Event Name: SGC National Zoo Trip
Smithsonian National Zoological Park, May 3rd- 10 AM
Zoo Buildings:
The first building that I visited was the small mammal house. The first species that I selected was the Golden-headed Lion Tamarin. The tamarin is an animal that usually lives in the tropical forests of South America, and they are heavily threatened by deforestation. They mainly sleep in holes of trees and eat fruits and insects. My second species was the Fennec Fox, which is native to the deserts of Africa. The Fennec Fox is special due to its extremely sensitive ears that allow it to hunt for prey. The next animal I picked was the Prehensile-tailed Porcupine, which is a mammal native to tropical rainforests in South America. This porcupine is unique due to its ability to be able to climb right when it is born, which most animals can not do. The last species I chose in this building was the Naked Mole Rat. The Naked Mole Rat is unlike most mammals since it has no hair, but it does not need it since they live in warm underground tunnels. They have unique teeth that are able to move individually and feel their surroundings, since they are nearly blind. In terms of displays that were used to further educate people, there was a section of the house that displayed x-rays and skulls of some animals in the building, displaying a deeper explanation for functions of different animals body parts. There were some adults visiting these displays while I was there. I think that this building was geared more towards high school level and higher, as some descriptions including those of the x-rays were more in depth than younger people would understand.
The second house that I visited was the Amazonia House, which was a guided SGC tour. My first selected species was the Red Piranha. This is a very interesting species as it has different color patters depending where they live, and their color can also change with age. The next species I chose was the Black Ghost Kinfe Fish. This fish contains a small level of electricity, far less than an electric eel. They are able to use their electric field to find nearby prey, and also to communicate with other Black Ghost Kinfe Fish. The third species I selected was the Mata mata, which is a species of sea turtle. Although it lives underwater, it has no gills, and uses its long nose as a snorkel. Lastly, I selected the green and black poison frog, which has extremely bright colors that warns predators to stay away. This house had multiple interactive displays such as the electric eel that you could place both of your hands on to make your own electrical power, and also an interactive map to determine where different amphibians and the chytrid fungus can survive. There were kids interacting with both of these interactive elements, which shows that this house was geared more towards smaller children.
The last house that I selected was the reptile house. One species that I selected at this building was the Webers Sailfin Dragon, which was a very interesting species that is able to stand up and run on its back legs. They are also great swimmers due to their long and flat tails, and their ability to breathe underwater for over an hour. The second species that I chose was the Chinese Crocodile Lizard, which is native to evergreen and bamboo forests in Vietnam and Southern China. This lizard has armor-like scales similar to a crocodile, and also powerful tails for swimming. Another species that I selected was the Fiji Banded Iguana. This iguana lives in coastal and wet forests in Fiji. The male version of this species typically has blue stripes, while females are only one solid color. Lastly, I selected the Kimberley Rock Monitor, which as a native of rocky areas in Australia. This reptile hunts in rocks and trees to find insects and small lizards. Nearly 3/4 of their length is made up by their tails. I think that the best alternate form of education in this building was the snake display where you could press different buttons to see the different internal sections of a snake. This building also had a lot of coloring and matching activities, showing that it was geared more towards younger kids.
Education Systems:
One education system that I noticed was in the Amazonia house where there was a worker with a skull and skin of a jaguar, teaching people about the species. Another form of alternate education that was present at the zoo was the game at the reptile house where people could answer questions and spin a wheel for prizes, incentivizing learning.
Objects In Enclosures:
One object placed within an enclosure to make the environment more comfortable for the animals was a bed up in the trees of the fishing cat enclosure, replicating a sleeping arrangement that the cat would have in the wild. Another very cool contraption that worked to give the animals a more comfortable environment was the artificial rainfall system that was present in the Saki monkey exhibit.