The Animals of Environmental Education

1. The Animals of Environmental Education

2. Great Horned Owl • Bubo virginanius • “Aldo” is 24 yrs. Old, imprinted male • life expectancy over 40 years in capivity • Note the facial disk, feathered feet, blunt wings, talons. • head will swivel 270 degrees

3. Great Horned Owl • Eyeballs as large as ours, fixed • visual acuity 100X ours in dim light. (5-7 X in normal light) B & W vision only. • hear animal sounds at 1/4 mile. • No sense of smell • Aldo is an imprint. • Great horns are crepuscular.

4. Bull Snake • Largest snake in KS • Keeled scales, grow to 6 ft plus • Habitat is open grassland, open woodland and edge. • hiss and bluff, won’t usually strike • Diurnal • Primarily a rodentivore, will take birds/eggs • worth over $1000 to a farmer in less rat damage

5. Chinchilla • Thick furred Andean member of the rodent order. • Needs occasional dust baths to keep fur clean • 60 hairs per folicle • ranched for their fur • thin ribs, hold by the tail

6. California King Snake • king snakes are so named because they eat other snakes • many are lizard eaters as well • very popular pet snake • banded and striped phases • Maximum 4 feet • after a good meal it can go several more months without any food • immune to the venom of other snakes

7. Rosy-Haired Tarantula • arachnid, spider, primitive wandering spiders • most common pet tarantula • females live up to 20 years • males only 1 year • covered with utricating (irritating) hairs • All spiders are venomous but only two local ones are dangerous

8. Mexican Red-kneed Tarantula • Most popular tarantula pet • Extremely docile and unlikely to bite • Formerly common in desert SW • Now a threatened species because of collectors. • We currently do not have one

9. Leopard Gecko • docile, easy to handle, • captive bred • segmented tail • nocturnal • insectivore

10. Cockatiel • originally from Australian interior • great whistler, poor talker • males more brightly colored • numerous breeds, found in parrot order. • diet of nuts and seeds, approximately 8 in. tall, life expectancy 15-20 yrs.

11. African Pygmy Hedgehog • very popular exotic pet • insectivore, will also rob ground bird nests. • live 3-5 years • nocturnal • cannot shoot quills which are glued hairs • will jump or twitch to poke a predator with quills

12. Ferret • Domesticated European Polecat • domesticated 300 BC - Egypt • member of the weasel family • brought to America for rodent control • very strong musk glands, flexible back bone • predator, preys on mice

13. Piranha • carnivore, not as dangerous as portrayed • evolved from fin-nipper parasites • razor sharp teeth • 15 different species, this is a red-bellied.

14. Texas Long-nosed snake • On the Ks state endangered species list • primarily a lizard eater, noses around in leaf litter • We no longer have one

15. Rabbit • not a rodent, a lagamorph • lagamorphs are rabbits, hares and pikas • originally from Southern Europe and North Africa • live in “warrens” except cottontail

16. W. Painted Turtle • formerly sold as pets by the 1000s • source of salmonella • males with long front claws for courtship • basking turtle • carnivore/omnivore

17. Red-eared Slider • Chrysemys scripta • red or yellow patch behind eye • most common local pond turtle • also called pond slider • strong swimmers

18. Sulcata Tortoise • “Jackson” is only 14 years old • 3rd largest species in the world • from sub-saharan africa

19. Guinea Pig • No longer classed as rodents • bred for food in tropics • can live without water if fed vegetables • also called cavy • require little attention and care to keep them happy • We currently don’t have one

20. Zebra Finches • Most common of the society finches • Sexual dimorphism, males more brightly colored • Often used to study social structure, organization

21. Gerbil • originally a desert dweller • one of the least likely to bite rodent pets • elongated back legs • good hopping and jumping ability • live in dry, sandy, or sparsely vegetated areas of Africa and Asia

22. Bearded Dragon • Native of Australia • Common pet lizard, grow to by 2 feet in length • carnivore/omnivore that will eat prepared food

23. Desert King Snake • predator of the rattlesnake

24. Gopher Snake • from SW U.S. • relative of the bull snake

25. Prairie King Snake • Most rodentivorous of the local king snakes • Blotched pattern is common camoflage pattern among snakes

26. Plated Lizard • Native of the Sudan • Gentle, easy to raise lizard • Member of the race-runner lizard family, fold along the body is distinctive

27. Fire-bellied Toad • From Asia • The warning coloration on the belly indicates it is distasteful • Not toxic to us like a poison arrow frog would be

28. Corn Snake • Named because of the pattern on the belly, not necessarily found in corn fields • Good climber, member of the rat snake family

29. Rats • belong to the largest family of rodents • responsible for more deaths than any other animal • raised for snake food, owl food • nocturnal

30. Ball Python • Small member of python family • Also called Royal Python • Curls in a ball when threatened

31. Mice • small domesticated rodent • raised for snake food • important as a research animal

32. Tiger salamander • Found state-wide • hibernate and estivate • state amphibian

33. Iguana • Common green iguana Iguana iguana • “chicken of the trees” • common food in Central America • was endangered but rescued by breeding programs • will dive from trees into water to escape a predator • up to 6 feet long (mostly tail) • 700 species • they are a source of salmonella • Vegetarian • Poor pet because they grow too large