facts - Woodland Park Zoo

Transcription

FACTS
ANIMAL
Bushmaster
Lachesis muta
Classification and Range
Bushmasters are venomous snakes belonging to the
class Reptilia, family Viperidae, subfamily Crotalinae
and genus Lachesis.* There are four bushmaster
subspecies. The subfamily Crotalinae is comprised
of species commonly known as pit vipers, such as
rattlesnakes, copperheads, and water moccasins. The
scientific name of the bushmaster, Lachesis muta,
means “silent fate.”
Bushmasters are native to southern
Central America and almost all the
northern half of South America.
The range of the two Central
American subspecies begins in
southern Nicaragua and continues
south to northern Colombia. The
two southern subspecies are found
from central Colombia to central
Bolivia, extending from the eastern
half of Ecuador and northeastern
Peru to the coastlines of northern
Brazil, Guyana, French Guiana and
Surinam. They are also found on
the island of Trinidad and along
the southern coast of Brazil.
darker brown to black diamond-shaped patterns on
their backs. Their scales are bumpy, with a pronounced
ridge of hard, sharp scales running down the center
of their back.
The bushmaster is a potentially dangerous snake
to humans. Their venom kills by causing internal
bleeding. It is fairly weak compared
to that of other closely related
species, but the bushmaster is able
to produce very large quantities
of venom. The species is elusive,
however, and rarely encountered
by humans. As a result, there have
been very few recorded human
fatalities from bushmaster bites.
South
America
Life Span
Pacific Ocean
Life span in the wild is unknown.
In captivity, they typically live
12-18 years, with a recorded
maximum life span of 24 years.
Diet
In the wild: Small mammals
At the zoo: Domestic rats
Habitat
Bushmasters are found in relatively cool, moist
tropical forests from mountainous areas to coastal
lowlands.
Reproduction
The bushmaster is an oviparous species, which
means they lay eggs rather than bear live young.
The bushmaster is the only egg-laying pit viper
in the Americas.
Physical Characteristics
This species is the largest of all venomous snakes
in the Americas and the longest viper in the
world, sometimes reaching a length of 12 feet (3.6
m). As with other members of its subfamily, the
bushmaster has hinged fangs that lie flat on the
roof of the mouth when not in use. Because of this
adaptation, their fangs can be very long, reaching as
much as 1.4 inches (35 mm) in a large individual.
Their bodies are slightly flattened, with broad,
wedge-shaped heads and a short tail ending in a
bony spur. When agitated, they may shake their
tail tip against foliage to make a threatening sound.
They have a light tan background color with large,
Bushmasters are solitary except when mating. Males
find receptive females by following scent trails left by
females. Finding a female, he rubs his head and flicks
his tongue along the sides of her body to state his
intentions and make sure she is receptive. If so, he
flips his body upside down on top of hers and rubs
his spinal ridge back and forth in a sawing motion
against her body to stimulate her. If she is coiled up,
he may also strike her with the side of his body to
encourage her to loosen her coils and allow him access.
When she uncoils, they wrap their bodies around
one another and mate in that position, sometimes
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Animal Fact Sheets
remaining together for five or more hours. When a
female bushmaster is ready to lay her eggs, she finds a
burrow built by another small animal to claim as her
own, sometimes sharing the burrow with the animal
that built it. She then lays eight to 12 eggs, each of
which is white and slightly larger than a chicken
egg. After laying her eggs, the female coils her body
around them and guards them until they hatch 76-79
days later. She will not leave her eggs even to hunt
during this period.
The population of bushmasters in the wild is
unknown, due to their secretive habits and the dense
forests and difficult terrain they typically inhabit. The
extensive degradation and destruction of the tropical
rain forests of South America is a major threat to this
and many other plant and animal species.
Humans need snakes! By preying upon rodents and
insects that eat our crops and spread diseases, snakes
help to control populations of these rapidly breeding
animals, keeping them within the carrying capacity
of their habitats. Snake venom is used in medical
research on blood clotting, and to make certain
anesthetics and medications.
Life Cycle
Newborn bushmasters are about 20 inches (50 cm)
long. They are pale-colored, with a bright orange or
yellow tail tip they gradually lose as they get older.
This may help the young bushmasters attract small,
insectivorous mammals to eat. The colors of the
young bushmaster will usually change to their dark
adult pattern when the snake is between 1-2 years old.
Sexual maturity is typically reached around 4 years.
How You Can Help!
The effort to protect animals and their habitats
requires cooperation and support at the regional,
national and international levels. You can help in
this cause. Join and become active in a conservation
organization of your choice. Don’t buy products made
from wild animal parts. If you really want to own a
snake or any other reptile, learn about them first and
make sure you get one that was captive-bred. Tell
your elected representatives about the importance of
preserving wild habitats and endangered species.
Feel the Heat
Bushmasters, like other pit vipers, have a special
adaptation that helps them detect their warmblooded prey. They have two heat-sensitive pits, one
on each side of their heads, halfway between their
eye and nostril. These pits allow the snake to sense
the heat difference between a small mammal and the
cooler rocks, plants and other objects in the area.
When a warm-blooded animal ventures closer than
20 inches (50 cm), the bushmaster can detect the
prey entirely by its body heat, even aiming its strike
without any other sensory information.
To learn other ways you can help, contact the
Woodland Park Zoological Society at (206) 6151030 about supporting conservation programs at the
zoo. Discover more about snakes by contacting the
Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles at
303 W. 39th St., PO Box 626, Hays, KS 67601, or the
American Federation of Herpetoculture: AFH, P.O.
Box 300067, Escondido, CA, 92030-0067. Learn other
ways you can help conserve wildlife and habitats by
calling the zoo’s Education Center at (206) 684-4800.
Bushmasters produce an enormous amount of
venom. The average yield of dried venom from a
bushmaster is 411 mg (0.014 oz), compared to just
52 mg (0.0018 oz) from the copperhead!
Sources and Suggested Reading
Bauchot, Roland (Ed.). 1997.
Snakes: A Natural History. Sterling Publishing Co.,
New York, NY. 220 pp.
Their heat-sensitive pits allow a bushmaster to
detect a heat difference of just 0.0036 degrees
Farenheit (0.002 degrees Celsius)!
For Kids!
Woodland Park Zoo’s bushmasters are located in the
Tropical Rain Forest. As visitors enter the exhibit,
they are immersed in a garden of tropical rain forest
plants such as fan palms, bananas, cocoa, figs and
hanging liana vines. The bushmasters can be found
in the forest floor section of the building.
Matero, Robert. 1993. Snakes.
(Eyes on Nature Series). Kidsbooks, Inc.,
Chicago, IL. 29 pp.
*Taxonomic classification varies between references. Classification information used in this fact
sheet was taken from The EMBL Reptile Database. (07/06/01)
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FACTS
ANIMAL
Goeldi’s Monkey (Callimico)
Callimico goeldii
Life Cycle
There is some dispute over whether the Goeldi’s
(GEL-dees) monkey should be in its own family,
Callimiconidae, or classified with other marmosets
in the family Callitrichidae. There are no subspecies.
Goeldi’s monkeys are distributed through the upper
Amazonian rain forest of South America, including
eastern Equador, eastern Peru, western Brazil and
northern Bolivia.
Infants are cared for solely by the mother for the first
10-20 days of life, then the group members share
in the carrying. Not a lot is known about the social
structure of wild Goeldi’s, but studies indicate that
there may be various forms, including monogamy,
one breeding pair per group, multi-breeding pairs
and one male with more than one breeding female.
Average group size is six members
with group bonds being very
strong. Members remain within
50 feet (15 m) of each other and
maintain contact by a shrill call.
Habitat
Mixed deciduous forest, with discontinuous canopy including a
well-developed shrub layer. They
may often be found in swampy
areas near rivers and streams.
South
America
Pacific
Ocean
Length and Weight
Head and body length:
8.5-9.1 inches (21.6-23.4 cm)
Tail length:
10-12.8 inches (25.5-32.4 cm)
Weight:
14.1-18.9 ounces (393-860 g)
About 40 different vocalizations
have been noted, including a trill
for alarm and warning. Goeldi’s
rest separately rather than in close
contact with each other, except
during their midday rest, when
they groom one another.
Missing Link?
While the Goeldi’s monkey was first
described by zoologist E.A. Goeldi
ENDA NGERED SPECIES
in 1904, it was not exhibited in a
Life Span
North American zoo until 1955.
About 10 years in captivity
They are very significant due to
skeletal features (mainly the skull) which resemble
Diet
Asian and African monkeys. The Goeldi’s monkey
may represent a link between the two major primate
In the wild: Insects, small vertebrates, fruit, tree gum,
families.
and sap and nectar
At the zoo: Canned primate (marmoset) diet, fruits,
nuts, mealworms and crickets
Low to the Ground
Goeldi’s monkeys prefer to travel and forage below
16 feet (5 m) but do feed in the tops of fruit trees as
high as 100 feet (30 m). If disturbed, they will stay
below 16 feet (5 m) to flee and hide. If surprised, it is
reported that a Goeldi’s monkey will park its infant
on a branch and escape.
Reproduction
Females reach sexual maturity at about 8.5 months,
males at 16.5 months. Gestation period averages
155 days (range 139-180 days). Females give birth
to one infant at a time with infants being weaned by
65 days.
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Animal Fact Sheets
Contact the Woodland Park Zoological Society
at (206) 615-1030 to find out about ways you can
support conservation programs at the zoo. Discover
more about the Goeldi’s monkey and other primates
by contacting the Conservation International, 1015
18th St. NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 10036;
(202) 429-9489; www.conservation.org. Learn
other ways you can help conserve wildlife and the
habitats they require for survival by calling the zoo’s
Education Department at (206) 684-4800.
Goeldi’s have claws instead of flattened nails on their
fingers, a trait they share with tamarins!
Goeldi’s are the only small new world monkeys with
36 teeth, all other marmosets and tamarins have 32!
Goeldi’s are an endangered species.* They are
also listed as rare by the International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This is a poorly
studied species, with the total wild population
unknown. Its distribution is very sparse and the
population density is low compared to similarly
sized Callitrichids. There are no current plans for
reintroduction until additional research and studies
can be completed.
Sources and Recommended Reading
Coimbra-Filho, Adelmar F. and R.A. Mittermeier.
1981. Ecology and Behavior of Neotropical Primates,
Goeldi’s Monkey, Genus Callimico.
Chapter 4: pp. 169-209.
Macdonald, David, ed. 1993. The Encyclopedia of
Mammals. Facts on File, Inc., New York, NY. 895 p.
There are no protected areas within which Goeldi’s
occur. Poverty and the need for land to support
subsistence farming is the major threat to the
Goeldi’s survival. Very little research has occurred on
this species in the wild, and no long-term programs
exist. The American Zoo and Aquarium Association’s
(AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) has been approved
and the captive population is being carefully
managed. Woodland Park Zoo is participating in this
management program. There are approximately 200
animals in the SSP, and 300-350 animals worldwide.
A global master plan is currently being established.
Nowak, Ronald M., ed. 1991. Walker’s Mammals of
the World. 5th Edition. The John Hopkins University
Press, Baltimore and London. 1,629 p.
Rowe, Noel. 1996. The Pictorial Guide to the Living
Primates. Pogonias Press, East Hampton, New York,
NY. 263 p.
For Kids!
Julivert, Maria Angels. 1996. Primates.
Barron’s Educational Series, Inc., Hauppauge,
New York, NY. 31 p.
How You Can Help!
The effort to save endangered species requires
cooperation and support at the international,
national, regional and individual levels. You can
help in this cause. Join and become active in a
conservation organization of your choice. Don’t
buy products made from wild animal parts. Let
your elected representatives know your views about
protecting endangered species and wild habitats.
*There are several international and federal agencies that determine the endangered status of
species. WPZ designates a species as endangered if it is listed as endangered on the IUCN
(International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Red List, the US Fish & Wildlife Service’s
Endangered Species List, or on Appendix I of CITES (Convention on the International Trade
of Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna).
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Animal Fact Sheets
FACTS
ANIMAL
Golden Lion Tamarin
Leontopithecus rosalia
Reproduction
The golden lion tamarin belongs to the family
Leontopithecus which includes four distinct species;
the golden lion tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia),
the golden-headed lion tamarin (Leontopithecus
chrysomelas), the black-faced lion tamarin
(Leontopithecus caissara) and the black lion tamarin
(Leontopithecus chrysopygus). While
the golden lion tamarins are the most
abundant, they only number about
600 in the wild. They are currently
found only in a small area of Brazil
northeast of Rio de Janeiro.
Females will reach sexual maturity at 18 months,
males at 24 months of age. Golden lion tamarins are
seasonal breeders, with mating taking place May-July.
The gestation period is 132-134 days. In captivity, a
female produces one or sometimes two litters a year,
usually consisting of twins.
Life Cycle
The young cling to the mother for the
first week or so, and then are taken
over by the father, being transferred
back to the mother for nursing.
Infants from previous births also
provide assistance carrying for the
young. The experience gained by
the juveniles assisting in the care of
the infants is essential in developing
the skills necessary in rearing their
own young when they mature.
This will continue for about three
months; by 4 months the young are
fully independent with full adult
size being obtained by 1 year of age.
Adults of the same sex are extremely
aggressive toward one another. The adult male and
female of a group form permanent pair bonds.
Habitat
Tropical humid forest. Golden lion
tamarins prefer mature primary
forest but can utilize various kinds
of secondary forests. They tend to
select areas with heavy vine growth
for cover and with tree holes for
sleeping sites.
Length and Weight
Head and body length: 7.9-13.2
inches (200-326 mm). Tail length:
12.4-15.7 inches (315-400 mm)
Weight, females: 12.7-28 ounces
(361-794 g)
Weight, males: 15.4-25 ounces (437-710 g)
Tamarins tend to be monogamous and remain with
the same mate. This breeding pair forms the base
for a family group of two to eight family members,
with temporary associations of 15-16. Tamarins have
a wide variety of vocalizations which they use in
communicating in the dense forest.
Life Span
Approximately 15 years in the wild; longevity record
in a zoo is about 30 years and still living.
Population Control!
Diet
Reproduction by subordinate females is suppressed
behaviorally by the dominant female in a group.
This gives the dominant female’s infant unrestricted
access to the available resources, especially hard-tofind foods to insure adequate nutrition.
In the wild: Primarily insects and fruit, but also
spiders, snails, small lizards, birds and bird eggs
At the zoo: Canned marmoset diet, fruits, mealworms
and crickets
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Fascinating Facts
and food source. After a few months of this training they
are sent to the Golden Lion Tamarin Project Headquarters
at Poco das Antas. There they are provided with nest boxes
and food, but the food is moved farther and farther away
and gradually reduced to encourage natural foraging.
Out of those successfully reintroduced, 30 have survived
to date, and have successfully raised 95 offspring. Some
offspring are the result of pairings between captive and
wild-born animals. Included within those animals that
have been reintroduced and have reproduced are two
tamarins born and reared here at Woodland Park Zoo.
• Golden lion tamarin males’ weight increases in May
before breeding and decreases during June-July!
•The females’ milk is richer in protein and ash than
other primate groups!
•Golden lion tamarins have claws instead of fingernails,
a trait shared by all tamarins!
Day Exhibit
Golden lion tamarins are on exhibit in the Day Exhibit
building. Also clustered at the Day and Night Exhibits
are the majority of the zoo’s amphibians and reptiles.
The Day Exhibit’s day-active species are found in
deserts, temperate and tropical regions from around
the world. The animals found at the Night Exhibit are
especially adapted to hunt and forage at night.
How You Can Help!
If you like this animal and find it particularly fascinating
you can adopt it! The effort to save endangered species
requires cooperation and support at the international,
national, regional and individual levels. You can help
in this cause. Join and become active in a conservation
organization of your choice. Don’t buy products made
from wild animal parts. Let your elected representatives
know your views about protecting endangered species
and wild habitats.*
The golden lion tamarin is an endangered species.*
This tamarin’s position in the wild is very unstable. The
Atlantic coastal rain forest has been almost completely
developed for plantations, cattle grazing and housing.
Only a few isolated forest tracts remain. Golden lion
tamarin have also been captured for sale as pets in
nearby cities. This species is also susceptible to many
human diseases like measles and various viruses.
Contact the Woodland Park Zoological Society at
(206) 615-1030 to find out about ways you can support
conservation programs at the zoo. Discover more about
the golden lion tamarin and other primates by contacting
Conservation International, 1015 18th St. NW, Suite
1000, Washington, DC 20036; (202) 429-9489; www.
conservation.org. Learn other ways you can help conserve
wildlife and the habitats they require for survival by calling
the zoo’s Education Department at (206) 684-4800.
Golden lion tamarins reproduced poorly in captivity
until studies determined the best group size and
organization for reproduction and rearing. They also
suffered a high mortality rate in captivity until zoos
discovered that they need insects or meat protein in
their diet and vitamin D from sunlight. The numbers in
North American zoos have multiplied from 70 tamarins
in 1969 to around 500 animals in 1995. The number of
institutions involved in the international management
programs now totals 140 worldwide in North America,
Europe, Australia, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and
South America.
Nowak, Ronald M., ed. 1991. Walker’s Mammals of the
World. 5th Edition. The John Hopkins University Press,
Baltimore and London. 1,629 p.
Rowe, Noel. 1996. The Pictorial Guide to the Living
Primates. Pogonias Press, East Hampton, New York, NY.
263 p.
A golden lion tamarin biological reserve was created in
Brazil in 1974. Poco das Antas is a 14,826 acre (6,000
ha) reserve located about 60 miles (100 km) northeast
of Rio de Janeiro. About 40% of the reserve has mature
forest. Nearly 140 captive-bred animals have been
released in the Poco das Antas Biological Reserve and
surrounding areas since 1984. Animals from several
different zoos are typically first sent to the National
Zoo in Washington, DC, where they are given a taste
of independence. They are “free-ranged” in a patch
of woods on the zoo grounds, constrained only by a
“psychological cage” which keeps them near a nest box
For Kids!
Ancona, G. 1994. The Golden Lion Tamarin Comes Home.
McMillian Press, New York, NY. 38 p.
Julivert, Maria Angels. 1996. Primates. Barron’s Educational
Series, Inc., Hauppauge, New York, NY. 31 p.
*There are several international and federal agencies that determine the endangered status of species.
WPZ designates a species as endangered if it is listed as endangered on the IUCN (International Union
for the Conservation of Nature) Red List, the US Fish & Wildlife Service’s Endangered Species List, or
on Appendix I of CITES (Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species of Flora and
Fauna).
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Woodland Park Zoo
Animal Fact Sheets
FACTS
ANIMAL
Leaf-cutting Ants
Atta cephalotes
Life Cycle
Thirty-eight different species of leaf-cutting ants
live in Central and South America. Leaf-cutting ants
belong to the Formicidae ant family of the Atta genus.
They can be found in tropical rain forest regions in
enormous underground colonies.
Well-worn trails are made by leaf-cutting ants as they
travel to and from their underground cities. Their
colonies are easy to spot — the earth excavated from
the galleries of the colony creates a mound around its
entrance. Above ground, there is a conspicuous bare
spot around the colony where the leaves have been
stripped from the shrubs. Colonies can be made up
of over 5 million ants.
Habitat
Leaf-cutting ants live in the basement of the tropical rain forest
floor, as deep as 12 feet (3.6 m)
below the tree roots.
Leaf-cutting ants are relatively
large, with long legs and spines
on their bodies. The queen may
be up to one inch long (2.5 cm),
the male 1/2 inch (1.25 cm).
The workers vary in size, ranging
from 1/10 (.25 cm) to 1/2 inch
(1.25 cm). Each size is specialized
to perform a certain task.
South
America
Pacific
Ocean
Worker ants crawl to the surface
to collect leaves. These ants are
selective about the leaves they
collect, and will often travel several
hundred yards to find a certain
species. In this way, they spread
out their foraging so that trees do
not become stripped. Ants mark
their trails with invisible glandular
secretions, leaving a scent behind
so that they can find their way
back home. Using their scissor-like
jaws, they cut semicircles out of the
leaves, often bigger than the ants
themselves.
In special chambers, workers chew
the leaves into a pulp, making a
bed of fertilizer upon which fungus is grown. This
special fungus is not found anywhere outside of Atta
colonies. There are several kinds of fungus cultivated
by the genus Atta as a whole, but each individual Atta
species keeps to one kind. The ants carefully weed the
fungus bed, ensuring that only one kind of fungus is
grown, and they continually add additional leaves to
enrich the crop. The fungi produce rounded bodies
called bromatia, and the ants feed on these.
Life Span
Unknown in the wild; up to 20 years in captivity
Diet
In the wild: Native plants and agricultural cultivars
are used by leaf-cutting ants to cultivate fungus in
underground fungal gardens.
At the zoo: Several nontoxic plants throughout
the zoo are used by leaf-cutting ants to cultivate
underground fungal gardens.
Job Classification
Reproduction
Within each colony of leaf-cutting ants there is
a strict division of labor. The large ants, known as
the maximae, are soldiers and their task is to defend
the nest. The mediae workers collect leaves, and the
minimae workers tend the fungus beds, eggs and
larvae, and offer protection to the mediae as they
forage. The mediae workers often carry leaf particles
New nests are established when a queen flies off and
mates, comes to earth, breaks off her wings, and
searches for a place in the soil to lay her eggs. In a
small pocket below her mouth, she carries a small
pellet of fungus, which she carefully cultivates and
grows. Without the fungi, no Atta colony can exist.
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Animal Fact Sheets
larger than their bodies, and are left defenseless
against parasitic flies that hover overhead waiting for
an opportunity to lay their eggs on the ants’ bodies.
The minimae ants ride on top of the leaf particles
and ward off the flies as they approach.
Here are only a few of the benefits insects provide:
• Bees, butterflies and other insects pollinate wild
plants and our crops, ensuring the production of
seeds and fruits required for the continued survival
of plants and animals.
• Earwigs, beetles and other insect scavengers clean
up the environment by consuming decaying plants
and animals. Nutrients are recycled back into the
soil, helping future generations of plants to grow.
• Many species of carnivorous beetles, ants and wasps
eat other harmful insects that damage or destroy
our crops and spread disease.
• Burrowing insects aerate and enrich the soil.
• Insects are a valuable source of food for animals,
including humans!
• Insects produce products used by people, including
honey, beeswax, silk and dye, to name only a few.
Leaf-cutting ants have developed creative solutions
to their garbage disposal problems. Dead ants and
other wastes are taken to an underground dumpsite
or to a trash dump above ground. In the forest, this
waste is recycled. It is nutrient rich, and is rapidly
invaded by tree roots!
Leaf-cutting ants are also known as fungus garden
ants or as parasol ants due to the fact that the
relatively enormous leaf particles are carried over the
ants’ heads and resemble flags or umbrellas!
There are approximately 200 species of leaf-cutting
ants!
How You Can Help!
The effort to save animals and their habitat requires
in this cause. Join and become active in Woodland
Park Zoo and other conservation organizations of
your choice. To conserve the habitat for leaf-cutting
ants and other insects, reduce your use of pesticides
and herbicides, and work to preserve vegetation in
your neighborhood and in tropical regions.
These ants collect leaves from all layers of tropical rain
forests, from the forest floor to the upper canopy!
When the soldier ants, the maximae, enter or leave the
nest, they stroke one another’s antennae, exchanging
chemical signals and confirming their kinship!
All of the worker and soldier ants are females!
The leaf-cutting ants at Woodland Park Zoo were
collected in Peru and Trinidad!
(206) 615-1030 to find out how you can support
conservation efforts at the zoo. Learn other ways
you can help conserve wildlife and the habitats they
require for survival by calling the zoo’s Education
Center at (206) 684-4800.
In the Tropical Rain Forest, visitors see leaf-cutting
ants moving along vertical highways in a hollow tree
as they forage for leaf matter and tend to their fungus
beds. The colony of leaf-cutting ants is one of the first
exhibits encountered as visitors travel along the first
layer of the Tropical Rain Forest, the forest floor.
Borror. 1974. Field Guide: Insects
(Petersen Field Guide Series).
Houghton Mifflin Company. Boston, MA. 404 p.
Escalating human caused changes in land use are
affecting natural habitats required by leaf-cutting
ants and other insects and animals for survival. Vast
forests are being removed for timber and other paper
products, industrial emissions are polluting water and
air resources, and habitat is being rapidly converted
by expanding human communities and agricultural
needs. It’s only a matter of time until many insect
species populations will become severely reduced, or
eliminated entirely.
Nuridsany, Claude & Marie Perennou.
1997. Microcosmos. Stewart, Tabori & Chang,
New York, NY. 160 p.
For Kids!
Gaffrey, Michael. 1994. Secret Forest. Golden Book,
Western Publishing Company, Inc. Racine, WI. 31 p.
Julivert, Angels. 1991. Ants. Barron’s Educational
Series, Inc., Hauppauge, New York, NY. 32 p.
Humans need insects. Often unnoticed, insects
are essential for maintaining the balance
in nature and health of the living world.
Zoobooks. 1994. Insects. Wildlife Education Ltd., San
Diego, CA. 18 p.
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Animal Fact Sheets
FACTS
ANIMAL
Jaguar
Panthera onca
Classification & Range
At the zoo: Horse meat, mutton, chicken,
rabbit, beef knuckle bones and commercially
prepared feline diet, ground meat and vitamins.
Jaguars belong to the family Felidae, which includes
36 species of cats. Jaguars are classified under the
genus Panthera which includes four species of “big
cats”, the jaguar, tiger, lion and leopard.*
Reproduction
Female jaguars sexually mature at about two years of
age; males at three to four years. Mating in the wild
or in captivity may occur at any time; the female is
receptive for about 6-17 days. Gestation lasts about
93-110 days. Female jaguars usually
give birth to one to four cubs,
averaging two young per litter. She
gives birth in a den surrounded by
a dense thorn thicket, or under tree
roots.
There are eight subspecies of jaguar. Jaguars are
considered the equivalent of leopards in the New
World, and are the largest species of cats in the
Western Hemisphere.
They are distributed throughout
most of Mexico, Central and South
America, while lone individuals
are rarely seen in the southwestern
United States.
Habitat
Life Cycle
Mostly deciduous and tropical rain
forest, but jaguars can range from
montane areas to the wet savanna.
Jaguars are often found near fresh
water where they hunt fish.
Jaguar cubs are usually born with
their eyes closed, weigh about
25-29 oz (700-900 gr), and are
highly dependent upon their
mother for survival. After about
two weeks, a cub’s eyes open. Soon
Head/Body Length & Shoulder Height
thereafter, jaguar young may leave
the den, only to explore and play
Adult length (including tail):
ENDA NGERED SPECIES
not far from their mother. Cubs
5-8.5 ft (1.6-2.6 m)
continue to suckle until they are
Adult height:
five to six months old. Cubs start
27-30 in (68-76 cm); females are smaller
to follow their mother on hunts
when they are about six months old, but will not
Weight
hunt alone until they are one to two years of age. By
Adult weight:
that time, they are ready to leave their mother’s side
79-348 lbs (36-158 kg); females weigh less
to look for their own territory and mate.
Life Span
On Their Own
In the wild, about 11 years; up to 22 years in zoos
Jaguars, like most species of cats, are solitary animals
who occupy large areas of land. Large territories are
more likely to contain sufficient numbers of prey
species to sustain them. They mark their territory
with urine, scent markings, and by scratching nearby
trees. In areas of high prey density, jaguars may
share limited parts of their home range with other
jaguars.
Diet
In the wild: Deer, peccaries, monkeys, tapirs, birds,
reptiles, amphibians, fish, small rodents and domestic
stock if readily available. Jaguars can survive on
anything from herd animals to insects.
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Animal Fact Sheets
Mothers with young, subadult siblings, and courting
or mating individuals are the few occasions that
jaguars spend time together. When a female is ready
to mate, she will stray from her own territory to find a
mate. In order to locate a mate, males make a mewing
cry. While a female is searching for a mate, she may
sometimes be accompanied briefly by several males.
numbers are decreasing rapidly as a result of habitat
destruction and the commercial fur trade. In many
areas, they are near extinction. Although large resident
populations still exist in the Amazon rain forests, the
key to the jaguar’s continued survival is its ability to
adapt to changing environmental conditions.
Woodland Park Zoo is helping to save this
disappearing species. The zoo supports conservation
programs, which include captive breeding, wildlife
introduction, public awareness and field studies.
The zoo also participates in the American Zoo and
Aquarium Association’s (AZA) Species Survival Plan
(SSP) for jaguars. The primary focus of the jaguar
SSP, which manages the captive population in North
America, is education and conservation of the species
in its countries of origin.
Silent Solitary Stalker
Jaguars are nocturnal hunters, and do most of their
stalking on the ground. They are also excellent
climbers, leaping from a tree or a ledge to ambush
their prey. Jaguars have a compact body, with a large
broad head and powerful jaws. With large prey,
jaguars commonly bite the head and puncture the
skull with their canine teeth. Jaguars dispatch smaller
prey by simply breaking their necks. Large carcasses
are either buried or hidden in a sheltered area, for the
jaguar will return to eat when it is hungry again. The
jaguar is also a patient hunter of fish. It waits by the
water’s edge, occasionally hitting the surface of the
water with its tail, which inadvertently attracts fish.
As the fish approach the shore, the jaguar swats at
them, spearing the fish with its sharp claws.
How You Can Help!
You can help preserve and protect wildlife and their
habitat. Join and become active in Woodland Park
Zoo and other conservation organizations of your
choice. Please do not buy products made from wild
animal parts. Contact your elected representatives and
express your views about conservation of endangered
species and wild habitats. Contact the Woodland
Park Zoological Society at (206) 789-6000 to find out
about ways you can support conservation
programs at the zoo. Discover more about
endangered cats by calling the International Society
for Endangered Cats, Inc. at (614) 792-9919. Learn
Education Center at (206) 684-4800.
Jaguars are one of the few species of wild
cats that have melanistic (black) individuals!
Jaguar is from the American Indian word
meaning “killer that takes its prey in a single
bound!”
Want to Know More?
Like most big cats, jaguars enjoy water.
Jaguars are strong swimmers, and will follow
their prey into the water during the chase!
Alderton, David. 1993. Wild Cats of the World.
Facts On File, Inc., New York, NY. 192 p.
Sleeper, Barbara. 1995. Wild Cats of the World.
Crown Publishers, Inc., New York, NY. 216 p.
Woodland Park Zoo’s jaguars are located at the jaguar
exhibit along the Trail of Adaptations. This older zoo
exhibit will be their home until a new habitat can
be constructed for them in the Tropical Rain Forest
Bioclimatic Zone. Other felines that can be seen along
the Trail of Adaptations are the tiger, clouded
leopard, Pallas’s cat, cougar and serval.
For Kids!
Resnick, Jane. 1994. Cats. Kidsbooks, Inc.,
Chicago, IL. 29 p.
Zoobooks. 1992. Big Cats. Wildlife Education, Ltd.,
San Diego, CA. 16 p.
*There are several international and federal agencies that determine the endangered status of
species. WPZ designates a species as endangered if it is listed as endangered on the IUCN
Endangered Species List, or on Appendix I of CITES (Convention on the International Trade
of Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna).
Jaguars are an endangered species.* Estimates indicate
that over 10,000 still exist in the wild. However, their
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Woodland Park Zoo
Animal Fact Sheets
FACTS
ANIMAL
Ocelot
Leopardus (Felis) pardalis
Reproduction
Ocelots belong to the family Felidae, which includes
36 species of cats. Ocelots are classified under the
genus Leopardus. Leopardus includes three species of
“small cats,” the ocelot, margay and little spotted cat.
Felis pardalis is still an accepted scientific name for
the ocelot.1
Ocelots sexually mature at about 20-24 months.
Mating in the wild or in captivity may occur at any
time, usually once or twice a year. Gestation lasts
about 70 days. Female ocelots usually give birth to
one to four kittens, averaging two young per litter.
Females give birth in well protected areas such as a
dense thorn thicket or hollow tree.
There are eleven subspecies of ocelots. They are distributed throughout Mexico, Central and South
America to northern Argentina,
with remnant populations still in
the southwestern United States.
Mexico
Life Cycle
Central America
Habitat
Ocelots are found in several
different kinds of habitats, from
jungle areas and tropical rain
forests to dry scrub and chaparral
zones. They prefer marshes and
riverbanks to open country.
South
America
Head and Body Length
Adult length (including tail):
2.5-5 feet (74-152 cm)
ENDA NGERED SPECIES
Weight
Adult weight:
24-35 pounds (11-16 kg); females slightly less
Ocelot kittens are highly reliant
upon their mother for survival,
and the mother cares for her
young alone. When it becomes
necessary for her to hunt, the
mother will conceal the litter in a
den surrounded by thick shrubs.
Kittens are dependent on their
mother for five to six months. At
around 6 months of age, kittens
start to practice hunting techniques
alongside their mother, but they
will not hunt alone until 18-24
months of age. By that time, they
are ready to leave their mother’s
side to look for their own territory
and mate.
Independent Individuals
Ocelots are solitary animals who occupy small,
exclusive areas of land, approximately 20 square miles
(52 sq km). They mark their territory with urine and
scent markings. Male ocelot ranges are often larger
than that of a female. Male ocelots avoid other male
ocelot territories; however, they will overlap into
other female ranges. Although individuals roam
and hunt separately, research indicates that ocelots
will frequently contact one another and probably
maintain a network of social ties. The ocelot
communicates by meows, and during courtship,
yowls in a manner similar to that of a domestic cat.
Life Span
About 10-13 years in the wild; up to 20 years in zoos
Diet
In the wild: Young deer and peccaries, monkeys,
birds, reptiles, fish, rabbits and small rodents
At the zoo: Ground turkey, quail, chicks, mice, rats
and commercially prepared feline diet. Occassionally
they are given knuckle bones and rabbit. The ocelots
are fed live trout twice a week as enrichment.
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Animal Fact Sheets
Out at Night
with other unrelated ocelots. Since the future of the
ocelot is uncertain, zoos with breeding pairs play an
important role in the ocelot’s survival. Woodland
Park Zoo also participates in the American Zoo and
Aquarium Association’s (AZA) Felid Taxon Advisory
Group. The primary focus of this group is to establish
a Species Survival Plan (SSP) for the ocelot, which
will help manage the captive population in North
America for research and education. Additionally, the
zoo seeks to encourage and assist in the conservation
of the ocelot in its territories of origin, including the
highly endangered Texas subspecies.
Ocelots have a strong body with short, sleek hair. They
have an extraordinary sense of vision at low light
levels, as well as an acute sense of smell and hearing.
It is not surprising then, that ocelots are nocturnal
hunters. However, they will sometimes venture out
during the day for a drink of water. Ocelots do most
of their hunting on the ground, their slender bodies
enabling them to capture prey in the thickest thorn
brush. Although they are mainly ground hunters,
ocelots will expertly climb trees for birds or squirrels,
and can easily swim in rivers and ponds for fish.
How You Can Help!
cooperation and support at the international, national,
regional and individual levels. You can help in this
cause. Join and become active in Woodland Park Zoo
and other conservation organizations of your choice.
Please do not buy products made from wild animal
parts. Contact your elected representatives and
express your views about conservation of endangered
species and wild habitats.
The ocelot’s tail is usually one-third the length
of its body!
Ocelots are three to four times the size of an
average domestic cat!
Ranchers consider the ocelot an asset on the
range because it preys on rodents and rabbits,
but does not kill livestock!
more about endangered cats by calling The World
Conservation Union (IUCN) at their Web site at
lynx.uio.no/catfolk/. Learn other ways you can help
conserve wildlife and the habitats they require for
survival by calling the zoo’s Education Center at
(206) 684-4800.
Woodland Park Zoo’s ocelots are located in the
hanging liana vines. The ocelot’s exhibit so effectively
simulates their jungle habitat, they are sometimes
unnoticed as they sleep among the branches and vines.
The zoo’s ocelots also fish for live trout in their pool.
Alderton, David. 1993. Wild Cats of the World.
Facts On File, Inc., New York, NY. 192 p.
Sleeper, Barbara. 1995. Wild Cats of the World.
Crown Publishers, Inc., New York, NY. 216 p.
Ocelots are an endangered species. They are still in
high demand for the fur industries in Europe and
Asia, which leads to abuse of the already existing
laws protecting ocelots and other small cats. Ocelot
numbers are also decreasing rapidly as a result of
habitat destruction and the black market pet trade.
Threatened throughout their entire range, ocelots are
also becoming exceedingly rare in several areas. In the
U.S., ocelots once ranged throughout the southwest
from Arizona to Louisiana, yet now less than 100
ocelots are estimated to be left in Texas.
2
For Kids!
Resnick, Jane P. 1994. Cats. Kidsbooks, Inc.,
Chicago, IL. 29 p.
Zoobooxks. 1993. Little Cats. Wildlife Education, Ltd.,
San Diego, CA. 16 p.
1Taxonomic classification varies between references. Classification information used in this
fact sheet was taken from Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic And Geographic Reference,
edited by Don E. Wilson and DeeAnn M. Reeder, Second Edition, 1993.
2There are several international and federal agencies that determine the endangered status
Since 1973, 21 ocelots have been born at Woodland
Park Zoo. Most have been sent to other zoos to mate
of species. WPZ designates a species as endangered if it is listed as endangered on the IUCN
Endangered Species List, or on Appendix I of CITES (Convention on the International Trade of
Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna).
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Woodland Park Zoo
Animal Fact Sheets
FACTS
ANIMAL
Crested Oropendola
Psarocolius decumanus
Classification
upside down and poke their long bills into the banana
flowers to drink the nectar.
This bird belongs to the order Passeriformes. The
crested oropendola is found in the family Icteridae,
which are the New World orioles. Approximately 20
genera with 93 species in this family.
Reproduction
Habitat and Range
Crested oropendolas are a large, tropical relative of
orioles and blackbirds, found from
Panama southward to northern
Argentina. They live in tropical
rain forest treetops, clearings, and
on the banks of rivers or pools of
water.
At the zoo: Fruit, crickets, mealworms, soaked dog
food, tofu and greens
Mating takes place away from the nest site. The males
take no part in building the nest and rearing the
young. Each female lays two white
eggs, which are incubated for about
two weeks. Chicks spend their first
month of life in the sack-like nest,
South
being fed by the female.
America
One of the Best
Pacific
Ocean
Oropendolas are among the world’s
best nest builders. The female bird
weaves a marvelous, long sleeve of
grass with an entrance at the top,
and the actual nest in a pouch at
the bottom, three to six feet (1.11.8 m) below. As the female labors,
the male perches nearby singing
and keeping watch over the work
site. These sack-like nests are
suspended from twigs on tree branches, resembling
stockings swaying in the wind.
Oropendolas have a length of
15-21.6 inches (38-55 cm), and
are large song birds with a horny
frontal plate. The tribe includes the
genera Psarocolius, Gymnostinops,
Cacicus, and Amblycercus. The
crested oropendola weighs about
20 ounces (567 g), and grows to
between 15-19 inches (37.5-47.5
cm) long. Crested oropendolas are mostly black with
a chestnut rump patch, and yellow tail feathers. The
male is larger than the female and has a crest of a few
hairlike feathers. The oropendola’s large, sharp bill
is yellow and extends over the forehead, giving it a
streamlined appearance.
Oropendolas nest in colonies of 50 or more, packing
their nests so tightly that they might be woven
together. A disadvantage of such close nesting is that
neighboring oropendolas are likely to steal parts of
their neighbor’s nest.
Life Span
Life span in the wild is 10 to 15 years;
up to 20 years in zoos
Multiple Tunes
From a distance, oropendolas can be heard singing
songs made up of a large number of very different
phrases. It is said that from nearby these songs sound
like the rasping sounds of rusty machinery.
Diet
In the wild: Mainly fruit and insect eaters, oropendolas
find an ample supply of soft fruit and nectar, which
they consume in the forest canopy. At times, these
birds visit plantations and eat ripe bananas or hang
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Woodland Park Zoo
Animal Fact Sheets
How You Can Help!
your choice. Recycle forest products. Eliminate or
reduce pesticide use.
Oropendola nests are specifically designed
to keep predators out!
The leading cause of death for oropendola
chicks is attack by botfly larvae. Adult
botflies lay their eggs directly on the chicks.
If a chick is infested with more than 10 bots
it will die, especially if the chick is weak
from lack of food!
(206) 615-1030 to find out about ways you can
support conservation efforts at the zoo. Learn
Nest colonies that are built in trees with
stinging wasps or biting bees often
experience fewer problems with botflies.
Researchers believe that the bees and
wasps attack the botflies as if the flies were
parasites on bees and wasps, though they
are not!
Insight Guides. 1992. Amazon Wildlife, Southeast Asia
Wildlife. APA Publications
For Kids!
Burnie, David. 1988. Bird. Eyewitness Books,
Alfred A. Knoph, Inc., New York, NY, 64 p.
Woodland Park Zoo’s crested oropendolas are located
in the Tropical Rain Forest and the Conservation
Aviary. As visitors enter the Tropical Rain Forest
exhibit, they are immersed in a garden of tropical
rain forest plants such as fan palms, bananas, cocoa,
figs and hanging liana vines.
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Woodland Park Zoo
Animal Fact Sheets
FACTS
ANIMAL
Poison Dart Frogs
Dendrobates sp.
istics of poison dart frogs is their care of offspring.
The male frog entices the female to an appropriate
spot to deposit her eggs. The eggs are laid on
leaves, where the high humidity provides the
necessary environment for developing eggs. In
some species, the male frog tends to the eggs and
newly hatched tadpoles. In others (such as with the
Dendrobates granuliferus and Dendrobates pumilio)
it is the female who takes on this responsibility.
The Dendrobatidae family of frogs makes up a
group of about 75 different species of poison dart
frogs; each characterized by different coloring and
behavioral patterns. Poison dart frogs are found in
Central and South America.
Habitat
Poison dart frogs make their home on the moist floor
of the tropical rain forests
Poison dart frogs are conspicuously
colorful, their bright colors
warning predators about the toxic
poisons that exude from their
Pacific
skins. Different species of dart
Ocean
frogs sport varying colors. For
example, the species Dendrobates
granuliferus is red and black,
Dendrobates auratus is green and
black, Dendrobates histrionicus is
orange and black, and Dendrobates
leucomelas can be yellow or
orange and black. Most species of
poison dart frogs are bright red,
orange, yellow, or green and black.
However, some species without toxic poisons are
usually very dull in color.
South
America
When the tadpoles hatch, they
maneuver themselves onto the
parent’s back, where they ride
through the forest understory.
In some species, this is as far
as parental responsibility is
carried. For example, the species
Dendrobates colostethus, which has
no toxins and very dull colors, is
made very vulnerable to predation
by the hitchhiking tadpoles. They
simply carry the hatched tadpoles
to the nearest suitable water and
abandon them.
With other species of poison dart
frogs, however, this is not the case.
After picking up the hatched tadpoles, the attending
parent climbs high up into the forest canopy, where
they deposit the tadpoles into a variety of plants
including the bromeliad, whose numerous cup-like
leaves provide multiple, water-filled sanctuaries
where young can develop. One tadpole is placed in
each pocket of water. The parent also makes sure to
distribute tadpoles among many plants. In this way,
the entire mass of tadpoles will not be lost should it
be attacked by the giant damselflies, which lay eggs in
the bromeliads and whose young feed on developing
tadpoles.
Life Span
Approximately 10 to 15 years. (Record 20.5 by
Dendrobates auratus at Woodland Park Zoo)
Diet
In the wild: Dart frogs hunt ants and termites by day
amidst the thick brush. Because their prey is so small,
they spend a great deal of time foraging, increasing
their vulnerability to predation. Their bright colors
offer them protection as they forage, warning away
predators such as snakes.
At the zoo: Pinhead crickets and wingless fruit flies
Tadpoles also face danger from their own kind. If a
parent approaches a plant that is already occupied by
a tadpole, the youngster makes itself know by aiming
its head at the center of the plant, holding itself rigid,
and rapidly vibrating its tail. If the parent does not
heed this warning and deposits its tadpole into this
already occupied pool of water, the original, larger
tadpole will eat the younger tadpole.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
One of the most remarkable behavioral character-
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Woodland Park Zoo
Animal Fact Sheets
these amphibians, however, is quickly disappearing.
In addition to habitat destruction, the pet trade is
lowering numbers of certain amphibian and reptile
populations to the point where they may become
extinct in the wild. Each of us needs to take action
to protect wild habitats so frogs and all animals
can continue to perform the vital roles they play in
maintaining the delicate balance of nature.
In some species of poison dart frogs, parental
responsibility does not end here. In the species
Dendrobates granuliferus and Dendrobates pumilio,
the female returns to each tadpole and deposits
nutrient rich, protein-filled eggs into their private
aquariums as food for the developing tadpoles.
What’s in a Name?
Poison dart frogs get their name from the poisons
secreted through their skin. The Colombian Choco
Indians use the poison of the species Phyllobates
bicolor to tip their hunting darts. The poison affects
the nervous system and muscles, causing paralysis
and eventual respiratory failure. It is potent enough
to immobilize an animal as large as a monkey. Some
species of poison dart frogs have poisons that are
more toxic than others, but a few have no toxins at all.
Humans need frogs and other amphibians. Here are
only a few of the benefits they provide:
• Amphibians help keep animal populations
in balance.
• Amphibians consume many animals that humans
consider as pests, including destructive species
of insects. This helps to control disease and damage
to crops.
• The poison of the poison dart frog and other
amphibians may provide effective medicines
to fight certain human diseases.
The toxins produced by the genus Dendrobates are
similar to chemicals produced by the human adrenal
glands, and may prove to have medicinal value in
small doses!
How You Can Help!
The effort to save wild animal species requires
cooperation and support at the regional, national and
international levels. You can help in this cause. Join
and become active at Woodland Park Zoo or other
conservation organizations of your choice. Don’t buy
products made from animal parts. Let your elected
representatives know your views about protecting
endangered species and wild habitats.
Male poison dart frogs make insect-like buzzing and
chirping noises to attract females. Sometimes they
make these vocalizations at slightly elevated heights
to allow the sound to travel greater distances!
Poison dart frogs are solitary, territorial animals.
Territorial disputes can lead to aggressive behavior
including belly-to-belly grasps and a sporadic
buzzing call!
more about frogs by contacting the Society for the
Study of Amphibians and Reptiles at 303 W. 39th St.,
PO Box 626, Hays, KS 67601. Learn more about how
Department at (206) 684-4800.
Woodland Park Zoo’s poison dart frogs are located in
the Tropical Rain Forest. As visitors enter the exhibit,
hanging liana vines. Four different species of poison
dart frogs live in their lush enclosure; green-and-black
poison dart frog (Dendrobates auratus), bicolored
poison dart frog (Phyllobates bicolor), orange-andblack poison dart frog (Dendrobates leucomelas) and
two subspecies of (Dendrobates tinctorius), one large
yellow-and-black, the other powder blue with black
markings. Look for the poison dart frogs hopping
and crawling around a puddle of water and lounging
on moss covered logs and branches. They are hard to
see, so look close and see how many you can find.
Duellman and Trueb. 1986. Biology of Amphibians.
John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MY. 670 p.
For Kids!
Clarke, Dr. Barry. 1993. Amphibians. Eyewitness
Books, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York, NY 64 p.
Grossman, Patricia. 1991. Very First Things to Know
About Frogs. Workman Publishing, New York, NY and
The American Museum of National History. 32 p.
Poison dart frogs, as all amphibians, play an important
role in nature’s web of life. Wild habitat needed by
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Animal Fact Sheets
FACTS
ANIMAL
Pygmy Marmoset
Callithrix pygmaea
primates fill the same niche as our North American
sapsucker birds.
At the zoo: Canned marmoset diet, yams, fruits, gum
arabic (sap), browse and insects
Monkeys are divided into New World and Old
World families. Pygmy marmosets belong to the
New World monkey family Callitrichidae. They are
classified under the genus Callithrix, which includes
nine distinct species.* New World monkeys have
nostrils spread far apart, and never develop ischial
callosities—the hard sitting pads on the lower side
of the buttocks evident on Old World monkeys such
as black and white colobus. Pygmy
marmosets live in the upper
Amazonian region in Brazil, Peru,
Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia.
Reproduction
Breeding may take place at any time of the year.
In the courtship display, the male walks with his body
arched, smacking his lips and pushing his tongue in
and out.
Habitat
They prefer floodplain forests and
the natural tropical forest edge
South
America
Pacific
Ocean
Pygmy marmosets are the world’s
smallest monkeys, weighing just
4-7 ounces (113-198 g) when fully
grown, and reaching less than
6 inches (15.2 cm) in head and body
length, with a 7-9 inch (17-23 cm)
bushy tail. Pygmy marmosets have fine, silky coats
of gray with touches of black, brown and tan. They
have long hairs on their cheeks and head, which
form a mane that conceals the ears.
Nonidentical twins (sometimes
triplets) are born twice a year. Male
marmosets take excellent care of
the young. They carry the babies
on their hips and shoulders until
the young are about 2 months old,
at which time they are independent
of both parents. The females care
for the young only when nursing
or cleaning. After two months, the
young spend their time playing,
wrestling and chasing each other
and other members of the group.
At 6 months, they have reached
adult size.
Life Cycle
Pygmy marmosets form small groups of up to 15
individuals, consisting of lifetime breeding pairs and
their offspring. Offspring often stay in the group after
reaching adulthood, and help care for their young
siblings.
Life Span
Life span in the wild is unknown; captive marmosets
have lived up to 15 years
Pygmy marmosets are active during the day. Most
activity takes place on cool mornings and in late
afternoons. They gallop along branches and can leap
three feet or more. They sometimes rest by piercing
their nails into the bark of a tree. They sleep at night
in hollowed trees or tangled vines.
Diet
In the wild: Pygmy marmosets feed on berries, buds,
fruits and flowers. They also have the habit of sap
sucking, which involves gnawing holes into a favorite
tree trunk and drinking the sap which is a very
important source of food. Family units are territorial,
with groups having one or more sap producing trees
in their range which they defend. These tropical
This is My Territory!
Marmosets have special scent glands for marking
their territories. When two male marmosets of
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Animal Fact Sheets
for recovery if the current rate of deforestation can
be slowed.
different groups meet, they threaten each other with
rapid flattening and erection of the ear tufts. They will
walk near each other with their backs arched, pulling
back the corners of their mouths, and flattening the
ear tufts.
How You Can Help!
The effort to save threatened and endangered
species requires cooperation and support at the
international, national, regional and individual
levels. You can help in this cause. Join and become
active in a conservation organization of your choice.
Support the conservation of endangered species and
wild habitats, and do not buy products made from
wild animal parts. Find out other ways you can help
by contacting the Woodland Park Zoological Society
at (206) 615-1030.
Pygmy marmosets also have at least 10 different
forms of vocal expression; including a trill to
communicate over long distances, a high, sharp
warning whistle and a clicking sound for threats.
They also communicate with facial expressions, body
posture and hair erection. Marmosets also defend
their territory by chasing and displaying their rumps
with the tail raised and the fur fluffed.
Macdonald, David, ed. 1993. The Encyclopedia of
Mammals. Facts on File, Inc., New York, NY. 895 p.
Group members help carry and bring food to the
young. Helpers gain parental care skills while they
wait for the opportunity to have young of their
own!
Nowak, Ronald M., ed. 1991. Walker’s Mammals of
the World. 5th Edition. The John Hopkins University
Press, Baltimore and London. 1,629 p.
The word marmoset is said to be adapted from
a French word meaning a grotesque image or
mannequin!
www.asp.org/
www.primates-online.com/
An alarmed marmoset turns its head in all
directions!
The pygmy marmosets at Woodland Park Zoo are
prolific. One of the breeding females had twins
every five months. The troop ranges from eight
to 10 individuals, with the older offspring of the
breeding female and her mate remaining in the
group for about two years. As they mature, these
offspring are sent to other zoos, where they will
mate with other unrelated marmosets!
Emmons and Feer. 1990.
Neotropical Rainforest Mammals: A Field Guide.
University of California Press.
Moynihan, Martin. 1976. The New World Primates.
Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. 262 p.
For Kids!
Eyewitness Books. Amazing Monkeys.
Alfred A. Knopf, New York, NY.
Pygmy marmosets can also be seen in the Adaptations
Building at Woodland Park Zoo.
Julivert, Maria Angels. 1996. Primates.
Barron’s Educational Series, Inc., Hauppauge, NY. 31 p.
*Taxonomic classification varies between references. Classification information used in this fact
sheet was taken from Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic And Geographic Reference,
edited by Don E. Wilson and Dee Ann M. Reeder, Second Edition, 1993.
Due to extensive tropical rain forest habitat
destruction, the breeding and feeding areas of
most marmosets are disappearing, and all species
of marmosets are vulnerable. Fortunately, many
marmosets are highly adaptable to change and can
inhabit degraded forests. This species has a chance
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FACTS
ANIMAL
Sunbittern
Eurypyga helias
Classification
Life Span
The sunbittern is the only member of the Eurypygidae
family of birds and is related to rails and bustards.
Life span in the wild is unknown; up to 15 years in zoos
Diet
Habitat and Range
In the wild: Sunbitterns are usually found singly
or in pairs, walking with a deliberate gait along the
muddy stream or lake shores, among rocks, rushing
water, or wading in shallow waters. Sunbitterns hunt
fish, amphibians, crustaceans
and insects, which they catch by
striking quickly, using their long
necks and spear-like bills.
The sunbittern’s range is confined to the tropical
areas ranging from Guatemala to northern Brazil.
The sunbittern frequents the well-wooded banks of
streams and creeks with shallow wading water and
is found at elevations up to 3,000
feet (909 m).
At the zoo: Soaked dog chow, baby
mice, smelt, greens, fruit and tofu
The sunbittern is an elegant bird
with long legs, a slender heronPacific
like neck and a long bill. It is about
Ocean
18 inches (45.7 cm) in length,
with a stout body and relatively
small head. The sunbittern’s body
plumage is full and soft with an
intricate design of colors. The
head is almost all black with white
striping above and below its rubyred eyes. The sunbittern’s neck,
breast and shoulders are brown,
and the belly, throat and undertail are a pale buff
white. Hidden under the brown plumage is a rich
orange-chestnut patch near the tip of each wing. The
lower jaw and legs are a bright orange color.
South
America
Reproduction
Nests are usually built in a tree or
bush, 10 to 20 feet (3-6 m) above
the ground, and less frequently
on the ground. Nests are made of
sticks, mud and decaying vegetable
material. The shallow cup of the
nest contains a clutch of two or
three eggs. The eggs are light
brown or buff with dark spots and blotches. Both
parents take turn incubating the eggs, which hatch
after 27-28 days. The male and female protect and
feed the chicks in turn during the first two weeks,
never leaving the nest unattended. Thereafter, chicks
are left alone for several hours each day as both
parents hunt for food.
The size, coloration and decoration of the sunbittern
does not differ between males, females or even
juveniles. As a sunbittern spreads its wings, it reveals
conspicuous patches of chestnut and orange on the
primary wing feathers and bands of the same color
across the tail. This spectacular frontal display is for
threat or defense rather than courtship and is usually
accompanied by a low hiss and bowing.
Graceful Flight
The sunbittern’s flight is light and graceful with slow
wing beats. They walk for the most part, periodically
making short flapping flights across deep water.
When frightened, sunbitterns will fly to perch high
in trees.
With its slow, deliberate walk on orange-colored legs
and its long neck held parallel to the ground, the
sunbittern resembles the sun-flecked forest interior.
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When the sunbittern unfolds its tail, a sunburst
of color and an enormous eyelike design are
revealed. The “eyes” are often used to frighten
predators!
While not currently endangered or threatened,
sunbittern populations are diminishing due to
habitat loss.
Sunbitterns are difficult to locate in the wild, partly
because they rarely socialize with more than one
other bird!
How You Can Help!
Sunbitterns are known to make noises which
resemble mechanical rattling!
Woodland Park Zoo’s sunbitterns are located in
the Tropical Rain Forest and Conservation Aviary.
As visitors enter the Tropical Rain Forest, they are
immersed in a garden of tropical rain forest plants
such as fan palms, bananas, cocoa, figs and hanging
liana vines. Look closely at the floor of the sunbittern’s
exhibit because they are well camouflaged.
Blake, Emmet R. 1977. Manual of Neotropical Birds,
Volume 1. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago,
IL. 674 p.
Harrison, Dr. C.J.O. 1978. Birds Families of the World.
Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York, NY. 264 p.
del Hoyo, Josep, et. al. 1997. Handbook of the Birds of
the World, Volume 3. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain.
821 p.
Scott, Sir Peter. 1974. The World Atlas of Birds.
Crescent Books, New York, NY. 272 p.
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FACTS
ANIMAL
Tanagers
Classification
The word tanager comes from the Topi Indian
language of Brazil. Many tanager common
names reflect the bird’s coloration, i.e. silverthroated tanager. Tanagers belong to the
Emberizidae family of birds. Woodland Park
Zoo has four species of tanagers: blue-gray
(Thraupis episcopus), Brazilian (Ramphocelus
bresilius),
golden-naped
(Tangara ruficervix) and the
red-legged
honeycreeper
North
America
(Cyanerpes cyaneus).
Habitat and Range
throughout the year. Unlike most birds, their
wings have only nine primary feathers instead
of the usual 10.
Life Span
Life span in the wild up to 13 years; up to 20
years in zoos
Diet
Pacific
Ocean
All tanagers are New World
birds with only four of the
242 known species migrating
from the neo-tropical forests
to North America. The rest
are nonmigratory and live
in the lower forests, semiopen areas with shrubs, and
high mountains of Central
and South America.
South
America
In the wild: With a main diet
of fruit and berries, tanagers
play a very important role
in scattering the seeds of
tropical American trees. They
often mash the fruit before
swallowing. Some species add
protein to this diet by catching
insects in midair or by pulling
them from foliage.
At the zoo: Fruits, insects,
dog chow (soaked) and tofu
Reproduction
Both male and female tanagers
help build the cup-shaped nests
high in trees or low in shrubs.
The clutches of one to three eggs are incubated
only by the female, but the male frequently
escorts her to the nest. He joins her in cleaning
the nest and feeding the hatchlings until
they are ready to fledge and find food on
their own. After the breeding season is over,
tanagers stay in pairs or family groups of
up to five, sometimes joining other broods.
Well known for their brilliant
plumage of reds, yellows,
bright blues and greens, tanagers can also be
quite drab and dull in color. They are small
compactly built birds 4-8 inches (10-20 cm)
long. They have short to medium-length thick
bills that curve downward with a small notch
near the hooked tip. In most tanager species
the male and female are the same or of similar
color and virtually all, with the exception
of one species, keep their colorful plumage
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How You Can Help!
The colorful western tanager, one of the
migratory species, can be seen in the Pacific
Northwest and has often been sighted in
King County. They travel southward in winter!
Although some tanager calls are pleasant,
the group as a whole is not noted for its songs
and some have no songs at all!
Woodland Park Zoo’s tanagers are located in the
hanging liana vines. Other birds that can be seen at
the Tropical Rain Forest are the crested oropendola,
sunbittern, toucan and troupial, to name only a few.
Isler, Morton L. and Phyllis R. Isler. 1987. The Tanagers:
Natural History, Distribution, and Identification.
Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. 404 p.
Skutch, Alexander F. 1989. Life of the Tanager.
Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY. 114 p.
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FACTS
PLANT
Palms
Classification
Palms are a very large group of flowering plants
that comprise their own family, the Arecaceae.
There are estimated to be 2,600 species of palms
in 200 genera. Palms are ancient plants, having
existed since the late Cretaceous period, which
ended 65 million years ago.
Palms are woody perennials, most species having
a single, prominent trunk but others may have
multiple trunks or small, compressed trunks.
Some palms are climbers and have slender
stems. The leaves of palms are distinctive and
generally form a crown at the top of the plant.
Palm leaves (also called fronds) are palmate
(divided into lobes that diverge like fingers),
pinnate (similar to a feather
with leaflets extending from each
side of the axis), or entire (with
no separate segments). Palms
generally produce small flowers,
often in large numbers, that are
pollinated by small insects such
as beetles, flies and bees. Palm
fruits are extremely important to
the survival of fruit-eating birds
and mammals that live in moist
tropical forests.
Habitat & Range
Palms occur in areas where water
is easily available and are not
generally found in very arid or very
cold regions, such as temperate
zones. The few palms currently
found in temperate or dry regions
are remnants of a time when
moist tropical weather was more
widespread. Palms are very diverse
and widespread in moist tropical
regions, with a wide diversity of
species in tropical Asia and America.
Palms can grow from sea level to
high altitudes (up to 13,000 feet
[3,952 m] in South America).
• The double coconut palm (Lodoicea maldivica) produces the largest seeds of the
plant kingdom. One seed of this palm may weigh up to 44 pounds (20 kg).
• The Central African raffia palm (Raphia regalis) has the longest leaves of the
plant kingdom, with individual leaves measuring up to 82.5 feet (25 m) long
• Palm hearts, the apical buds (growing tips) of palm trees, are edible and sought
after by local peoples in tropical regions and are also exported to North America
and Europe. Unfortunately, in order to harvest a palm heart, the palm tree must be
felled. Demand for palm hearts has already caused some palm trees, such as some
palms in the genus Euterpe, to become locally rare in their natural habitats
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There are two species of palms listed under Appendix
II of CITES (Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora), meaning
that trade is restricted for these species. The World
Conservation Union (IUCN) produces Red Lists of
threatened plants and animals. There are 204 species
of palms listed as endangered in the 1997 IUCN Red
List of Threatened Plants. There are two main threats
to the survival of palms: habitat destruction and
overharvesting. In cloud and rain forests, where many
palm species are found, habitat destruction is a severe
problem. Many palm species are restricted to tropical
islands and are affected by both habitat destruction
and the spread of non-native species of plants. Palms
are important to people for a variety of daily needs
such as food and building materials. Some of these
uses of palms are currently sustainable and others
are contributing significantly to the endangerment
of palms. The Species Survival Commission of the
IUCN has a Plant Action Plan concerning palms.
The action plan will identify which are sustainable
uses of palms and will look at alternatives to those
that are currently unsustainable. Woodland Park Zoo
encourages an appreciation of these majestic plants
by exhibiting several species of palms throughout
its bioclimatic zones, including the Tropical Rain
Forest.
How You Can Help!
(206) 615-1030 to find out ways you can support
conservation programs at the zoo. Learn other ways
Center at (206) 684-4800.
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FACTS
PLANT
Orchids
Classification
of Alaska. However, the vast majority of species are
found in the moist tropics.
Orchids are flowering plants that are classified
in the family Orchidaceae, which contains an
estimated 600-800 genera and 25,000 - 35,000
species. The Orchidaceae family is believed to
contain more species than any other plant family
in the world, with the possible exception of the
Asteraceae family. Orchid taxonomists can only
estimate the species numbers due to the huge
magnitude of the family as well
as the relative inaccessibility of
many species that are hidden
high in the canopies of tropical
forests.
Most orchids grow from rhizomes (a horizontal stem
that bears roots), sending up new stems each season.
The bases of these stems are thickened and store
water. These are called pseudobulbs. At the end of
the growing season, the pseudobulb
will stop growing. During the
next growing season, a new
pseudobulb will grow and develop.
In this manner, most orchids form
numerous stems and leaves. Usually
flowers are only produced on the
new pseudobulb; however, in some
orchids the old pseudobulbs will
also produce flowers. Some orchids
do not produce multiple stems
(or pseudobulbs) each season,
but rather the stems (or stem)
keep growing in one continuous
direction year after year. The
Habitat & Range
Orchids, being a large and
diverse family of plants, are
dispersed essentially worldwide,
with the exception of Antarctica.
Orchids also grow in a wide
variety of habitats, from tropical
forests to cool coniferous forests
A number of orchids are saprophytic, meaning they derive nutrients from decaying organic matter and lack
chlorophyll, the green pigment found in most plants that functions to photosynthesize food. The forests of the
Pacific Northwest host several of these orchids that are in the genus Corallorhiza, commonly called coralroots,
including striped coralroot (Corallorhiza striata) and western coralroot (Corallorhiza maculata mertensiana). These
plants can be recognized by their overall pale, white color.
In order to achieve pollination, some orchids of the genus Ophrys (called bee orchids) bear flowers resembling
female insects in appearance and smell. Male insects are attracted to the flowers and attempt to mate with them,
thus pollinating the flowers.
The majority of orchid species are epiphytes which grow on trees, rocks, and masses of organic debris high above the
ground. Certain fungi live within certain orchid plants and extend their threadlike strands out into the surrounding
environment. These fungal strands aid the plant by bringing in nutrients. In return, the orchid plant provides the
fungus with a stable environment in which to live.
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structures, colors, sizes and arrangements of orchid
flowers are incredibly diverse. The characteristics of
the leaves of orchids also vary greatly.
The entire Orchidaceae family is listed on Appendix II
to the Convention on Trade in International Species
of Flora and Fauna (CITES), meaning that trade in
these species is restricted. Nine species of orchids
are listed on Appendix I to CITES, meaning trade is
severely restricted for these species because they are in
danger of extinction. The World Conservation Union
(IUCN) lists 325 species of orchids as endangered in
the 1997 Red List of Threatened Plants. Orchids have
been affected mainly by habitat destruction but also
by collection. Orchids in bloom can often be seen
inside the Tropical Rain Forest at Woodland Park Zoo.
Visitors can appreciate the beauty of these plants, and
the tropical rain forest animals that coexist with them,
in a naturalistic environment.
How You Can Help!
Center at (206) 684-4800.
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FACTS
PLANT
Cycads
Classification
tropical and subtropical regions of North America,
South America, Africa, Asia and Australia. Although
they are widespread worldwide, cycads generally
grow in small, localized populations.
Cycads are descendents of a very ancient group of early
seed-bearing plants. Cycads appeared on the earth
during the Pennsylvanian period, from 310 to 285
million years ago. Presently, there are three families
of cycads (Cycadaceae, Stangeriaceae and Zamiaceae)
containing 11 genera and approximately 185 species.
However, 150 million years ago during the Jurassic
period, cycads were at their prime and covered vast
areas of the earth’s surface. During
this period, cycads coexisted with
dinosaurs and other animals, such
as amphibians. While most species
of dinosaurs were extinct by 65
million years ago, cycads continue
to survive on this earth.
Cycads have single stems with a crown of large
pinnate (similar to a feather with leaflets extending
from each side of the axis) leaves
and appear somewhat similar to
palms, though they are not closely
related. Most cycads are rather
large, some species reaching up to
60 feet (18 m) or more in height.
Cycads carry male reproductive
structures (pollen grains) and
female reproductive structures
(seeds) on different plants. Both
pollen and seeds are borne in cones,
similar to the cone-bearing trees of
the Pacific Northwest. Cycad seeds
are large with a brightly colored
outer coat and a hard stony inside
Habitat & Range
Cycads grow scattered in habitats
such as the understories of tropical
rain forests and seasonally dry
forests, loose stands in grasslands,
and at high elevations in eastern
Africa. Cycads presently grow in
Only one species of cycad, Zamia pumila, has a range that extends into the United States. The distribution of
this Caribbean species includes southeastern parts of Georgia and southern parts of Florida where it is currently
endangered.
Seminole Indians of the southeastern United States made use of the starchy matter in the stems of the cycad Zamia
pumila as an ingredient in bread. Most cycads contain toxic compounds within their tissues. Like other cycads eaten
as food, the starch was ground and leached in order to decrease the toxicity prior to consumption.
The roots of cycads host symbiotic bacteria that fix nitrogen from the air into a form usable by plants.
Cycads were long thought to be pollinated by the wind. It has been shown, however, that beetles, particularly
weevils, and small bees are important pollinators of these plants. Some cycads produce heat or odors to attract these
insects.
Although the leaves of cycads resemble those of palms the two groups are not closely related. Cycads have naked
seeds borne in cones. Palms are flowering plants whose seeds develop in fleshy fruits. Ån example of the popular
confusion of these two groups is the use of the common name “sago palm” for both a cycad species (Cycas revoluta)
and a palm species (Metroxylon sagu).
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How You Can Help!
layer. Animals, attracted by the colors of the
seeds, will often eat the outer coat, leaving the
inner part to germinate).
at (206) 615-1030 to find out ways you can
support conservation programs at the zoo.
Learn other ways you can help conserve wildlife
and the habitats they require for survival by
calling the zoo’s Education Center at (206)
684-4800.
Cycads are becoming increasingly endangered.
Currently, approximately 80 species of cycads
are listed under Appendix I to CITES and
are thus considered to be endangered. These
represent roughly 44 percent of all known cycad
species. Cycads are vulnerable for a number of
reasons. These plants tend to grow in habitats
such as tropical forests that are significantly
altered by habitat destruction. Cycads grow
slowly and reproduce infrequently. In addition,
cycads have been extensively collected from the
wild. Because of their close relationships with
their insect pollinators, the decline of cycad
species may also influence the populations of
these insects. Some of these insect pollinators
are as ancient as cycads themselves, thus, the
close relationships between these organisms
have developed over millions of years.
Several institutions are now involved in
breeding and conservation programs for
threatened cycad species. If you are a fan of
cycads and wish to include them in your garden,
be sure that the seeds or plants you buy were
not collected from the wild. Educate yourself
and others about these fascinating plants and
promote their conservation. Woodland Park
Zoo exhibits cycads in its bioclimatic zones,
including Tropical Rain Forest and Tropical
Asia. Through its naturalistic bioclimatic
zones and educational materials and programs
Woodland Park Zoo fosters an understanding
and appreciation of endangered plants, animals
and their habitats.
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FACTS
PLANT
Tropical Pitcher Plants
Classification
Tropical pitcher plants belong to a very
unique group of flowering plants that
have special adaptations found in few
other plants: pitcher-shaped leaves
which trap and digest small organisms.
There are approximately 76 species of
tropical pitcher plants, all of
which are classified in the
genus Nepenthes. The genus
Nepenthes comprises its own
family, the Nepenthaceae, based
on floral and other physical
characteristics of these plants.
Tropical pitcher plants generally grow
as vines, climbing over other plants,
and may grow as epiphytes, growing
on other plants in the forest canopy, or
as low shrubs. The pitchers of tropical
pitcher plants may resemble flowers,
but are actually modified
leaf blades that hang from
coiled tendrils. The pitchers
are usually shaped like tubes
or, as the name implies, like
small pitchers. All species in
the genus Nepenthes use their
pitchers to trap and digest
small invertebrate animals.
The pitchers can vary in shape
even within the same species
of plant depending on the age
of the plant, the amount of
light, and whether the pitcher
is growing near the ground or high
up. The pitchers are filled with acidic
digestive liquids. The pitchers are able to
break down and absorb nutrients from
animals, usually invertebrates such as
insects, that fall into the pitchers. The
pitchers are covered by small lids as they
grow, in order to prevent the digestive
liquid from being diluted by rainwater.
The lids shrivel or open up when the
pitchers are fully developed.
Habitat & Range
Tropical pitcher plants of the
genus Nepenthes are distributed
in tropical areas of northern
Australia, southeast Asia,
southern China, India and Madagascar.
These plants grow as vines, in the
undergrowth, or up in the canopy of
tropical forests.
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• Thirty out of the 76 known species of tropical pitcher plants occur on the island of Borneo
• The brims of tropical pitcher plants secrete insect-attracting nectar. Insects are also attracted to pitcher plants by
aromas and visual signals. When insects land on the brim of a pitcher and walk around in the process of foraging,
they often walk over the waxy, slippery surface of the inside of the pitcher and lose their footing. The insects then
fall into the pitcher and become food for the plant
* Species of Nepenthes grow on soils that are poor in nutrients or on other plants where nutrients are not readily
available. Plants, such as some Nepenthes, that grow on other plants, but do not take nutrients from the supporting
plants, are referred to as epiphytes. In order to grow in places that are poor in nutrients, Nepenthes have adapted
a carnivorous lifestyle, which supplements their intake of nitrogen and other nutrients
• Most species of Nepenthes have symbiotic relationships with arthropods such as ants or spiders. One example is
Nepenthes bicalcarata and ants of the genus Colobopsis in forests of Borneo. The pitcher plant provides the ants
with shelter inside the tendril connecting the pitcher to the leaf. The ants collect insects that have fallen into the
pitcher and feed on them. The pitcher plant gets sufficient nutrients from the insects in the pitcher, yet the ants
prevent insects from piling up in the pitcher and decomposing, which can be detrimental to the plant.
How You Can Help
Center at (206) 684-4800.
There are estimated to be approximately 76 species
of Nepenthes in the world. All species of Nepenthes
are listed on Appendix II to the Convention on
International Trade of Endangered Species of Flora
and Fauna (CITES), which restricts trade of these
plants. The World Conservation Union (IUCN)
lists three species of Nepenthes, all native to Borneo,
as endangered. Tropical pitcher plants suffer
mainly from habitat destruction, but due to the
low numbers of their populations, collecting has
also had serious impacts. The incidence of illegal
trade in Nepenthes is high. Methods have been
developed to produce Nepenthes plants from tissue
culture. The horticultural use of plants produced
by this process can help reduce the impact on wild
Nepenthes. Woodland Park Zoo displays species of
Nepenthes in the canopy dome of the Tropical Rain
Forest. However, these plants produce pitchers only
occasionally depending on seasonal variations of
the weather.
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FACTS
PLANT
Ceiba
Ceiba pentandra
Classification
hair called kapok fiber. These hairs act as parachutes,
helping the wind-dispersed seeds spread away from
their parent plant. This decreases the chance that
seedlings will have to compete with the parent plant
for scarce soil nutrients and other resources.
Ceiba pentandra is a flowering tree that is classified in
the family Bombacaceae, which contains an estimated
30 genera and 250 species, including baobab trees.
Common names include kapok (KAY-pahk) and silkcotton tree.
Like many tropical trees, kapoks are highly susceptible
to interior decay. Some ecologists hypothesize that there
may be a selective advantage to this particular tendency.
Hollow portions of tropical trees
are used extensively by bats, birds
and other animals. For example,
in Brazil, seven different species of
bats were found roosting inside one
hollow kapok tree. The beneficial
droppings of these animals often
fall all the way down a hollow tree
section to the ground where the
tree’s roots have immediate access
to nutrients. Competition for
nutrients on the tropical forest floor
is extremely intense and, because it’s
usually too dark inside a hollow for
other plants to grow, the tree has a
monopoly on the nutrient resources
that fall within it.
Habitat & Range
Ceiba pentandra occurs naturally in tropical rain forests
or moist areas of drier forests in West
Africa and in Central and South
America. In the Americas, the kapok
grows from southern Mexico to the
southern boundary of the Amazon
basin. Kapok trees are also grown on
plantations in southeast Asia.
Ceiba pentandra can reach heights of
200 feet (60 m), may grow 13 feet (4
m) a year and can live as long as 200
years. They have wide buttresses at
their base and large, flat crowns on
top. Leaves are large and palmately
compound with five to eight leaflets radiating from
a common point on each leaf. Ceiba pentandra are
deciduous and will drop all of their leaves once a year.
Human Uses and Cultural Importance
Kapok fibers were, and in some places still are,
commonly used as insulation and stuffing material for
furniture and upholstered automobile seats. Because
kapok fibers are lightweight and waterproof, lifejackets
were exclusively filled with kapok fibers until the
middle of the 20th century.
Flowers are large and bell-shaped, with five white to
pink petals. The flowers have a pungent odor, which
attracts their bat-pollinators. One to two flowers on
each tree open each night, helping to ensure crosspollination. In addition to bats, hummingbirds, bees,
wasps and beetles have been seen visiting the flowers.
Oil is made from the seeds of kapoks and is then made
into soap. The seeds are also eaten by people and
livestock in many parts of the world. In traditional
medicine practiced in Surinam, the seeds, leaves, bark
and resin from kapok trees are used to treat dysentery,
fevers, venereal diseases, asthma, menstrual bleeding
and kidney diseases. In Colombia, the bark is made
into a liquid and applied to hair to stimulate growth.
Each tree may produce 500 to 4,000 fruits each fruiting
season. The fruits are thick, woody seedpods containing
approximately 200 small, brown seeds. Thus, one kapok
tree may produce as many as 800,000 seeds per season.
The pod-like fruits open on the tree, releasing the seeds
to the wind. Each seed is covered in white tufts of silky
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Kapok trees are also culturally significant in Africa and
are sacred in West Africa because they’re associated
with burial and ancestors. It’s also thought that the
bark and leaves of kapoks have the power to expel evil
spirits. In a region in Senegal, healing villages were
founded at the base of large kapok trees because it
was believed that these trees heal and protect people.
KAPOK AROUND THE WORLD
• French: kapokier, capoc, bois cotton,
fromager
• Spanish: ceibo, bonga, painiera
• American Samoa, Tonga: vavae
Many non-healing villages are also centered under
the shade of kapok trees. If a kapok tree is not present
at a village site, one will usually be planted. Often,
when a forest is cleared, a great kapok tree will be left,
providing shade for crops and serving as a reminder
of the forest that once stood there.
• Chuuk: koton
• Guam: algodon de Manila
• Cook Islands and French Polynesia: vavai,
vavai mama‘u, vavai maori
As visitors approach the Tropical Rain Forest exhibit
from a distance, they encounter a simulation of the
remnants of a hollow kapok tree with a buttressed
spire reaching approximately 28 feet at its highest
point. As in nature, the roots of our simulated kapok
spread along the ground for more than 30 feet and
are covered in epiphytes such as bromeliads.
• Fiji: vauvau ni vavalangi, semar
• Marshall Islands: koatoa, atagodon, bulik,
kotin
• Palau: kalngebard, kalngebárd, kerrekar
In Costa Rica, kapok trees are increasingly rare. Even
though one tree would produce a huge quantity of
wood, it is not good for construction because it is
brittle when dry. The main use of wood from these
trees is for concrete framing. These beautiful trees are
cut down and their wood, which is very inexpensive,
is used perhaps only once and then discarded. The
Costa Rican conservation community wants to elevate
the kapok to endangered status. Costa Rican has a few
trees on the endangered list and these cannot be cut
down for commercial use. Currently Ceiba pentandra
is not on the list.
ngebard
• Pohnpei: cottin, koatun, koatoa
• Saipan: arughuschel
• Portuguese: sumaúma
The same concoction is also given to cows after delivery
to help shed the placenta.
Native tribes also put bits of kapok fiber on the base of
their poison darts to make the darts fly better. Other
tribes wrapped the fibers around the trunks of fruit
trees to discourage leaf-cutting ants from clipping the
leaves of the trees. The trunks of kapok trees were also
made into carvings, canoes and coffins.
In The Gambia in West Africa, many people depend
on products from the forest for food. Ceiba pentandra
is valued in this region not only because its seeds
can be eaten by people and livestock, but also as an
economically important timber tree. However, the
once intact forests of The Gambia have been seriously
degraded, mainly through human activities such as
illegal felling, frequent bush fires and unsustainable
harvesting of forest products. Ceiba pentandra and
other beneficial tree species are considered a high
national priority for conservation. Consequently, the
seedlings of these trees are raised in nurseries and are
planted in degraded areas.
In addition to the use of the products, the kapok tree
is culturally important to different groups of native
people in tropical forests. To the Maya and various
Hispanic cultures in Central and South America, the
kapok is a holy tree that connects the terrestrial world
to the heavens above. Some cultures believe that the
dead climbed the kapok to reach heaven.
218
Woodland Park Zoo
Plant Fact Sheets

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