Ask Lori an Animal Question

[madlori]

So I've been posting a lot more regularly lately, which is fun. I've not much to contribute today so I thought of doing an Ask Lori a Science Question, then it occurred to me to do a bit of a variation on it in honor of my new semi-career as zoo docent.

So today we're doing...Ask Lori an Animal Question! Wondering if bears in zoos hibernate?

Comments

[azdesertrose]

I thought I saw something recently that said that cougars are the largest cats that purr. It stuck in my head because the cougar is my college mascot.

Okay, on topic, DO bears hibernate in captivity?

[madlori]

You're right about the cougars! And their purring sounds amazing.

Bears do not hibernate in zoos because they don't need to; hibernation is a state meant to conserve resources during times of food shortage. Since bears in zoos get fed, they don't hibernate.

[foxglove_chant]

Okay, more of a personal experience animal question, but can you describe an incident you've observed at the zoo of an animal displaying behaviour that would normally be considered human, and which you found surprising? (Okay, I'm sure I could have found a more normal way of phrasing that, but it just seems so clear this way. I feel like such a geek! Lucky I like geeks.)

Also, I love your Ask Lori a Science Question posts! The Animal variation is cool too =) Hm, science question. Is there actually any area of chemistry that DOESN'T fall into either category of making drugs or blowing stuff up? Is their an area that falls into both?

[madlori]

Well, I see the primates doing human-like things all the time, unsurprisingly. The bonobos are very playful, I've seen them play keep-away when one of the little ones got a hold of a spoon. I've seen one of the female gorillas giving her silverback little yanks on his arm hair, apparently just to bug him. Their curiosity is amazing, too. Whenever someone brings a service dog through the gorilla habitat, they are fascinated. The orangs have distinct personalities that affects how they interact. As far as other animals go...lemme think. The brown bears show frustration, the polar bears play with toys, all that stuff

[headchef]

Hooray I've been waiting for Ask Lori A [Fill in the blank] question.

Since Astroturf is artificial grass, how can it die?

[madlori]

I have found no reference to artificial turf dying. It may need to be replaced due to wear but it obviously can't die as it was never alive.

[headchef]

Hmm..I thought I had heard a couple years ago about places having to replace their astroturf because it 'caught' a fungus which 'killed' it. It made no sense to me since the stuff isn't alive but caused massive giggles.

Thanks for the answer!

[dramabsb]

since polar bears live in the arctic, what do zoos do to help their captive polar bears survive? more specifically, i live in the desert where it gets to over 100 degrees in the summer. what are some things a zoo would do to keep the bear comfortable in that heat?

[madlori]

Polar bears adapt well to warm summer temperatures. Our polar bears are much more slender than their Arctic counterparts because wild bears develop significant layers of fat to insulate them from the cold, ours don't need to do that. They also have a large pool to swim in (polar bears spend more time in water than on land sometimes) and it's kept at a static 55 degrees with a geothermal temperature system. Also in summer all the animals in the zoo are given access to their indoor habitats (which have AC) and get frequent ice treats and misters and sometimes fans to make sure they're comfortable.