Bluestem Zoo - Brown long-eared bat (Papo)

[Koifish]

Bluestem Zoological Park

Hello! I've decided to "re-do" my collection thread as I wasn't happy with its presentation anymore (and unfortunately, I'm unable to delete it), so I've created another thread to start it over, as well as unveil its official website.

I won't be reposting what is already featured on the blog - instead, new animals (or animals that are not yet on the blog) will be featured here first, before being posted on the official site.

To start things off, and in light of the unfortunate news that came out recently, here is the Giant panda by Schleich.

The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), sometimes called a panda bear or simply panda, is a bear species endemic to China. Perhaps one of the world's most iconic animals, the giant panda is a member of the bear family identified by its black and white coloration. Males can weigh up to 160kg (350lbs), with females being smaller. Although it is a member of the order Carnivora, the giant panda has adapted to eat plants. Although a wild panda may eat grass, tubers or meat, 99% of its diet consists of bamboo leaves and stalks. It can eat up to 14kg (30lbs) of bamboo a day, holding it in its paws using a modified wrist-bone like a thumb and crunching through the thick stalks with its powerful jaws. However, the Giant Panda cannot get much nutrition from bamboo, so it must spend most of its day eating or resting.

The giant panda is native to the mountainous bamboo forests of China, with the greatest numbers found in Sichuan. Although primarily terrestrial, they are good climbers. Adults are typically solitary and come together only to mate. Females will usually give birth to twins, although she will typically only raise one and abandon the other. Habitat loss, combined with a low birth-rate, are the main threats to wild giant pandas and at one point it was estimated there were only 1000 adults left in the wild. Captive breeding and conservation awareness have since resulted in numbers increasing, although the species is still considered "conservation-reliant".

* They're the world's most recognized endangered species. Hundreds of years ago, giant pandas likely lived throughout central China. But the growing number of people in that region and their dependence on the forest left very little land for giant pandas. In 1998, China banned logging in the panda's range.
* Most female pandas are able to reproduce at age five or six. But breeding isn't easy since they are only fertile for two days out of an entire year.
* Dense forests make wild pandas difficult to count. According to a 2004 estimate, there could be nearly 1600 pandas in the wild. However, until researchers develop better survey methods, an exact number will remain elusive.
* Bold black-and-white markings act as camouflage. Like zebra stripes, giant panda markings break up its outline. Scientists think this may make the animal more difficult to spot among the trees, rocks and shadows of the forest where they live.

[bmathison1972]

Wow nice presentation! Thank you for posting here on the forum as well!

[Koifish]

Hippopotamus (Papo)

The Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), also known as the Common Hippopotamus, River Hippopotamus or simply Hippo, is a large mammal native to sub-Saharan African rivers, lakes and mangrove swamps. "Hippopotamus" comes from the Greek word "River Horse", but hippos are in fact more closely related to whales and dolphins. They are easily recognizable by their barrel-shaped torsos, wide mouths and large canines. The hippopotamus is one of the largest animals in Africa, with males weighing up to 1500kg (3310lb). Despite its fierce appearance, hippos are herbivores, coming out onto land to graze on grasses; their large teeth are used only for fighting and defense.

Hippos are semi-aquatic in nature and spend most of the day in water or mud to avoid the heat of the African sun. Mating and birthing also occurs underwater, but despite this, hippos are poor swimmers and tend to stay in shallow waters. Although largely solitary, hippos will gather in loose groups, or pods, when there is enough water. The hippopotamus is stated to be one of the most dangerous animals in Africa.

* The hippopotamus may look big and lazy, but they are in fact extremely territorial - and it has a very bad temper. If a male hippo enters another male's territory, the visitor must act submissive. Otherwise, the dominant male picks a fight. The hippos swing their open jaws and try to gore each other with their thick canine teeth. These battles can last for more than two hours, and can prove fatal for the loser.
* Most of the hippo's day is spent in the water with only the top of its head poking above the surface. They move so little, that algae grows on its skin.
* The hippo is very sensitive to the sun. The huge mammal's smooth skin produces a sticky pink liquid that protects it from harmful sunrays and keeps its skin moist when on land.
* Despite their huge size, hippos are graceful swimmers and can run up to 20 mph.

[Koifish]

Mountain Nyala (Collecta)

The mountain nyala (Tragelaphus buxtoni) or balbok, is a large antelope inhabiting the forests and heathlands from 9,500 to 12,500 feet elevation in the mountains of southern Ethiopia. Because its habitat is so remote and inhospitable, this rare antelope was not discovered by Western scientists until 1908. Its nocturnal and crepuscular activity, its shy and wary behavior, and its limited geographic distribution make it one of the least studied large African mammals.

Although old males tend to be solitary, the mountain nyala usually is found in small herds of 5 to 10 individuals, females predominating. The horns, which may exceed 46 inches in length, are present only in the males. Adults may weigh as much as 500 pounds.

Mountain nyala feed mainly on heath plants, leaves and buds of shrubs, but also on grasses and legumes. They keep to dense cover and rarely leave it to venture into the open. Its main predator is the Leopard, however this species is often poached for bushmeat. About 3,000 mountain nyala are left in the wild.

A related species, the southern nyala (Tragelaphus angasi) is smaller, and the males have a shaggy coat. It has a restricted range in the lowlands of southeastern Africa.

[bmathison1972]

Nice; I have this mountain nyala, too

[Koifish]

Common bottlenose dolphin (Safari Ltd; Monterey Bay Aquarium)

The common bottlenose dolphin or Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is the most well-known member of the dolphin family. It is grey in color, with a silver or white colored underbelly, and is named after its short, well-defined beak, which is said to resemble a gin bottle. The bottlenose dolphin is found in temperate and tropical marine waters worldwide.

Bottlenose dolphins live in family groups called pods and are highly sociable, using a wide variety of sounds to communicate. They feed on many different types of prey including shrimp, squid, other invertebrates, and fish. The dolphins feed by nosing into rocky crevasses near the shore, and chase fish onto mud banks by snapping them up while they are beached, or by cooperatively herding prey into dense clusters against a shore or to the surface of the water. The bottlenose dolphin is highly intelligent and has been known to drive fish towards local fishermen to catch, before eating any fish that escape or evade the nets.

* Bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay, Australia learned to wear sponges over their beaks while foraging among sharp coral — the only known case of cetacean tool use.
* As is true for all cetaceans, a dolphin's nostrils have shifted to the top of its head, becoming a blowhole that permits easy breathing at the water's surface.
* A bottlenose dolphin contains three times more blood than a human by body weight, increasing the dolphin's oxygen-storage capacity during dives.
* When asleep, a dolphin keeps half of its brain awake in order to keep breathing.

Bluestem Zoological Park features state-of-the-art digital displays, designed to look and feel just like floor-to-ceiling glass, but are actually livestream cam videos showcasing select animals within their natural habitat. Cams on display include OrcaLab's Orca Cam and USC Wrigley Catalina Marine Reserve Dolphin cam.

[Koifish]

Decided that today's showcase is one that I received for my birthday today

Harpy eagle (Schleich)

Harpy eagles (Harpia harpyja) are among the most powerful raptors in the world. From wing tip to wing tip, they are longer than many full-grown humans are tall. Unlike the Andean Condor and many other raptors, Harpy eagles are not built for true soaring. They have relatively short wings and long tails that act like a rudder on a boat to steer through dense vegetation. Rather than flying long distances at one time, Harpy eagles travel relatively slowly, moving from tree to tree through the forest.

The Harpy eagle is a Neotropical rainforest species. It lives at low elevations where it can find prey and large trees for nests. Its rainforest home is lush and vibrant and contains some of the highest biodiversity in the world. The Harpy eagle lives among jaguars, macaws, tapir, monkeys, sloths, snakes, frogs, and many other plants and animals.

Historically, Harpy eagles were found from southern Mexico through Central and South America all the way down to northern Argentina. Sadly, Harpy eagles are disappearing mainly because people are destroying their habitat and shooting them. In Central America, the largest known breeding population is found in Panama, close to the border with Colombia. Harpy eagles are likely extinct in El Salvador. Only one nesting pair has been observed in Belize.

They are one of the few diurnal raptors that have a facial disk, a trait they share with owls. The facial disk is composed of feathers that form a circle around the bird's face. The disk can be lifted or lowered at will. When the feathers of the facial disk are raised, they help direct sounds to the birds' ears, which are located on the sides of its head. These eagles also have a crest composed of a few long feathers that also can be raised and lowered at will.

* The harpy eagle is the national bird of Panama.
* The legs of a harpy eagle can be as thick as a small child's wrist, and its curved talons are longer than a grizzly bear's claws! Their grip is so strong they can crush a monkey's skull or possibly even certain human bones. It may not be the largest bird of prey (that title belongs to the Andean condor), but it is definitely the most powerful of birds.
* These great birds are named after Harpyja, the predatory half-woman, half-bird monster of Greek mythology.

[Koifish]

Eurasian wild boar (Schleich)

The Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa) is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa. The species is now one of the widest-ranging mammals in the world, as well as the most widespread suiform. It has been assessed as the least concern on the IUCN Red List due to its wide range, high numbers, and adaptability to a diversity of habitats. It has become an invasive species in part of its introduced range. The Wild boar has a long history of association with humans, having been the ancestor of most domestic pig breeds and a big-game animal for millennia.

The Wild Boar is an omnivorous animal, and 90% of its diet is young leaves, berries, grasses, and fruits. It also unearths roots and bulbs with its hard snout. They will, however, eat almost anything that will fit into their mouths and supplement their diet by eating eggs, mice, lizards, worms, and even snakes. Wild Boars will also finish off the abandoned kill of another animal.

Due to their large distribution, Wild Boars are prey to numerous predators of all shapes and sizes. Large felines such as leopards, lynxes, and tigers are among the most common predators of the Wild Boar, along with other large carnivores like wolves, bears, and humans.

* The Wild Boar is the ancestor of common domestic pigs.
* Pigs don't sweat, which is one reason they need to cool off in water and mud wallows.
* Males have a top tusk to sharpen the bottom one!
* The Wild Boar's closest wild relative today is the bearded pig in Malaysia.
* Coloration varies: brown, black, red, or dark grey, generally depending on the boar's location. For example, Wild Boar in Western Europe tend to be brown, while those in Eastern European forests can be completely black.

[Koifish]

Przewalski's Horse (Schleich)

Przewalski's Horse (Equus przewalskii), also called the takhi, Mongolian wild horse or Dzungarian horse, is an endangered subspecies of wild horse native to the steppes of central Asia. Their typical size is 2.1 meters long and about 350 kilos in adulthood. These horses show several consistent differences in appearance to their domestic relatives, such an erect mane and no forelock. Other features of this animal is the top of the tail has short hair, it has a dark band along its back from the mane to the base of the tail and sometimes they might have dark stripes on their lower legs.

As its name suggests, the Przewalski's wild horse was named after Nikolaj Przewalski, a Russian geographer and explorer. He reported that they lived in small herds of up to fifteen individuals and it is believed they were once quite common, found in European cave paintings. Hunting, military activities and harsh winters caused the populations to decline and by the 1960s, the Przewalski's wild horse was declared extinct in the wild. Captive breeding and subsequent reintroductions to protected reserves now mean the wild horse is classed as "Endangered".

* Przewalski's horses have 66 chromosomes, while domestic horses carry only 64. The two can breed and produce offspring that have 65 chromosomes. The hybrids look like Przewalski's horses, and the only way to identify them is through chromosome testing.
* According to folk tales, Mongolians consider Przewalski's horses to be the riding mounts of the gods and therefore call them "takhi," which means spirit or holy.
* Today there are about 1,200 Przewalski's horses living in zoos, private preserves, and protected areas in Mongolia. Small groups are gradually being reintroduced into the wild to once again roam the grasslands of Mongolia.
* Przewalski's horses weren't scientifically described until 1881, when army officer Nikolai Przewalski obtained a skull and hide of this rarely seen horse and shared them with scientists at a museum in St. Petersburg. Cave paintings 30,000 years old found in Spain and France depict a stocky wild horse with Przewalski's horse features.
* Unlike domestic horses, the Przewalski's horse sheds its mane and tail annually.
* Przewalski's horses are native to a habitat called the steppe. Until 15,000 years ago, this immense and hardscrabble, sparse grassland habitat stretched from the east coast of Asia to present-day Spain and Portugal. After the last Ice Age, however, the steppe gave way to woods and forests, to which Przewalski's horses weren't well adapted. By the 19th century, the few horses that remained were confined to Mongolia, southern Russia, and Poland.

[Koifish]

African Wild Dog (Safari Ltd)

The African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus), also called the Cape Hunting Dog, is the largest wild canid in Africa and the only surviving member of its genus. Its scientific name, which translates to Painted Wolf, refers to the extremely variable coloration of the fur, which is typically a mixture of yellow, brown and black markings, with a few white patches, that vary between individuals and populations. They have large ears which help them keep cool and offer acute hearing; a useful asset when hunting.

Like all wild dogs, they are pack animals, living in large social groups of up to 20 individuals, with a strong hiearchy system for both males and females.

They hunt in an organised co-operative manner, and when prey is targeted, some of the dogs run close to the animal, while others follow behind, taking over when leades tire. They usually prey on medium sized herbivores like antelope, but will also hunt larger beasts such as zebra, wildebeast and ostrich.

Only the dominant male and female breed to produce offspring and the raising of the pups is undertaken by the entire pack. Females give birth after a gestation period of 69-72 days to a litter of up to 19 pups, although 8-10 is most common.

* They can maintain speeds of up to 60 km per hour chasing prey.
* African Wild Dogs are neither domestic dogs gone wild, nor wolves. Although they resemble hyenas, they are in a genus of their own.

[Koifish]

Southern Bent-Wing Bat (Yowie)

The southern bent-wing bat (Miniopterus orianae bassanii) is a type of microbat, measuring just 52-58mm long (head and body) and weighing about 15g. They are critically endangered. The Southern Bent-wing Bat eats insects and is known to roost in caves near the coastal cliffs of south western Victoria and south eastern South Australia. They forage each night using a regular flight path. Southern Bent-wing Bats have an ultrasonic call that humans can't hear unless we use special bat detectors. The bats are incredible pest controllers, consuming at least half their body weight in insects each night. The bats begin their annual migration to their maternity caves at Naracoorte in South Australia and Warrnambool in Victoria where the female gives birth to a single pup. The bent-wing name comes from its unique anatomy – with on the third 'finger' of its wing the last bone is four times longer than the middle one, giving a bent appearance. There are thought to be just under 41,000 bats left, after a population decline of 67 per cent since the 1990s. In the 1960s, the population was around 100,000-200,000.

[bmathison1972]

Nice addition seeing that Halloween is tomorrow 

[Koifish]

Brown long-eared bat (Papo)

The brown long-eared bat or common long-eared bat (Plecotus auritus) is a small Eurasian insectivorous bat. Known as the 'whispering' bat for its almost silent echolocation noises, this little bat's huge ears make it an expert woodland insect hunter. As the name suggests, a brown long-eared bat's signature characteristic is its big ears which are almost as long as its body. When resting, it rolls its ears back or hides them underneath its wings. It is a medium-sized bat, growing to around 8cm in length, including ears. It has light grey-brown fur and a pale underside. This bat's diet consists of invertebrates like moths, earwigs, flies and beetles. They glide slowly when they hunt, diving low to forage for insects. They eat small prey mid-flight, but take bigger prey to a perch where they eat upside-down. Mating happens during the autumn, but bats can delay their pregnancies until they gather in maternity roosts in the spring. These maternity roosts can have groups of up to 30 pregnant bats. Unlike other bat species, male long-eared bats join the maternity roosts. Bat pups are born from late June to July and become independent after six weeks.

[bmathison1972]

I recently added this Papo bat to my Museum. I had the Kaiyodo version, but now that the Japanese populations are a distinct species, I can use the Papo bat for the mainland Eurasian species