Melanerpes formicivorus ©Laura Quick

From the Cornell Bird Lab: Reminiscent of a troupe of wide-eyed clowns, Acorn Woodpeckers live in large groups in western oak woodlands. Acorn Woodpeckers eat acorns and insects (and other arthropods).

The woodpeckers harvest acorns directly from oak trees and are famous for their habit of storing nuts—primarily acorns, but also almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, and pinyon pine nuts—in individually drilled holes in one or more storage trees. These are known as granaries and can have upwards of 50,000 nuts stored in them.

The birds drill the holes primarily in the winter, in the thick bark of dead limbs where the drilling does no harm to a living tree. Acorn Woodpeckers are such unusual birds with such complicated social behavior that they have given rise to one of the longest-running behavioral studies of birds. Source

Other posts you might like:

Lineated Woodpecker

Black Masked Weaver

Hoopoe