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Category: Animals

Naked Mole Rat

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Naked Mole Rat

(Heterocephalus glaber)

Seneca Park Zoo is home to two colonies of naked mole rats. Their habitat is located inside the new Animals of the Savanna building.

Animal Facts

A common alternative name for the naked mole rat is “sand puppy”.
Naked mole rats are one of two mammal species that are eusocial, living in colonies much like bees and ants, with one queen. The queen must earn the position, and becomes the only breeding female in the colony.
Naked mole rats have adaptations to resist aging and cancer. They are being studied by scientists to see if these adaptations can be applied to save human lives.

Diet

As herbivores, naked mole rats primarily feed on tubers.

Status in The Wild

  • Least Concern

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

Naked mole rats are found in the grasslands of Somalia, central Ethiopia, and northern and eastern Kenya. They dig underground tunnels and can survive with minimal oxygen.

This species occurs in many protected areas throughout their natural range, and has a well-established breeding population in conservation care.

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California Sea Lion

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California Sea Lion

(Zalophus californianus)

Seneca Park Zoo is home to four sea lions, three females and one male. Lily, the oldest female, was born in 2009. She was found stranded on a beach in Los Angeles County and rehabilitated at the Marine Mammal Care Center at Fort MacArthur in San Pedro, California. Her male offspring, Bob, was born here at the Zoo in June 2017. Females Mary Lou and Daley came to the Zoo in November 2017 from SeaWorld Orlando.

Experience: Rocky Coast Tour

Animal Facts

A sea lion can dive up to 450-feet deep and remain submerged for 20 minutes without a breath.
Sea lions are different from seals in many ways. One difference is that sea lions have ear flaps called pinnea, which seals lack.
Natural predators of the sea lion are orcas and white sharks.
Sea lions move pretty well on land, using their hind flippers and fore flippers as feet.
Sea lions are some of the most gregarious sea mammals. They can form groups on land upwards of a thousand individuals at a time.

Diet

The sea lion eats fish, octopus, squid, mollusks and crustaceans.
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Status in The Wild

  • Least Concern

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

California sea lions live on offshore rocks and beaches on the Pacific west coast of North America from British Columbia to the coast of Mexico.

The California sea lion is a protected species throughout its range. Sea lions are known to damage fishing gear and steal or destroy fish, but can get caught or killed through this type of behavior. Despite conflicts with commercial and sport fisheries, the population continues to survive.

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Bald Eagle

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Bald Eagle

(Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

There is one male bald eagle, Maverick, at Seneca Park Zoo. Maverick was born around 2012 and arrived at the Zoo in 2016. He had suffered wing injuries in their natural ranges and cannot fly. Only bald eagles that have been determined to be unable to live in their natural range are kept in conservation care, where they can thrive without threats to their survival.

Animal Facts

Bald eagles have a brown body and a snow-white head and tail, a feather coloration which is not attained until the bird turns 5.
The bald eagle builds the largest nest of any North American bird, up to 13-feet deep, 8-feet wide and 1 ton in weight.
“Bald” in the English name is derived from the word “piebald,” and refers to the white head and tail feathers in contrast to the darker body, not a state of being featherless.
A bald eagle has a 6- to 7-foot wingspan.

Diet

The bald eagle is carnivorous and eats fish, birds, rodents, snakes and carrion.

Status in The Wild

  • Least Concern

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

Bald eagles live in North America from Florida to Alaska. They roost in tall trees near clean, fish-filled water in undeveloped areas.

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Sandhill Crane

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Sandhill Crane

(Grus canadensis)

Seneca Park Zoo is home to one male sandhill crane who joined the Zoo in July 2019 and one female who joined him in September of 2022. Their habitat can be found in the Rocky Coasts area.

Animal Facts

Family groups may join together with non-mated cranes to form survival groups that feed and roost together at migratory stop-over sights.
Some of these migratory stop-over sites may have as many as 40,000 birds.

Diet

Sandhill cranes are omnivorous. Seeds, plant tubers, grains, berries, insects, worms, mice, snakes, lizards, frogs and crayfish comprise their diet. Unlike other wading birds, sandhill cranes do not fish.
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Status in The Wild

  • Least Concern

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

North America, except for the northeast U.S. Summers in the arctic of Alaska and Canada and winters in Florida, Texas, northern Mexico and southern California. Sandhill cranes live in open grasslands, wet meadows, freshwater marshes and bogs.

Loss and degradation of riverine and wetland ecosystems are the most important threats to sandhill crane populations. For the migratory subspecies (Lesser, Greater and Canadian), this is of greatest concern in staging and wintering areas in the southern United States and northern Mexico. Spring staging areas along the Platte River in Nebraska are of special concern because of their importance to the migratory subspecies and the development pressures facing this region. Approximately 80% of all sandhill cranes utilize a 75-mile stretch of the Platte River in spring migration. Elsewhere, small breeding populations can face disproportionate mortality on fall staging areas due to over-hunting. Residential and commercial development pressures facing lands occupied by birds belonging to non-migratory subspecies (Mississippi, Florida and Cuban) also pose significant threats.

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Taveta Golden Weaver

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Taveta Golden Weaver

(Ploceus castaneiceps)

Seneca Park Zoo is the home to a flock of Taveta golden weavers. They can be found in the large aviary inside the Animals of the Savanna building.

Animal Facts

Males are a vibrant yellow color with green wings, whereas females are a more muted olive-yellow color.
Taveta weavers are classified as songbirds, however their “song” is loud and harsh.
Female weavers choose their mate based on the male’s ability to weave an intricate nest.

Diet

Taveta golden weavers are omnivores. They primarily feed on seeds, but can also eat grains, grasses and insects.
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Status in The Wild

  • Least Concern

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

These weavers are found in parts of Kenya and Tanzania. They inhabit a variety of habitats, including forests, wetlands, and savannas.

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Western Rat Snake

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Western Rat Snake

(Pantherophis obsoletus)

Seneca Park Zoo is home to one western rat snake, a male named Pugsly. The rat snakes are a part of the Zoo’s ambassador animal program.

Animal Facts

Snake scales are made out of a protein called keratin, the same stuff that makes up human fingernails.
The western rat snake is one of the longest snakes found in North America, reaching lengths of 8 feet or more.
When threatened, rat snakes may shake their tail to mimic a rattlesnake, a more dangerous venomous snake.

Diet

The western rat snake is an opportunistic feeder, meaning it will go after a wide range of available prey including mice, rats, other snakes, lizards, bird eggs, songbirds, squirrels, and frogs. These snakes can go for more than a week without food.

Status in The Wild

  • Least Concern

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

The western rat snake has one of the largest distributions of all common rat snakes. They can be found in northern New York down through Georgia, and west across Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Similarly, they can also be found in a wide range of habitats, from sea level to high elevations, such as the Appalachian Mountains, to rocky hillsides and flat farmlands.

The western rat snake is listed as least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in view of its wide distribution, tolerance of moderate habitat modification, and presumed large population. However, they occasionally become victims of roadkill and also get killed by humans when mistaken for venomous snakes.

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Largemouth Bass

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Largemouth Bass

(Micropterus salmoides)

Two largemouth bass reside in the pond along the Genesee Trail. Often stocked for sport fishing, this fish is now common throughout the United States.

Animal Facts

The largemouth bass derives its name from the fact that the rear end of the lower jaw extends past the eye, while that of a smallmouth does not.
It is known by a variety of regional names, such as the widemouth bass, bigmouth bass, black bass, bucketmouth, largies, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, bucketmouth bass, Green trout, gilsdorf bass, Oswego bass, LMB, and southern largemouth and northern largemouth.

Diet

Invertebrates and small fish.

Status in The Wild

  • Least Concern

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

Freshwater lakes, streams and ponds with bottom cover such as logs, rocks, vegetation.

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Madagascar Hissing Cockroach

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Madagascar Hissing Cockroach

(Gromphadorhina portentosa)

Seneca Park Zoo raises a colony of Madagascar hissing cockroaches, both young and old and both males and females.

Animal Facts

When threatened, they hiss by forcibly pushing air out of tiny breathing holes.
Males can be distinguished by small – but prominent – bumpy horns near their head that are used to intimidate rival males during breeding.
They hiss when disturbed or when defending territory, and to attract a mate, males hiss more than females
Cockroaches are a very old insect species with some fossilized estimated to be three hundred million years old!
Slow moving and docile, cannot fly.

Diet

Like other cockroaches, Madagascar hissing cockroaches are decomposers, meaning they feed on dead and decaying organic matter. They prefer plant sources such as fallen leaves and fruit.

Status in The Wild

  • Least Concern

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

As the name suggests, Madagascar hissing cockroaches are only found in Madagascar, a large island nation off the southeast coast of mainland Africa. They prefer to live on the floor of tropical forests.

Although not yet evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), they are considered not threatened because of their observable large population size. However, their forest habitats are some of the most threatened areas in Madagascar due to deforestation for mining and agricultural purposes. As decomposers, these cockroaches are important nutrient-cyclers in the local food chains.

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Lake Sturgeon

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Lake Sturgeon

(Acipenser fulvescens)

Called the “Dinosaurs of the Great Lakes,” the lake sturgeon is the oldest and largest native species of fish in the Great Lakes. Because of this, sturgeon are kind of like swimming fossils. Lake sturgeon are bottom-feeders with sensitive spade-like snouts and armor-like plates for protection. Fingerling sturgeon are raised at the Zoo, and some are released into the Genesee River each year as part of a reintroduction program led by the USGS and NYSDEC. The Zoo’s sturgeon reside in the E.C.O. Center.

Animal Facts

Lake sturgeon have inhabited the Great Lakes for more than 10,000 years.
Like sharks, sturgeon lack scales and are cartilaginous, which means they do not have bones. However, sturgeons do have scutes, which are hard plates that act as armor to provide them protection.
Full grown sturgeon can weigh as much as 200 pounds and grow to be up to seven-feet long.
Caviar, a delicacy for humans, is simply eggs from sturgeon.
The fossil record of a sturgeon shows that they have remained relatively unchanged for more than 100 million years.

Diet

These carnivores eat snails, mollusks, worms, crayfish and larvae.

Status in The Wild

  • Vulnerable

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

Lake sturgeon inhabit the waters of the Great Lakes region, especially the Huron-Erie Corridor.

Lake sturgeon were once so abundant in the Great Lakes region that they were caught and discarded by fishermen. Today they are rarely seen and are considered a threatened and vulnerable species. Over harvested for their eggs, oil and meat, the lake sturgeon’s numbers have also dropped because its spawning grounds are being destroyed and polluted. The lake sturgeon’s extremely slow reproductive cycle also makes it susceptible to decline. In 2003, the U.S. Geological Survey along with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation stocked the Genesee River with 1,900 juvenile lake sturgeon in an effort to restore the species to its natural habitat.

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Madagascar Tree Boa

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Madagascar Tree Boa

(Sanzinia madagascariensis)

There is one male Madagascar tree boa at Seneca Park Zoo. He was born in 2007 and came to the Zoo in 2015.

Animal Facts

While they provide some protection for the skin, the major role of scales is to prevent water loss – they provide a water-tight covering preventing dehydration for ectothermic animals that depend on basking in the sun for their body heat.
Though referred to as a tree boa, this snake is more commonly found on the ground. It’s designation as a tree boa perhaps stems from the fact that it is more arboreal than the other boas found on Madagascar.
The offspring of tree boas are a brilliant scarlet color, with darker markings, presumably as a mimicry warning coloration against predators and also as camouflage amongst the brightly colored treetop flowers.

Diet

Madagascar tree boas feed primarily on birds, bats and small, ground-dwelling mammals.
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Status in The Wild

  • Least Concern

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

This snake is found solely on the island of Madagascar and on the small nearby island of Nosy Be. It can be found throughout the islands’ forested habitats, primarily where water is nearby.

Though very common throughout Madagascar, these snakes are still considered at risk. Their habitat is being lost through deforestation and mining. It is believed that only 15% of Madagascar’s original forested areas remain. Listed as CITES Appendix I, which means that it is threatened with extinction and CITES prohibits international trade except when the purpose of the import is not commercial, (example: scientific research). Though sales are prohibited, there is still a problem with illegal pet trade.

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