Table of Contents This month’s Dream Delivered is Animal Science
Oh the Places You Could Go! PAGE 2
We are getting wild this month - learning all about animals and animal related careers! Special thanks this month to our friends at the Fort Worth Zoo for their knowledge and for taking the time to participate in our interviews. To learn more about the Fort Worth Zoo ask a grown up to help you visit fortworthzoo.org X-Ray Identification PAGE 3-4
Monkeying Around
All About Owls
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PAGE 9-10
Herpetological Sciences
Track the Tracks
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Career Spotlight PAGE 15
Did You Know? PAGE 5-6
Keep Calm & Camouflage PAGE 16
Glossary
Quit with the Jokes
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Want to be our Pen Pal? Have ideas for the next box? Mail us a letter at 3901 W. Vickery Blvd, Suite 1, Fort Worth, TX 76107
Career Spotlight PAGE 11
Octopus Intelligence PAGE 12
OH THE PLACES YOU COULD GO:
A n im a l S c ie n c e
rist: Behavio Animal ograms to uses ethow animals study h with each interact d the other anment environ
t: Biologis Marine organisms like Studies nd plankton whales acean and other in the o waters marine
Ornithologist: Studies birds, including their appearance, their songs, and how they migrate
Zoo Curator: the care for anOversees at the zoo, incl imals veterinarians, uding enrichment ac and transporti tivities, ng animals Animal Geneticist: Analyzes the genetic makeup of animals to see why they act how they do, and the environment where they will do best
Wildlife Biologist: Collects data to study the impact of the environment on animal populations
Entomologist: Scientifically studies insects and how they relate to humans, animals, and their environment Veterinarian: Cares for the health of animals, and keeps track of their health records
Zookeeper: Cares for animals daily, from food preparation to keeping records
Animal Scientist: Studies the behavior and physical body of animals to help them grow as safely and healthfully as they can
Zoologist: Studies animals to learn about their behavior, their origins, and their genetic traits
Conservation B Works to proteciologist: sustain natural t and and ecosystem resources keep animals’ has, in part to bitats safe for them
Animal Nutritional Scientist: Formulates the diets for animals at a zoo- including ordering the meat and produce for animals to eat
Veterinary Technician: Helps the Veterinarian care for the animals, under supervision Falconer: Trains, hunts with, and takes care of falcons, hawks, or other birds of prey
Animal Interpreter: Decodes animal communications and researches their languages
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X- Ray Identification A radiograph is an image produced on a sensitive plate or film by X-rays. Veterinarians and vet techs capture radiographs of animals of all shapes and sizes. Can you identify the animals in each image? Answer key below! Image credits: Eklin, Oregon Zoo, Smithsonian, Dr. Stephen Secor and Dr. Scott White
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Answer Key: 1. Baby elephant 2. Lizard 3. Horse hoof 4. Flying fox 5. Tiger paw 6. Python with small alligator 7. Beaver tail 8. Small tooth sawfish 9. Stingray 10. Viper moray eel 11. Toucan
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TRACK THE TRACKS Animal tracks are the impression animal’s hands and feet leave behind on the ground. Below are a variety of animal tracks. Can you guess which track belongs to each of the animals in the box?
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ANIMALS
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CAT HIPPO FOX IMPALA COYOTE HARE RABBIT RACOON WEASEL MUSKRAT DEER SQUIRREL ELEPHANT BEAR OPOSSUM BEAVER MOOSE DOG COW RHINO LION
ANSWER KEY 1. HIPPO 2. HARE 3. SQUIRREL 4. BEAVER 5. MOOSE 6. DOG 7. OTTER 8. BEAR 9. DEER 10. MUSKRAT 11. OPOSSUM 12. ELEPHANT 13. RABBIT 14. IMPALA 15. LEOPARD 16. CAT 17. RACOON 18. LION 19. COW 20. COYOTE 21. RHINO 22. FOX 23. WEASEL 24. CHEETAH 25. PIG
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& m l a C Keep e g a l f u Camo
Camouflage is an animal’s way of hiding itself from predators. Here’s a look at some of the masters of disguise.
Common Baron into d Caterpillars blen in ht rig , ts mango plan the seam.
ailed eaf-T color and L y s Mos s change ranches b o Geck nd into tree af like e e l l can b mps. Their o even u m t a s and eir c kes th tail ma alistic! e more r Pygmy Seahorses camouflage by matching the coral that they live on, in color and in texture. Viceroy Butterflies camouflage by matching the coral that they live on, in color and in texture.
mouflage Flounders ca texture r by changing thei the ch at m to and color seafloor.
Zebras wavy stripes help it blend into the tall grass around it. Since lions that hunt the zebra are colorblind, it does not matter that they are black and white. It is also helpful to zebras when they are in a herd- to a predator, Chameleons camouflage by changing they look like one big blog of wavy stripes. colors to match their surroundings,whatever they may be.
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Anesthetized: when a human or animal is temporarily unconscious, or unable to feel
Ball-and-socket joint: a joint that can move in many directions and rotate all around
Camouflage: on animals, skin or markings that can disguise them or help them hide from predators
Dexterous: the ability to use hands with a lot of skill
Ecosystem: all the living plants, animals, and organisms in one area that interact with each other and the environment
Ethograms: Endoscope: Herpetology: a table used to record the part of zoology that a flexible optic fiber tool used to see inside the behaviors and activity studies reptiles and observed in one animal an animal’s organ amphibians
Hierarchy: the organization of people or animals in a system of power
Mammal: a warm-blooded, vertebrate animal that has hair or fur, secretion of milk by females, and the birth of live offspring
Mantle: to cover an animal of prey in order to hide it from other predators
Nocturnal: to be active at night
Pellet: a small, rounded, and compressed mass of indigestible food, regurgitated by a bird of prey
Predators: an animal that kills and eats other animals to survive
Prehensile: can be used to hold or manipulate an object
Prey: an animal that is hunted or killed and used as food by other animals
Talons: the claws of a bird of prey
Venom: a toxin that some animals produce and can use to poison animals or people
Scat: droppings, or poop, from an animal
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Species: a group of very similar organisms that can usually reproduce