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Smithsonian National Zoo Smithsonian National Zoo News 2020

Discussion in 'United States' started by Mbwamwitu, 2 Jan 2020.

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  1. AmbikaFan

    AmbikaFan Well-Known Member

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    I apologize for the duplicate post of the elephant behavior article. This article appeared in the weekly newsletter today, so I had no idea it had been released earlier and posted here. Please just consider my post as a comment on the behavior article and disregard the link lol. Apologies also for some faulty arithmetic; Ambika would have been around 64 when Bozie arrived, not 62.
     
    Last edited: 7 Jun 2020
    AmbikaFan, 7 Jun 2020
    #201
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  2. E Maximus

    E Maximus Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    E Maximus, 27 Jun 2020
    #202
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  3. Zoofan15

    Zoofan15 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    A sad loss of a incredible elephant, but without a doubt the kindest decision to end her suffering. Her daughter Kumari was believed to be the first recorded loss of a captive calf to EEHV and though tragic, contributed to the collective and ongoing research into this devastating virus. It’s reassuring that in recent years, we have had wins against the virus. Kumari’s death and the loss of so many others has not been for nothing.

    On a more positive note, Shanthi’s son will hopefully go on to sire many calves in the future and continue Shanthi’s legacy.
     
    Zoofan15, 27 Jun 2020
    #203
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  4. Kevin2342

    Kevin2342 Well-Known Member

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    That’s sad. When was the last time you saw her on the Elephant Cam?
     
    Kevin2342, 28 Jun 2020
    #204
  5. Kevin2342

    Kevin2342 Well-Known Member

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    List of other geriatric animals at the Smithsonian national zoo:
    1.Elephant: Bozie, Kamala, Swarna,all 45
    2. Sloth: Vlad,33
    3.Beaver: Chipper,20
    4.Wolf: Coby,16
    5.Seal:Kara,36
    I’m sure there are many more as zoos take such good care of animals, so animals live longer. Many people think zoos take bad care of animals and animals only belong in the wild and that’s totally WRONG.
     
    Kevin2342, 28 Jun 2020
    #205
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  6. E Maximus

    E Maximus Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    She was on the Elephant Cam 2 days last week if I can remember correctly. Shanthi and Bozie were both in camera view for about an hour.
     
    E Maximus, 28 Jun 2020
    #206
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  7. Andrew_NZP

    Andrew_NZP Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I was looking at the zoos website, because that's a thing I do regularly now, and I was on the page for the small mammal house, and noticed this: Virginia opossum

    Turns out Minnie isn't a common opossum, but a misidentified Virginia Opossum:

     
    Andrew_NZP, 2 Jul 2020
    #207
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  8. Coelacanth18

    Coelacanth18 Well-Known Member Premium Member 5+ year member

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    2020: the year that keeps on giving.
     
    Coelacanth18, 2 Jul 2020
    #208
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  9. TinoPup

    TinoPup Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Darn, takes a species off the life list :) She at least doesn't look very much like a VA opossum!
     
    TinoPup, 2 Jul 2020
    #209
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  10. TeaLovingDave

    TeaLovingDave Moderator Staff Member 10+ year member

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    It all depends on how accurate the tests in question actually were :p and whether it is likelier they screwed up somewhere, or that a Virginia Opossum somehow has a mutation which makes it look not-at-all-like-a-VA and a-lot-like-a-Common.

    Of course, even if she *is* a Virginia Opossum she will be a different subspecies to those you are used to seeing.... so at subspecies level she is a lifer for you either way.
     
    TeaLovingDave, 2 Jul 2020
    #210
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  11. Andrew_NZP

    Andrew_NZP Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I have absolutely no idea when or what test they did, but it seems like they did it recently. I looked at older versions of the page through the Wayback Machine, and they still have her listed as a common opossum on April 7th, (Small Mammal House), but had changed it by May 28th (Small Mammal House).

    Shes been at the zoo for either two or three years, so I have no clue what compelled them to do a test now.
     
    Andrew_NZP, 3 Jul 2020
    #211
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  12. ThylacineAlive

    ThylacineAlive Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    From the zoo's page:
    That doesn't make much sense, since her distinct markings are pretty spot on for Common Opossum :p

    ~Thylo
     
    ThylacineAlive, 3 Jul 2020
    #212
  13. Mehdi

    Mehdi Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    To be honest, most of the opossums I can find for Mexico (on iNaturalist mainly) look just like Minnie so the phenotypical differences might be explained by the subspecies it belongs to.

    Tlacuache norteño desde Autlán de Navarro, Jal., México el03 de diciembre de 2018 de toppredator · NaturaLista

    Didelphis virginiana yucatanensis (Mamíferos Terrestres del Estado de Campeche) · iNaturalist

    Subspecies Didelphis virginiana yucatanensis · NaturaLista

    I do not know if all of these are properly identified but I doubt that all the observations are misdentified as well (seeing as there are many more observations of similar looking opossums listed as being Virginia)

    Moreover I'd find it weird for an institution as big as Smithsonian to lie about the tests they've made or to make such a glaring mistake that one species turns out to be another but I don't have much knowledge about such things so maybe I'm in the wrong here
     
    Mehdi, 3 Jul 2020
    #213
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  14. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    Looking into this, the two species are morphologically so similar and yet also both so variable in colouration that in the parts of their ranges where they overlap (e.g. in Mexico) they can be difficult to distinguish from one another [especially at night when seen spotlighting]. I found a key to Mexican opossum species, and also checked out Fiona Reed's field guide, and the best distinguishing features of living animals are the cheek colour (always pure white in Virginia Opossum - easily seen in all the photos of the National Zoo's animal - but always yellowish or cream in Common Opossum) and the colour of the whiskers (a mix of black and white in Virginia Opossum - which can be seen in the better photos, including some on Zoochat - but all black in Common Opossum). I'd imagine it was these features that made somebody question the Common Opossum identity.

    These features in addition to the genetic test make me perfectly happy to accept that the animal is a Virginia Opossum.
     
    Chlidonias, 3 Jul 2020
    #214
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  15. ThylacineAlive

    ThylacineAlive Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Well that all seems like pretty undeniable evidence to me! Thank you both for the further information here.

    Time for us all to update of lifelists (and ZooChat Photographic Guides)

    ~Thylo
     
    ThylacineAlive, 3 Jul 2020
    #215
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  16. Andrew_NZP

    Andrew_NZP Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Andrew_NZP, 3 Jul 2020
    #216
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  17. E Maximus

    E Maximus Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    While walking past the zoo today I took a peak inside their gates and noticed they have started placing hand sanitizer stations and there are some social distancing signs up. I think we can expect an opening date in the very near future.
     
    E Maximus, 9 Jul 2020
    #217
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  18. E Maximus

    E Maximus Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    National Zoo has announced the names of their two juvenile American Bison. Lucy and Gally. Although I don’t believe they ever announced their arrival. They have been at the zoo since before it closed in March.

    Smithsonian’s National Zoo Welcomes Two New Bison
     
    E Maximus, 16 Jul 2020
    #218
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  19. Andrew_NZP

    Andrew_NZP Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    The zoo will reopen this Friday, July 24th. In order to get in you must get a timed-entry passes. Walk in passes are free, while parking passes are $30 per vehicle, unless you're a member at premier level and above, in which case you'll get 1 free parking pass per week.

    The Giant Panda House, Small Mammal House, Reptile Discovery Center and Amazonia will be closed.

    Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Udvar-Hazy Center To Reopen July 24 With New Safety Measures
     
    Last edited: 20 Jul 2020
    Andrew_NZP, 20 Jul 2020
    #219
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  20. TinoPup

    TinoPup Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    With those one way paths, looks like I won't be going again this year.
     
    TinoPup, 20 Jul 2020
    #220
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