Tinsley Stokes
The first field trip that I attended was to the National Zoo in Washington DC on Saturday 2, 2006. While at the zoo Earth, Life and Time Scholars went to many differant major exhibit halls, houses, and trails. For each of these areas we were expected to record at least five differant species of animal, where it is found in the wild, its diet in the wild, and if indicated, its conservation status.
The first of the exhibit halls that I visited was the newest addition to the National Zoo : the Asia Trail.
Asia Trail:
The first species that I saw was the Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). This Species is generally found in the Moutain forests of China. It's diet consists almost completely of bambu. And it is an endangered species.
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| Ailuropoda melanoleuca |
The second Species on the Asia Trail that I saw was the Clouded leopard(Neofelis nebulosa).This species is found in the Tropical Forests, and dry woodlands. It is a vunerable species and is a carnivore.
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| Neofelis nebulosa |
The next species that I saw was the Fishing cat (Prionailurus viverinus). Found mainly in the tropical Wetlands of Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Thailand, the fishing cat is a vulerable species. It lives off of aquatic birds and ducks.
The forth species that I stopped to look at on the Asia Trail was the Asian Small clawed otter (Amblonyx cinereus). This small mammal can be found in the rivers and streams of Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, and Nepal. Simular to many of the other aminals on this trail, the small clawed otter is concidered a vunerable species.
The last of the species that I recorded information for while on the Asia trail was the Red panda (Ailurus fulgens). This species, like the giant panda is endangered. The red panda lives in the moutain forests of Nepal and Bhutan.
Small Mammal House:
Because of the cold weather I was glad to be moving out of the cold and into the small mammal house. This was probably my favorite place to be while on the trip. There were so many animals that I had never seen before and most seemed eager to let us know that they were there.
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| Leontopithecus chrysomelas |
The first animal that I saw in the small mammal house was the Lesser tree shrew (Tupaia minor). This mammal can be found in Southern Thailand , Malaya, Sumatra, and Borneo. The tree shrew lives off of seeds, fruit, and insects.
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| Vulpes zerda |
The second animal that I saw in the small mammal house was the Fennec fox (Vulpes zerda). These mammals usually live in Northern Africa, Sinai, and the Arabian Penninsula. Their diet consists of vegatation, rodents, birds, lizards, and insects. The reason that the picture of this species is so blurry is because it would not actually stay still long enough to take a decent picture.
The third species that I recorded information for was the Golden-headed Lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chysomelas). This species lives in the tropical rainforests of the eastern coast of Brazil. Its diet consists mainly of fruits, insects, and lizards.
The forth mammal that I observed was the Prenensile- tailed porcupine (Coendou Prehensilis). This mammal can be found in Northern South America and Trinidad. Although the plaque was not generally specifc, it did mention that this animal did enjoy eating plant material.
The last animal that I recorded information for in the small mammal house was the Giant elephant shrew (Rhynchocyon petersi). This is one of many endanged animals that could be found in the small mammal house. The Giant elephant shrew eats primarily invertebrates and can be found in Kenya and Tasmania.
Reptile House:
The first animal that I observed in the reptile house was the Mangrove snake (Boiga dendrophila). This species can be found in Mangrove Swamps and rainforests in Southeast Asia. For this and all of the species in the reptile house I had a hard time identifying what the conservation status was.
The Second animal that I observed was the Inland bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps). This species can be found in Central Austrailia.
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| Pogona vitticeps |
The third animal in the reptile house that I observed was the Cuban crocodile (Crocodylus rhombifer). This Species lives in Cuba and due to human altered habitat, is vulnerable. Although this species spent all of its time peaking out from under a log while I was at the zoo, it was still frightening to see because of its size.
The forth species that I observed at the reptile house was the Green tree python (Morelia viridis). This species can be found in New Guinea, and Northern Austrailia.
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| Morelia viridis |
The last of the species that I observed in the reptile house was the Yellow- spotted Amozon river turtle (Podochemis unifilis). This species could be found in Northeastern South America.
Additional Animal:
In addition to the species that I observed on the Asia Trail, the small mammal house, and the reptile house I also saw many other animals that I found interesting. One such animal was the Pygmy hippopotamus (Hexaprotodon liberiensis). This endanged species can be found in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Burkia Faso, and the Ivory Coast. It eats Vegatation, including shoots leaves and fallen fruit.
Zoo Concervation :
One way that the National Zoo keeps up with the conservation of its animals is by paying close attention to the cheetah population. Over the past few years the cheetah population has been dwindling due to a number of reasons including loss of habitat and trapping. In order to increase the number of cheetahs, scientist have put together a "Species Survival Plan". With the help of this plan scientist have been able to artificially impregnate cheetahs succesfully.
