National Zoo Field Trip Report

By : Alisha Ellis

The National Zoo in Washington DC is one of the premier zoos in the country. At this zoo there are the more common animals such as the elephants, giraffes, lions, and tigers to the more unique animals such as arapaima fish of the Amazon, chambered nautilus, and naked mole rats. The National Zoo offers many varieties of animals and activities for its visitors to view. But not only is the job of the zoo to show off pretty or rare animals, the zoo works closely with numerous organizations in the conservation efforts of endangered species. The zoo offers a temporary environment in which animals can grow so they can go back to the wild. The national Zoo in Washington DC is a great place to not only see a variety of animals but to also learn about them and ways that we can help keep them alive.

The first house I visited was the reptiles and amphibians house. I was able to see many varieties of turtles with my favorite being the alligator snapping turtle. It actually came up to the window and snapped at me! It was still something nice to look at even if it didn’t like me to well. The tortoises were interesting also. I had never thought a tortoise could get as big the tortoises that were at the zoo. The anaconda and python were scary to. I’m glad the anaconda wasn’t quite as big as they were in the movie Anacondas though. It was interesting to see the crocodiles also even though the didn’t move a lot. I wish I could have seen a Komodo dragon because I find them so interesting. Maybe next time. Due to pet trade, overpopulation of people, habitat destruction, and careless use of resources many reptiles and amphibians are becoming extinct. The zoo is making an effort in rebuilding these habitats and in reproducing the endangered animals. Currently the zoo is studying the Komodo dragon, desert tortoise, sea turtle, and the eastern box turtle.

The second house I visited was the invertebrates house. In the invertebrate house there are animals that you could see in your everyday life. There were a wide variety of sponges, corals, and sea anemones. The colors were very beautiful. The sunflower star was a species was interesting looking. I always had a certain image of what a sea star looked like and the sunflower star was not that image. I was also shocked by the size of some of the sea stars. I didn’t know they could grow to be so big. The sea urchins, chambered nautilus, and octopus were interesting. When we came to the lobster exhibition I was again shocked by how big they were. Those lobsters don’t compare at all to the lobsters you would see in a grocery store. The zoo is currently working to conserve the blue crab, which is found right here in Maryland in the Chesapeake Bay.

The third house I visited was the Small mammals house. Here the Golden lion tamarins are located. The golden lion tamarins are called that because they have a head that resembles a lion. Before I even reached the small mammals house I had the pleasure of witnessing two tamarins hanging out in the tree along one of the trials. They were very cute. Also in the small mammals house was the howler monkeys, sloths, and naked mole rats. The black-footed ferret And the golden lion tamarin are two of the small mammals the zoo is studying. Golden lion tamarins conservation efforts are focused on habitat restoration, introduction of captive born tamarins into the wild, and translocation of threatened wild groups of tamarins. Here at the University of Maryland there is Dr. James Dietz who is heading up the effort to save the golden lion tamarins.

The national zoo is a great place to learn about different animals around the world. Through the efforts of the workers at the National zoo we are able to learn more about animals and their habitats. When we know more about these animals then as humans we can take the proper steps necessary to insure that these animals are protected in their natural habitats.