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Category: Animals

Seneca Park Zoo Identified by SSP as an Expert Training & Holding Facility for Masai Giraffes

Posted on by Jaiya Astacio

Seneca Park Zoo was recently identified by the Masai giraffe SSP (Species Survival Plan) as a specialized and expert training and holding facility for male Masai giraffes. This acknowledgment is a tremendous honor and a reflection of years of hard work by our animal care and animal health teams!

 

The SSP is responsible for managing healthy and genetically diverse assurance populations of animals across AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums. By coordinating breeding recommendations and animal transfers, the program helps secure a brighter future for some of your favorite species.

A major factor in Seneca Park Zoo being selected as a giraffe holding facility was our team’s incredible success in giraffe training. Giraffes are among the most challenging animals to train, requiring extraordinary patience, consistency, and trust-building due to their naturally cautious nature. As a smaller zoo with a highly experienced animal care team, we are uniquely positioned to provide the individualized attention and dedicated time needed to achieve these unique training milestones.

Giraffe training looks like active participation in healthcare. This includes voluntarily lifting their hooves for hoof care, presenting different parts of their bodies for ultrasounds, participating in blood draws, and even allowing facial radiographs, all without the need for anesthesia. This not only reduces stress for the animals but also allows our team to provide more effective preventative care!

Because of our ambitious training program and our proximity to the Canadian border, we are an ideal facility to help train and transport Masai giraffes.

But how does Canada connect to this? The need for these transfers is tied directly to the SSP’s efforts to maintain a healthy population. Currently, there are more male Masai giraffes in the United States than can be accommodated long-term, while several Canadian facilities need male giraffes. By helping prepare and move these animals, we are contributing to a coordinated effort that supports the future of the species across North America!

 

Written by Jaiya Astacio, Communications Coordinator.

Three-toed Box Turtle (Ambassador Animal)

Posted on by Beth LaPierre

Three-toed Box Turtle (Ambassador Animal)

(Terrapene carolina triunguis)

The Zoo is home to one Three-toed Box Turtle as part of our ambassador animal program (habitat not on public display).  

Animal Facts

Three-toed Box Turtles are small, terrestrial turtles that reach 4-6 inches long. Males tend to be more brightly colored than females, with orange scales on their throats and front legs. Males also have red-orange eyes, while females have yellow-brown eyes.
They are called box turtles because of their ability to close their shell like a box. As a defense, they will hide in their shell and use the hinge on their plastron to close the gap between the carapace and the plastron, shutting the shell completely.
Box turtles are often mistaken as tortoises, due to the domed shape of their shell. However, they are more closely related to turtles, as they are omnivores and have slightly webbed toes.
Their home range is restricted to the size of a football field. As terrestrial turtles, they spend their time on land, although they will stay close to water and enjoy soaking in shallow waters.
During the winter from November to March, they will burrow 2 feet down in the soil and brumate, entering a state of inactivity. Often, they return to the same location multiple years in a row to burrow into the same hibernaculum.

Diet

Omnivorous. Insects, spiders, snails, worms, other small vertebrates, carrion, greens, veggies, and fruit.

Status in natural range

  • Not Evaluated

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

Three-toed Box Turtles are currently not evaluated by the IUCN. However, Box Turtles overall are under threat due to habitat destruction and collection for the pet trade

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Kenyan Sand Boa (Ambassador Animal)

Posted on by Beth LaPierre

Kenyan Sand Boa (Ambassador Animal)

(Gongylophis colubrinus)

The Zoo is home to one Kenyan Sand Boa as part of our ambassador animal program (habitat not on public display).  

Animal Facts

Kenyan Sand Boas are small snakes that spend most of their time burrowed.
Kenyan Sand Boa’s eyes, nostrils, and mouths are positioned in a way to avoid excess irritation to their eyes and accidental ingestion of sand and soil as they burrow.
Kenyan Sand Boas have blunt tails that are similarly shaped to their heads. This helps to distract a predator from their head.
Kenyan Sand Boas are ambush predators. They hide in the sand with their faces exposed, or under plants and rocks. When prey passes, they quickly strike and pull them underneath the sand, constricting them.
When food is limited, they can survive without eating for up to 1 year.

Diet

Carnivorous. Small mammals, birds, and lizards – their diet includes naked mole rats.

Status in natural range

  • Least Concern

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

Main threats to Kenyan Sand Boas are loss of habitat and illegal collection for the pet trade.

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Blue-tongue Skink (Ambassador Animal)

Posted on by Beth LaPierre

Blue-tongue Skink (Ambassador Animal)

(Tiliqua scincoides intermedia)

The Zoo is home to one Blue-tongued Skink as part of our ambassador animal program (habitat not on public display).  

Animal Facts

Blue-tongued Skinks are large, robust lizards with cylinder shaped bodies, wide, flattened heads, and short legs. They are known for their prominent blue tongues, which they use to hunt prey, ward off predators, and attract mates.
Blue-tongued skinks are well-adapted for crawling into burrows and other hiding spots for shelter and food. They have also adapted to living in suburban areas with large backyards that provide shelter. They enjoy basking in sunny paths and lawns.
Blue-tongued skinks have a “third eye” or a pineal gland on the top of their head to detect changes in light. This helps alert them to predators like birds of prey.
Females are ovoviviparous, so they give birth to live young outside of the egg sacs they develop inside their bodies.
The blue color in their tongue comes from guanine crystals in the tongue’s cells, which reflect light to make the tongue appear bright. Their tongue also reflects UV light, with the back of their tongue reflecting twice as much as the front of the tongue.

Diet

Omnivorous. Insects, snails, fruits, berries, wildflowers, and carrion

Status in The Wild

  • Least Concern

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

Main threats are invasive species and human conflict. The invasive cane toad is a significant threat to the blue-tongue skink as they are poisonous and can cause significant harm to the skinks. They can also be hurt by pesticides such as snail baits. Skinks can eat snails and slugs, as well as other invertebrates that have been poisoned, and then be poisoned themselves.

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African Bullfrog (Ambassador Animal)

Posted on by Beth LaPierre

African Bullfrog (Ambassador Animal)

(Pyxicephalus adspersus)

The Zoo is home to one African Bullfrog as part of our ambassador animal program (habitat not on public display).  

Animal Facts

African Bullfrogs are the largest species of frog in Southern Africa, and second largest in Africa. Males can grow to 9.5 inches long, and females grow to 4.5 inches, while they can weigh 2-5 pounds.
During the dry season, African Bullfrogs will go into a period of inactivity called estivation that can last from 10 months up to 2 years. They will burrow in the soil and grow a cocoon of skin layers to retain moisture and wait for the rainy season.
Male African Bullfrogs provide parental care by watching over and defending the eggs and tadpoles. They will defend their offspring by jumping at any approaching animals that they perceive as threats.
Large males will duel each other during breeding season, which involves them bellowing loudly and biting each other.
Female African Bullfrogs lay clutches of 1,600 to 4,000 eggs. The eggs hatch in 1-2 days and undergo metamorphosis in 18-33 days. The tadpoles have a limited amount of time to develop before the breeding pools dry up again.

Diet

Carnivorous. Insects, reptiles, small birds and mammals, other frogs. African Bullfrogs are ambush predators. They will sit and wait, in shallow water or mud, and quickly grab prey that comes close. They will eat whatever might fit in their mouths.

Status in The Wild

  • Least Concern

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

This species faces threats of climate change and habitat loss. As climates change, dry seasons may become longer, or the rainy season may not provide enough water to form ponds for reproduction.

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Domestic Rabbit (Ambassador Animal)

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Domestic Rabbit

(Oryctolagus cuniculus)

The Zoo is home to one domestic rabbit as part of our Ambassador Animal collection. 

Animal Facts

Brown coat, with black and gray sprinkled throughout. Their underside is paler gray. This color helps them camouflage within their environments.
They have a short tail that has a white underside. The white undertail can serve as a beacon to warn other rabbits that a predator is there. Additionally, their tail can be used to confuse predators. The white tail will be a point of focus for the predator so as the rabbit zigzags and takes sharp turns it will be hard for the predator to keep focus on that one spot.
European rabbits are primarily crepuscular, being most active around dawn and dusk. They sleep on average 8 hours a day in short bursts. Additionally, they will sleep with their eyes open to keep an eye out for potential predators, using their nictitating membrane to keep their eyes moist.
Rabbits communicate with each other through physical, vocal, and chemical cues. One important physical cue would be standing up on hind legs, ears straight, and nose rapidly twitching. This signals to other rabbits that they need to be alert and potentially be ready to run because a threat may be nearby
Female rabbits experience postpartum estrus allowing them to reproduce quickly. Females are also capable of rejecting the fetus or reabsorb the embryo if conditions are not ideal for reproduction. Females can produce 7-8 liters per year.

Diet

Herbivore. Grasses, leaves, flowers, bark, roots, grains, vegetables, cecotropes, pellets, timothy hay, greens and veggies.

Status in The Wild

  • Endangered (native range)

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

Domestic rabbit natural habitats include grassland, shrubland, savanna, forest. Their range extends the Iberian Peninsula (including Spain, Portugal, and southwestern France), western France, and the northern Atlas Mountains in Northwest Africa.

Introduced countries: Albania, Algeria, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States.

They prefer mixed habitats of Mediterranean oak savanna or scrub-forest, or areas with around 40% cover for shelter from predators and open areas that support their diet of grasses and cereals. They are also often found in areas with high density of managed farmland. Soft soil is preferred for building warrens and in rockier habitats they will often use scrubs as their shelter.

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Asian Common Toad (Ambassador Animal)

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Asian Spiny Toad (Ambassador Animal)

(Duttaphrynus melanostictus)

The Zoo is home to one Asian common toad, also known as spiny toads, as part of our ambassador animal program (habitat not on public display).

Animal Facts

Asian common toads are stout, mid to large sized toads with a modestly sized head and short limbs. They have thick dry skin with prominent cranial ridges and protruding parotid glands that secretes their bufotoxin.
Colors can be extremely variable from plain brick red to fully black, with the most common colors being pale yellow brown marked boldly with dark or reddish-brown streaks and spots.
Their backs are covered with a series of warts varying in sizes and are encircled with black or dark pigments and spine protrusions.
When it comes to choosing habitats, they prefer lowland areas such as lowland disturbed forests, forest margins, riparian areas, dense evergreen forests, gardens, and human dominated agricultural and urban areas.
Asian common toads are nocturnal, coming out shortly after sunset in search of insects to feed on. In human inhabited areas, large groups can be seen below streetlights collect the insects swarming around the lights.

Diet

Insectivore. Insects, various arthropods, crickets, mealworms, and occasionally pinkies.

Status in The Wild

  • Least Concern

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

This species can be found in temperate, subtropical, and tropical habitats up to 2000 meters (1.24 miles) above sea level. Thier natural range extends Southern China, India, Southeast Asia.

There are no imminent threats to Asian common toad populations. It is sometimes found in the international pet trade but not at levels that constitute a major threat. They are also eaten locally in northern Thailand. Another minor threat would be water pollution having affects on eggs and tadpoles.

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Degu (Ambassador Animal)

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Degu

(Octodon degus)

The Zoo is home to three degus in our Ambassador Animal collection. As such they are not kept in public view, but available for various programs, classes, ZooMobiles, birthday parties etc. 

Animal Facts

Degus have yellowish-brown fur on their heads and backs with lighter undersides. The fur above and below the eyes is also lighter, and their large ears are darkly pigmented and lightly haired. The tail is moderately long with a short, black tufted tip.
Long, comb-like bristles project over claws on the hind feet. They have five clawed toes on their front feet and four on the bristled hindfeet.
Cheekteeth are hypsodont (high-crowned teeth and enamel extending past the gumline) with the biting surface resembling a figure eight.
There is no sexual dimorphism, but males tend to be about 10% larger than females.
Degus are semi-fossorial (fossorial means adapted to digging and living primarily underground), and they form digging chains to excavate elaborate burrow systems.

Diet

Herbivorous. Grasses, leaves, and bark of shrubs and seeds in nature. Rodent chow, greens, vegetables, hay and seeds in conservation care.

Status in The Wild

  • Least Concern

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

There are no imminent threats to the survival of common degus. However, they are sometimes taken from their natural range for the pet trade.

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Borneo eared frog

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Borneo Eared Frog

(Polypedates otilophus)

There are a few Borneo eared frogs at the Zoo that came to us in 2021 from Houston Zoo.

Animal Facts

Nocturnal or crepuscular, generally arboreal, found near water. Not poisonous.
Males call and females toe-tap in response when looking for mates.
Eggs are laid in a foam nest, above water in spring, tadpoles fall into the water, metamorphosis in 8-10 weeks.

Diet

The Borneo eared frog eats a diet of insects and other invertebrates, smaller frogs; as tadpoles they eat mainly algae

Status in The Wild

  • Least Concern

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

These frogs are found in the forests and wetlands of Borneo, Indonesia, and Malaysia. These frogs are arboreal and commonly seen clinging to vegetation, a few yards from the ground.

The population is decreasing, but this species is listed as Least Concern due to its wide distribution and tolerance for some degree of habitat modification.  Although the frogs are rarer within some areas of their range, the overall population is also presumed to be large. The principal threat to the species is rapid clear-cutting of lowland tropical rainforest in forest timber concession land and for large-scale oil palm plantations.  The species is also collected for the pet trade.

 

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Ring-neck Parakeet (Ambassador Animal)

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Ring-neck Parakeet

(Psittacula krameri)

Seneca Park Zoo is the home to one female ring-neck parakeet named Stella. Her habitat is inside the annex as part of the program animal collection.

Animal Facts

Ring-neck parakeets have a green body with a red beak. They have a long, pointed tail that can be up to 10 inches long, more than half of the body's length.
Gregarious and loud. These birds use a shared roost throughout the year. The number of parakeets in the roost during spring decreases dramatically because the female birds stay on their nests while the males return to the roost. They do not migrate and are well adapted to living in areas that are affected by humans.
They have been kept as pets since ancient Greek and Roman times. Alexandrine parakeets (a close relative of the ring-neck parakeet) are named after Alexander the Great, who transported these birds from India to Europe.

Diet

Ring-neck parakeets  are herbivorous, feeding on buds, seeds, grains, fruits, vegetation, and nuts.

Status in The Wild

  • Least Concern

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

Ring-neck parakeets range widely throughout Central Africa, India, and neighboring countries.

This parrot is not very picky when it comes to its habitat, inhabiting light secondary forest, riparian woodland, mangroves, savanna grasslands, and deserts. They are often found on farms, in urban and suburban environments, and in parks and gardens.

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