Friday, December 17, 2021

Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo Says It’s Official: The Baby Giant Anteater is a Girl!

 Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo has received verification from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Anteater Advisory Group that the Giant anteater pup born on June 15 is a girl. Giant anteaters, unlike most mammalian species, are not easy to sex from their body size, color, and external genitalia. That the baby’s gender is female is welcome news for the species, as the population in Giant anteaters is skewed more heavily toward males than females.  


The baby, born on June 15 after a 75-day gestation period, is increasingly independent. She occasionally rides on her mother’s back, but she spends more time on her own as she grows. In addition to nursing, she now is fed a mixture of grain and water in a smoothie, the same formulation given to her parents. At nine days old, the baby weighed 4.3 pounds. On December 4, she weighed 39 pounds.
 

 

This is the third Giant anteater baby born at the Zoo to third-time dad, E.O., and fourth-time mom, Pana. The pair was brought to Connecticut’s only Zoo with the hopes of successful breeding, which occurred for the first time in 2016.

 

“We couldn’t be happier that our Giant anteater baby is a girl, important for the continuation of this vulnerable species,” explained Zoo Director Gregg Dancho. “We look forward to offering an opportunity to vote on her name in the near future.”

 

Mochilla, the pair’s first offspring, is now in residence at Alexandria Zoo in Louisiana. The second-born, Tupi, is now at the Nashville Zoo in Tennessee. 

 

The Giant anteater's parents came to the Zoo from Palm Beach Zoo in Palm Beach, Florida. Both Pana and EO are twelve years old. They arrived in late May 2015 and are a highlight of the Pampas Plains habitat, which opened in August 2015. Featuring animals from the Pampas region of Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil, the exhibit represents the Zoo’s South American Adventure. 



About Giant Anteaters

Giant anteaters can live up to 26 years in human care and are usually solitary animals. They weigh up to 100 pounds and are five to seven feet long. Their home range is from southern Belize to northern Argentina and they live in grasslands, humid forests, and woodland areas. Anteaters have one of the lowest body temperatures in the animal kingdom at 91 to 97 degrees Fahrenheit and can eat up to 30,000 ants per meal in the wild. The Latin name for anteater is Vermillingua, meaning "worm tongue," which can be as long as two feet. 

 

About Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo

Let your curiosity run wild! Connecticut’s only zoo, celebrating its 99th year, features 350 animals representing primarily North and South American and Northern Asian species. Guests won’t want to miss our Amur tigers and leopards, maned wolves, and Mexican gray wolves, and red wolves. Other highlights include our Spider Monkey Habitat, the prairie dog exhibit, and the Pampas Plain with Giant anteaters and Chacoan peccaries. Guests can grab a bite from the Peacock CafĂ© and eat in the Picnic Grove. Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo is a non-profit organization approaching its 100th year at a time when the mission of helping fragile wildlife populations and ecosystems is more important than ever. 

 

Tickets must be purchased on the Zoo’s website at beardsleyzoo.org: we recommend that guests continue to wear masks while visiting the Zoo, but when guests are outside and are able to maintain social distance, masks may be removed. In any indoor area, or when social distancing cannot be maintained, masks are required. Everyone over the age of two, with the exception of those with medical conditions that preclude wearing them, should have a mask available. 

 

 

Thursday, December 16, 2021

Holiday Train Express Show @ Fairfield Museum

Once again this year the Holiday Express Model Train Show is up and running at the Fairfield History Museum on Beach Street in Fairfield through January 2, 2022. Young and old alike will delight in the large and small scale model trains winding around spectacular winter villages and beautiful holiday scenery.

Members of the Fairfield-based Housatonic Model Railroad Club, the Connecticut G-Scalers Club and the Central Connecticut G-Gaugers Club will be on hand to answer questions and point out details of the collectibles, classic trains, modular dioramas, and antique trains in this eye-popping holiday display. The hours for this exhibit are Monday-Thursday: 10am-1pm, Friday-Sunday: 10am-4pm, December 24-January 2: 10am-4pm. The museum is closed on Christmas and New Year's Day.


To keep in the spirit of holiday fun on 
Saturday, December 18th at 10am, 12pm, and 2pm. Yum! Create your own candy house! Decorate a holiday house with gobs of frosty icing, graham-cracker roofs, gumdrop windows, licorice fences, and many more delicious candies! Registration is $25 per person. To register click here.

Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Full Moon Walk with IAIS December 18

 If you are looking to walk off some of the holiday calories and love the serenity of the winter woods under a glowing full moon, don’t miss the walk at the Institute for American Indian Studies on Saturday, December 18 beginning at 6 p.m. This is the perfect activity to take a break from the rush of the holiday season and to unwind in the beauty of nature.

 

English translations of full moon names date back several hundred years to Native Americans living in the Eastern Woodlands located in the eastern United States. Tribes watched the cycles of the moon to keep track of the seasons; giving each full moon a distinctive name. Although there were variations in moon names between tribes, in general, the same names were used throughout the Algonkian community.
 
The December full moon will be the last full moon of 2021. Many tribes call this moon the “Long Nights Moon” which is fitting because the winter solstice on Tuesday, December 21 is the shortest day and the longest night of the year. What makes this moon special is that it stays above the horizon for a longer period of time than other full moons. The Mohawks called the December full moon the Cold Moon because of the frigid temperatures this time of year and the Western Abenaki called it the Winter Maker Moon.
 
Participants will join the Institute’s educators who will guide them along the museum’s trails on a short and easy walk. They will discuss the nighttime phenomena that people in the Eastern Woodlands have experienced for centuries. The walk ends at the museum’s replicated 16th century Algonkian village where hot chocolate will be enjoyed around a campfire.

Please dress for the weather and wear sturdy shoes. Space is limited and pre-registration is required. To register for this event click here, call 860-868-0518 or email events@iaismuseum.org. The price of participation is $5 for members of the museum and $10 for non-members. In case of inclement weather call the museum on the day of the event at 860-868-0518 or check the Facebook page by clicking here.
 
About The Institute for American Indian Studies 
Located on 15 acres of woodland acres the Institute For American Indian Studies preserves and educates through archeology, research, exhibitions, and programs. They have a 16th c. Algonquian Village, Award-Winning Wigwam Escape, and a museum with temporary and permanent displays of authentic artifacts from prehistory to the present that allows visitors to foster a new understanding of the world and the history and culture of Native Americans. The Institute for American Indian Studies is located on 38 Curtis Road, Washington, CT.

Wednesday, December 1, 2021

All Aboard with Santa in Thomaston and Danbury

We know that Santa gets around during the holiday season, but sleighs are not his only favorite mode of travel. In Litchfield Hills, you can often find the man in red enjoying a holiday train ride--and he loves company.



On December weekends, Santa can be found aboard the Santa Express leaving from Thomaston, CT, ready with bags of goodies for all the young passengers he meets along the way. Santa is so fond of trains that he even has two satellite workshops in train cars, one reached via a vintage train ride at the Danbury Railway Museum and another along the way on the Northern Lights Limited, a nighttime train excursion from Thomaston.

Rides are just part of the special railroad fun for families this year in Fairfield and Litchfield Counties, where lavish displays of working model trains are a traditional holiday treat in several locations.



The Santa Express in Thomaston This 1920s vintage train travels along the scenic Naugatuck River for a warm, cozy 80-minute round-trip ride. Santa brings along Mrs. Claus and some friendly helper elves to visit with each child on board. Trains depart from the historic 1881 station in Thomaston Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays December 3,4,5,9,10,11,12,17,18, and 19. Starting Christmas week the train will run on December 20,21,22 and 23. The last train of the holiday season will run on December 30th. On Saturdays and Sundays, the train runs at 12 noon, 2:15, 5 p.m., and 7:15 p.m. On Fridays and during Christmas week the train runs at 5 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.

Light displays inside and out make for an exciting outing at night aboard the Northern Lights Limited from Thomaston. The train makes a stop at Santa's Train Workshop, where the great man will board and greet everyone with gifts. 

Back at the gaily decorated station, a model train layout is in action, and a large selection of railroad theme gifts, books, and memorabilia can be found. Tickets and information are available from the Railroad Museum of New England, online atwww.rmne.org, or by phoning (860) 283-7245. Coach tickets are $20 for adults and Children and, first-class tickets are $49.50 for adults and children. The station is located on 242 East Main Street in Thomaston, CT



All Aboard in Danbury At the Danbury Railway Museum, a classic 1903 station with a railroad yard filled with vintage train cars, visitors can ride a working vintage train through the yard to Santa's Workshop. New this year the Danbury Railway Museum is offering a short train ride in a restored 1950s Rail Diesel Car through historic Danbury Railyard, you'll be escorted back to the station for a meet and greet with Santa and Mrs. Claus, where the big man himself will give out the first gifts of Christmas (Parents: Bring a pre-wrapped present or select from our online menu [includes FREE gift wrapping & batteries], and Old St. Nick will give your little one their unique present!). The museum is open every Saturday and Sunday, December 4-19 from 12 noon to 7 p.m.

The Danbury Railroad Museum is located on 120 White Street in Danbury. Trains run on Saturdays and Sundays at 12:30, 2 pm, 3:30 pm, 5 pm, and 6:30 pm. Tickets are $20 for ages 2 and up. Click here for more information.