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[petnews2day]

ARCHIVE: Kilkenny people join with Charlie Bird for milestone walk (2022) - Page 1 of 2

New Post has been published on https://petn.ws/THHPg

ARCHIVE: Kilkenny people join with Charlie Bird for milestone walk (2022) - Page 1 of 2

Former RTÉ journalist Charlie Bird has died at the age of 74 following a long battle with motor neuron disease. One of RTÉ’s most renowned news correspondents, Charlie Bird reported on some of the biggest stories in Ireland and internationally during his 40-year career with the national broadcaster including the Stardust fire, the National Irish […]

See full article at https://petn.ws/THHPg #BirdNews

#Bird News

[huxley-paleozoo]

Do you have a Carnotaurus at the zoo?

Yes! You can learn more about our ‘meat-eating bull’ here.

- Joy Miller

#thhpg #ask #anonymous #joymiller #december2019

[peacetlb]

Let's GO.... Allow me to reintroduce myself my name is JACMEL!!!!!! #truth #lovequotes #love #byanymeans #balance #TRUTHLOVEBALANCE https://www.instagram.com/p/BsxIp-THhPG/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=uwadrq6qiw60

#truth #lovequotes #love #byanymeans #balance #truthlovebalance

[huxley-paleozoo]

Things have been quiet, are there any hidden updates we haven't heard of O:

Due to staff changes, things have indeed gotten quiet. I can’t say much right now but it’s always worth checking back in!

- Joy Miller

#thhpg #ask #anonymous #joymiller #december2019

[huxley-paleozoo]

Do you have a visual map of the park? Ooh, and, any ceratopsians??

Yes! An overhead of the zoo can be found here.

As for ceratopsians, we currently have 5 species on display!

Aquilops

Nasutoceratops

Protoceratops

Styracosaurus

Triceratops

- Joy Miller

#thhpg #ask #rooster-foot #joymiller #december2019

[huxley-paleozoo]

This blog makes me so happy. Thank you so much for running it. This is beautiful and always makes my day.

Thank you for such a lovely ask! Asks like these make us so happy!

- Joy Miller

#thhpg #ask #anonymous #joymiller #july2019

[huxley-paleozoo]

Microraptor

Scientific name: Microraptor zhaoianus Diet: Meat, fish, and the occasional large worms Projected natural lifespan: 10 years Length: 90 cm (3 feet) Weight: 1 kg (2.2 lbs) Locality: Liaoning, China (Jiufotang Formation); 120 Ma Exhibit: Jehol Aviary

About Known from hundreds of fossil specimens, Microraptor is one of the most well-known dromaeosaurids. It’s a small, agile animal about the size of a hawk. It’s most notable for having four wings: the legs as well as the arms have long, vaned feathers. The leg wings were probably used for stability in the air. Microraptor’s tail has a short fan at the end, and its body is covered in iridescent black feathers, structured like those in modern birds.

At Huxley We have a flock of 7 Microraptor in the Jehol Aviary. They’re kept in the third section of the aviary, separated from animals they might get into conflict with.

Notable Behavior You’d think they’d be good at flying, having four wings at all. And you’re right. They’re about as competent fliers as chickens. Might not sound very impressive, but they can fly, which is a wing up on most of its relatives. You’d also think they’d be rather ungainly on the ground with their large wings and leg feathers. But nope - somehow they manage to romp around just fine. The flock will often fearlessly approach visitors. You can let them get close to you, but please don’t touch them and please restrain your children. Microraptor bites aren’t very dangerous, but they hurt.

Keeper Notes Their gregariousness has led to a couple issues. Right now we’re trying to train them to only land on leather and not on random peoples’ arms and heads.

#thhpg #microraptor #microraptor zhaoianus #jehol aviary #palaeoblr #raptor #huxley paleozoo #species profile #november2018

[huxley-paleozoo]

What is your biggest and smallest (1) bird? (2) non-avian dinosaur? (3) mammal? (4) non-mammalian synapsid? (5) amphibian? (6) fish? (7) non-dinosaur reptile? (8) invertebrate?

Largest bird: TitanisSmallest bird: Carolina parakeetLargest non-avian dinosaur: BrachiosaurusSmallest non-avian dinosaur: AnchiornisLargest mammal: MegacamelusSmallest mammal: PalaeochiropteryxLargest non-mammalian synapsid: CotylorhynchusSmallest non-mammalian synapsid: HerpetoskylaxLargest amphibian: DiplocaulusSmallest amphibian: Southern gastric-brooding frogLargest fish: MegalodonSmallest fish: ArandaspisLargest non-dinosaur reptile: MosasaurusSmallest non-dinosaur reptile: LongisquamaLargest invertebrate: AnomalocarisSmallest invertebrate: Hallucigenia

- Rohan

#thhpg #ask #anonymous #january2019

[huxley-paleozoo]

Thylacosmilus

Scientific name: Thylacosmilus atrox Diet: Herbivorous mammals, with some supplemental fruit Projected natural lifespan: 20 years Length: 1.2 meters (4 feet) Weight: 80 kg (176 lbs) Locality: Northern Argentina; 9-3 Ma (Miocene-Pliocene) Exhibit: South America

About Thylacosmilus is one of the largest and last of the sparassodonts, a group of South American predators closely related to marsupials. It has two large saber-like teeth in the upper jaw - but unlike those of saber-toothed cats, they’re rooted far back in the skull. The lower jaw has a pair of flanges at the front that shield the saber teeth. Thylacosmilus has a relatively low bite force, instead using its powerful arms and neck to force prey into submission.

At Huxley Thylacosmilus can be found in the Cenozoic South America section. One of our younger Thylacosmilus is an ambassador animal - you can visit him at the Anning Paleontological Museum on weekends!

Notable Behavior We have three adult Thylacosmilus that we rotate through the exhibit areas. Although we gave them the opportunity to interact with each other, they did so rarely. A lot of times, when they see each other, they do what we think is a territorial display: they will open the jaws wide - up to almost 110 degrees! - and show off the saber teeth. They all use the same areas of their enclosures as a latrine, including where they mark territory.

Like the incisor teeth of rodents, the saber teeth of Thylacosmilus never stop growing through their life. In order to keep the teeth at a manageable size, we give them lots and lots of things to chew on, from durable rubber toys to rawhide and bones. They’re very good at destroying things.

Keeper Notes Have you ever been licked by a Thylacosmilus? They have huge tongues and they drool. A lot.

#thhpg #thylacosmilus #thylacosmilus atrox #metatheria #species profile #south america #september2018

[huxley-paleozoo]

What do you think about pleistocene rewilding?

For any of our followers who don’t know, Pleistocene rewilding is introducing animals to environments to fill gaps left by Pleistocene and Holocene extinctions. We are supporters of Pleistocene rewilding (having done a bit of it ourselves), although in our opinion it is best to reintroduce animals that lived in the site in question at some point - including de-extinct animals - instead of introducing ecological proxies that may well become invasive. Of course, one can test the impact of rewilding in smaller, controlled settings first, like is being done in Siberia and the Americas.

#thhpg #ask #anonymous #january2019

[huxley-paleozoo]

Allosaurus

Scientific Name: Allosaurus fragilis Diet: Carnivorous Projected Natural Lifespan: 25-30 years Length: 8.5 meters (28 feet) Weight: 1.5 tonnes (1.65 tons) Locality: United States (Morrison Formation); 155-150 Ma Exhibit: The Hub

About Allosaurus was probably the most common large theropod of the late Jurassic. Discovered in 1877, it quickly became one of the most well-known large theropods. The average Allosaurus could reach 8.5 meters, although some specimens could get larger. Its skull has thin, serrated teeth and a pair of horns on the brow ridge. Its arms are relatively powerful and have three large talons on each hand. Allosaurus was a predator of medium- to large-sized dinosaurs, which it may have taken down with an axe-like motion.

At Huxley Our Allosaurus (Belle and Elmer) live in a large scrubby paddock fairly close to the entrance.

Notable Behavior The two Allosaurus were born in different clutches - Elmer��s the slightly younger of the two. They get along intermittently. On a good day, they may greet each other with snout nuzzling and a low puffing growl. Should one want the other to leave them alone, they will indicate so with foot-stomping. If you’re wondering what the bite marks on Elmer’s face are from, it’s because he occasionally doesn’t get the message.

In the wild, Allosaurus would have hunted relatively large dinosaurs - and as fossils indicate, gotten injured a lot. Here we mostly feed them carcasses of large mammals, which they tear apart in a falcon-like manner. We’ve also experimented with “meat wall” enrichment - covering a panel with lab-grown meat to simulate the side of a large dinosaur. We’ve found that, due to their relatively low bite force, they prefer to cleave meat off the side with their arms or jaws.

Keeper Notes How to tell the two apart: Elmer has a darker beige coloration, and Belle has a slightly more extensive protofeather covering.

#thhpg #allosaurus #allosaurus fragilis #carnosaur #the hub #species profile #october2018

[huxley-paleozoo]

How do you guys pay for so much food a day for the animals? It must be incredibly expensive!

It is - it takes up a sizable part of our annual budget! We do have a few ways to keep costs from getting too high, though. We grow some rarer food plants directly on the property where importing would be more expensive. Several of our herbivores, especially the larger dinosaurs, have edible plants growing in their exhibits. We source a bit of our food from surplus from local grocery stores, butchers, and farmers, and we have further connections out west for carnivore food.

- Rohan

#thhpg #ask #anonymous #january2019

[huxley-paleozoo]

What do you plan on doing if your Megalodon reproduces through parthenogenesis like some modern sharks in aquariums do?

The geneticists have assured us the megatoothsare sterile. If this isn’t the case… well, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. She isn’t anywhere near sexual maturity yet, though.

- Rohan

#thhpg #ask #anonymous #january2019

[huxley-paleozoo]

Barbary lion

(Painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme depicting a Barbary lion.)

Scientific Name: Panthera leo leo Diet: Carnivorous Projected Natural Lifespan: 10 - 14 years Length: 330 - 360 cm (10 ft 8 in - 11 ft 8 in) Weight:  200 - 240 kg (440 - 559 lbs) Locality: Northern Africa Exhibit: The Big Cat House

About The Barbary or Atlas lion is said to be the largest modern subspecies of lion. Once found in Algeria, Egypt, Libya and Morocco, excessive hunting of both the lions themselves and their prey caused them to be extinct in the wild by the 1960s. Unlike their southern relatives, Barbary lions did not live in prides, instead living either alone or in pairs. As apex predators, Barbary lions fed on a variety of large game, including Barbary stags, wild boar and red deer.   

At Huxley Here at the zoo, we are fortunate to have a pair of Barbary lions; Leonidas and Spartacus. The brothers exhibit the luxurious manes their subspecies is famous for, and this physical feature is one of the ways to tell the two apart. Leonidas, the more relaxed of the two, has a dark mane, while his boisterous brother Spartacus has a much lighter colored one. 

Notable Behavior As mentioned above, Spartacus is quite the spirited individual. It is not uncommon for him to burst from the grass in his exhibit, charging the fence in a huff. He seems to take particular issue with those wearing excessive cologne or perfume.

Keeper Notes As with all lions, the brothers spend much of their day sleeping, but you should see them come feeding time! Even as cubs, feeding was serious business. I definitely bare a scar or two from trying to get a hungry cub away from an empty milk bottle.

---

Learn more about: Leonidas & Spartacus

Learn more about: Barbary lions

#thhpg #barbary lion #atlas lion #panthera leo leo #leonidas #spartacus #joymiller #july2018 #species profile

[huxley-paleozoo]

How much food does your Spinosaurus need to consume a day?

About 65 kg of meat per day! That may sound like a lot, but it’s necessary to sustain a 7-ton Spinosaurus.

- Rohan

#thhpg #ask #anonymous #december2018

[huxley-paleozoo]

If all your non-Pleistocene animals contain no original DNA, how come the animals so closely resemble what the real animals may have looked like? How were you able to get the genetic material for unusual features, such as the sail of Spinosaurus, the spikes of Amargasaurus etc. also, Ainiktozoon. How did you create that guy?

We forwarded this to the genetics department:

In short, years and years of trial and error. I’ve been working here for only five years but some of the older geneticists here have been in the field since the 1970′s and are very good at identifying which genotype causes what phenotype. Novel genetic variations are also visualized in embryos or feti first to test whether they would likely develop as expected in an adult and assess if further modifications are necessary.

To answer the specifics: the Spinosaurus sail came from overexpressing the neural spines of the chameleon Trioceros cristatus. Amargasaurus spikes - same, with additional phenotypic input from Perodicticus potto, Rhea americana and Istiophorus platypterus. Ainiktozoon actually wasn’t as bad as some of the other Paleozoic inverts. The genome of Triops cancriformis was used as a base, with modifications from Pseudosquilla ciliata (a mantis shrimp). The most difficult thing was changing the shape of the carapace - I think some sea snail DNA was implemented there.

- A. Hong

#thhpg #ask #teenagecursor #december2018