This should be a fun assignment, especially if you take a friend with you.  This will be a bit easier if you will prepare ahead of time.  First, read through these questions and make sure you understand all of them.   Some terms will be explained on signs at the park, but you have no way of knowing which until you are there.   Also, plan on taking this handout and a pen or pencil; binoculars, camera, and clipboard could be useful, too. The classification at the end will be easier if you will keep a list of species you've seen.   Allow four hours or more  to see everything.

        Use this form as a rough worksheet;  after your tour, please copy the text of this document into your own word processing file, fill it out on a computer, and print a clean copy to turn in.  This will make it easier and faster for me to read.   A handwritten draft will not be accepted.   Each student must submit his/her own paper with individually unique answers.

        I have tried to make this exercise as current as possible, but please understand that displays change, sometimes from day to day, and some animals may be hiding when you are there.   If you can't find an answer to a question,  it may not be your fault.   Items marked with an asterisk (*) will probably require some looking up after your trip.

ENJOY YOURSELF !!
 

Your NAME ______________________                               date of visit:  ___________
(Please attach your entry fee receipt or a copy of your membership card.)

other members of your party:                                                      arrival time:  ________________
    _________________
    _________________                                                            departure time:  ______________
    _________________
 

Exhibit Questions--15 points.

FLAMINGO PLAZA and AFRICAN ELEPHANTS 

Which flamingo species is exhibited here?

What is the habitat of flamingoes? 

Why do flamingoes sometimes stand on one leg?

How long can a flamingo live in captivity?

What do wild flamingoes eat? 

Is a flamingo heavier or lighter than a southern ground hornbill?   By how much? 

What tall grass is seen around the flamingo exhibit and elsewhere in the zoo?

What is the status of the African elephant in the wild?

How much can a male African elephant weigh?

What are subsonic sounds, and how does an elephant use them?

What does a matriarch know?

What are two functions of an elephant's heel pads?

When is Dottie's calf due?

*  What is the gestation period of an African elephant? 

What are the names of Zoo Atlanta's other two African elephants?

How much water does an elephant drink in a day?

How many muscles are in an elephant's trunk?

What is the habitat of the blue crane blue?    

Could blue cranes and meercats be seen in the same place?  Why or why not?

What do lappet-faced vultures eat?   

Why do southern ground hornbills sometimes lay on the ground?

What is the name of the warthog piglet?

What is the status meerkats in the wild? 

*Is a meerkat a cat?  To what are meerkats more closely related?   

What do the letters AZA mean?

What is the status of the Black Rhino?

How has the population of black rhinos changed from 1993-2002?

How long does a black rhinoceros live? 

Is it possible to tell individual zebras apart?  Explain.

Why does a male ostrich sit on the nest at night? 

What is the difference between deer and antelope?

What order of mammals do both belong to?

How fast can Thompson's gazelles run?

How large is a typical waterbuck herd? 

What behavior do crowned cranes exhibit that other cranes do not?   

How much does a giraffe's eat in a day? 

How does a giraffe's blood pressure compare to a human's?  Why?

How many young giraffes live until their first birthday? 

To what is a bustard most closely related?

What part of the world do kori bustards come from?  

What is the birthdate of the lion cubs? 

Who are the primary hunters in a lion pride?

What does it mean to say lions have "retractable" claws?

What do tower building termites eat?

What is a kopje?

Give two reasons most kopjes are surrounded by shrubs (rather than grass).
    a.
    b.

What happens when a yellow-backed duiker senses danger?

What is a bongo (no, not a drum)?

What markings do you see (or could you see) on the side of a bongo?

Name the two species of lemurs in the "Treehouse" exhibit.

What part of the world do lemurs come from? 

Of the top 10 reasons to love trees, What is #1 ?

What color is the tail of a red-capped cardinal?

What animal in the treehouse flight cage is not a bird? 

Parts of the marula tree are used in cosmetics, dye, and _________. 

Why  are wild drill populations endangered?  

Where does a drill store its food?  

What two species in the monkey genus Cercopithecus are exhibited here?

The tropical rain forest is the most complex land ecosystem on Earth.  What role do tropical rain forests play in controlling global warming?   

What percentage of Earth's surface do rain forests cover?

What percentage of the world's primate species live in rain forests?

How many tree species can be found in a 4 square mile area of rain forest?

How long can vines grow in tropical rain forests? 

What proportion/percentage of modern medicines were first made from rain forest plants?

Would it be easy or hard to take a walk through a tropical rain forest?  Why?  Explain.

At what rate are tropical rain forests being destroyed?

List the three major groups (Suborders) of primates. 

            1.

            2.

            3.

Where do gorillas sleep?  (No, not "anywhere they want.")

How long do wild gorillas live?

At what age does a male gorilla become a "silverback?"

Do gorillas live with the same fellow gorillas their whole lives?    

Why are gorillas an endangered species?

What habitat do small-clawed otters live in? 

What is the conservation status of the small-clawed otter? 

What is the scientific (Latin) name of the small-clawed otter? 

* How closely is the small-clawed otter related to the North American river otter?

Does an orangutan use a computer?  Why? 

On what TWO islands do orangutans still live wild?

Why do orangutans have such long hair? 

What does an orangutan learn during its childhood?  What one animal species has a longer childhood?

How wide is an orangutan's arm span?  Why is this important to them?

How many babies does a female orangutan have in her life?

What role do male orangutans play in raising young?

*In Indonesian, the orangutan's name means _____________.

Where was "Slasher" the Komodo dragon hatched? 

How many teeth does a komodo dragon have? 

How does a komodo dragon kill its prey? 

Do wild red pandas live in large families?

How does a muntjac defend itself? 

Why does Zoo Atlanta keep the two giant pandas apart? 

How many wild giant pandas are left in China? 

What is the most common Chinese name for Ailuropoda melanoleuca? 

When was the last giant panda born in the United States? 

How much fresh bamboo do the pandas eat in a year? 

How many claws does a giant panda have on its forelimbs?

How can they grip bamboo stems?

How does a giant panda leave "scent messages" for other pandas?

Zoo Atlanta's tigers are from which subspecies?

How long does a wild tiger live?

*How does a clouded leopard compare in size to the African leopard?  

Name two endangered tortoises of Madagascar.

State three reasons the world's turtles and tortoises (populations) are declining. 

Name two species (common names) in the genus Agkistrodon.

Are the black rat snake and yellow rat snake different species?  Explain how you know. 

The Eastern diamondback rattlesnake is the largest venomous snake in North America;  What is the status of the Eastern diamondback rattlesnake in the wild? 

How heavy can a rhinoceros iguana be?

How long does an alligator snapping turtle live? 

What is the color of a Philippine palm viper?    

What color(s) is a gaboon viper?

How closely related are the rhinoceros viper and the gaboon viper?

What is the "most ferocious animal in the world?"

Why does Zoo Atlanta consider it "most ferocious?"

Name two species (scientific names) in the genus Heloderma.

*What FAMILY (scientific name) does a rough-necked monitor belong to?

Name one other member of that family seen at Zoo Atlanta.

What is the scientific name of the king cobra?

*What does that genus name mean?

What part of the world does the prehensile-tailed skink come from?

Name two snakes that are bright green.  

How many species of amphibians are on display?

What is included in a naked mole rat queen's "makeover?" 

How many babies does a naked mole rat queen produce? 

In their social behavior, naked mole rats most resemble:  A. mice,  B. chipmunks,  C. honey bees,  D. dogs,   E. elephants. 

How big are the leaves of Bigleaf magnolia? 

What color are American beautyberries? 

When did the argus pheasant chicks hatch?  

What mythological creature does "argus" refer to?  

What part of the rain forest does a chestnut-mandibled toucan live in? 

What does a  white-headed buffalo weaver eat?

How many golden lion tamarins were left in the wild in the 1970's?  What is their current population? 

Why do golden-lion tamarins have claws rather than nails?  

Sixty-three million people enjoyed bird watching in the United States in 1991; what was the economic value, in dollars, they added to the the national economy?

Why are coastal marshes critical to the fishing industry?

What's all that "green gunk?"

Why should you and I like dragonflies?

What is the scientific (Latin) name of the double-wattled cassowary?

What colors are the wattles of a double-wattled cassowary?

What is the scientific name of the red kangaroo?
 

*What does that genus name mean? 

What color(s) is Major Mitchell's cockatoo? 

What other birds at Zoo Atlanta belong to the same Order as Major Mitchell's cockatoo ?

"Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree, counting all the gum drops he can see."  Where is that gum tree? 

What does kookaburra eat? 

What order of mammals does a goat belong to? 

Peacocks are domesticated im much of the world; where do they come from originally? 

What color is the head of a sun conure?

Do sun conures live in Conyers?  Where do they live?  

On a Bali mynah, what is longer, the the leg or the tail? 

On an azure-winged magpie, what is longer, the the leg or the tail? 

What does "azure" mean?  Does it apply to the azure-winged magpie's wings? 

How far north does a Northern Helmeted Curassow live?  

Could you see a wild Northern Helmeted Curassow and a wild azure-winged magpie in the same place?

How many eggs does a white-crested laughing thrush lay in a clutch?

REVIEW of what you've seen--15 points.

What have you seen at Zoo Atlanta that you didn't expect (or didn't see that you DID expect)?  Explain in a paragraph.
 
 

What have you learned?   Explain in a paragraph.
 
 

Most endangered species are endangered for what TWO reasons?
 
 

Classification and list of ALL the animals you've seen.

Arrange mammals by order.
Arrange birds by order.
Arrange reptiles by order.
Arrange amphibians by order.
Arrange members of other groups by phylum & class.