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Elmwood Park Zoo
Elmwood Park Zoo is a zoo located in Norristown, Pennsylvania, Norristown, Pennsylvania. History Elmwood Park Zoo officially opened in 1924 after a private land owner donated a small piece of property and a handful of white-tailed deer to the borough of Norristown. The first animals that were exhibited were native to North and South America. The Zoo was supported financially through donations and support by the Norristown Zoological Society. The Norristown Zoological Society established itself as a non profit organization and took over ownership of the Zoo from the municipality of Norristown in 1985. From 1999 through 2002, the Zoo underwent a major expansion that doubled its overall size from 8 to 16 acres. The expansion included a new entrance pavilion and administrative offices, as well as a cafe and gift shop. One of the most popular additions was the Thomas Kimmel Playground that opened in 2001. A year later, the Zoo finished its Oberkircher Discovery Center, a facility dedi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Norristown, Pennsylvania
Norristown is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough with Home Rule Municipality (Pennsylvania), home rule status and the county seat of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States, in the Delaware Valley, Philadelphia metropolitan area. Located along the Schuylkill River, approximately from Philadelphia, Norristown had a population of 35,748 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the fourth-most populous municipality in the county and second-most populous borough in Pennsylvania. It is the largest non-township municipality in Montgomery County and is located southeast of Allentown, Pennsylvania, Allentown and northwest of Philadelphia. History Present-day Norristown was originally owned by the family of Isaac Norris (statesman), Isaac Norris. Along with William Trent, Norris purchased the land on October 7, 1704, for 50¢ per acre. In 1712, Norris acquired Trent's share and established a gristmill at the foot of present-day Water Street. Named the county s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bald Eagle
The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as the bald eagle in the Palearctic. Its range includes most of Canada and Alaska, all of the contiguous United States, and northern Mexico. It is found near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and old-growth trees for nesting. The bald eagle is an opportunistic feeder that subsists mainly on fish, upon which it swoops down and snatches from the water with its talons. It builds the largest nest of any North American bird and the largest tree nests ever recorded for any animal species, up to deep, wide, and in weight. Sexual maturity is attained at the age of four to five years. Bald eagles are not bald; the name derives from an older meaning of the word, "white-headed". The adult is mainly brown with a white head ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maniac Magee
''Maniac Magee'' is a novel written by American author Jerry Spinelli and published in 1990. Exploring themes of racism and inequality, it follows the story of an orphan boy looking for a home in the fictional town of Two Mills. Two Mills is harshly segregated between the East and West, blacks and whites. He becomes a local legend for feats of athleticism and helpfulness, and his ignorance of sharp racial boundaries in the town. It is popular in middle school curricula, and has been used in social studies on the premises of reaction to racial identity and reading. A TV movie was released on February 23, 2003. Major characters * Jeffrey Lionel "Maniac" Magee is an orphan and finds himself in Two Mills, where he becomes a local legend while trying to find a home. He has astonishing athletic abilities, runs everywhere he goes, can untie any knot, is allergic to pizza, and crosses the barrier between the East End and West End as if blind to racial distinction. He has done many he ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contributions to American literature for children". The Newbery and the Caldecott Medal are considered the two most prestigious awards for children's literature in the United States. Books selected are widely carried by bookstores and libraries, the authors are interviewed on television, and master's theses and doctoral dissertations are written on them. Named for John Newbery, an 18th-century English publisher of juvenile books, the winner of the Newbery is selected at the ALA's Midwinter Conference by a fifteen-person committee. The Newbery was proposed by Frederic G. Melcher in 1921, making it the first children's book award in the world. The physical bronze medal was designed by Rene Paul Chambellan and is given to the winning author at the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Monterey Bay Aquarium is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit public aquarium in Monterey, California. Known for its regional focus on the marine habitats of Monterey Bay, it was the first to exhibit a living kelp forest when it opened in October 1984. Its biologists have pioneered the animal husbandry of jellyfish and it was the first to successfully care for and display a great white shark. The organization's research and conservation efforts also focus on sea otters, various birds, and tunas. Seafood Watch, a Sustainable seafood advisory lists and certification, sustainable seafood advisory list published by the aquarium beginning in 1999, has influenced the discussion surrounding sustainable seafood. The aquarium was home to Otter 841 prior to her release into the wild as well as Rosa (sea otter), Rosa, the oldest living sea otter at the time of her death. Early proposals to build a public aquarium in Monterey County were not successful until a group of four marine biologist ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Río Naranjo (Guatemala)
The Río Naranjo is a river in south-west Guatemala. Its sources are located in the Sierra Madre mountain range in the western department of San Marcos. From there, it flows past the town of Coatepeque in the department of Quetzaltenango through the coastal plains of Retalhuleu into the Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is .... The Naranjo river basin covers an area of with a population of approximately 272,611 people. References Rivers of Guatemala {{Guatemala-river-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Golden Lion Tamarin
The golden lion tamarin (''Leontopithecus rosalia''; ), less commonly known as the golden lion marmoset, is a small New World monkey of the family Callitrichidae. Endemic to the Atlantic coastal forests of Brazil, the golden lion tamarin is an endangered species. The geographic range is entirely within the state of Rio de Janeiro. A 2022/2023 census estimated about 4,800 individuals living in the current primary area of occurrence in the non-coastal area of the São João and Macaé river basins, with unknown but smaller additional numbers in limited coastal forests and to the west of the primary area of occurrence.Rubião, E. C. N., Pissinatti, A., Lourenço Junior, M., Cattaneo, C. A. M., Romijn, P. C., Oliveira, J. D. V., Borré, L. B., Santos, D. A., Mendonça, A. C., Nascimento, J. L., and L. C. Oliveira. (2022) Registros do mico-leão-dourado (Leontopithecus rosalia) na Região Metropolitana do Estado do Rio de Janeiro ecords of the golden lion tamarin (Leontopithecus ro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
North American Porcupine
The North American porcupine (''Erethizon dorsatum''), also known as the Canadian porcupine, is a large quill-covered rodent in the New World porcupine family. It is the second largest rodent in North America after the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis''). The porcupine is a Caviomorpha, caviomorph rodent whose ancestors were believed to have Oceanic dispersal, crossed the Atlantic from Africa to Brazil 30 million years ago, and then migrated to North America during the Great American Interchange after the Isthmus of Panama rose 3 million years ago. Etymology The word "porcupine" comes from the middle or old French word , which means 'thorn pig'. Its roots derive from the Latin words or pig and meaning thorns. Other colloquial names for the animal include quill pig. It is also referred to as the Canadian porcupine or common porcupine. The porcupine's scientific name, ''Erethizon dorsatum'', can be loosely translated as "the animal with the irritating back". Indigenous t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chacoan Peccary
The Chacoan peccary or ''tagua'' (''Catagonus wagneri'' or ''Parachoerus wagneri'') is the last extant species of the genus ''Catagonus''; it is a peccary found in the Gran Chaco of Paraguay, Bolivia, and Argentina. Approximately 3,000 remain in the world. History The Chacoan peccary was first described in 1930 based on fossils and was originally thought to be an extinct species. In 1971, the animal was discovered to still be alive in the Chaco region, in the Argentine province of Salta. The species was well-known to the native people, but it took a while for Western scientists to acknowledge its existence; it is known locally as the ''tagua''. Because it was originally described as extinct before its "rediscovery", it is an example of a Lazarus taxon. Taxonomy The Chacoan peccary is notable in that it is not the type species of its genus, ''Catagonus'', despite being the only living representative. Instead, the type is the extinct '' Catagonus metropolitanus''. Such a case i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Burrowing Owl
The burrowing owl (''Athene cunicularia''), also called the shoco, is a small, long-legged, primarily terrestrial—though not flightless—species of owl native to the open landscapes of North and South America. They are typically found in grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, deserts, or any other open, dry area with low vegetation. They nest and roost in burrows, and, despite their common name, do not often construct these dwellings themselves, rather repurposing disused burrows or tunnels previously excavated and inhabited by other species, such as American badgers (''Taxidea taxus''), foxes (''Vulpes'' sp.), ground squirrels or prairie dogs (''Cynomys'' spp.), among others. Unlike most owls, burrowing owls are often active during the day, although they tend to avoid the heat of midday. But, similar to many other species of owls, they are mostly crepuscular hunters, as they can utilize their night vision and attuned hearing to maximum potential during sunrise and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
North American River Otter
The North American river otter (''Lontra canadensis''), also known as the northern river otter and river otter, is a semiaquatic mammal that endemism, lives only on the North American continent throughout most of Canada, along the coasts of the United States and its inland waterways. An adult North American river otter can weigh between . The river otter is protected and insulated by a thick, water-repellent coat of fur. The North American river otter, a member of the subfamily Lutrinae in the weasel family (Mustelidae), is equally versatile in the water and on land. It establishes a burrow close to the water's edge in river, lake, swamp, coastal shoreline, tidal flat, or estuary ecosystems. The den typically has many tunnel openings, one of which generally allows the otter to enter and exit the body of water. Female North American river otters give birth in these burrows, producing litters of one to six young. North American river otters, like most predators, prey upon the most ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
White-faced Saki
The white-faced saki (''Pithecia pithecia''), is a species of New World saki monkey. The small bodied neotropical primate can be found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela. This species feeds mostly on fruits, nuts, seeds, and insects. Although it is an arboreal species and is a specialist of brachiation, it is also terrestrial when foraging. Typical life expectancy is around 14 years in its natural habitat, although individuals have been recorded to live up to 36 years in captivity. The white faced saki is active in the day and sleeps highly elevated () in trees with many leaves to shelter from weather and flying predators. A formerly recognized subspecies, ''P. p. chrysocephala'', was elevated to full species status as '' P. chrysocephala'' in 2014. Reproduction and sexual dimorphism Pairs of white-faced saki only breed once a year, but do not breed seasonally. Estimated typical breeding season is through August and September, but white-faced sakis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
