Leahgates

Submitted by: Unknown

Submitted by: Unknown

An elderly South American Coati unexpectedly gave birth to two healthy pups at Zoo Budapest. In the wild, Coatis rarely live longer than seven to eight years, but they have been known to live up to 17 years in captivity. The mother of these two pups, Juliet, is 15 years old. The Zoo's press release notes that "it is almost a matter of biological peculiarity" that she has successfully given birth to two healthy pups at her advanced age. At four years old, the pups' sire has only been sexually mature for about half a year, making the parents quite the unlikely pair!

Zoo staff were concerned that the elderly mother would not be able to raise both pups on her own, so one pup is staying with mom while the other is being hand-raised by human caregivers. As an adult, the hand-raised pup will be used for educational programs at the zoo. The pups are now about three weeks old.

Photo credits: Zoo Budapest

See and learn more after the fold!

South American Coatis, native to Central and South America, are a member of the raccoon family. They eat a variety of insects and small vertebrates as well as fruits and berries. They tend to be active during the day and sleep at night curled up in trees with their noses tucked to their bellies. Despite the ever-present threat of deforestation, these tree-dwelling mammals are very common and ranked as a species of Least Concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species. After a gestation period of 44 days, females will generally give birth to up to four pups. 

The San Antonio Zoo welcomed a very special arrival to their aquarium: a two-headed (bicephalic) Texas River Cooter named Thelma and Louise! Thelma and Louise were part of a quartet of Texas Cooters hatched at the zoo on June 18 that made their public debut on June 25.

Craig Pelke, Curator of Reptiles, Amphibians, and Aquatics, notes that while this is uncommon, it is not unheard of in both the wild and captive populations. Bicephalic animals are actually twins that did not separate, resulting in two or more heads on one animal. Bicephaly occurs most commonly with snakes and turtles, without any accompanying health issues. Pelke said, “At this time, Thelma and Louise are doing well on exhibit and eating with both heads!”

Photo Credit: San Antonio Zoo

The San Antonio Zoo is no stranger to two-headed reptiles. A two-headed Texas rat snake named Janus lived there from 1978 until it passed away in 1995. Visitors can see the Cooter hatchlings in the Friedrich Aquarium located inside the zoo.

See more photos below the fold:

Two baby Oriental Small-clawed Otters born in April at Switzerland's Zoo Basel are providing endless entertainment as they play with the Rhinoceros family that shares their exhibit.








Photo Credit:  Zoo Basel

The first time that one-year-old bull Rhinoceros Jari came to the enclosure, the otters all ran along behind him and boldly nipped his hind legs. Fortunately, Jari has very thick skin – and lucky for the otters, Jari’s mother chose to chastise them by simply ignoring them and walking off.

When the Otters aren’t pestering the Rhinos, they  are often followed around by young wild Crows, who peck them from behind with their beaks.  When the inter-species conflict subsides, the adult Otters are teaching the two youngsters their Otter ABCs.   The first lesson: how to dive without drowning.

Zoo Basel’s Otter/Rhino enclosure is specifically designed to meet the needs of these agile little rascals. Aside from dens where they can produce their young, the exhibit is surrounded by a shallow stream where the Otters search for food.  Basking areas and the tree stump are also popular, offering visitors a wonderful view of the animals. 

Oriental Small-clawed Otters are one of the few Otter species to live together in large extended families. They live in Asia next to rivers and shallow waters, and feed primarily on smaller aquatic life, Snails, and Mussels. Unlike other Otters, they do not hunt for fish in deep water, but instead feel around in the watery sludge for food using their finger-like paws. When they catch something, they first wash it before chowing down.

See more photos of the Otters below the fold.

Squee! Spotter: sixonefive72 (via Kristen Gilpen)

Submitted by: Unknown (via Tastefully Offensive)

The Andean Bear cub born at the Phoenix Zoo in January needs a name, and you are invited to vote through Sunday, June 30.

Photo Credit:  Joseph Becker

 

The cub’s keepers have selected four names that they feel represent the little cub’s personality.  The potential names are:

Arturo: meaning ‘bear’ and ‘courageous’

Javier: meaning ‘born in January’

Luka: meaning ‘light’ in reference to the white spectacle markings around Andean bears’ eyes

Pepe: meaning ‘he will grow’

Voting will run until 8 p.m. Pacific Time on Sunday, June 30. The results will then be tabulated and the new name will be announced on Tuesday, July 2.

The cub and his mother, Rio, remain behind the scenes at the zoo.  You first met the cub on ZooBorns in April, but as you can see from the photos, he is growing fast.  The cub will make his public debut sometime later this year. 

Andean Bears, also called Spectacled Bears, are native to the Andes Mountains of South America, where they are listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.  Only 2,000-2,400 remain in the wild.

See more photos of the cub below the fold.

Squee! Spotter: sixonefive72

LoL by: MirageBD

Four Asian Small-clawed Otter pups, seen here with their older siblings, were born on March 23 to parents Asia and Tuan at Australia’s Perth Zoo. They've recently begun to venture out of their nest box to explore their surroundings and take a dip. The two males and two females are the third litter born at Perth Zoo in the past 12 months as part of an Australasian breeding program for the species.

The pups have begun taking swimming lessons from their four male older siblings in the afternoons. The big brothers also carry food into the nest box for the youngsters! Though the female is dominant, the males take an active role in rearing pups, including nest building, supplying food to the female and pups during weaning and teaching the pups to swim. Senior vet, Dr. Simone Vitali, said, “This is very important to the development of the older male siblings, as well as important for the regional breeding program.”

Pictures courtesy of Perth Zoo.

The Asian Small-clawed Otter is the smallest of the 13 otter species, weighing just 3.5kg when fully grown.  They live in streams, rivers, marshes and rice paddies and also along sea coasts and in mangroves. They are found in parts of India, southern China, Malaysia and Indonesia.

See more pictures and continue reading the pups story after the fold:

Swimming lessons were temporarily put on hold during today for Dr. Vitali to check the progress of the 12-week-old water babies. Dr. Vitali gave them their vaccinations and a routine health check and reports, “They are looking very healthy and progressing well, weighing between 550 and 780 grams each. These pups are quite active for their age, possibly due to the fact that they have older siblings.”

The breeding success follows the arrival in Perth in 2011 of four new breeding animals from overseas zoos, providing new bloodlines for the regional breeding program. Last year the older siblings were the first Otters born at the zoo in 18 years. The zoo's second Otter family comprised of a breeding male and female and their four offspring (born last year) were transferred by air to their new home at Adelaide Zoo in mid May as part of the same program. 

The best time of day to see the pups from 2:00-5:00 p.m., as they tend to take their swimming lessons then and are generally out for a feed during this time.

For the first time, Monterey Bay Aquarium has welcomed Sailfin Sculpin babies! Hatched behind the scenes, the young fish can now be seen on exhibit. Notable for their conspicuous spiked dorsal fins, Sailfin Sculpin frequent tidepools along the Pacific Coast. Although common, they can be hard to spot, as their colors blend with the seaweeds and rocks.






Photo credits: Monterey Bay Aquarium