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Did you know that both red pandas and giant pandas have pseudothumbs? Although they belong to different families (giant pandas are part of the Ursidae or bear family, while red pandas belong to the family Ailuridae), they both evolved with this same feature independently. This is called convergent evolution. Just like the giant pandas, red … Continue reading "Panda Updates – Wednesday, March 11"

Join us for a quick game to learn about and connect with your favorite African savanna animal. You may be asked to be an elephant migrating across the savanna, design part of an elephant habitat, show off your knowledge about predator/prey adaptations, or more. Games are typically geared towards families with children 6-10 years old, … Continue reading "Games on the Savanna"

I would like to introduce you to a couple of new golden lion tamarin faces here at Zoo Atlanta! Blixx and Harley, both golden lion tamarins, joined Zoo Atlanta per the recommendations of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Golden Lion Tamarin Species Survival Plan® (SSP) back in the fall. SSPs oversee all species … Continue reading "New golden lion tamarin faces"

The Panda Care Team sometimes gets asked how to tell Ya Lun and Xi Lun apart from each other. They both have some unique physical traits, but they also have very different personalities, and I thought I’d share some of those differences so that if you’re ever at the Zoo, on our social media networks, … Continue reading "Panda Updates – Monday, March 9"

Learn all about warthogs from our animal care team.

Greetings from the Scaly, Slimy and Spectacular! The first species you will encounter upon entering Scaly Slimy Spectacular (as long as you keep your eyes peeled) are two west African slender-snouted crocodiles (Mecistops cataphractus). The reason you may have trouble spotting our two crocodiles (Meci and Babu) is because they spend a lot of time … Continue reading "How do crocodiles stay submerged so long?"

It is well known that in this age of technology children today are growing up with a much larger distance from the natural world than the generations before them. It is also well established through research that exposure to nature has distinctive benefits for youth, both social-emotionally and physically. As educators, we can bridge some … Continue reading "Gardening: Creating classroom connections"

With each enrichment activity or item offered, the Panda Care Team has a specific goal in mind. Certain enrichment might create a puzzle the pandas can try to solve to mentally challenge them. Other things might be novel foods, new smells, or simply something they can roll around and play with. Sometimes, despite well thought-out … Continue reading "Panda Updates – Wednesday, March 4"

Water scarcity seems like a silly topic to talk about on a planet that has 71% of its surface covered in water. You might even be wondering why you should ever worry about saving water. After all, there are 326 million trillion gallons of water on Earth, and that amount always remains constant. Even when … Continue reading "Why should I think about water conservation?"

Many of you may not know that being a Bird Keeper at Zoo Atlanta doesn’t just mean caring for the strange or exotic, but also caring for the hundreds of native birds found all over Zoo grounds. More than 75% of North American songbird populations are in decline, with 1 in 4 birds having disappeared … Continue reading "Teaming up for native birds"