Chimpanzees are very intelligent and incredibly resourceful when in comes to creating ways to obtain their food. Visitors to the Houston Zoo can see an example of this creativity on a daily basis during the 12:30 keeper chat. The chimpanzee exhibit has its very own termite mound replica and guests can watch the chimpanzees modify [...]
I have been told that I can be a little competitive. I would like to think it is just that I am driven and do not like to fail. Regardless, the end result is that if something is a little difficult for me I will often keep trying until I can get it right. I [...]
Remember that tiny Coquerel’s Sifaka infant that was born on January 28th? Well, Julius is growing by leaps and bounds! When he was born, he weighed only 96 grams (3.4 ounces). He is now a whopping 394 grams (13.9 ounces)! You can often see him riding on his dad, Gaius, or mom, Zenobia’s, back. He [...]
Last week we were happy to announce that the Leon county toads, a group of toads that had been housed at the Houston Zoo’s toad facility since 2010, had finally been given approval for release back into the wild. On the first leg of their journey, the toads were transported from the Houston Zoo to [...]
Pygmy marmosets. Those cute little monkeys found in South American rainforests. The tiniest on the planet. Wouldn’t it be just adorable if they had babies? Why yes, it would…but it’s a tricky business. As you may have read in recent blogs, pygmy marmosets have some unique characteristics, including what they eat and the way they [...]
In zoos, we have many animals that are endangered or threatened in the wild, and part of our job is to make sure we help protect them. One way we do this is through Species Survival Plans (SSPs). These plans are specially created for over 300 species of animals to make sure we take care [...]
We are often asked (very often) how to get a job as an animal keeper working at the Houston Zoo. Questions come in ranging from “How do I start working with animals?” to “Can I come pet the monkeys?” The reality about working at a zoo is that it requires a mindset not found in [...]
If you’ve never seen a pygmy marmoset, just try to imagine the tiniest, most adorable, most delicate monkey you can think of – and you’re just about there. These tiny animals are literally the smallest monkeys in the world (about as heavy as a small pear), and they live in rainforests in parts of northern South America [...]
