Zoo Atlanta Scavenger Hunt (with answers)
Flamingos
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Which bird is taller, the flamingo or the kori bustard?
o The kori bustard is 3’5”-4’2” and the flamingo is 3”6”.
African Plains
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How much does an ostrich’s egg weigh?
o 3 lbs
How many bones does a giraffe have in its neck?
o 7 vertebrae
How do a zebra’s stripes serve as protection from predators?
o It is thought that they make it difficult for a predator to focus on a single zebra
What is the lifespan range of an elephant?
o 65-70 years
How many muscles do elephants have in their trunks?
o 100,000 muscles
What do elephants use their trunks for?
o To reach food, to bring water to their mouths, to put dust on their backs, and to breathe
What is one alternative to ivory?
o Tagua nuts
What are four purposes of feathers?
o Insulation, protection, flight, steering
What purpose do the warts on a warthog’s body have?
o They are fleshy pads that protect his face and eyes when fighting
How do meerkats intimidate their predators?
o They band together as a clan and jump up and down and hiss
How tall is a baby giraffe when it is born?
o ~6 feet tall
Rhinos are critically endangered because their horns are harvested by poachers. Why are rhino
horns in high demand and what are they made of?
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o Rhinos’ horns are used in ornaments and medicine and are made of keratin.
What is the farthest distance from which a lion’s roar can be heard?
o Five miles away
What does the word “duiker” mean?
o Diver
What is the term for a granite rock outcrop on a savannah?
o Kopje
Ford African Rain Forest
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What species of gorillas are at Zoo Atlanta?
o Western lowland gorillas
What mineral commonly found in cell phones is being aggressively harvested and causing
extreme habitat loss for gorillas?
o Coltan
Where in the Zoo can you recycle old cell phones to help prevent habitat loss for gorillas?
o Ford Willie B. Gorilla Conservation Center
What is the predominant way used by researchers to tell gorillas apart?
o Noseprints
At what age does a male gorilla’s back turn silver?
o ~12 years old
The Living Treehouse
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What type of primates are lemurs and what two species does Zoo Atlanta have?
o Prosimians, and Zoo Atlanta has ringtailed lemurs and black-and-white-ruffed lemurs
Which is taller, a Wolf’s guenon or a lemur?
o A Wolf’s guenon is 50” tall, and a lemur is 22” tall.
What is the most endangered monkey species in Africa and why is it endangered?
o The drill, because of habitat loss and illegal hunting
Otters
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What type of otters does Zoo Atlanta have?
o Asian small-clawed otters
Are otters hand-oriented or mouth-oriented?
o Hand-oriented
What are two major threats to otter populations?
o Habitat loss and pollution
Naked Mole Rats
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Naked mole rats exhibit the same type of social behavior as do ants, bees, and wasps. What is
this called and what does it mean?
o It is eusocial behavior, and it means that populations of naked mole rats have a caste
system that revolves around the needs of their queen
Orangutans
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How do orangutans help forests grow?
o They disperse seeds throughout their habitat.
How can Bornean and Sumatran orangutans be told apart?
o Bornean orangutans are darker in color.
What does it mean that animals like orangutans are “arboreal?”
o Orangutans spend most of their time in trees and little time on the ground.
Is the childhood of an orangutan long or short?
o It is the second longest childhood of any animal, second to humans.
What is the current conservation status of Sumatran and Bornean orangutans in the wild?
o Critically endangered and endangered, respectively.
How can a mature and an immature male orangutan be told apart?
o The cheek pads on a mature male are bigger.
Komodo Dragon
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How does the size of the Komodo dragon compare to other lizards?
o It is the largest lizard in the world.
How much can a Komodo dragon eat?
o A Komodo dragon can eat up to half its body weight in one meal.
World of Reptiles
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What are the two largest rattlesnake species in Georgia?
o The eastern diamondback rattlesnake is the largest, and the timber rattlesnake is the
second largest.
What are two of the most serious threats to frog species in the wild?
o Habitat loss, pollution, overharvesting, and chytrid fungus
What are three ways scientists and researchers are using to fight the amphibian crisis?
o Creating breeding colonies, monitoring the situation, and conserving amphibian habitats
What is the range of length the reticulated python can reach?
o 15-25 feet
What is the name of the most ferocious animal in the world and how much forest does this
species consume annually?
o Humans, 15 million acres
Is it possible to tell how old a rattlesnake is by counting the segments in its rattle?
o No, rattlesnakes add segments every time they shed their skin.
Trader’s Alley
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Which animal is commonly called the “raccoon dog?”
o Tanuki
What are the tiny cages sun bears are often kept in called and why are they put in them?
o They are called a crush, and they are put in them when people harvest them for bile
Where do sun bears get their name?
o The yellow semi-circle marking on their chests
Are the chest markings on the sun bear unique or identical to those on other sun bears?
o They are unique like human fingerprints.
Of the subspecies of tigers, which three are extinct and what reason do they have in common?
o Bali, Caspian, and Javan are three extinct subspecies of tiger due to habitat loss.
Do Sumatran tigers live in groups or independently?
o Sumatran tigers are solitary animals.
Why are Burmese star tortoises endangered?
o Overharvesting for the high-end pet trade
When does a male wreathed hornbill enclose his female mate in a tree cavity?
o When she is ready to lay her eggs
Giant Panda
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Giant pandas are endangered. How many pandas are estimated to remain in the wild?
o Fewer than 1,600
Bamboo makes up 99% of the giant pandas’ diet, but the species retains what physical
characteristic(s) of a carnivore?
o Digestive tract
What is the sixth digit on the panda’s claw called?
o Pseudothumb
Up to how many bowel movements can a giant panda have a day?
o 100 a day
Outback Station & KIDZone
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What species of kangaroo does Zoo Atlanta have?
o Red kangaroo
For what purpose does a kangaroo need a tail?
o Balance when it hops and as a third leg when it sits.
How does the wattled crane exhibit aggressive behavior?
o Its wattle expands
How many Kunekune pigs were in existence in the 1970’s?
o 18
What is a vocalization between two golden lion tamarins in different parts of a habitat called?
o A long call
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What are the two types of tamarins that Zoo Atlanta has?
o Geoffroy’s tamarins and golden lion tamarins
From which island does the Victoria crowned pigeon originate?
o New Guinea
What does the call of an adult female Cereopsis goose sound like?
o Pig-like grunt
How long can an Aldabra tortoise live?
o Over 100 years.
Which sense is not particularly strong in birds?
o Sense of taste
Carnivores
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What is the largest carnivore found on the island of Madagascar?
o Fossa
Which social carnivore likes to swim?
o Bush dog
How do binturongs help forests grow?
o Their droppings help disperse seeds.