For those who love baby animals, BioTrek recently welcomed six new additions to The Rainforest Learning Center. All of the newcomers are endangered in their native habitat, which makes their arrival more meaningful to the campus and all the students that will learn about them.
Fabio, the Bio Trek’s spectacled caiman recently left campus for a new home at the Forever Wild Exotic Animal Sanctuary in Phelan. He was a fan favorite since he came to BioTrek after California Fish and Wildlife rescued him from a residential street. BioTrek knew that he could potentially grow too big for his home. Fabio has found all the space he needs to accommodate his growing size at Forever Wild.
Two female Cuvier dwarf caimans recently were welcomed to BioTrek’s animal foyer. In their temporary home, the baby caimans get the individual care they need until they are large enough to take over the caiman pond in the BioTrek rainforest.
Our new Cuvier’s Dwarf Caimans – Lara and Jacaré
BioTrek began asking for name suggestions when the pair arrived. The winning Brazilian Tupi names were Lara, which means lady of the lake, and Jacaré, meaning caiman. The BioTrek team wanted the names to come from where Cuvier caimans call home – the Central and South American rainforests.
These girls may be small, but they are feisty. Since they mostly live on land and near shallow water, the BioTrek pond very closely replicates their natural habitat. They will be able to forage within the caiman enclosure at BioTrek and live as they would in the wild, feeding on live bearing fish that naturally breed in the rainforest ponds.
Athena and Zeus – Why These Little Ones are so Important
Some babies are an unexpected gift to the university, but most are carefully planned as part of Cal Poly Pomona’s efforts to save endangered and vulnerable California native species. Athena and Zeus, are two of the newest Gila monsters filling this important role.
The Gila monster is known for its venomous bite that releases a fairly mild neurotoxin into their prey. Their bite is extremely painful, which gives them the best defense against predators
Despite the Gila’s ‘monstrous’ reputation, they often fall prey to other animals including humans, which has led to their current status on the endangered species list. They are slow moving, until they are close enough to bite, and their large size and bright coloration make them easy to spot.
Gilas spend more than 95 percent of their lives in underground burrows, emerging only to eat and occasionally to bask in the desert sun. They can store fat in their oversized tails and are able to go months between meals.
Their population is shrinking primarily due to human intrusion, and they are considered a threatened species. Gilas are native to California, but it’s extremely rare to see one in the wild.
Tina and Kava Skinks – A Family Affair
Most species have unique characteristics in the wild regarding their family structure and offspring. The endangered Solomon Island skinks are no different. Skinks are known to mate for life, with both parents taking care of babies together. This family structure is part of a unique larger social group called a circulus. One of the few reptiles to carry out this social structure, skinks defend their territory as a group, like a neighborhood watch.
After the female skink goes through their six-to-eight-month gestation and the baby is born, both parents and members of the circulus help take care of it. The largest of all skink species, the Solomon Island skink, is known for its ability to hiss and bite. Although it cannot regenerate its own tail, its feisty personality is its protection from predators.
Tinakula, nicknamed Tina, is the female skink while the male skink is Kava, short for Kavachi. Tina and Kava get their names from the two most active volcanoes on the Solomon Islands, which mimic the animals’ natural explosive attributes.
BioTrek Connects Kids and Nature:
“At BioTrek we are committed to educating the next generation of scientists,” says Jennifer Alexander, BioTrek’s curator of organismal biology. “Having these new babies on campus creates an opportunity for not only the university students to learn about these endangered species, but also gives the whole community a chance to see these animals up close. Studying these animals aids in their species’ survival.”
Close to 5,000 university students use BioTrek programs each year, and the center hosts about 3,000 K-12 students annually who participate in curriculum-based outdoor environmental learning activities that follow the Cal Poly Pomona philosophy: “Learn by Doing.” BioTrek’s mission is to share knowledge, values and behaviors that support biological sustainability on a finite Earth.