INTRODUCTION

Today we get to go visit the Oregon zoo. We will be learning about all the different animals. We will be learning about things like where they are from and what they eat.

POLAR BEARS

The polar bears scientific name is Ursus Maritimus. Polar bears are very large animals with male polar bears weight ranging from 770 pounds to 1,430 pounds and female polar bears ranging from 385 pounds to 660. These giant animals stand up to 10 feet tall. The polar bears white fur acts as camouflage when they are in the snow. They have a thick layer of blubber that is up to 4 inches thick which keeps them warm and helps them float in the cold water. Their big paws act like oars on about making polar bears good swimmers. Polar bears eat a lot of different types of food. They eat seals, walruses and whale carcasses when they are available. In the summer time time they also eat berries, crabs, plants, small rodents and seaweed. Polar bears live in cold icy waters like in arctic inter-islands.

PENGUINS

In the Oregon Zoo's penguin exhibit they have a species of penguins called the the humboldt penguin. Their scientific name is spheniscus humboldti. The humboldt penguin stands 15 to 18 inches tall and weighs about 9 pounds. These birds love to swim in the water and can reach speeds up 30 miles per hour in the water. There webbed feet help them swim by acting like flippers. Penguins like to catch fish and squid to eat for there meals. They live on costal islands in the southern hemisphere like in Antarctica but also live in Peru and Chile.

PRIMATES

Now we are going to go visit the chimpanzee and orangutan exhibits.


Our first stop is at the chimpanzee's exhibit. Their scientific name is pan troglodytes. A male chimp can weigh anywhere between 75 pounds and 155 pounds and a female can weigh from 57 pounds to 110 pounds. A male chimp stands 3 to 4 feet tall and female stand 2 to 3.5 feet tall. Chimpanzees are extremely intelligent and use facial expressions to communicate non-verbally but also use grunts and barks to communicate. They have thumbs just like we humans do allowing them to hold and grab objects. Their diets consist of flowers, leaves and fruit. They also eat birds, bush pigs and rodents. Chimpanzees come from west and central Africa.

Next stop, Orangutan exhibit.


Orangutans scientific name is pongo pygmaeus abelii. They are very large primates with males standing at over 5 feet and weighing up to 260 pounds and females stand at around 4 feet and weigh about 120 pounds. Orangutans have long shaggy red fur. They have thumbs just like we do and their feet are very similar to our hands as well. Orangutans like to eat eggs, fruit and insects. They come from southeast Asia.

RHINOCEROS

A rhinoceros' scientific name is diceros bicornis. These huge animals are 10 feet long and weigh 3,000 pounds. Rhinos have very poor eyesight but very good hearing and a great sense of smell which they use to detect danger. They have very short legs but are capable of charging at 30 miles per hour. Rhinos like to give themselves mud and dust baths because it helps cool them off and protect them from being bitten by insects. They are herbivores, meaning rhinos only eat plants. They come from savannas and forests in southern Africa.

ZEBRAS

The scientific name for a zebra is equus burchelli antiquorum. Zebras weigh 640 to 750 pounds and are around 4 feet tall at their shoulders. They have black and white stripes that cover their whole body except for belly and lower legs. Zebras live in large herds of several hundreds often with wildebeest, antelope and ostriches. Zebras warn others of danger by giving a loud yelping bark. They are able to run at speeds up to 40 miles per hour. Zebras eat savanna grasses, leaves, tree bark, roots and stems. They graze alone at night for about an hour and drink water during the day. Zebras are from the Savannah grasslands of eastern Africa.

GIRAFFES

The scientific name for giraffes is giraffa camelopardalis reticulata. Male giraffes are about 18 feet tall and weigh about 3,800 pounds. Female are a little shorter standing at 13 to 15 feet tall and weigh around 2,600 pounds. Giraffes have very good sight and acute sense of hearing and smelling. They like eat flowers, fruits, herbs and leaves. They like to live in herds in open woodlands and wooded grasslands of sub-Sahara Africa.

ELEPHANTS

Packy the elephant lives at the Oregon Zoo and is very famous. In 1962 he was the first elephant born in captivity in the western hemisphere in 44 years. Packy is now the largest Asina elephant in the United States standing at 10 feet and 6 inches at the shoulders and weighing 13,500 pounds. The scientific name for elephants is elephas maximus. Elephants can weigh up to 13,500 pounds and be as tall as 12 feet. Elephant feet are adapted to support great weight. They stand on their toes that are arranged in a circle around a spongy pad that cushions each step. The extremely strong and flexible trunk of an elephant is used for feeding, defending themselves and plays a roll in communication. Elephants are herbivores and may spend as much as 18 to 20 hours feeding in a day. They like to eat bamboo, fruits, leaves, reeds, grasses and drinks up to 50 gallons of water. Elephants come from Africa and Asia.

HIPPOPOTAMUS

The scientific name for a hippopotamus is hippopotamus amphibius. Hippos are very large standing at 4.5 feet, 11 feet long and weighing 3,000 to 7,000 pounds. Hippos sweat out a thick red oil that protects skin and shields it from sunburn. They can stay under water for 3 to 5 minutes which helps keep their skin from dehydrating. The hearing, sight and smell of a hippo are excellent. They are on land for only at night 5 to 6 hours for grazing. Hippos spend their days in the water to stay away from predators and to keep cool. They like to grass. Hippos come from Africa where they stay in waterways during the day and are on grasslands at night.

TIGERS

Common names for tigers are the Amur Tiger and Siberian Tiger, but the scientific name is panthera tigris altaica. From head to tail tigers 6 to 12 feet long and stand 3 feet tall at the shoulders. With males weighing 300 to 675 pounds and females weighing 160 to 300 pounds tigers are the largest living cat. Tigers have very large retractable claws. the front feet of a tiger has 5 digits where as the back paws has only 4 digits. Tigers like to hunt. They are very skillful at stalking their pray. This carnivores diet consists of boar, elk, deer, fish, hare and livestock. They like to live in cold rocky mountain woodlands in southeast Russia, North Korea, Manchuria and Siberia.

CONCLUSION

Thank you for visiting the zoo online today. I hope you learned some great information about some animals. There are many other animals at the Oregon Zoo. If you would like you can search the extra sites and search and find even more animals to learn about.