For Members of Lincoln Park Zoo · A Magazine of Conservation and Education · Winter 2014
Animal
Anatomy
Exploring Differences
from Tooth to Tail
IN THIS ISSUE
Volume 13 Number 3 · For Members of Lincoln Park Zoo
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FEATURES
The Whole Tooth
Impressive incisors, millstone molars—what an
animal eats is often dependent on its teeth.
All Eyes…and Ears
From looking for prey to listening for a mate,
animals depend on sight and sound to survive.
Wings, Paws and Claws
A tiger’s paw, a bat’s wing and a monkey’s nimble
fingers are all adapted from the same basic building
blocks.
The Right Tail for the Task
Whether you’re looking to spring, swim or steer, the
right tail can go a long way toward pointing you in
the right direction.
Mind Games
Applied brainpower was once believed to be a
uniquely human adaptation, but zoo scientists are
finding new ways to explore how animals think.
DEPARTMENTS
Perspective
Adaptations are what make every animal unique—
and every visit to the zoo so compelling, President
and CEO Kevin Bell says.
The Secret Life of Trees
Winter awaits every tree, but coniferous and deciduous varieties have distinctive ways of coping with
the cold.
News of the Zoo
Lionel Train Adventure opens its gates, the zoo
celebrates “Monkey Business” and Chicago Wildlife
Watch looks for your help IDing 1 million photos of
local species.
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Wild File
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Calendar
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A big birthday for baby King, a Polar Bear Farewell
Party and new faces throughout the zoo.
What do you do at the zoo in winter? Strap on ice
skates and get ready for the glow of ZooLights Presented by ComEd and PNC Bank!
Membership Matters
Member fun includes an exclusive Members-Only
Night at ZooLights—and special chats for our most
loyal supporters.
Continue Your Visit Online
Visit www.lpzoo.org for Lincoln Park Zoo photos,
videos and up-to-date info on events and animals.
You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter!
We'd Like to Hear from You!
Send your feedback on this issue of Lincoln
Park Zoo magazine to [email protected].
Cover: A jambu fruit dove uses
grasping claws to perch at the
McCormick Bird House.
LINCOLN PARK ZOO MAGAZINE
QUESTIONS?
Contact the
Membership Department.
Staff are on hand during
normal business hours—
phone 312-742-2322
or visit us online at
www.lpzoo.org.
President and CEO
Kevin J. Bell
Editor
James Seidler
Art Director
Peggy Martin
Communications Specialist
Craig Keller
Designer
Joann Dzon
Lincoln Park Zoo, 2001 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60614,
312-742-2000, www.lpzoo.org. Lincoln Park Zoo is supported
through a public/private partnership between the Chicago
Park District and The Lincoln Park Zoological Society. The only
privately managed free zoo in the country, Lincoln Park Zoo
relies on membership, individual, foundation and corporate
support as well as earned revenue.
perspective
A Letter From President and CEO Kevin J. Bell
Adapted for Anything
Each animal is adapted for its own world. That’s a big part of
what makes a day at the zoo so fascinating. You can imagine
along as harbor seals glide beneath the water, white-cheeked gibbons swing through the treetops and sunbitterns stretch their
wings at the McCormick
Bird House.
The characteristics
that make these species
unique have each been
shaped by the long tests
of evolution. The bat’s
wing, tiger’s paw and gorilla’s hand all come from the same ancestral building blocks.
The same is true for the eagle’s eye, which can pinpoint prey
from miles overhead, and the zebra’s elongated pupil, which
nervously scans the horizon for predators.
As you know, I started my career at Lincoln Park Zoo as the
curator of birds, and I’ve always been fascinated by the adaptations that define this branch of the animal kingdom. All birds
share certain features: wings, feathers, beaks. But it’s the differences in how these features have been shaped by time that makes
each animal what it is.
In one niche you end up with the pincer-like talons of a
snowy owl while in another you get the paddle-like “oars” of a
trumpeter swan. Red knots use tiny wings to migrate more than
9,000 miles from the Arctic to the southern tip of South America
every year. And groundbound ostriches wield relatively massive
wings only for displays and regulating body temperature.
People are animals too, and we have our own set of adaptations, notably the big brains and opposable thumbs that have
transformed the world we all share. But as zoo scientists could
tell you, the list of animals that “think” and use tools is growing
ever larger.
For 10 years now, researchers at the zoo’s Lester E. Fisher
Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes have studied the cognitive abilities of chimpanzees and gorillas at Regenstein Center for African Apes. By studying our closest
cousins, we can better understand how humans came to be
human. At the same time, Fisher Center findings highlight
new ways to better care for these impressive animals. Improving animal care—that’s an adaptation we’re always happy
to encourage.
Kevin J. Bell
President and CEO
Every animal at the zoo displays unique adaptations, from the sharp talons of a snowy owl to the nimble fingers of a gorilla or spear-like beak of a sunbittern.
WINTER 2014 1
The
Whole Tooth
BY JAMES SEIDLER
As the zookeepers could
tell you, nearly every animal at the zoo has a bite
worth watching out for. But
it’s understandable if certain chompers prompt extra caution from caregivers.
It’s wise to keep your digits
away from a dwarf mongoose (they are Africa’s
smallest carnivore, after all).
Similarly, a Moholi bushbaby may munch insects in
the wild, but that doesn’t
mean you want them mistaking your thumb a meal.
Still, the top dogs in the
tooth world are, unsurprisingly, canine. Those are the
long, sharp fangs you see
poking out of the corners
of a prototypical predator’s
mouth. Together with sharp
incisors in front, they play a
big role in gripping—and
killing—prey.
Impressive canines help African lions grab prey
while chimpanzees’ smaller versions are better
suited for dominance displays. Cows have tiny
teeth up front, but massive molars help them
grind grass.
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Calling All Canines
Lions, tigers, jaguars, pumas, Pallas’ cats, red wolfs and African
wild dogs are among the species with this distinctive “tooth-kit.”
After they’ve made the kill, these predators shred protein from
bone with scissor-like carnassials in back.
Harbor seals and river otters also rely on a sharp set up front
to snatch prey out of the water. Species that prey on insects and
small mammals—meerkats, for instance—have largely the same
framework, albeit reduced. “Meerkats actually have some pretty
good teeth in there for being so small,” says Curator of Mammals Mark Kamhout. “It helps them be good hunters.”
Aardvarks and armadillos take a different approach to dentition, however. These insect eaters lack canines and incisors entirely. Instead, they use a series of stubby “cheek teeth” to chew
up insects. These small, enamel-less columns continually grow,
and are worn down, over their lifetimes.
Another Sharp Set
The zoo’s reptiles also have sharp teeth for gripping and dispatching prey, but their dentition is relatively undifferentiated.
Whether you’re looking at the biting end of a black tree monitor or dwarf crocodile, the teeth come from the same generic
“pointy” playbook.
One exception for the scaled set, though, is venomous
snakes. These predators, including eastern massasauga rattlesnakes, have evolved formidable fangs to deliver venom. How
does it work? Typically a duct connects a hollow fang to a venom-producing gland, enabling the snake to pump in poison at
a bite…almost like a hypodermic needle.
adaptable for everything from chewing vegetation to gnawing
meat to piercing the skins of fruits. Several non-human primates, including De Brazza’s monkeys and male gorillas, retain
large canines for defense and display. “Our two male De Brazza’s
have really long canines, and they display a lot,” says Curator of
Primates Maureen Leahy.
Even multipurpose primates have some special adaptations,
though. Take the zoo’s crowned lemurs, who, like all lemurs,
have a dental “comb” formed by the lower six incisors and canine teeth, which assists grooming for this social species.
Multi-Purpose Mouths
While carnivorous teeth are selected for their cutting edge, herbivores’ masticators focus more on endurance. (There’s a reason
guests can feed the cows but not the big cats.)
Because of this emphasis the herbivore’s dental makeup is
mostly molar. Thick, grinding plates help committed plant eaters process and gain sustenance from nutrient-light foods such
as leaves and grasses.
Some species, such as Grevy’s zebras, have incisors in front
to clip away grasses and shrubs for chewing. But many others,
including giraffes, waterbucks, Grant’s gazelles, Sichuan takins and eastern black rhinos, lack the front teeth on top or in
their entirety! Instead, prehensile lips (rhinos), long tongues
(giraffes) or fleshy “dental pads” (cows and goats) help these
specialists grip their leafy meals.
Omnivores at the zoo have mouths that do a little bit of everything: miniature incisors and canines to grip and mid-sized molars to grind. For instance, black bears’ impressive canines show
off the species’ predatory roots, but in the wild they’re just as likely
to use these teeth to rip open a log for grubs as to grab prey. Similarly, primates, including people, have all-purpose teeth,
Mill-Like Molars
Chewing on Cue
As you’ve seen, an animal’s teeth tell us a lot about its lifestyle.
This is especially true for mammals, whose dental differentiation plays a big part in defining species and their niches. Just
think of the difference between a beaver’s tree-felling incisors
and our own relatively puny ones. Each highlights what the species does best…and gives it a signature look to boot.
WINTER 2014 3
All Eyes…
And Ears
BY CRAIG KELLER
Whether they’re spotting prey or seeking a mate, animals depend on these senses to interpret the world around them. We take a peek—and listen in—on some standout features.
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Nightlife in the Treetops
By day, Moholi bushbabies seek safety in tree hollows. After
dark, however, these tiny African primates (also known as galagos) reveal their true, nocturnal super powers.
Their eyes—colorblind, equipped with special reflective layers behind the retinas and so big they can’t move in their sockets—provide superb night vision. Bushbabies compensate for
immobile eyes with the ability to turn their heads 180 degrees.
That helps these powerful leapers spot prey and predator.
So do their huge, oval ears—proportionately the largest of any
primate species. Complex ear folds enhance hearing so acute
that bushbabies can pinpoint moths and other insects by sound
in the dark.
Zoo visitors can witness a similar behavior in the dimly lit
bushbaby exhibit at Regenstein Small Mammal-Reptile House.
“Keepers will scatter crickets, and you can see the galagos
watching and listening before they pounce and grab the insects,”
says Curator Diane Mulkerin.
Eagle Eye Exam
Eagles in flight can spot small prey far below and adjust the
curvature of their eye lenses to maintain focus and depth perception throughout their approach and attack.
The large eyes have limited muscle movement, but eagles
compensate by being able to turn their heads 270 degrees. Each
eye also has two fovea (humans have just one), a part of the
retina responsible for perceiving detail and color. One set of
fovea provides binocular vision to the front while the other set
provides monocular vision to the sides—combining to produce
a panoramic field of vision.
“An eagle can detect a fish under the surface of the water
from hundreds of feet in the air,” says Hope B. McCormick Curator of Birds Sunny Nelson. “Their eyesight is four to six times
greater than ours. We notice that with Ethan, the zoo’s bald eagle, when he locks in on some small animal in a bush many feet
away that we can’t see or hear at all.”
Keeping Pupils in Line
Round pupils are common across the animal kingdom. So are
the vertical-slit pupils seen in many nocturnal cat and reptile
species.
Next time you visit the Farm-in-the-Zoo, though, look a
cow, goat, pony or Jacob sheep in the eye and consider a third
shape: horizontal. Many animals—including zebras, camels,
hippos, mongooses and toads—have such pupils. The goat version is starkly rectangular against a light-colored iris.
In prey species like cows and goats, eyes on opposite sides of
the head provide nearly 360-degree peripheral vision—a handy
tool for spotting predators. The oval-shaped field of view, which
limits forward, linear vision, is why horses and cows can become alarmed when approached from the front.
Generally, animals with horizontal pupils are more
near-sighted at the lower portion of their
visual spectrum and more far-sighted at
the top. That’s good for seeing food upclose while staying alert for predators but
not so great for depth perception. When a
cow bobs its head up and down it’s often
trying to focus on an object and determine its proximity.
Desert Ears
North Africa’s fennec fox may be the
world’s smallest fox, but its ears refuse to
play along. The diminutive Saharan Desert omnivore stands just 8 inches at the
shoulder while its oversized, bat-like ears
measure 6 inches.
Those ears dissipate body heat to help
keep these animals cool in their hot, dry
A fennec fox’s impressive ears let it hear
prey under the sand of its desert home. Bald
eagles use sharp eyes to hunt from far overhead, while Moholi bushbabies’ big peepers
help them pick up insects in low light. In contrast, goats’ horizontal pupils let them keep
their grazing in focus—and an eye out for
predators.
WINTER 2014 5
habitat. They’re also highly sensitive to low-frequency sound
waves, an adaptation enhanced by enlarged tympanic bullae—
bulb-shaped bony structures housing the ear’s sensory receptors. These noctural predators can hear beetles walking across
the sand and small rodents burrowing beneath it. Fennec foxes
can also discern minute differences between whines and whimpers in the calls of other fennec foxes and bolt into their burrows if they hear a predatory eagle owl or caracal (desert lynx)
approaching.
Fortunately for Minnie, the female fennec fox at Regenstein
Small Mammal-Reptile House, predators aren’t an issue, so she
can contentedly nap during the day.
Amphibian Amplifiers
The dyeing poison arrow frogs and Solomon Island leaf frogs
at Regenstein Small Mammal-Reptile House don’t have outer
ears (pinnae) at all. But, like all frogs, they do have exposed
eardrums (tympanic membranes) on the sides of their heads
behind their eyes.
Just as with human hearing, sound waves vibrate the eardrum and are transformed via sensory hair cells and nerve fibers into electrical pulses the
brain interprets as sound.
These particular amphibians, though, have specialized nerves that help them
identify the frequency specific to their species’ calls.
Incredibly, their lungs
also help them listen. Frogs
have an air link between
their lungs and eardrums. When receiving mating calls from
other frogs, the right
and left lungs vibrate at varying rates before passing
sound waves along
to the inner ear.
The minute differences in pressure
help frogs locate the
caller in a habitat teeming with frogs.
Stealth Insurance
When it comes to locating prey by sound, barn owls—occasionally on view during education programs at the Farm-in-theZoo—are world-class stealth hunters. These nocturnal birds of
prey can precisely locate mice, voles and other small mammals
in utter darkness, even beneath vegetation and snow.
Barn owls can determine the position of prey along a horizontal line via the split-second delay between sound reaching
the left and right ears. The ears, called apertures, are asymmet6 LINCOLN PARK ZOO
Dyeing poison arrow frogs use slight differences in air pressure to pinpoint the calls of potential mates while barn owls’ faces act like receivers to pick up the noises of small prey.
rically situated (the left is higher than the right), which helps the
owl determine the prey’s vertical location as well.
A barn owl’s face is even shaped like a radar dish to guide
sounds into the ears. Barn owls use specialized facial muscles to
adjust this “receiver” when tracking prey. Their downy feathers
are virtually silent in flight, so prey don’t hear them coming
until it’s too late. And when the hunt is over, barn owls can turn
to feathered ear valves called opercula to dampen the noise.
The snowy owls at Regenstein Birds of Prey Exhibit share
similar ear anatomy. “They’re a diurnal species that hunts
at all times,” says Nelson. “Last spring, despite being surrounded by their overgrown nest, our pair could still detect rabbits on the far side of the exhibit next to them. They
also know when we’re coming—they start vocalizing to
each other before they can see us.”
field note
Antlers and Horns
BY MARK HOLLANDER
Sharp, spiraling points, blunt battering rams—the
zoo’s hoofstock varies significantly in their headgear. Before we elaborate on individual features,
though, let’s break down the difference between
horns and antlers.
Horns are two singular bones covered with
keratin—the same material as our fingernails.
Depending on the species, they can grow on males
or both genders in a range of different shapes, sizes and colors. “The variation is just a matter of
natural selection,” says Diane Mulkerin, curator
of the Antelope & Zebra Area.
Want to see the array of colors, shapes and
sizes for yourself ? No problem. Sichuan takins, waterbucks (below) and Grant’s gazelles can
all be seen at Lincoln Park Zoo. Sichuan takins
are known for their short, curled horns while
waterbucks and Grant’s gazelles’ are straighter
and longer.
Although horns almost always come in pairs,
there is one outlier at the zoo, explains Curator
of Mammals Mark Kamhout. “Our male Grant’s
gazelle only has one horn but still does just fine
and interacts appropriately with the female,” says
Kamhout. The gazelle’s other horn was lost in an
old injury at a previous institution.
So, how do antlers differ from horns? “Horns
are permanent, bony structures covered in keratin,” Mulkerin explains. “Antlers grow seasonally
and are usually much larger, branched and heavier
than any horns. Usually only males grow antlers
with the exception of caribou and reindeer.”
The white-lipped deer at the zoo (top) is a great
example of strong, beautiful antlers. “He typically
drops his in spring and begins growing a new set
immediately,” says Mulkerin. “While growing they
are covered in velvet, which helps them to grow.”
The antlers reach full size by late summer, at which
point the velvet is shed, exposing just the bone.
If you plan to visit the zoo in the months
ahead, you can expect plenty of horned animals.
For antlers, though, don’t delay too long…or you
might find yourself waiting until summer.
ANTLERS
HORNS
Antlers are covered in velvet as they grow—and they later fall off every year. Horns are permanent, consisting of
two bones covered in keratin.
WINTER 2014 7
Wings,
Paws and
Claws
BY JAMES SEIDLER
Human hands are pretty…handy. Nimble fingers and an opposable thumb open
up a lot of possibilities. The human hand can handle everything from performing
open-heart surgery to—for the less spectacular among us—scratching out a legible grocery list.
But human hands have their shortcomings too. No matter how long you let your
fingernails grow, you’re not going to compete with the clutching power of an Amur
tiger. Nor will your hands enable you to take flight like a straw-colored fruit bat or
trot over the plains like a Grevy’s zebra.
Whether you’re looking at a chef’s callused palms or an eagle’s sharp talons, extremities offer a nice shorthand as to what each individual does best. Learn more
with this overview.
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STEPHEN BELCHER/MINDEN PICTURES
Amur tigers and dwarf crocodiles rely on strong claws to snag prey
while bats take to the skies with modified hands making up wings.
Sharp Stuff
If your diet depends on catching prey, it helps to have some
pointy projections to help you hold it. A number of zoo predators rely on claws and talons to get a grip on the animals
they eat.
As you’d imagine, the big cats at the Kovler Lion House have
some sharp stuff at the ends of their paws. The Amur tigers, African lions, Eurasian lynx, jaguar, Pallas’ cats, pumas and servals
all possess formidable claws for grasping prey.
Big-cat claws are notable for having the ability to extend and
contract on command. The common term, “retractable,” is actually a bit of a misnomer, as cats’ claws are relaxed by default and
only appear when desired. This dual ability keeps claws sharp
and also prevents their bearer from making noise—or getting
snagged—when running or stalking prey.
Birds of prey, by contrast, always have their talons ready.
Bald eagles descend on fish with talons outstretched—three in
front, one facing forward in the back—closing a vice-like grip
to carry prey back to their aerie. Snowy owls, on the other hand,
have their talons arranged in an “x” pattern—two in front, two
in back—giving small mammals little chance of escape.
Dwarf crocodiles have claws in front to help grab prey in
the water, with the back feet webbed for a stronger swimming
stroke. And while aardvarks don’t snag prey with their paws, the
species’ impressive nails act like a shovel to dig ants and termites
out of their mounds. “They’re very imposing,” says Curator of
Mammals Mark Kamhout.
Moving Around
Of course, handbones have more uses than just getting a grip.
Species across the zoo use specially adapted digits to get around.
Take the Egyptian fruit bats that make their homes at Regenstein Small Mammal–Reptile House—and fly in colonies across
Africa and the Middle East. As seen in silhouette, their wings
are basically composed of a modified hand, with fingers stretching from top to bottom to lend support and flaps of skin in
between catching air to let the mammals take flight.
Birds also have modified hands within their wings, although
their flight anatomy is different from bats. More of the arm extends into their wings, with lightweight finger bones fused to-
WINTER 2014 9
Chilean flamingos have arms adapted for flight while chimpanzees use nimble fingers
to wield tools to “fish” for termites.
gether to provide flapping support. Thick feathers play a big
role in flight, helping species from Chilean flamingos to bald
eagles achieve thrust and lift. “Sometimes wing coloration lets
you distinguish the flight and non-flight feathers,” says Hope B.
McCormick Curator of Birds Sunny Nelson. “The black feathers
on the edge of the flamingo wings are their primary feathers, for
instance.”
The zoo’s harbor seals also use adapted paws to help them
swim through the water. “Elbows” and “ankles” are contained
within their streamlined bodies, meaning just the forearms,
hands and feet provide the foundation for their paddle-like
flippers.
Another “hand” structure adapted for locomotion are the
hooves seen on grazing species throughout the zoo. Composed
of kertain, hooves are basically modified nails. They act to
lengthen the stride and reduce contact with the ground, boosting speed and endurance.
Hoofed mammals (also known as ungulates) are commonly divided into two groups. The hooved odd-toed ungulates—
horses and, at the zoo, Grevy’s zebras—run on what’s essentially
their third toe, with the other toes having disappeared or fusing
against this single digit. Even-toed ungulates—including Grant’s
gazelles, Bactrian camels and white-lipped deer—typically run
on two hooved toes, the third and fourth. The dual platform
may enhance grip and maneuverability on uneven surfaces.
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Master Manipulators
While hooves and flippers offer fine examples of locomotion,
they don’t offer much in terms of flexibility. Primates, though,
use long, dexterous fingers and opposable thumbs to accomplish a variety of tasks.
Movement is one of them. Brachiating species, such as
white-cheeked gibbons, have long fingers and a reduced thumb
to enable their rapid, hand-over-hand swings through the treetops. Colobus monkeys also have a reduced thumb, likely so the
digit doesn’t get in the way of landings as they take great leaps
through the canopy. (Indeed, as Curator of Primates Maureen
Leahy shares, the species’ name, colobus, is derived from the
Greek word for “mutilated,” a reference to their thumbs.)
But many primate species have well-developed thumbs that
help them manipulate objects and gather food ranging from
fruits to flowers. Humans aside, the chimpanzee use of modified leaves and stems to “termite fish” may represent the height
of manipulation, although monkeys are no slouches in that department either.
“Our male swamp monkey, Boko, can manage everything
from unscrewing nuts and bolts to untying multiple layers of
knots,” says Leahy. It may not be open-heart surgery, but you
can see the parallels.
field note
Insects
LEAFCUTTER ANT
WALKING STICK
When most of us think of “animals,” we typically picture a
subset of animals: vertebrates, which encompass everything
from fish to reptiles to birds to ourselves. But the full animal
kingdom is much larger than that. Jellyfish, lobsters, leeches, oysters, insects—they’re all animals.
Your typical “animal” animal has a pretty familiar framework: a head, a torso, four limbs. Maybe there’s a tail, maybe
the limbs have evolved into wings or flippers or are absent
entirely (what’s up, snakes)? But that’s basically it.
Focusing on insects, though, you see right away they’re
built from a different blueprint. They have three body segments: the head, thorax and abdomen. The head supports
the mouthparts, antenna and compound eyes. The thorax
anchors the legs and any wings. And the abdomen houses
the digestive tract, reproductive organs and possibly a stinger (watch out!).
The differences don’t end there. Insects have six limbs
compared to our four. Their bodies are supported by an exterior exoskeleton as opposed to our interior, boney version.
Bugs breathe through tiny holes in their abdomens (spiracles), which carry oxygen to the rest of the body through a
series of tiny tubes. They also have an open circulatory system, meaning the insect equivalent of blood is carried to the
brain and just sort of oozes back through the body.
Lincoln Park Zoo only has three insect species on display: the leafcutter ant colony at Regenstein Small Mammal-Reptile House, the Madagascar hissing cockroaches at
Regenstein African Journey and the walking sticks at the
Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo. The ants use powerful mandibles to cut and carry leaves back to their fungal farms. The
cockroaches actually make their signature “hissing” sound
by forcing air through their spiracles. And the walking stick
blends into its native branches with a modified body and
legs that look like, well, sticks.
They may not be the “animals” we’re used to, but they’re
fascinating in their own right. So next time you see an insect—at the zoo or in the great
outdoors—why
not lean in a
little and try
to appreciate what
makes us
different?
MADAGASCAR
HISSING
COCKROACH
WINTER 2014 11
Beaver tails handle everything from steering in the water to storing fat. Howler
monkeys use prehensile tails to hang around, red kangaroos look to theirs for
leaping power and Mexican lance-headed rattlesnakes shake theirs as a warning.
Multitasking Tail
DONALD M. JONES/MINDEN PICTURES
The Right
Tail for the
Task
BY CRAIG KELLER
From a beaver’s bottom to a black
howler monkey’s prehensile “fifth
limb,” many animals rely on an extra
appendage that humans lack.
12 LINCOLN PARK ZOO
Talk about an all-in-one tool. American beavers use their sturdy, paddle-shaped tails in several ways.
Covered in leathery black scales, measuring up to 12 inches
long and 5 inches wide and able to turn in four directions, it
makes an efficient steering rudder for diving and swimming underwater. Beavers also use their tails to balance while gnawing
through trees and when walking on hind legs while carrying
mud and materials for building lodges and dams. The tail can
also double in size from spring to fall with energy-storing fat
reserves for winter.
These nocturnal aquatic mammals even use their tails to
communicate. Beavers slap it on the water’s surface to alert family members when predators approach. “Or, in general, when
they’re startled,” says area Curator Diane Mulkerin. “When
keepers bring the two female beavers a tree to snack on in their
exhibit at the Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo, they’ll do the tail
slap to signal each other.”
Fifth Limb
Black howler monkeys impress with their namesake long-distance howls and keen sense of smell, but their tails deserve a
shout-out too. The large, treetop-dwelling primates use these
strong, prehensile appendages like a fifth limb while feeding on
leaves and fruits in their native Central and South American
tropical forest homes.
“They can locomote and support their entire body weight
just by hanging from their tails,” says Curator of Primates Maureen Leahy. “The prehensile part wraps about one and a half
times around a branch or vine for a tight grip.”
The tail can measure 3 feet or longer and has a hairless underside with sensitive tactile pads. These help identify textures
and objects and have unique prints just like finger tips. That’s a
helpful adaptation for an animal that spends much of its time
foraging in the forest canopy and rarely descends to the ground.
Arrive at the Helen Brach Primate House when it opens at
10 a.m. and you may see zookeepers using a cable-and-pulley
system to raise a beehive-looking enrichment feeder high up in
the black howler monkey exhibit—home to one male and two
females. “We encourage arboreal foraging,” says Leahy. “They
can’t stand on a branch below to reach it, so they have to hang
from their tails instead.”
Down Under Adaptation
Powerful hind legs aren’t all that propel a red kangaroo forward.
When the world’s largest marsupial hops about, its thick, strong
tail provides balance between those massive hind legs, which
can’t move independently.
When a red kangaroo really gets motoring across its native
Australian terrain the tail becomes part of a five-“legged” gait in
which the smaller forelimbs and tail balance the animal as the
hind legs move forward. It’s an effective method for mobility:
red kangaroos can reach speeds exceeding 35 miles per hour
and bound 25 feet in a single leap.
During the day, when kangaroo mobs are mostly sedentary, the tail functions as part of a tripod with the hind legs
for resting. Young males challenging each other for alpha-male
breeding rights wield their tails in so-called “boxing matches”
that mostly involve forelimb jabs and grappling. When fights
become fierce males balance their bodies entirely on their tails, rear
back and deliver powerful hind-leg kicks to their opponents.
OWEN NEWMAN/MINDEN PICTURES
Fanny Fan
Animal tails needn’t be athletic wonders to serve an important
function. In the case of pygmy hippopotamuses—a reclusive
semi-aquatic mammal native to West Africa—tails are all about
waste disposal…and advertising.
When pygmy hippos defecate in rivers or swamps they wag
their tail to disperse feces. The zoo’s male and female pair do
likewise in their pool at Regenstein African Journey.
That tail, tipped with bristled hairs, performs the same ritual
on land after dark when these solitary herbivores plow trails
through dense forest to forage for plants and fruits. Vigorously
fanning it to spread feces is an effective territory-marking method.
Rattle Royale
Next time you view the two male Mexican lance-headed rattlesnakes at the zoo’s Regenstein Small Mammal-Reptile House,
consider that iconic rattle’s origin and development.
Rattlesnakes are born with a single large, rounded scale on
their tail tips. When the snake first sheds its skin that scale becomes a “button,” and the process is repeated every year as the
snake sheds throughout its life. The resulting rattle—a series
of these loosely attached, hard, hollow, interlocked segments—
doesn’t grow to extraordinary lengths, though, due to daily
wear-and-tear or narrow escapes from another predator.
Rattlesnakes hold their rattles aloft to protect them as they
travel. The built-in noisemaker sounds an alarm to predators
or large animals that stray too close to these venomous reptiles. Specialized tail muscles can vibrate the rattle 50 times
per second for up to three hours.
Eastern massasauga rattlesnakes—which zoo researchers
and caregivers study and raise for potential reintroduction in
their native Midwestern range—are one exception to that general rule. “They’re a cryptic species whose line of defense is to
remain hidden and quiet as long as possible,” says Mulkerin.
“Some bigger species will start rattling when you’re 3 feet away
from them.”
For many species, it seems, if you’ve got a tail, you might as
well use it.
WINTER 2014 13
Mind Games
BY JAMES SEIDLER
As animals go, people have a few shortcomings. We don’t have claws or prehensile tails or tough, scaly hides. Seeing in the dark is a challenge, and our olfactory
receptors can barely pick up cues from the next cubicle over (although sometimes
that’s a blessing).
But we do have some impressive brains. The evidence for that is indisputable,
extending all the way from the satellites whirring overhead to the phones in our
pockets. Art, language, science, machinery: they’re all byproducts of the human
brain, representing a unique ecosystem—terra cerebrum—that was once thought
to belong to us alone.
But in recent decades scientists have realized that animals have colonized this landscape as well. Species including dolphins, chimpanzees, elephants, octopuses
and even crows have displayed a range of self-awareness, tool use and problem-solving skills.
A Center for
Cognition
Some of the earliest
evidence for these
“higher functions”
in animals came from Jane Goodall’s groundbreaking work
with chimpanzees at Tanzania’s Gombe National Park. There,
the renowned scientist documented chimpanzee tool-use and
culture, transforming our understanding of what animals are
capable of.
This revolutionary work was certainly on the minds of zoo
scientists when the Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and
Conservation of Apes—and the groundbreaking Regenstein
Center for African Apes—opened back in 2004. Indeed, the
center’s initial director, Elizabeth Lonsdorf, Ph.D., did her graduate research at Gombe under the Jane Goodall Institute’s Center for Primate Studies. But the Fisher Center, launched with a
grant from the Leo S. Guthman Fund, which has provided vital,
continued support, found its projects soon moving in directions
that weren’t possible in the wilderness of Africa.
“One of our first projects was using a termite mound to see
how naïve chimpanzees picked up a tool-use behavior that had
been observed in Gombe,” says current Fisher Center Director
Steve Ross, Ph.D. “But we quickly took advantage of the zoo
14 LINCOLN PARK ZOO
setting to do projects that wouldn’t be possible in the wild.”
Try, for instance, to get Gombe’s wild chimpanzees to sequence symbols on a touch-screen computer. (Better yet, try afterward to submit a grant explaining why you need funding for
another touch-screen computer.) But the zoo setting offered a
perfect place to familiarize gorillas and chimpanzees with the new
technology…and 10 years later, sequencing stars like western lowland gorilla Azizi have progressed to stringing together sequences
from memory after only seeing the symbols for an instant.
Understanding Apes
Of course, Fisher Center scientists don’t only do sequencing
studies because they’re cool. (And make no mistake, they are
cool—you can see for yourself most afternoons at Regenstein
Center for African Apes at 3:30 p.m.) The touch-screen studies,
along with the full range of Fisher Center research, are motivated by a desire to better understand how these complex animals
think. “We want to understand these animals so we can provide
them the best possible care,” says Fisher Center Research Scientist Lydia Hopper, Ph.D.
Luckily, the zoo’s scientists have a variety of tools to help
them at the task. Handheld data recorders help interns catalogue everything from how chimpanzees and gorillas use their
habitat to how they spend their days.
Scientists with the Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes have spent 10 years studying chimpanzees and gorillas at
Regenstein Center for African Apes.Tool use and touch-screen sequencing are among the amazing abilities on display.
A new project initiated by Hopper when she arrived in 2012
used little tokens to study how much chimpanzees were willing to “work” for variable rewards. By setting up an exchange
system that delivered basic foods close by and preferred foods
further away, Hopper, collaborator Kristin Bonnie, Ph.D., and
Research Assistant Laura Kurtycz effectively debuted a nascent
economy in Hank’s chimpanzee group at Regenstein Center for
African Apes.
As with any economy, there were winners and losers. The
token system produced participants who played by the rules
(Optimus) and others who took advantage of those playing by
the rules (Kathy). It even spun off participants
who learned to “pay off ” token grabbers to get
their own treats (Chuckie) as well as an alpha
male who largely opted out (Hank).
“We’ve found through previous work that
abilities are associated with the animals’ personalities,” says Hopper. “We’re always looking
to design projects that are nuanced enough to
show these individual abilities.”
Excitingly, this winter zoo researchers will also be adding
a new species to the mix: Japanese macaques. Like Regenstein
Center for African Apes before it, Regenstein Macaque Forest
will have research integrated into the exhibit design, including
observation windows, a “research cube” with touch-screens in
booths and even a special tunnel offering ground-level observations of the exhibit.
“It’s a new opportunity to build on the work we’ve done with
Regenstein Center for African Apes,” says Ross. “We’re always
looking for additional ways to build our knowledge—and improve animal care.”
Looking to the Future
The next 10 years for the Fisher Center are
sure to hold new technologies, new projects
and new partners. Zoo scientists will find additional ways to explore the minds of the chimpanzees and gorillas at Regenstein Center for
African Apes. They’ll complement local studies with work a world away as Research Fellow
Dave Morgan, Ph.D., continues to survey wild
tool-use and culture in apes in the Republic of
Congo’s Goualougo Triangle. (No word as to
whether the Goualougo Triangle will be getting a touch-screen anytime soon.)
WINTER 2014 15
The Secret
Life of Trees
BY CRAIG KELLER
As fall gives way to winter, we take a closer look
at how the zoo’s trees adapt to the change.
Seeds of Construction
Broad leaves that fall off in autumn versus needles that remain
intact through winter may seem like the distinguishing factor
between deciduous trees and conifers. Really, though, it comes
down to sex.
“Botanists will only make decisions off the sexual features of
a tree,” says Director of Horticulture Brian Houck. “Leaves are
not as important as how the seed and fruit are developed.”
Conifers such as the zoo’s fir and spruce trees are gymnosperms, and broad-leafed flowering plants like maple and oak
are angiosperms. The first term loosely translates as “naked
seed” while the second means “vessel seed.” Conifers evolved
first. Their seeds are exposed to the air, making them more susceptible to insects and disease. The fruits of angiosperms provide a more protective seed coat. “They’re a more recent evolutionary adaptation,” says Houck.
Conifer cones are divided into female and male varieties.
The former is easy to recognize—the familiar woody structure
of a female pine cone, for example. The latter, not so much. “The
male cone is more fleeting and generally smaller and skinnier,”
says Houck. “It releases lots of pollen in the spring and then sort
of falls off.”
Pollination in conifers generally occurs through wind dispersal, although native coniferous forests also depend on occasional fires to regenerate. “Flames heat up the cone, which
explodes and releases the seeds with a bang,” says Houck. “Obviously, we don’t do that here, but it’s
been a big part of forestry management changes out west in
the last century.”
For deciduous
trees and other
16 LINCOLN PARK ZOO
angiosperms, wind, insects and birds all play roles in pollination. “The fruits attract animals, who pass it through their digestive systems and disperse the seed elsewhere,” says Houck.
“It arrives with great compost and fertilizer to get it started.”
A Closer Look at Leaves
We tend to equate evergreens with winter, but needles and
broad leaves represent two different ways of achieving the same
goal: water and nutrient conservation.
Needles, in fact, are leaves. They lose less water because they
have less surface area and more succulent adaptations, such as
a thicker, waxier outer skin called a cuticle. “Think of it like an
orange rind,” says Houck. “It’s thick with some softer stuff in the
middle.”
Deciduous leaves have a similar anatomy but also more stomates—mouth-like pores that plants use to exchange carbon
dioxide and oxygen with the atmosphere. A thin, spongy maple leaf dries out more quickly than a needle leaf largely because its stomates (more numerous on the leaf ’s underside) let
water escape.
“This is the reason we have fall color,” says Houck. “The tree
pulls any mobile nutrient out of the leaf, stores it in the trunk
and just gives up on the cheap material that can’t be reused.
When a deciduous tree loses its leaves it’s protecting itself from
drying out. It has adapted to make it through winter’s drought
by changing its body.”
From a plant’s perspective, the Chicago winter is a desert:
no water unless snow melts on a warm day. Trees in colder climates undergo a “hardening” process as a defense against freezing during winter. Carbohydrates are transferred to the roots,
sugars are stored in cells’ protoplasm and cell membranes become more permeable so water can seep into voids between
cells, where it won’t cause irreparable damage when it freezes.
Since they retain their leaves, conifers and other evergreens
can actually grow a bit on sunny winter days through photosynthesis. Snow slides off their pyramidal shapes, which helps keep
leaves moist and branches intact, but the zoo’s conifers get some
extra help from zoo gardeners.
“After a heavy snowfall we knock the snow off before
branches break or the snow turns to ice,” says Houck. “So get a
broom, go out and beat up your trees,” he adds with a wink.
Deciduous trees react to cooler temperatures by withdrawing nutrients from their leaves, producing the spectacular colors we associate with
fall. Conifers, in contrast, maintain their color with small, waxy needles. (Gingkos, opposite, belong to the same biological group as conifers but
shed their leaves in winter.)
WINTER 2014 17
news of the zoo
The Urban Wildlife Institute recently launched www.chicagowildlifewatch.org, which is asking for your help to identify 1 million photos of local
wildlife! Other zoo fun this summer included Adults Night Out and the impressive elegance of Zoo Ball, presented by Guggenheim Partners, LLC.
Lionel Train Adventure Roars to Life
Hobbyists have been stoked about Lionel Trains since 1900,
the year the iconic model train manufacturer was founded. On
Thursday, October 2, they had a bigger cause for celebration: the
debut of Lionel Train Adventure at Lincoln Park Zoo.
The exciting new attraction is located near the zoo’s West
Gate and just south of Regenstein Macaque Forest. The trackless 28-passenger train crosses over a quaint country bridge and
wends its way past forest and canyon scenery before returning
to a red brick station. It features a coal car and a wheelchair-accessible caboose.
On its opening weekend, the first 50 passengers per day received a free Lionel wooden train whistle and Lincoln Park Zoo
members rode free. Tickets—priced at $3 per ride per passenger—are sold seasonally at the station.
Macaques on Track
Regenstein Macaque Forest is also on track to be fully completed by spring 2015. This spectacular home for Japanese snow
monkeys will feature more than 10,000 square feet of outdoor
exhibit and indoor animal-care space, with forested, rocky terrain, a hot spring and flowing streams evoking the primate species’ native habitat. Equipped with webcams, the exhibit will
combine cutting-edge behavioral and cognitive research with
educational learning programs.
Better than Counting Sheep
Citizen scientists, we need your help! Over the past few years,
researchers at the zoo’s Urban Wildlife Institute have documented wildlife across the Chicago metro area with motion-triggered cameras placed at more than 100 sites.
The results are staggering: more than 1 million photos of
species from racoons to coyotes. And that’s where you come in:
we need help tallying it all up.
To accomplish this monumental task, the zoo has partnered
with the Adler Planetarium, which has led several web-based
citizen-science projects. Together we’ve created a new one, Chicago Wildlife Watch, at www.chicagowildlifewatch.org.
18 LINCOLN PARK ZOO
The process is simple. We'll show you one of the 1 million
photos, and you’ll select the species, from a set of choices. If
you get stumped on the animal ID, there are filters to help you
narrow it down. Happy IDing!
Your help contributes to our research into urban biodiversity,
making the city a better home for both humans and animals.
Taking Learning Into the Community
Last year zoo educators helped implement a One Book One
Community partnership with students reading “The One and
Only Ivan” at five Wilmette primary schools.
The months-long project included presentations at schools
on zoo-led ape conservation and care, using the zoo’s Observe
to Learn ethogram iPad app on field trips to Regenstein Center for African Apes, fundraising for gorilla care via the zoo’s
ADOPT program and a public appearance and reading at the
zoo by author Katherine Applegate.
Summer Nights to Savor
The past summer was filled with big events that entertained
guests and supported Chicago’s free zoo. On July 11, the Women’s Board of Lincoln Park Zoo hosted the 37th annual Zoo
Ball, presented by Guggenheim Partners, LLC. Themed “Monkey Business,” the gala benefit raised more than $1.2 million
for zoo developments including the new Regenstein Macaque
Forest exhibit.
Locally Sourced at the Patio, sponsored by Lagunitas Brewing Company, brought fans of live acoustic music, DIY art,
farm-fresh produce and craft ale to the Patio at Café Brauer on
Wednesday evenings throughout the season.
The after-hours fun continued with Zoovies. This free event,
sponsored by Lagunitas, Aquafina and Naked Juice, attracted
film lovers to monthly screenings on the South Lawn. Adults
Night Out, a new offering held June 6 and August 8, treated
grownups to bars and food stations throughout zoo grounds
along with expert chats, special enrichment for the animals and
free carousel rides.
wild file
Big Birthdays and a Polar Party
If your ideal summer soiree includes cardboard cakes or raw
herring hors d’oeurves (hey, we won’t judge), then Lincoln Park
Zoo was your place this season! Animal care staff—and the animals themselves—enjoyed an impressive array of enrichment to
mark some milestone birthdays…and one zoo farewell.
White-cheeked gibbon Daxin kicked off the fun in celebrating his first birthday at the Helen Brach Primate House on August 16. A birthday banner, confetti and cardboard “cupcakes”
containing fruits and nuts were among the treats crafted by
the zoo’s Volunteer Enrichment Group. His fur now nearly allblack, Daxin clung close to mom Burma as they grazed their
special goodies.
The next animal event was more bittersweet as the zoo hosted a Polar Bear Farewell Party on August 23 to bid adieu to
polar bear Anana. The powerful predator, who made her home
at Polar Bear Plaza since 2001, was toasted with icy treats as
guests signed farewell banners and watched her dive through
her exhibit one last time. Anana traveled to North Carolina Zoo
this fall as work began on the zoo’s new, state-of-the-art Polar
Bear and Penguin Habitats.
Finally, black rhino King turned 1 on August 26, with a cake
sufficient to match his 1,000-pound stature! Composed of eight
rhino-sized slices, with tasty browse and a faux candle topping
them, the special enrichment offered a fun tribute to King and
a species facing a conservation crisis in the wild. (Like most
1-year-olds, he was happy to hang back and let mom take the
lead on the birthday fuss.)
Open the Hatches
The McCormick Bird House’s Free Flight Area welcomed a tiny
Inca tern in July. This South American seabird is notable for
the wavy mustache-like projections on each side of the beak.
The “mustache” is a sign of maturity…although this tiny chick
seemed to bear faint traces of the marking even before he
fledged.
The little birds weren’t the only ones breaking out of their
shells. The zoo welcomed the hatches of nine smooth green
snakes in July. The tiny insect eaters came to the zoo as eggs,
part of a new local conservation partnership with the McHenry County Conservation District (the zoo has worked with the
Lake County Forest Preserve District to restore the species since
2010). The small snakes will spend the winter getting a healthy
head start at the zoo before a potential release in 2015.
The same is true for the 11 ornate box turtle hatchlings that
hatched behind the scenes in September. This native species,
threatened in Illinois, will spend a year growing at the Kovler
Lion House before returning to the wild.
New Zoo Species
Beyond the healthy hatches, Lincoln Park Zoo also welcomed
two new species at the Antelope & Zebra Area. Three Chacoan
peccaries are now living high on the hog in one of the area’s
White-cheeked gibbon Daxin celebrated his first birthday August 16
with special treats—and a snuggle from mom Burma. A Muscovy duck
has joined the alpaca herd while Chacoan peccaries are having a
“swine” time at the Antelope & Zebra Area.
northern exhibits. Native to Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina,
this social swine is adapted to the dry, hostile climate of South
America’s Gran Chaco Region. Small herds spend much of their
time using flexible snouts to dig for succulent plants. Specialized kidneys and two-chambered stomachs help the peccaries
conserve water and break down cacti acid.
Not too far away, a Muscovy duck is now sharing space with
the zoo’s alpaca herd. Found from Mexico into South America,
this waterfowl species is notable for the thick red markings on
their faces. Males raise large crests on top of their heads to attract mates, and females build their nests in empty tree cavities.
WINTER 2014 19
calendar
Good to Glow
ZooLights Presented by ComEd and PNC Bank has been a
holiday highlight for nearly 20 years—not just at the zoo, but
throughout the city as well. There’s no better place to experience
a Chicago winter than with 2 million lights in gleaming displays
at Lincoln Park Zoo. Beginning November 28, and extending
select dates through January 4, visitors can get their annual dose
of holiday crafts, sweet treats and Santa Claus...along with rides
on the new Lionel Train Adventure!
Another new addition to the schedule this year include
BrewLights Presented by Louis Glunz Beer. On December 3,
the Lincoln Park Zoo Auxiliary Board will host a special night
of Louis Glunz Beer sampling from 5:30–9 p.m. Registration
($35) includes a hole-punch “ski ticket” good for 12 beer samples, many of which will be holiday themed, such as Delirium
Noel and Anchor Steam Christmas Ale.
The zoo is also excited to host its second annual Members-Only
Night at ZooLights on Thursday, December 4. The special evening offers Lincoln Park Zoo members exclusive access to the
lights and animals—but without the crowds.
The winter fun also extends to Ice Skating at Lincoln Park
Zoo, which is open daily from November 28 through March 1
(except December 24 and 25). A $5 entry fee, and $5 more to
rent skates if you don’t have them, will let guests practice their
spins, dips and turns under the shimmer of holiday lights at the
Farm-in-the-Zoo.
by Mark Hollander
Upcoming Events
November 28–30;
December 5–7,
12–23, 26–31;
January 1–4
ZooLights Presented
by ComEd and
PNC Bank
December 3
BrewLights
Presented by
Louis Glunz Beer
December 4
Members–Only
Night at ZooLights
Holiday fun at the zoo includes cookies for kids, the brilliance of 2 million lights and rides on the new Lionel Train Adventure.
20 LINCOLN PARK ZOO
November 28–30;
December 1–23;
December
26–March 1
Ice Skating
Sundays, December
14, 21 or 28
Family Polar Parties
December 29–31,
January 2
Winter Break Camp
See the full calendar at
www.lpzoo.org/calendar.
membership
matters
Members-Only Night at ZooLights
Last holiday season more than 2,000 zoo members and their
guests had ZooLights all to themselves for one special night.
The perk was so popular we’re offering it again this year from
5–9 p.m. on Thursday, December 4!
Avoid the crowds (and long lines to see Santa at the Helen
Brach Primate House) and enjoy free access to Ice Skating at
Lincoln Park Zoo during your visit.
Can’t make it December 4? Members will also have exclusive
access to a members lounge on the lower level of Park Place
Café on November 28–30, December 5–7 and December
12–31. Duck in to warm up with cookies, hot chocolate, cider
and crafts!
Santa
Exclusive Animal Chats
Enjoy bite-size informal learning with zoo educators at
members-only animal chats. Upcoming chats include:
• Baby on Board: White-Cheeked Gibbons chat at 3
p.m. on Tuesdays, November 11 and December
9, at the Helen Brach Primate House.
• Enrichment: Ways We Care African Lion chat at 3 p.m.
on Saturday, November 29, at the Kovler Lion House.
Chat sessions include 20 minutes of educator-led content
followed by 10-plus minutes for members’ questions. Preregistration is recommended. Visit lpzoo.org/memberevents
to register and see a full calendar of upcoming membership
events.
Cock-A-Doodle Zoo!
More than 500 zoo members and their families rose with the
roosters for Members-Only Morning at the Farm-in-the-Zoo
on Saturday, September 13. The farm-themed fun included
close-up encounters with barnyard animals, culinary workshops
and craft making with organic treats from the Edible Garden.
Stay tuned for the next Members-Only Morning in spring 2015!
Follow Us Online!
Lincoln Park Zoo magazine isn’t the only way to stay
up to date on the zoo’s world of wildlife. Connect with
us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the zoo blogs at
www.lpzoo.org. New animal arrivals, special events, field
reports by zoo scientists­—they all await your
discovery online.
Members-Only Night at ZooLights offers an exclusive opportunity to take
in the holiday spectacle, including free ice skating for the evening. Our
recent Members-Only Morning offered a fun look at life on the farm.
WINTER 2014 21
Your membership supports everything
we do, from animal care to publishing
Lincoln Park Zoo magazine.
PO Box 14903
Chicago, IL 60614
www.lpzoo.org
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Organization
U.S. Postage
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Lincoln Park Zoo
Give the Gift of Wildlife
ADOPT an Animal at the zoo for a loved one this holiday!
Our Baringo giraffe, Grevy’s zebra or African lion gift packages
include a cuddly plush, personalized ADOPTion certificate,
magnet-framed photo and fact sheet! The Holiday Experience
ADOPT option adds vouchers for skate rental, ice time
and hot chocolate at Ice Skating at Lincoln Park Zoo. Visit
www.lpzoo.org/ADOPT for details.
Chicago Wildlife Watch
Help us ID animals in the Chicago area! The zoo has
collected more than 1 million photos of local wildlife,
from squirrels to skunks. Now we’ve partnered with Adler Planetarium
to launch Chicago Wildlife Watch, a web-based project that lets you help researchers identify
the species that call Chicago home. Visit www.chicagowildlifewatch.org to get started!
Facebook Fanfare
Lincoln Park Zoo’s Facebook page just zipped past 100,000 likes and shows no signs of slowing
down. Not a fan yet? Find us on Facebook for the latest news on animals, events and learning
adventures. And follow us on Twitter for our new #FromACurator updates.