Cam in the Classroom
Mrs. Harris
Copeland Middle School
Lake Shore Drive, Rockaway, NJ
Tuesday May 13, 2014
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
Good Morning from sunny NJ! We are ready to ask you lots of questions this morning! Are you
ready?!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Good morning! I am ready!
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
Do bears eat pineapples?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
They aren't going to fine pineapples in the wild so we try to avoid things they normally wouldn't
eat.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
But I wouldn't put it past them. It's very sweet. They sure do love other fruits!
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
Why are so many bears getting hurt?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
There were lots of bears born last summer and with an increase in their population, it was more
likely that they would come into contact with humans.
Cam in the Classroom: Mrs. Harris’s
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Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
Why are there so many cub bear patients?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The bear population is influenced by the mast or nut crop that year. Fall 2012 had a lot of nuts
and so there was lots of fun to support lots of bears. Then this fall was not as good and so we
are seeing a lot of bears that are very thin this spring.
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
How many bear cub patients are at the wildlife center right now?(Evan)
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
We have 13 bears right now. Five of which are cubs!
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
What does a bunny eat?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
They eat lots of fresh greens at the Center!
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
If bunnies get scared to death how do they survive from there predators? Katie
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
They are high stress most definitely, but they try to remain hidden and escape predators.
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
Do eagles eat bananas?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Nope! But they like other things like small mammals, fish, and they will scavenge for carrion
too!
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
How many baby bunnies can rabbits have?
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Chapin Hardy, WCV:
They can have a lot! They can have up to 3-5 litters a year and on average have 3-4 babies!
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
How many bald eagles do you have right now? Dario
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
We have six counting Buddy!
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
Why do camels have humps ?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
It's where they store fat. There aren't a lot of resources in the more dry climates so they live off
of their fat stores.
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
Yesterday my family and I saw a huge bear the size of our car. Why was it so big? ashley
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
That sounds like a very large bear! It probably wasn't as big as a car, but it was probably an
adult male that had lots of good nutrition when it was younger. Thus it was able to grow up big
and strong!
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
Are the animal puppets sill available?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Yes there are still animal finger puppets :)
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
Why do birds have different diets ?
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Chapin Hardy, WCV:
It depends on their role in their environment. Some eat insects, while others eat seeds and
fruit. It depends a good deal on their habitat!
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
How many bird species eat meat?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Oh gosh! A lot! Technically a bird that eats insects is a carnivore so think of all the birds that eat
insects, fish, other mammals, carrion, worms and other grubs, reptiles. Thousands and
thousands of birds will eat meat.
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
What is the state bird of Virginia? (Evan)
The state bird of Virginia!
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/northern_cardinal/id
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The Cardinal!
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
Which cheese is more than likely in a bears diet Swiss or American? from Joseph
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Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Neither! But they sometimes get into trash and it’s VERY important we keep it locked up so that
bears don't eat it, get sick, or become too used to humans!
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
What colors can rabbits be?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Eastern Cottontails will be a beautiful brown color.
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
How many bear cubs can be born at a time?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The usual is about two, but they can have three!
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
How are the baby rabbits doing?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Well! We are releasing a number of them these days, They grow VERY quickly!
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
What was your favorite animal you have taken care of? (Taylor)
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
When I worked in rehabilitation as an extern in 2008, I loved working with baby opossums and
a bobcat that was habituated to humans.
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Baby opossum!
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
Can animals cheat on eachother?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Well sometimes they will steal food from one another so that's sort of cheating.
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
Does the Wildlife Center have frogs? Skylar
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Sometimes we will get in frogs and toads. We rehabilitated a toad a while back!
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
What is the life span of a rabbit? What is the oldest rabbit you have had in the Wildlife Center?
KATIE
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Not very long. The average in the wild is about 15 months. The oldest on record was an Eastern
Cottontail that was five years old, but that wasn't at the Center.
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
Well I see we've provided some entertainment here this morning with some of the questions.
Our class is ready to end, so we must sign off. Can we find out where everyone is from for our
mapwork? Thank you!
Comment From BarbG
Michigan
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Comment From Vivian in PA
Pennsylvania!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
I will post the answers to your other questions for you all to read back later!
Comment From Cathy in Poquoson
Poquoson, VA here. Great questions, class!
Comment From Sweetpea
Charleston, South Carolina.
Comment From MH in SC
Greenville, SC
Comment From jtct
Connecticut!
Comment From FLGranny
Southeast Florida
Comment From Deb in PA
Central PA here! Great questions students!
Comment From Betsy NJ
Atco, NJ
Comment From Ruth, NJ
Eldora, NJ
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Charlottesville, VA!
Comment From Seahawk Nadine-U.P.,WA
Hello Mrs Harriss Class - I am here from Washington state and it is early here. 5:30 am I got up
so I go share in your questions and learn from Chapin.
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Comment From jtct
Thanks class. I learned some new things too!
Comment From Sweetpea
Thank you Mrs Harris and class. The questions were priceless.
Comment From Norma
Ottawa, Ontario
Comment From moms43 in PA
PA Laurel Highlands here!!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Have a great summer Mrs. Harris's Class!
Comment From jtct
O'YES, have a great summer!
๏๏)
We sent a welcome to Mrs. Harris' class but it got lost in space we think, so our kids just wanted
to thank the class for always giving us a wonderful learning experience!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Sorry caleb! They were shooting rapid fire!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Lots of good questions!
๏๏)
We know, Chapin! We LOVED your answers! HUGS!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
I'm going to go ahead and answer the other ones that they sent in.
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
What animal has the same amount of bones as humans? NICK
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Chapin Hardy, WCV:
As an adult we have 206 bones in our bodies. I can't think of any specific examples, but all
mammals have seven neck vertebrae. So we have the same number of neck bones as a giraffe,
mouse, whale, cat, bat, the list goes on!
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
How many animals do you have in all?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
As of yesterday we have 184 patients and have admitted 633 patients this year!
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
Is it normal for a black bear to take an entire bag of garbage into the woods with them?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Eating trash or garbage isn't normal for any animal,but bears will eat lots of trash if they can get
it too comfortable with humans. It can be dangerous for us AND for them!
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
Are there any species of monkeys in Virginia? NICK
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Nope! Monkeys are not native to Virginia. Though in some states, people have had pet
monkeys that they have either let loose or they have escaped and are now an invasive species.
When I lived in Florida, I saw a Vervet monkey hanging out on someone's fence. Please research
your pets before you buy them and make sure they are not taken from the wild and are part of
the illegal pet trade!
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
How much does the average bear weigh? LUCAS
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Males weigh an average of 150-300 lbs (68-158 kg), females are smaller.
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Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
Are rabbits nocturnal?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Eastern cottontails are crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk)to nocturnal feeders. You will see
them awake during the day as well.
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
How much can rabbits weigh?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
They can be about 1.5 lbs to about 4 lbs, but the average is around 2.5 lbs
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
How long do bear cubs stay with their mother after birth? olivia
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
They will stay with their mothers up to about 17 months.
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
What do bears eat for snacks?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
They are omnivores so just about anything! Berries, grubs, nuts, fish, plants, carrion, and more!
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
If you could pick one animal you have had in your center and you could keep it as a pet, what
would it be? Ashley :)
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
I wouldn't want to keep any of the patients at the Center. I want them to go back where they
belong in the wild! I do help care for our education ambassadors. They aren't pets, but I'm
happy to work with them and have them be a part of my life :)
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Comment From Cathy in Poquoson
Good job, Chapin, answering some tough questions! Gotta go now.
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
Do you ever get a fish?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
We really don't care for fish, but we do get in fish to feed our patients and education
ambassadors!
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
Do you have any foxes at the Wildlife Center?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
We have had some admitted to the Center. We have a wildlife rehabilitator that has surrogate
foxes to raise kits, so we try to transfer young foxes to her so they can be cared for by their own
species.
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
Are there any owls at the center and also what kind survive from Joseph (again)
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
We do have owls at the Center. We have Barred Owls, Great Horned Owls, and Eastern Screech
Owls. We also had some Barn Owls as well!
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
What animal do you have the most of? NICK F
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
We currently have 47 Virginia Opossums, 34 European Starling hatchlings (non-native), eight
Eastern Grey Squirrels, and of course Eastern Cottontails.
Comment From Mrs. Harriss class
How many bones do bears have in their body? NICK
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Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Hmmmm I'm not sure. Let me do some research!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
I'm not able to find anything right off the bat, but I'll keep looking!
Comment From Mrs. Matheson
That seems to be a popular question among the students, Chapin! My class asked Miss Amanda
that during our skype session (Edie's Hatch Day celebration).
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Hi Mrs. Matheson!
Comment From Seahawk Nadine-U.P.,WA
Thank you for giving the answers in lbs for the weights. I still have not figured out the transfer
of lbs to kg. I know it is like 2 x plus something else. :o)
Comment From MH in SC
GRV SC here Chapin, and good morning to all CN'ers and students too
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Ok folks. I need to sign off and drive into work! Hope everyone has a lovely day! Thanks for
joining us for Cam in the Classroom!
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