Read six surprising stories about animal siblings. Then decide for yourself if these California sea lion (at left), Labrador retrievers, bonobos, grizzly bears, hyenas, and orcas really care about each other.
Meet a polar bear that takes photos and a flamingo that flew away from a Kansas zoo
Saving species through the power of photography
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Please be respectful of copyright.
An octopus named Frieda in Munich, Germany, can open glass jars.
After watching her keepers at the Hellabrunn Zoo twist open glass jars, Frieda learned
An abandoned wombat is rescued in San Diego, California.
San Diego Zoo keepers found Tangara’s tiny body lying on a cold concrete floor outside
An orphaned baby gorilla gets adopted by a friendly female ape in Columbus, Ohio.
Experts at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium put Dotty in a program that pairs orphaned
A few sneaky elephants free some caged antelopes in Empangeni, South Africa.
have a sense of humor,†says elephant expert William Langbauer of the Pittsburgh Zoo
Discover 16 pages of crazy-cool facts about animal oddities, cool colors, strange nature, amazing ocean creatures, and more.
Other stories in this month’s issue: • Amazing Animals: Meet zoo animals that create
Prairie dogs may bark like dogs—that’s how they got their name—but the little guys are rodents, not canines. CUTE ALERT Up to 15 inches long, the prairie dog is related to the squirrel. And this mammal is all about family time. Prairie dog family groups, which contain up to 26 individuals, share food, groom each other, and even greet one another with nose-to-nose nuzzles. COUNTRY HOME Prairie dog families live with hundreds of others in networks of tunnels dug below North America’s grasslands. Most of these communities, called dog towns, cover less than half a square mile. But one in Texas stretched a hundred miles! How are prairie dogs able to construct these rodent residences? The animals‘ sharp claws make them expert diggers. They also have excellent vision and hearing, which allow them to easily detect predators such as coyotes and snakes when aboveground. Once a prairie dog senses danger, it alerts others by barking. It even uses different barks for different enemies. OUTDOOR RECESS When hungry, prairie dogs emerge from their tunnels to forage for food. Using their sharp teeth, they act like little lawnmowers, trimming and gulping down grass. Outside, they also have some fun: Prairie dog pups enjoy romping around their burrows. Talk about party animals. Text by April Capochino Myers
animals. 3:00 Cute and Cuddly Prairie Dogs It’s a prairie dog party at the Maryland Zoo
An article about plants that eat bugs.
„Everybody gets excited about the zoo and animals, but once you start looking at
Known as “America’s wolf,” red wolves are the only species of wolf that lives in the United States—and nowhere else.
Scientists brought 14 remaining red wolves to Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in
