Popular Official Guide to the New York Zoological Park 19

Popular Official Guide to the New York Zoological Park 19

The Six-Banded Armadillo, (_Dasypus sexcinctus_), of South America, has

a much stronger and more bony shell than the preceding species, but very

similar habits. The Three-Banded Armadillo, (_Tolypeutes tricinctus_),

is the most remarkable of all—and also the most difficult to obtain. It

is able to convert itself into a round ball covered at all points by

bony armor, and remarkably well protected from the teeth of predatory

animals.

 

[Illustration: GREAT ANT-EATER.]

 

The Great Ant-Eater, (_Myrmecophaga jubata_).—This is a very remarkable

animal, and usually is to be found alive in the Small-Mammal House. Its

anatomical peculiarities are apparent at a glance. Its toothless jaws

are enormously elongated, and taper to a rounded point, where the mouth

opens as a narrow slit, scarcely large enough to admit the large end of

a lead pencil. Its front claws are large and strong, for use in tearing

open ant-hills and decayed logs; and the creature walks upon them as if

club-footed. Its tail is long and thick, and bears a luxuriant brush, of

coarse, wavy hair more than a foot long. The negroes of British Guiana

gravely inform travellers that the Ant-Eater uses his bushy tail as a

broom, with which he sweeps up ants in order to devour them wholesale.

 

As may be inferred from the total absence of teeth, this strange

creature lives chiefly upon crawling insects. In devouring the dreadful

ants, which in a South American forest often make life a burden, it

helps to preserve the balance of Nature. In captivity the food of this

animal consists of milk, raw eggs and ground meat. In taking its food it

thrusts out from four to eight inches of round, wormlike tongue, which

contrary to many published statements, is not covered with sticky

saliva.

 

[Illustration: SIX-BANDED ARMADILLO.]

 

The Tamandua, (_Tamandua tetradactyla_), is a smaller ant-eater than the

preceding species, of tree-climbing habits, with a proportionately

shorter head, no long hair on its tail, and extremely large front claws.

It is found in Venezuela, the Guianas, Brazil, and in fact that greater

portion of the region of tropical forests on this continent south of

Mexico. Its tail is prehensile, or grasping, and in climbing is used

almost constantly.

 

The Sloths are the slowest, the most helpless and defenseless of the

edentates. They subsist chiefly upon leaves, they climb no more swiftly

than a man, and they escape their enemies through the resemblance of

their pelage to the rough bark of the tree-trunks among which they live.

They have a few teeth, but none for defense, and their claws are of use

only in climbing, except that they can pinch with them.

 

Two species of Sloth are occasionally seen in the Zoological Park, but

usually _in the Primate House_, where the high temperature is better

suited to their needs.

 

The Three-Toed Sloth, (_Bradypus tridactylus_), is the one with a brown

“saddle-mark” of short hair in the middle of its back. The remainder of

its pelage is coarse and long, and its greenish tint renders it a close

imitation of algae-covered tree-bark. The Two-Toed Sloth, (_Choloepus

hoffmani_), is much larger than the preceding, and lives longer in

captivity. Four fine adult specimens occupy a large cage at the Primate

House, where they seem to be fully acclimatized. In form and habit they

are remarkable animals, and well worthy of close attention.

 

[Illustration: TWO-TOED SLOTH.]

 

The Egg-Laying Mammals.—For several months there were exhibited here two

Echidnas—of all small mammals ever seen alive in New York the most

wonderful. The Echidna comes from Australia, the home of remarkable

types of animals, and belongs to the lowest Order of Mammals,

(_Monotremata_). Like its distant relative, the duck-billed platypus, it

reproduces by _laying eggs_! Its back is covered with short but very

thick spines, and its nose is a long, slender beak, absolutely unique.

Other examples of this species will be exhibited whenever possible.

 

 

THE PUMA AND LYNX HOUSE, No. 33A.

 

Near the Small-Mammal House (No. 35) will be found a log cabin with its

entire front opening into two wire-covered yards. The interior of the

building is provided with sleeping-dens in which the occupants of the

two enclosures can keep dry and warm. This installation is for lynxes,

but half of it is occupied by pumas. Already it has fully proven the

desirability of keeping lynxes and pumas constantly in the open air, and

without artificial heat. To lynxes especially there is nothing more

deadly than a well-heated room, indoors.

 

The Puma, (_Felis concolor_), is described in the section relating to

the Lion House, where other Pumas are exhibited (page 78).

 

Of the Lynxes, we have two well-defined species, and one subspecies. The

Canada Lynx, (_Lynx canadensis_), is well represented in the southern

compartment of the Puma House, where a fine adult pair has become

acclimatized. This is the _Loup Cervier_ of the French Canadians, and it

is truly the Lynx of Canada and the subarctic North. It has _no spots on

its body_, and its pelage is a cold pepper-and-salt gray color. Its feet

are large and heavily furred, and it has a long, black hair-pencil on

the tip of each ear. A large specimen stands 18 inches high, and weighs

22 pounds. The food of the American Lynxes generally consists of hares

and rabbits, ground birds of all kinds, and anything else that can be

caught and killed, except porcupine. To man they are not “dangerous

animals.”

 

 

THE BURROWING MAMMALS, AND OTHERS, No. 42.

 

North America is wonderfully rich in species of gnawing animals, and the

end is not yet. The investigations of our mammalogists are adding new

species with a degree of rapidity and parallelism that is fairly

bewildering.

 

It is the duty of the Zoological Society to do its utmost to increase as

much as possible the sum total of knowledge of our largest Order of

Mammals. Manifestly, however, it is impracticable to do more than place

before visitors a reasonable number of well-chosen types, which shall

represent as many as possible of the twelve Families, and also the

genera most worth knowing.

 

The most serious obstacle in the way of anyone who attempts to exhibit

collections of living rodents lies in the natural propensity of so many

species to keep out of sight during the daytime. This is particularly

true of the members of the Mouse, Pocket Gopher, and Pouched Rat

Families, comprising about three hundred species in all. With very few

exceptions, the whole matter of the exhibition of collections of living

rodents is something new, and every step is an experiment. In the belief

that even the most shy burrowing animals will appreciate abundant room,

perfectly natural surroundings, plenty of food, and immunity from

annoyance, and eventually fall into the habit of spending many of the

daylight hours above ground, as do prairie-dogs, the Society has

constructed a series of fifteen small yards, each 10×20 feet, bounded by

walls going down to bedrock, and enclosed above by a box-like

arrangement of very light wire-netting 5 feet high. The ground is

chiefly undisturbed soil of a firm and gravelly nature, thoroughly

drained, and all earth filling has been tightly rammed into place to

prevent caving in the burrows. Above ground, each yard contains

weathered rocks, stumps, and hollow logs in abundance.

 

In these fifteen yards, each of which will hold specimens of at least

two or three species, will be placed strongly marked types of those

families whose representatives are most numerous in North America, and

also the least known, only a few of which may be mentioned here.

 

The Sewellel Family, (_Aplodontidae_), contains five or six species and

is of unusual scientific interest. The Sewellel, Mountain Beaver, Farmer

or “Showt’l” (_Aplodontia rufus_ and _major_), is an animal of the size

and general appearance of a large, short-tailed muskrat. It inhabits a

few localities in remote regions in the mountain-valleys of northern

California, Oregon, Washington, and southern British Columbia. It feeds

like a beaver, climbs bushes four feet high, burrows in _wet_ ground,

and fights like a little fiend when brought to bay. Notwithstanding the

size of this animal, it is very seldom seen, and is but little known.

 

The Squirrel Family, (_Sciuridae_), is large (one hundred and forty-one

species), very interesting, and entitled to much consideration. In the

present enclosure will be shown in summer many species of interesting

ground squirrels, chipmunks, and marmots. In winter all the squirrels,

save one or two hardy native species, will be found in the Small-Mammal

House, near by.

 

The Rabbit Family, (_Leporidae_), is one of the most difficult to

install and exhibit. Its members are large and showy, but for several

reasons it is very difficult to keep them on exhibition in captivity. In

time, however, all four of the great groups—Rabbit, Varying Hare, Jack

Hare, and also the Pikas, forming the allied Family _Ochotonidae_—will

be represented by specimens.

 

Just what can be accomplished satisfactorily with the most interesting

members of the Jumping Mouse, Pouched Rat, and Pocket Gopher Families,

remains to be determined by trial. If they can be induced to show

themselves to visitors, during daylight hours, they will be kept for

exhibition; otherwise not. At present, some examples of these species

can be seen in the Reptile House.

 

In Winter.—In the temperate zone, when “winter comes to rule the varied

year,” all the burrowing animals must retire to their burrows, live upon

their buried stores of winter food, and hibernate until spring. The

tropical species do not know how to hibernate, and therefore they must

be taken indoors, or they perish.

 

In order that our native species of rodents may be seen all winter, and

that the tropical species may be kept alive, nearly all the animals that

in summer live in the Burrowing Mammal Quarters are removed in autumn to

the well-warmed Small-Mammal House. It also happens that in summer a few

of the small carnivores, and all armadilloes, are kept in these

Quarters.

 

In addition to the rodents which it is practicable to exhibit in these

enclosures, the summer season will find some of them occupied by certain

especially interesting species which need the soil of Mother Earth as

well as sunlight and air. Here will be found the Armadilloes, the

Nasuas, the Raccoon Dogs, the Swift Foxes and a few others, which in

winter belong in the Small-Mammal House.

 

 

THE PRAIRIE-DOG VILLAGE, No. 41.

 

The Western Prairie-“Dog,” or Prairie Marmot, (_Cynomys

ludovicianus_).—Occupying a conspicuous hill-top near the Small-Deer

House, and overlooking the Wild-Fowl Pond, is a circular enclosure, 80

feet in diameter, surrounded by an iron fence with an overhang, with

walls going down to bedrock. This contains about fifty fat and jolly

little Prairie Marmots, one-half of which are the gift of a Montana

ranchman, Mr. Howard Eaton. The soil of the enclosure has never been

disturbed, and there is no danger that the little creatures ever will be

smothered in their burrows, as frequently happens in earth that has once

been dug up and filled in again.

 

Owing to its optimistic and even joyous disposition, the Prairie-“Dog”

has many friends, and “happy as a Prairie-'Dog’” would be a far better

comparison than “happy as a king.” His cousin, the woodchuck, has the

air of being perpetually “in the dumps,” but the Prairie-“Dog”—never.

His so-called bark is really a laugh, and his absurd little tail was

given to him solely as a means of visible __EXPRESSION__ of good nature. But

he has his enemies and detractors. The coyote loves his plump and

toothsome body; the “granger” hates him for the multitude of his holes,

and puts spoonfuls of poisoned wheat into his burrow.

 

 

THE BEAR DENS, No. 37.

 

The bears of the world form a very interesting group; and when its

representatives are properly installed—in large, open yards, with

abundant sunlight, fresh air and room for exercise—they develop finely,

live happily, and furnish endless entertainment. Under proper

conditions, bears are cheerful animals, full of the playful spirit that

robs captivity of its chief terror. To confine large bears singly, in

small cages, or in wet-floored, high-walled dungeons, or in the

unspeakable “pits” of mediaeval type, is a sin against Nature. It is to

be noted, however, that small and timid bears, like _Ursus japonicus_,

are better off in small cages than in the very large ones; and it is for

this reason that eight small dens have been provided, opposite the original series.