Gone Zooing

I really love getting comments for this little blog thing I’m doing – it reminds me there are actually people reading it! And since I appreciate the feedback so much I’m going to respond to some of those comments every so often. This way you guys will know I’m actually reading your comments.

When I wrote about training little Stevie I got a comment from Dean, the founder of the Fish School. “What’s Fish School?” you may be asking yourself. It’s a really cool, interactive website all about training fish to do really cool tricks. If only I had read that before I went to that workshop I wouldn’t have been so terrified! Seriously, some of the video clips and descriptions are VERY cool. You can check them out yourself at www.fish-school.com. While you’re there check out Dean’s blog – he blogged about my blog. Only on the internet!

Someone asked about Hyde, our Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec. The tenrecs are one of the animals that people are most confused about when they first see them. Most people guess that they are either a hedgehog or a porcupine. The picture of our tenrec shows exactly why those are the most common guesses. But the tenrecs are neither hedgehogs nor porcupines; they are their own family of animals. There are 24 known species of tenrecs and they all live in Madagascar and Africa. The lesser hedgehog tenrec is found on Madagascar and lives in either the trees or on land. They eat insects and worms and grubs. The reason most people automatically think of a hedgehog or a porcupine when they see the tenrec is because of the spiny fur that covers their body. This is how they protect themselves from predators. When threatened they can roll themselves into balls and stick out their spines to discourage other animals from bothering them. Tenrecs are nocturnal and spend their nights scouring for food and their days sleeping in fallen logs or in the hollows of trees. We have two tenrecs – Jekyll and Hyde.

A very interesting comment came from Ashley Bragg, a teacher in North Carolina. She teaches at an elementary school in NC and is focusing on technology in the classroom. So, a great big hello to the K-2 students at Union Grove Elementary School in NC. They asked that I do some interactive Q & A with their students so for the next couple of weeks I will be responding to a couple of their questions via this blog. Everyone should come along and learn with us because I’m going to give behind the scenes looks at how we design exhibits for our animals and who and how the animals’ diets are decided. Should be fun for all!

On a personal note: Hey to Cassy and Bryan – friends who have commented. And to Alexis and Mary Lynne – I miss you guys too!

See everyone next week!