The Wolves (Canis lupus) Now this is the law of the jungle, as old and as true as the sky, And the wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the wolf that shall break it must die. As the creeper that girdles the tree trunk, the law runneth forward and back; For the strength [...]
Thamnophis sirtalis “Hopper in the grass Hiding from the birds above Falls prey to the snake” © Abe Lopez 2008 Thamnophis (Greek thamnos - bush, ophios - serpent) sirtalis (Greek - like a garter, banded) The Common Garter Snake is one of three species of Garter Snakes that may be found in Saskatchewan. Garter Snakes [...]
Lesley Avant: The Retiree Once upon a time, the Saskatoon Zoo Society was an all-volunteer organization. Then, as our activities grew and changed and more and more people took advantage of our services to educate about the animals, habitat and conservation, the City of Saskatoon, through the site manager of the time, Gus Vandepolder, saw [...]
There's a change to our membership policies. The Saskatoon Zoo Society is under contract to the City of Saskatoon for its services. We are entering into a contract negotiation year with a new Zoo Manager (a warm welcome to Tim Sinclair-Smith). All areas of our contract will be reviewed, including our membership program. As 2017 [...]
The Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) by Claire Bullaro Varanus komodoensis or the Komodo Dragon is the largest lizard in the world and is in the same family as other monitor lizards. The largest have weighed in at 165 kg and 3.1 meters in length. They are at the top of the food chain as there [...]
Work for the Saskatoon Zoo Society this summer! Various positions open for the summer (some start as early as April 1st)! Please carefully watch the email address for each position as we have separate managers for each area. Parking Gate Attendant: Part-time work. Apply to pawsinn@saskatoonzoosociety.ca with resume and references. A current (within the month) police [...]
Goeldi’s Marmoset “Foraging monkeys, Scamper along tree branches. Look! They found some bugs.” Residents in the Kinsmen Childrens’ Zoo are Goeldi’s Marmosets, Goeldi’s Monkeys, or just Callimicos. Their scientific name is Callimico goeldii. These are a South American species, the only one in their genus, and were discovered relatively recently (1904) by the Swiss naturalist [...]
Clever...tough and wiry...adaptable...intelligent...opportunistic...this is the Trickster in some Native lore and even on TV, as the hapless Wile E. Coyote. This animal's scientific name is Canis latrans, meaning "barking dog". The common name, Coyote, comes from the Aztec word coyotl. In some areas it is known as the brush wolf, American jackal, or prairie wolf. [...]
The Snowshoe Hare Lepus americanus The Snowshoe Hare prefers forested regions, but as evidenced by the number of Snowshoe Hares seen locally, they will inhabit aspen bluffs on the prairies. The habitat size of the Snowshoe Hare is not very large, typically about the size of city block. The reason for this may be that [...]
Yes, Caribou are Reindeer. The Saskatoon Forestry Farm Zoo's own Woodland Caribou are all Rangifer tarandus. Reindeer and Woodland Caribou are each one of several subspecies recognized by scientists. Reindeer usually refer to the semi-domesticated variety from Northern Europe and Asia. Woodland Caribou are a subspecies recognized by scientists as Rangifer tarandus caribou. They are found in the [...]