Zoo InternQuest is a seven-week career exploration program for San Diego County high school juniors and seniors. Students have the unique opportunity to meet professionals working for the San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, and Institute for Conservation Research, learn about their jobs, and then blog about their experience online. Follow their adventures here on the Zoo’s website!
Have you ever wondered what an elephant is saying when they trumpet? Well, Matt Anderson, Director of Behavioral Ecology at the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research, is here to enlighten you! He studies how animals interact with each other and their environment in order to ensure the health and happiness of the animals at the Zoo and Safari Park.
So what animals does Mr. Anderson work with? A lot! He researches cheetahs, orangutans, tigers, and so many others! Mr. Anderson works with some of the most exotic animals in the world, but African and Asian elephants take the cake as his favorite creatures. At the Safari Park, Mr. Anderson and his team study the many different vocalizations an elephant can make and what they mean. Did you know an elephant can make a sound called a rumble? Female elephants use the rumble call to announce their breeding season to males far away. Their rumble call can travel over 30 miles! If the elephants use a high pitch, they are talking to males who are nearby whereas the low pitch communicates with males far away. The trumpet call that is commonly associated with elephants serves as a warning to the herd that there is danger nearby.
Lesson: Make your own homemade bird seed!
Objective: Children will be able to observe bird behavior in the wild and listen to the sounds they use to communicate with each other. Additionally, children will learn sustainable practices that benefit our native species.
Making this delicious bird seed will attract a variety of birds to your own backyard! Birds can be hard to observe because they are so fast, but providing them with a tasty snack can slow them down just enough for you to observe. Offering native birds this seed mixture is similar to what zookeepers offer animals at the Zoo! Keepers provide animals with enrichment which is a fun activity that promotes the behavior they would have in the wild.
Materials:
-1/2 cup sunflower seeds
-1/2 cup cracked corn
-1/2 cup raisins
-1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
– Bird feeder
Directions:
- Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, and place in a bird feeder in your yard.
- Wait for birds to arrive! You may want to observe the birds from inside or from afar so that you don’t scare them away.
- Watch their behavior! Did the birds arrive in groups? Are they chirping to other birds nearby? Observing an animal’s behavior in the wild can help us learn more about how to keep animals in captivity happier.
- Write down your observations! In a notebook, write down the vocalizations the birds make. Was it a high or low pitch? Did the bird make the sound more than once? Did other birds arrive after the bird was vocal? You can even sketch a picture of the bird and make note of its special markings so that you can see if it returns to enjoy your tasty birdseed again!
- When your birdseed has been gobbled up, you can make another batch. Just rinse out your bird feeder before filling it again. Make sure to avoid using soap and use as little water as possible!
Jillian, Kid’s Corner Team
Week Two, Winter Session 2017
