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“We love seeing these healthy spring arrivals, and with each birth we celebrate the amazing diversity of wildlife from around the world,” said Dr.

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Stingray Bay is free with zoo admission, and feeding opportunities are available for an additional fee. Keeping oceans and waterways free of litter and old fishing line, as well as using the Seafood Watch guide to know what fish are sustainably sourced, can help make a difference for the future of cownose rays and other marine life.Ĭolumbus Zoo guests can gently and safely interact with cownose rays and southern stingrays in the touch pool as the rays gracefully glide through the water. However, cownose rays “vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species™ because the population is decreasing because of over-harvesting and pollution that has negatively affected their grass bed habitat. Named for the shape of their head, cownose rays have only a few natural predators, including hammerhead sharks and humans.

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Pups are born with full barbs that are over an inch in length, so they are ready to protect themselves. As the mother gives births, the pups are initially folded up like a burrito and unfold when they are born. Stingrays, sharks and skates are elasmobranchs, which means their body is made of cartilage, like a human’s nose.Ĭownose rays give birth to live young, though they first hatch from eggs inside the females’ body. The pups are the size of a small dinner plate now (10-12 inches from wingtip to wingtip) and will grow to be more than three feet wide as an adult. It allows them to be with the other stingrays while also being separated enough to receive extra care and feeding from keepers to ensure their health. Set up in the middle of the touch pool, the playpen provides a safe place for the pups. Visitors may view both pups in their “playpen” in Stingray Bay, in the zoo’s Adventure Cove region. The Columbus Zoo’s resident aquatic population also increased with the addition of two male cownose ray pups born Feb. Guests may find the feathertail gliders in the zoo’s Nocturnal Building, in the Australia and the Islands region. The two joeys born this year are now just a little smaller than the adults, as joeys are usually full grown by about four months old. The joeys typically emerge from their mother’s pouch at approximately 63 days old and start venturing outside of the nest box to join the rest of the colony at around two-and-a-half months old. Zoos like the Columbus Zoo are contributing to knowledge about the species to help learn more about the animals’ habits and needs.

Researchers believe feathertail gliders are relatively common in most of eastern Australia however, researchers do not know a lot of other information about this nocturnal species since they are difficult to find because of their small size. Pollen sticks to their faces and as they put their faces in the next flower, they transfer some of the pollen. They are primarily nectar eaters and will put their noses in a flower to get the nectar. The sweat glands act like suction cups, enabling them to climb well on smooth surfaces, including glass.įeathertail gliders fulfill an important role in the ecosystem by helping to pollinate flowers and plants.

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Feathertail gliders also have tiny skin ridges and hairs on their feet and sweat glands on the pads of their toes. The tiny mammals earned their name because of their flat tail that has stiff hairs on both sides to help them steer, while a flap of skin between their front and back legs acts like a parachute as they glide from branch to branch.

While feathertail gliders grow to be only two to three inches long, they can glide as far as 90 feet between trees.

The zoo’s colony of 27 feathertail gliders grew by two this year with two joeys for one mother in January.Ībout the size of a mouse when they become adults, feathertail glider joeys are smaller than a grain of rice when born. The Columbus Zoo is one of only two breeding institutions in North America caring for the world’s smallest marsupial, the feathertail glider. The colobus monkeys have access to their outdoor habitat when the weather is warmer than 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Jif’s care team reports he is doing well and is quite active. While currently listed as “least concern” as a conservation status, they continue to face threats such as habitat destruction, hunting and capture for the illegal wildlife trade. Instead, they have a little nub with a nail instead of a thumb, and they use their long fingers as “hooks” as they leap from tree to tree. The word colobus means “mutilated one” as the species lacks thumbs. (Amanda Carberry/Columbus Zoo and Aquarium)Ĭolobus monkeys spend half their day resting and sleeping, and they spend the rest of the time eating and moving through trees to look for food.

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