1 00:00:19,980 --> 00:00:23,715 Jane: This is But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids from Vermont 2 00:00:23,715 --> 00:00:27,285 Public. I'm Jane Lindholm. On this show, we take questions 3 00:00:27,285 --> 00:00:31,335 from curious kids all over the world, and we find answers. You 4 00:00:31,335 --> 00:00:34,965 guys ask the best questions, and they take us in some really 5 00:00:34,965 --> 00:00:38,895 interesting directions. So, I feel lucky to get to talk with 6 00:00:38,895 --> 00:00:42,795 you and help you get answers to your questions, because I get so 7 00:00:42,795 --> 00:00:46,695 many answers. I actually had a question of my own the other 8 00:00:46,695 --> 00:00:50,430 day. I was walking my dog, Wilson, in the woods when we 9 00:00:50,430 --> 00:00:53,520 came upon another dog named Dexter, who lives in our 10 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:57,510 neighborhood. Wilson and Dexter started running back and forth 11 00:00:57,510 --> 00:01:01,650 as fast as they could. Wilson would run in between trees like 12 00:01:01,650 --> 00:01:05,070 weaving in and out of trees that are really close together and 13 00:01:05,070 --> 00:01:07,860 then around the back of another tree to see if Dexter could keep 14 00:01:07,860 --> 00:01:11,715 up with him. And when Dexter started to lose interest, Wilson 15 00:01:11,715 --> 00:01:15,225 would bark at him to do it again. Then Dexter decided he 16 00:01:15,225 --> 00:01:18,555 wanted to do something different so he led Wilson over to a river 17 00:01:18,555 --> 00:01:21,585 and they splashed around for a while before deciding to wrestle 18 00:01:21,585 --> 00:01:25,005 over a big stick, and then peeing in the same place 19 00:01:25,005 --> 00:01:30,255 multiple times. It sure looked to me like they were playing, 20 00:01:30,255 --> 00:01:33,390 but is that what they were doing? Do animals play, and is 21 00:01:33,390 --> 00:01:37,710 it just for fun, like humans do? Wilson is three years old, so 22 00:01:37,710 --> 00:01:41,040 he's kind of moving from teenager status to young adult 23 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:45,300 in the dog world, but he still acts very much like a puppy, so 24 00:01:45,300 --> 00:01:48,900 that made me wonder, too, is play just for young animals, 25 00:01:48,900 --> 00:01:53,430 including humans, or do animals, including humans, play for their 26 00:01:53,430 --> 00:01:57,315 whole lives? Turns out I'm not the only one wondering about 27 00:01:57,315 --> 00:02:01,965 this, so we took your questions and mine to someone who spends a 28 00:02:01,965 --> 00:02:05,655 lot of time observing the behavior of many different 29 00:02:05,655 --> 00:02:06,435 animals. 30 00:02:06,420 --> 00:02:09,360 Marco Wendt: My name is Marco Wendt. I'm the Wildlife 31 00:02:06,570 --> 00:02:14,580 Jane: A wildlife ambassador, what is that? 32 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:12,120 Ambassador for San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. 33 00:02:14,580 --> 00:02:17,820 Marco Wendt: Wildlife ambassador is the coolest job. I get to 34 00:02:17,820 --> 00:02:21,810 talk about conservation projects all over the world, animals like 35 00:02:21,810 --> 00:02:27,030 an axolotl to an elephant to a cassowary, but I also get to 36 00:02:27,030 --> 00:02:30,225 interact with a lot of fun wildlife and people who work in 37 00:02:30,225 --> 00:02:33,945 a zoo environment. So I could maybe communicate fun animal 38 00:02:33,945 --> 00:02:37,365 facts on a podcast, like you and I are doing today. It could be 39 00:02:37,365 --> 00:02:40,365 social media. You can even find me at the Safari Park or San 40 00:02:40,365 --> 00:02:42,675 Diego Zoo, which I'm always running around having a fun 41 00:02:42,675 --> 00:02:43,335 adventure. 42 00:02:43,300 --> 00:02:45,880 Jane: How often do you get to actually interact with or see 43 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:47,200 the animals at the zoo? 44 00:02:47,290 --> 00:02:50,080 Marco Wendt: Every single day, minus my weekends, even though I 45 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:52,330 have animals at home. So, technically, I got animals all 46 00:02:52,330 --> 00:02:55,570 around me every single day. But one of my favorite things about 47 00:02:55,570 --> 00:02:59,920 working for a zoo organization is I get to go into the safari 48 00:02:59,920 --> 00:03:04,630 park or the San Diego Zoo before it even opens, so I get to hear 49 00:03:04,630 --> 00:03:08,815 the lion roaring in the morning, or the smell of a gorilla, or 50 00:03:08,815 --> 00:03:12,535 maybe a capybara maybe farting in the water. You never know 51 00:03:12,535 --> 00:03:13,285 what you might hear. 52 00:03:13,920 --> 00:03:15,090 Jane: What does a gorilla smell like? 53 00:03:15,300 --> 00:03:18,060 Marco Wendt: A gorilla smells like if I were to go camping for 54 00:03:18,060 --> 00:03:21,480 maybe a month without showering, that's kind of what a gorilla 55 00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:25,500 smells like. I mean, I maybe get a little more specific. I'm 56 00:03:25,500 --> 00:03:28,920 really talking about the male gorillas, are called the silver 57 00:03:28,920 --> 00:03:31,440 back, or before that become a dominant gorilla, it's 58 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:34,920 blackback. So, blackback, silverback, the technical smell 59 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:38,130 that I'm smelling is testosterone, which is it's a 60 00:03:38,130 --> 00:03:41,235 hormone that helps with maybe growing muscle, and for this 61 00:03:41,235 --> 00:03:45,015 particular case, it helps gorilla boys start turning their 62 00:03:45,015 --> 00:03:48,135 fur silver in the back and getting these physical 63 00:03:48,135 --> 00:03:51,015 attributes. That's kind of a sign that I'm ready to start my 64 00:03:51,015 --> 00:03:54,285 own gorilla family. So, that is gorilla smell! 65 00:03:54,285 --> 00:03:57,555 Jane: Sounds kind of unpleasant, but I'm not gonna lie, I still 66 00:03:57,555 --> 00:04:01,410 kind of want to smell a gorilla. Marco says when he was a kid, he 67 00:04:01,410 --> 00:04:05,310 spent a lot of time in nature with his family. Marco also grew 68 00:04:05,310 --> 00:04:08,340 up watching cartoons like Captain Planet, where the little 69 00:04:08,340 --> 00:04:12,630 kids had special powers to protect Earth. Those experiences 70 00:04:12,630 --> 00:04:16,350 helped inspire him to grow up to be someone who works to protect 71 00:04:16,350 --> 00:04:17,070 wildlife. 72 00:04:17,130 --> 00:04:19,800 Marco Wendt: Being a wildlife ambassador, I do feel, and it's 73 00:04:19,890 --> 00:04:24,050 my own way of giving myself the energy that I am a, I like to 74 00:04:24,140 --> 00:04:27,530 say, a little superhero, yeah, for wildlife and helping connect 75 00:04:27,590 --> 00:04:29,840 people with this amazing blue planet. 76 00:04:30,170 --> 00:04:32,150 Jane: Well, we're excited to talk to you, and what we wanted 77 00:04:32,180 --> 00:04:38,420 to focus on today is how and why and if animals play, and we have 78 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:40,490 a lot of playful questions for you. 79 00:04:40,690 --> 00:04:47,440 Caden: My name is Caden, and I'm born from Netherlands, and I'm 80 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:57,010 from Korea. And my question is, why do baby animals play? I am 81 00:04:57,010 --> 00:04:58,450 eight years old. 82 00:04:58,420 --> 00:05:01,780 Marco Wendt: Caden, I love that question, why do baby animals 83 00:05:01,780 --> 00:05:05,740 play? My first answer to that is a question, you know, depends on 84 00:05:05,740 --> 00:05:08,710 what kind of animal. Animals will play for all sorts of 85 00:05:08,710 --> 00:05:12,730 reasons. The number one is for fun, right? There's evidence all 86 00:05:12,730 --> 00:05:16,210 over the world that animals play for fun. It could be maybe a 87 00:05:16,210 --> 00:05:20,980 dolphin blowing rings of air pockets in the water and going 88 00:05:21,025 --> 00:05:24,295 through them for fun. It could be maybe a crow that's been seen 89 00:05:24,295 --> 00:05:27,475 sliding down a rooftop of snow, no particular reason other than 90 00:05:27,475 --> 00:05:30,115 fun. But there's other, will be called like very 91 00:05:30,115 --> 00:05:34,405 species-specific reasons, and by that I mean there's a very 92 00:05:34,405 --> 00:05:38,755 specific reason why maybe a lion plays the way it does, maybe 93 00:05:38,755 --> 00:05:42,775 versus a bird of prey, like a hawk, or maybe versus a 94 00:05:42,775 --> 00:05:46,990 goldfish. So, for instance, I could say a cheetah cub will 95 00:05:46,990 --> 00:05:50,590 play with its brothers and sisters by doing chase behavior, 96 00:05:50,590 --> 00:05:54,190 so it's almost like playing tag, right? So a brother will chase, 97 00:05:54,190 --> 00:05:56,980 maybe a sister, chase it, and maybe with its little paws hit 98 00:05:56,980 --> 00:05:59,830 the back legs, maybe trip its brother and sister, and it's a 99 00:05:59,830 --> 00:06:04,150 lot of fun, but that also is teaching that baby cheetah how 100 00:06:04,150 --> 00:06:07,030 to one day be an adult cheetah, because it's a predator and 101 00:06:07,075 --> 00:06:11,425 predators have to eat meat, so they have to take down another 102 00:06:11,425 --> 00:06:14,305 animal, and the best way to do that for a cheetah is tripping 103 00:06:14,305 --> 00:06:17,785 them, right? So it kind of depends, so all different 104 00:06:17,785 --> 00:06:19,735 animals have different reasons for play. 105 00:06:19,735 --> 00:06:23,395 Jane: So some animals do play for fun, but a lot of them, when 106 00:06:23,395 --> 00:06:26,095 they're babies, they're learning behaviors that they're going to 107 00:06:26,095 --> 00:06:30,055 need or use as adults. Do adult animals play? 108 00:06:30,650 --> 00:06:33,260 Marco Wendt: I would say all animal babies can play for fun. 109 00:06:33,650 --> 00:06:36,680 It's just sometimes there's other reasons also, right? Why 110 00:06:36,830 --> 00:06:40,750 they play for fun. Adults also play for fun. In fact, a female 111 00:06:40,990 --> 00:06:43,780 cassowary, so this is a big bird that can't fly. 112 00:06:44,050 --> 00:06:47,920 Jane: Cassowaries are these huge, majestic birds native to 113 00:06:48,010 --> 00:06:50,800 northeast Australia and the surrounding islands in the 114 00:06:50,830 --> 00:06:51,580 Pacific Ocean. 115 00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:52,690 Marco Wendt: Looks like a dinosaur, 116 00:06:52,840 --> 00:06:55,510 Jane: Marco says at the San Diego Zoo, there was one 117 00:06:55,510 --> 00:06:58,720 particular cassowary who was really fun to watch. 118 00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:01,990 Marco Wendt: Yara is her name, and Yara had a favorite kicking 119 00:07:01,990 --> 00:07:05,650 tree, so by that I mean cassowaries have to defend 120 00:07:05,650 --> 00:07:07,600 themselves, they have really strong legs and they can give a 121 00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:10,780 really strong kick, so Yara, as a baby, started practicing how 122 00:07:10,780 --> 00:07:13,660 to do that, but then it became kind of fun for us, or anytime I 123 00:07:13,660 --> 00:07:15,955 don't know if you ever get the zoomies, or you just kind of 124 00:07:15,955 --> 00:07:18,325 want to like run around with their hands up in the air, 125 00:07:18,325 --> 00:07:21,115 right, so castaways have their own version of that, and Yara 126 00:07:21,115 --> 00:07:23,995 would run around the habitat, jump up in the air, and run to 127 00:07:23,995 --> 00:07:27,355 this palm tree, and bam, bam, and they kick the palm tree, and 128 00:07:27,355 --> 00:07:30,445 that was kind of her fun way. So, yes, I would say, and I can 129 00:07:30,445 --> 00:07:33,565 give you many examples, but there's lots of evidence of 130 00:07:33,565 --> 00:07:35,965 adult animals also playing for fun. 131 00:07:36,170 --> 00:07:39,560 Jane: I'm picturing a cassowary doing parkour right now, like 132 00:07:39,590 --> 00:07:41,290 running around, you're like parkour, parkour. 133 00:07:41,240 --> 00:07:44,840 Marco Wendt: I would love to see it, totally. And it's such a 134 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:47,480 cool bird that you can actually see in one of the areas that I 135 00:07:47,480 --> 00:07:50,150 work, called the Safari Park. So, I highly recommend seeing 136 00:07:50,270 --> 00:07:53,450 what a real-life dinosaur looks like. I would check out a 137 00:07:53,450 --> 00:07:54,140 cassowary. 138 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:56,520 Jane: I mean, if we're talking about what a real-life dinosaur 139 00:07:56,520 --> 00:07:59,130 looks like, all we really have to do is go look at some 140 00:07:59,130 --> 00:08:02,850 chickens. We hear at But Why actually just made a whole 141 00:08:02,850 --> 00:08:06,510 episode about how all birds are the direct descendants of 142 00:08:06,510 --> 00:08:09,690 dinosaurs, and we'll link to that episode in our show notes. 143 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:12,450 Marco Wendt: There is a small bird in South America called the 144 00:08:12,450 --> 00:08:16,230 tinamou, looks very much like a chicken or maybe a quail-like 145 00:08:16,230 --> 00:08:19,965 bird, but there is evidence from their dentition and DNA that 146 00:08:19,965 --> 00:08:22,455 that is one of the closest living descendants of 147 00:08:20,670 --> 00:08:58,710 Jane: teeth, so even if you think there's no way that looks 148 00:08:22,455 --> 00:08:26,385 Tyrannosaurus Rex, and think about while big Tyrannosaurus X 149 00:08:26,385 --> 00:08:29,715 was, and now it's a little tiny bird, but it shows you how cool 150 00:08:29,715 --> 00:08:33,225 Mother Nature is, right? How things change all the time. It's 151 00:08:33,225 --> 00:08:36,165 what it's one of the reasons why I love wildlife so much. You can 152 00:08:36,165 --> 00:08:39,105 never know everything, and you can always be a student for 153 00:08:39,105 --> 00:08:42,660 life, so that I think that's amazing. Yes, chickens, 100% 154 00:08:58,710 --> 00:09:02,910 like a T-Rex through things like your teeth or fossil records, 155 00:09:02,910 --> 00:09:06,060 you can see how things change, so even when your eyes deceive 156 00:09:06,060 --> 00:09:09,510 you, scientists are trying to find ways to think, okay, well, 157 00:09:09,510 --> 00:09:13,800 it doesn't seem logical, but science is telling us this is a 158 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:15,270 connection that's so cool. 159 00:09:15,270 --> 00:09:17,700 Marco Wendt: right? No, and there's so many bird-like 160 00:09:17,700 --> 00:09:20,655 animals at the time, when we think of dinosaurs, some through 161 00:09:20,655 --> 00:09:24,405 evolution, or you know, adapting your body as the time progresses 162 00:09:24,405 --> 00:09:27,735 on the planet, so there was evidence of birds with beaks and 163 00:09:27,735 --> 00:09:30,555 teeth at one point, you know, which is crazy to think about, 164 00:09:30,555 --> 00:09:32,955 or maybe even dinosaurs with a little bit of feathers on them 165 00:09:32,955 --> 00:09:36,165 too, but it just shows how, how connected I think birds are to 166 00:09:36,165 --> 00:09:39,045 what we think of dinosaurs, right? So that's why I'm a, I'm 167 00:09:39,045 --> 00:09:42,285 a huge fan of birds, I love all wildlife, but birds are number 168 00:09:42,330 --> 00:09:43,920 one in my book. 169 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:46,350 Jane: All right. Well, we don't know if dinosaurs played, but 170 00:09:46,350 --> 00:09:49,530 maybe that's a topic for another podcast. 171 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:57,693 Tzvi: My name is Tzvi. I live in New York City. I'm four years 172 00:09:57,839 --> 00:10:05,430 old, and I want to know why do pigs play in the mud? 173 00:10:12,115 --> 00:10:13,615 Isaiah: I am Isaiah from Nicholasville, Kentucky. I am 174 00:10:13,615 --> 00:10:18,715 five years old. My question is, why do pigs like to roll around 175 00:10:18,715 --> 00:10:25,345 in mud, and why do they like mud so much and why do they never 176 00:10:25,345 --> 00:10:26,305 take baths. 177 00:10:26,305 --> 00:10:30,955 Casper: Hello, I'm Casper. I live in South Carolina. I'm four 178 00:10:30,955 --> 00:10:34,435 years old. Why do pigs play in the mud a lot? 179 00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:36,469 Marco Wendt: Ooh, that's an awesome question. So, I 180 00:10:36,526 --> 00:10:39,694 mentioned earlier that pigs or animals play for a lot of 181 00:10:39,751 --> 00:10:43,258 different reasons, and fun is definitely one of them, and I've 182 00:10:43,315 --> 00:10:46,822 seen not only domesticated pigs, and, by domesticated, I mean, 183 00:10:46,879 --> 00:10:50,103 maybe you live in a farm, and maybe your family has pigs, 184 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:53,611 those are domesticated pigs, right, and I've seen them wallow 185 00:10:53,667 --> 00:10:56,779 or play in the mud. I've also seen wild hog or pig-like 186 00:10:56,836 --> 00:11:00,173 species, like, for instance, I've seen a warthog, red river 187 00:11:00,230 --> 00:11:03,341 hog, which is from Africa, babirusa, where they're from 188 00:11:03,398 --> 00:11:06,736 Asia. I've seen all these wild pig species play in the mud, 189 00:11:06,792 --> 00:11:10,243 also. And it's a very unique reason why they also play in the 190 00:11:10,300 --> 00:11:13,468 mud. Now, if we kids are listening right now, touch your 191 00:11:13,525 --> 00:11:16,806 forearm, touch your skin, know how sensitive your skin is, 192 00:11:16,862 --> 00:11:20,370 right? I put on sunblock, and I also put on lotion, because my 193 00:11:20,050 --> 00:11:25,810 Jane: who knew that pigs could get sunburned just like humans? 194 00:11:20,427 --> 00:11:24,047 skin gets really dry sometimes, and itchy, and also I don't want 195 00:11:24,104 --> 00:11:27,385 to get a sunburn. Sunburns are no good. So, a pig has very 196 00:11:25,840 --> 00:11:26,860 Marco Wendt: Exactly right. 197 00:11:26,860 --> 00:11:29,140 May: My name is May. I live in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. My 198 00:11:27,442 --> 00:11:30,893 similar skin, especially those domesticated pigs, like a farm 199 00:11:29,380 --> 00:11:34,060 favorite animal is an elephant, and my other favorite animal is 200 00:11:30,949 --> 00:11:34,400 pig. And so, what they do is they play in the mud, because it 201 00:11:34,060 --> 00:11:37,660 a monkey. And how does elephant like to play in mud? Because 202 00:11:34,457 --> 00:11:37,851 gives them a natural sunblock. Also, it helps them to soften 203 00:11:37,690 --> 00:11:43,030 it's because they get hot in the sun, so they play in mud instead 204 00:11:37,908 --> 00:11:41,415 their skin a little bit, and it also can protect them, because 205 00:11:41,472 --> 00:11:45,036 I've seen elephants. I know it's not a pig, but also elephants 206 00:11:45,092 --> 00:11:48,600 I've seen wallow in mud for this very same reason. Mosquitoes, 207 00:11:48,656 --> 00:11:52,051 nobody likes a mosquito bite. So, a lot of times, rolling in 208 00:11:52,107 --> 00:11:54,880 the mud can also protect you from mosquito bites. 209 00:12:22,270 --> 00:12:23,320 of water. 210 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:26,420 Jane: Why are they playing in the mud instead of the water if 211 00:12:26,510 --> 00:12:27,620 they're hot in the sun? 212 00:12:27,900 --> 00:12:30,450 Marco Wendt: Oh, that's a very awesome question, May. And I 213 00:12:30,450 --> 00:12:34,140 love elephants for all that play behavior in the mud and the 214 00:12:34,140 --> 00:12:37,650 water. The Safari Park here in San Diego, we have a brand new 215 00:12:37,650 --> 00:12:41,250 elephant habitat called Elephant Valley, and you can get close to 216 00:12:41,250 --> 00:12:44,130 elephants like never before. May, I could smell the 217 00:12:44,130 --> 00:12:47,640 elephants, I can see the eyelashes, and guess that day 218 00:12:47,640 --> 00:12:50,865 when I was there one day it was a rainy day, and there was a 219 00:12:50,865 --> 00:12:54,765 big, there's a big giant pool, a watering hole for them to dive 220 00:12:54,765 --> 00:12:58,455 into, but there's also a mud wallow, and I talked to the 221 00:12:58,455 --> 00:13:01,245 elephant staff, and by that I mean the humans that work 222 00:13:01,245 --> 00:13:04,485 alongside the elephants, we call them wildlife care specialists, 223 00:13:04,575 --> 00:13:06,945 or for around the world they're known as zookeepers. So, I'm 224 00:13:06,945 --> 00:13:10,095 going to say zookeeper for right now. So, the elephant zookeepers 225 00:13:10,095 --> 00:13:13,320 are telling me that a lot of times the elephants prefer the 226 00:13:13,320 --> 00:13:16,410 mud over the water, because of all the reasons I gave for the 227 00:13:16,410 --> 00:13:19,830 pigs, the elephants love that too. I mean, yes, going in the 228 00:13:19,830 --> 00:13:22,560 water is a lot of fun. It can cool you off in a hot, sunny 229 00:13:22,560 --> 00:13:26,430 day. Mud can also cool you off on a hot, sunny day, but it also 230 00:13:26,430 --> 00:13:30,630 provides sun block. It also provides protection from insect 231 00:13:30,630 --> 00:13:33,990 bites, and it's also an exfoliant, which I never knew. 232 00:13:33,990 --> 00:13:37,215 But the elephant herd at our safari park, one of their 233 00:13:37,215 --> 00:13:40,125 favorite things every day - sunny day, cold day, doesn't 234 00:13:40,125 --> 00:13:43,005 matter. They like to wallow, and they like to play in the mud, 235 00:13:43,425 --> 00:13:46,935 and they get very special mud that's very similar to the kind 236 00:13:46,935 --> 00:13:51,105 of soil from Africa, as an example. And this mud will dry, 237 00:13:51,105 --> 00:13:54,765 and once it dries, you know what, May, they actually scratch 238 00:13:54,795 --> 00:13:57,555 on the branches, and they scratch. I've seen an elephant 239 00:13:57,555 --> 00:14:00,960 butt being scratched on a rock and exfoliate, so by that I mean 240 00:14:00,960 --> 00:14:04,950 it helps break up the dead skin, you know. Maybe I may buy a 241 00:14:04,950 --> 00:14:07,980 facial for my mom and she gets a mud mask and it costs a lot of 242 00:14:07,980 --> 00:14:10,530 money, but elephants can do it for free. And so that's one of 243 00:14:10,530 --> 00:14:11,430 the main reasons. 244 00:14:12,869 --> 00:14:16,379 Jane: Avery in Lakeville, Minnesota, has a question about 245 00:14:16,529 --> 00:14:21,529 an animal that I'm wondering if maybe Avery has this animal at 246 00:14:21,889 --> 00:14:25,849 home and has been able to observe the behavior. 247 00:14:26,360 --> 00:14:31,070 Avery: I live in Lakeville, Minnesota. I'm five years old. 248 00:14:31,580 --> 00:14:34,610 My question is, why do hamsters like to play? 249 00:14:35,419 --> 00:14:37,969 Marco Wendt: Oh, Avery, I love this question. You know, I had a 250 00:14:38,059 --> 00:14:41,769 pair of hamsters when I was a kid, and it's for the same 251 00:14:41,889 --> 00:14:44,109 reasons that I mentioned before, we're always going to assume 252 00:14:44,259 --> 00:14:47,799 play is fun, right? So, hamsters, of course, have fun 253 00:14:48,129 --> 00:14:51,579 play behavior also, but there's something very unique about 254 00:14:51,639 --> 00:14:55,029 hamsters, if they're part of a family, like other rodents, the 255 00:14:55,179 --> 00:14:58,629 rodent family, right? So, I'm thinking about maybe a guinea 256 00:14:58,839 --> 00:15:01,919 pig, I'm thinking. Thinking of a hamster, I'm thinking of a rat, 257 00:15:02,009 --> 00:15:04,439 or even a porcupine, or a beaver, I'm thinking of a 258 00:15:04,559 --> 00:15:05,279 capybara. 259 00:15:05,030 --> 00:15:07,580 Jane: Capybara, boy, imagine having one of those in your 260 00:15:07,580 --> 00:15:09,140 house, much bigger. 261 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:13,170 Marco Wendt: Right? Way bigger. I know that's a very big rodent 262 00:15:13,170 --> 00:15:16,290 in your house, but with your hamsters, you know, the number 263 00:15:16,290 --> 00:15:18,900 one thing that I can say personally, in my experience, 264 00:15:18,900 --> 00:15:22,710 knowing different types of rodents is they also have social 265 00:15:22,710 --> 00:15:27,240 structures as well, so sometimes a hamster, to adult hamsters, 266 00:15:27,240 --> 00:15:30,300 I'm not talking about baby hamsters, sometimes adult 267 00:15:30,300 --> 00:15:33,765 hamsters might show some play behavior, and it could be fun, 268 00:15:33,765 --> 00:15:36,945 but part of it could also be part of dominance, showing that 269 00:15:36,945 --> 00:15:40,125 one's maybe more of a leader than the other, because those 270 00:15:40,125 --> 00:15:43,875 animals, they're social, and by social I mean they spend a lot 271 00:15:43,875 --> 00:15:47,445 of time with other individuals of the same species. In this 272 00:15:47,445 --> 00:15:50,115 case, we're talking about hamsters, right? So, maybe a 273 00:15:50,115 --> 00:15:52,695 cassowary that's solitary, by that I mean they spend their 274 00:15:52,695 --> 00:15:55,680 time by themselves, doesn't necessarily have to do play 275 00:15:55,680 --> 00:15:59,430 behavior to set dominance, but a hamster, there's a lot more 276 00:15:59,430 --> 00:16:02,550 social dynamics, right? So they have a lot more individuals in 277 00:16:02,550 --> 00:16:05,250 their family group that they have to navigate, so that would 278 00:16:05,250 --> 00:16:08,760 be my, my number one guess. Why adult hamsters would do some 279 00:16:08,760 --> 00:16:09,690 play behavior. 280 00:16:09,690 --> 00:16:13,800 Jane: When animals are doing different behaviors. Do you have 281 00:16:13,800 --> 00:16:18,945 a way to tell if they are playing or if they're doing 282 00:16:18,945 --> 00:16:23,115 something for another reason? I mean, is it just observation, or 283 00:16:23,115 --> 00:16:26,595 can you tell if an animal is having fun? 284 00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:28,850 Marco Wendt: Yeah, it's... I think it is observation, number 285 00:16:28,850 --> 00:16:32,960 one. But what I always tell people is that every single 286 00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:36,470 animal on the planet communicates. We just have to 287 00:16:36,470 --> 00:16:39,830 learn how to listen, and not every animal communicates in the 288 00:16:39,830 --> 00:16:42,860 same way, just like human beings, maybe some people 289 00:16:42,860 --> 00:16:45,410 communicate with their hands and some people communicate with 290 00:16:45,410 --> 00:16:48,380 their voice, and that's okay. It's just how you communicate. 291 00:16:48,380 --> 00:16:51,665 So, I would say, I'm giving you a zookeeper tip. If you want to 292 00:16:51,665 --> 00:16:54,485 do observations like a zookeeper. For me, because I 293 00:16:54,485 --> 00:16:56,795 work with so many different kinds of animals, and sometimes 294 00:16:56,795 --> 00:17:00,425 I don't know anything about maybe a rhinoceros hornbill, so 295 00:17:00,425 --> 00:17:03,395 then I have to study about the rhinoceros hornbill, because 296 00:17:03,395 --> 00:17:07,295 that's very specific behaviors for that bird, versus maybe a 297 00:17:07,295 --> 00:17:10,205 domestic pig versus an elephant, right. So I would say number 298 00:17:10,205 --> 00:17:13,325 one, let's say you're brand new to a hamster, learn about the 299 00:17:13,370 --> 00:17:17,210 hamster's history, where they're from, how do they interact with 300 00:17:17,210 --> 00:17:19,850 each other, how they eat, their social dynamics, if they have 301 00:17:19,850 --> 00:17:22,850 them, and then you can apply your observation skills, 302 00:17:22,850 --> 00:17:25,670 watching them, and try to determine what those behaviors 303 00:17:25,670 --> 00:17:29,480 are, and what play can be. It can look differently for one 304 00:17:29,480 --> 00:17:33,680 animal versus another. As an example, one other example I can 305 00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:38,105 give you is, I've seen young peregrine falcons, which are a 306 00:17:38,105 --> 00:17:40,925 bird that can fly and hunt other birds, are the fastest animal on 307 00:17:40,925 --> 00:17:44,495 the planet, and I've seen one chase another one and grab its 308 00:17:44,495 --> 00:17:47,945 tail, and a buddy of mine, a friend, told me, "Oh no, that 309 00:17:47,945 --> 00:17:51,275 falcon's being mean to the other falcon," and I told them, "No, 310 00:17:51,305 --> 00:17:54,995 falcons hunt other birds, and they have to practice chasing. 311 00:17:54,995 --> 00:17:58,055 So these young falcons are practicing hunting by chasing 312 00:17:58,100 --> 00:18:01,610 its sister and grabbing the tail of the sister. " Maybe if I 313 00:18:01,610 --> 00:18:04,580 didn't know the behavior or the background of the peregrine 314 00:18:04,580 --> 00:18:07,760 falcon, I would not think of it as play. I think of it as maybe 315 00:18:07,760 --> 00:18:11,330 being mean or aggressive, but that's what my point means, so 316 00:18:11,330 --> 00:18:14,150 that you have to learn about the animal first, right? And then 317 00:18:14,150 --> 00:18:15,890 apply your observation. 318 00:18:15,990 --> 00:18:18,630 Jane: Yeah, I mean, you can do that even if you have, like, a 319 00:18:18,630 --> 00:18:21,900 dog or a cat at home too, right? Like, sometimes my dog plays 320 00:18:21,900 --> 00:18:25,650 with other dogs, and they're barking, and they have their 321 00:18:25,650 --> 00:18:29,340 teeth out, and one of the dogs is drooling, and it can look 322 00:18:29,340 --> 00:18:32,880 very aggressive, but I know they're friends, and as soon as 323 00:18:32,880 --> 00:18:35,400 we say, "Come on, guys," then they keep coming along and 324 00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:38,460 walking and having fun, and you can start to tell the difference 325 00:18:38,460 --> 00:18:42,045 between when your dog is having fun with another dog, or what 326 00:18:42,045 --> 00:18:45,885 its behavior is when it's maybe not having fun, like the way its 327 00:18:45,885 --> 00:18:49,875 ears might be up and just alert if it's having fun and back if 328 00:18:49,875 --> 00:18:53,805 it's not having fun. So you can start to see those observations 329 00:18:53,805 --> 00:18:57,105 over time can give you a lot of insight into the animals, 330 00:18:57,105 --> 00:19:01,005 whether they're wild animals or the animals that you live with. 331 00:19:01,050 --> 00:19:03,630 Marco, do animals have friends? 332 00:19:03,870 --> 00:19:06,690 Marco Wendt: Animals do have friends, and you know, I want to 333 00:19:06,690 --> 00:19:10,830 begin by saying, is there's many instances where we want to put 334 00:19:10,830 --> 00:19:14,670 human behavior and relationships onto animal behaviors and 335 00:19:14,670 --> 00:19:18,210 relationships, so by that I mean kids, that maybe the way you 336 00:19:18,210 --> 00:19:23,220 look at your best friend is not maybe the same way an orangutan 337 00:19:23,220 --> 00:19:26,460 may look at their best friend. It just depends on the scenario. 338 00:19:26,640 --> 00:19:30,285 I'm not saying that they don't have friendships, but we know a 339 00:19:30,285 --> 00:19:33,015 lot about wildlife, but I can tell you that I don't know 340 00:19:33,015 --> 00:19:35,445 specifically if maybe, for instance, I'm going to go back 341 00:19:35,445 --> 00:19:38,025 to the elephant herd. We have the elephant herd, and different 342 00:19:38,025 --> 00:19:40,575 individuals have different relationships with each other. 343 00:19:40,575 --> 00:19:45,825 Sometimes one elephant that is maybe the lowest of the the the 344 00:19:45,825 --> 00:19:49,005 ladder of power, so by that I mean there's the dominant 345 00:19:49,050 --> 00:19:52,950 female, the matriarch, the abuelita, the the leader of the 346 00:19:52,950 --> 00:19:56,370 herd, and then there's different leaders that go down in order, 347 00:19:56,370 --> 00:19:59,520 and sometimes the one who's at the very bottom who has a very 348 00:19:59,520 --> 00:20:03,480 important role too might become the best friend of the daughter 349 00:20:03,480 --> 00:20:07,080 of the leader, because if I do that, then maybe I get some 350 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:10,980 better yummies or some extra snacks. So, so by that scenario, 351 00:20:10,980 --> 00:20:13,755 I mean that there could be different reasons why animals 352 00:20:13,755 --> 00:20:17,925 also have friendships, but I do believe in my heart of hearts 353 00:20:18,045 --> 00:20:20,865 that they probably have friendships just like we do, but 354 00:20:20,865 --> 00:20:24,435 maybe we don't see them in the same way as maybe an elephant or 355 00:20:24,435 --> 00:20:26,895 a crocodile would, right? It just depends on the animal. 356 00:20:27,140 --> 00:20:30,080 Jane: Are there any other examples of animal play or 357 00:20:30,230 --> 00:20:33,500 animals playing that you think would be cool for us to know 358 00:20:33,620 --> 00:20:33,920 about? 359 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:37,180 Marco Wendt: There's one that I saw recently that wasn't even at 360 00:20:37,180 --> 00:20:41,020 the zoo or the safari park, and it was bumblebees. I actually 361 00:20:41,020 --> 00:20:44,890 never knew that there's studies and research that shows that 362 00:20:44,890 --> 00:20:48,820 bumblebees also like to play, but what I love about is we also 363 00:20:48,820 --> 00:20:51,520 have what's called the entomology team, or the insect 364 00:20:51,520 --> 00:20:54,400 team, at the San Diego Zoo, and I talked to them about this 365 00:20:54,400 --> 00:20:57,415 before, and they told me that, yes, they've also seen play 366 00:20:57,415 --> 00:21:02,035 behavior in bumblebees as well, and that just blew my mind, and 367 00:21:02,035 --> 00:21:05,605 that just shows you how special our planet is, that we have 368 00:21:05,605 --> 00:21:10,405 animals like elephants and bumblebees and reptiles and 369 00:21:10,405 --> 00:21:13,225 birds that can also show play behavior, and I think that's 370 00:21:13,225 --> 00:21:16,225 really, really cool. So that one, for me, blew my mind, and I 371 00:21:16,225 --> 00:21:19,015 just recently learned that one too. So I thought that was epic. 372 00:21:19,000 --> 00:21:21,130 Jane: You know, I actually spend a lot of time looking at 373 00:21:21,130 --> 00:21:24,370 bumblebees in my own yard, so now I'm gonna have to go out and 374 00:21:24,370 --> 00:21:27,520 see if I can observe them doing anything that looks like play. 375 00:21:27,520 --> 00:21:31,870 Maybe you'll do that too. Coming up, we ask Marco why some 376 00:21:31,870 --> 00:21:35,680 animals live in a zoo, and also what happens in the zoo at 377 00:21:35,680 --> 00:21:37,450 night. 378 00:21:37,450 --> 00:21:41,080 This is, But Why. I'm Jane Lindholm. Today, I'm with Marco 379 00:21:41,080 --> 00:21:44,695 Wendt, Wildlife Ambassador for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife 380 00:21:44,725 --> 00:21:48,115 Alliance. Since we have him, we wanted to pose a few other 381 00:21:48,115 --> 00:21:51,205 questions you've sent us that he is really well positioned to 382 00:21:51,205 --> 00:21:54,175 answer: questions about zoos. 383 00:21:54,550 --> 00:21:59,680 Celeste: My name is Celeste, and I'm seven years old. I live in 384 00:21:59,680 --> 00:22:03,450 Massachusetts. Is it good for an animal to live in a zoo? 385 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:06,610 Marco Wendt: I love that question. You know what I always 386 00:22:06,610 --> 00:22:11,080 tell people is, if I could say that all wildlife, all animals, 387 00:22:11,080 --> 00:22:14,440 all plants could be safe and protected and happy on our 388 00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:18,190 planet, I would quit my job right now. But you know, the 389 00:22:18,190 --> 00:22:22,750 reality of the world is that we need special spaces. Sometimes I 390 00:22:22,750 --> 00:22:26,980 call them sanctuaries or homes, right, where wildlife can be 391 00:22:27,025 --> 00:22:30,205 protected. Because it's sad to say, but there's places on our 392 00:22:30,205 --> 00:22:33,955 planet where there's habitat being destroyed, where animals 393 00:22:33,955 --> 00:22:36,895 are being taken from their families through wildlife 394 00:22:36,895 --> 00:22:40,255 trafficking, which is super sad. There's other reasons that 395 00:22:40,255 --> 00:22:43,765 disease, that little things that are affecting wildlife in so 396 00:22:43,765 --> 00:22:47,485 many different ways, and we as human beings, you know, we're 397 00:22:47,545 --> 00:22:51,460 very unique animal, right? And we have grown, our population is 398 00:22:51,460 --> 00:22:54,340 getting really big on this planet. So, what makes me so 399 00:22:54,340 --> 00:22:58,870 happy to represent a zoo or an aquarium is the conservation 400 00:22:58,870 --> 00:23:03,010 work that we do. So, there's a lot of work that we do in our 401 00:23:03,010 --> 00:23:06,010 zoo that can help out also wild animals. So I mentioned 402 00:23:06,010 --> 00:23:08,800 elephants, so I want to keep with elephants, just to give you 403 00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:13,030 an example. So elephants are thriving at Safari Park, because 404 00:23:13,285 --> 00:23:15,625 it's a little sad story, but I'm going to share with all of you 405 00:23:15,625 --> 00:23:18,895 this story. So I mentioned, remember the word matriarch 406 00:23:18,895 --> 00:23:22,105 means like the leader of the herd, now our matriarch, her 407 00:23:22,105 --> 00:23:26,605 name is Swazi. Now Swazi and her friends, because they weren't 408 00:23:26,605 --> 00:23:30,895 sisters, Ndlula and Umngani, those three adult elephants 409 00:23:30,895 --> 00:23:35,245 lived in a place in South Africa that was protected land, and it 410 00:23:35,245 --> 00:23:39,790 was limited space, and unfortunately the space got so 411 00:23:39,790 --> 00:23:44,110 crowded with other endangered animals that the people working 412 00:23:44,110 --> 00:23:47,620 in that area had to make a really tough choice that we 413 00:23:47,620 --> 00:23:52,240 can't save and protect all these elephants in our space, we don't 414 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:57,010 know what to do, so they gave us a call and we had space and we 415 00:23:57,010 --> 00:24:00,655 were able to give Swazi at home, because unfortunately, without 416 00:24:00,655 --> 00:24:04,495 getting too sad about it, she wasn't going to survive living 417 00:24:04,495 --> 00:24:08,185 in that place in South Africa, and her friends too, Umngani and 418 00:24:08,185 --> 00:24:12,265 Ndlula , so we were able, because being an accredited zoo, 419 00:24:12,265 --> 00:24:15,295 and by that I mean that we work with other zoos and aquariums in 420 00:24:15,295 --> 00:24:18,385 the world to make sure we have this right standards, the right 421 00:24:18,385 --> 00:24:22,750 rules, right?, to take care of wildlife, and so Swazi, Indula, 422 00:24:22,750 --> 00:24:26,410 and Umgani have been living now at our safari park close to 30 423 00:24:26,410 --> 00:24:30,610 years. They've had daughters, and they're growing as a herd, 424 00:24:30,610 --> 00:24:34,180 and all that is going to help out the population of endangered 425 00:24:34,180 --> 00:24:36,550 elephants. And we're also learning things from our 426 00:24:36,550 --> 00:24:39,460 elephants here at the safari park, which is going to help out 427 00:24:39,460 --> 00:24:42,490 our partners and our friends out back in Africa, so that's just 428 00:24:42,490 --> 00:24:47,305 one small example of why animals do so well in zoo settings, and 429 00:24:47,305 --> 00:24:50,815 I also want to preface that we all want wildlife to thrive in 430 00:24:50,815 --> 00:24:54,145 the wild, and that's why we have zoos and aquariums right now. 431 00:24:54,145 --> 00:24:57,055 Jane: Well, what you were saying about these elephants coming 432 00:24:57,055 --> 00:25:03,145 from South Africa all the way to San Diego leads us to Wilbur's 433 00:25:03,145 --> 00:25:06,145 question. Wilbur lives in Berlin, Germany, and is 434 00:25:06,145 --> 00:25:06,715 wondering: 435 00:25:06,715 --> 00:25:10,300 Wilbur: How do people transport zoo animals from one place to 436 00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:13,090 Marco Wendt: There are specialists all over the world, 437 00:25:10,300 --> 00:25:10,990 another? 438 00:25:13,090 --> 00:25:16,750 you know. I've never worked in the Olympics before, but imagine 439 00:25:16,750 --> 00:25:19,480 all those humans that have to navigate other humans and move 440 00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:21,490 them all the way around the world to different countries, 441 00:25:21,490 --> 00:25:25,030 and I'm sure there's all these rules and guidelines to do that, 442 00:25:25,030 --> 00:25:28,420 and it's kind of the same way with wildlife. But you know, we 443 00:25:28,420 --> 00:25:31,270 are specialists in our own right, working with all sorts of 444 00:25:31,270 --> 00:25:34,135 animals, it could be a big elephant, it could be a giant 445 00:25:34,135 --> 00:25:38,215 panda, it could be a tarantula, or a king cobra, you never 446 00:25:38,215 --> 00:25:41,455 really know, but we have our specialists that have these 447 00:25:41,455 --> 00:25:45,505 rules and protocols. So these, let's give them like guidelines 448 00:25:45,595 --> 00:25:50,245 on how to safely move an animal from one place to the other, and 449 00:25:50,245 --> 00:25:53,275 maybe kids are thinking, well, why do I want to move an animal 450 00:25:53,275 --> 00:25:57,310 from one zoo to another? It kind of depends on the scenario. If 451 00:25:57,310 --> 00:26:00,370 you remember earlier I talked about gorilla boys needing to 452 00:26:00,370 --> 00:26:04,240 leave their family troop, so at the safari park, as an example, 453 00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:07,600 we've had a situation where we have our family of troop of 454 00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:11,020 gorillas, one dominant male with females and their baby boys. The 455 00:26:11,020 --> 00:26:13,780 baby boys got big, and eventually they got too big that 456 00:26:13,780 --> 00:26:16,690 they needed to move away from the troop, and that's what they 457 00:26:16,690 --> 00:26:20,095 do in the wild. So we had to move those animals to a 458 00:26:20,095 --> 00:26:23,005 different part of the safari park, and we call it the 459 00:26:23,005 --> 00:26:27,805 Bachelor Troop, and the Bachelor Troop is a mix of boys, not only 460 00:26:27,805 --> 00:26:31,915 of our park, but also the Bronx Zoo in New York. They moved 461 00:26:31,915 --> 00:26:36,865 three young male gorillas, called blackbacks, to the safari 462 00:26:36,865 --> 00:26:41,785 park, and now we have five bachelor or young gorilla males 463 00:26:41,785 --> 00:26:44,800 learning to be gorilla males, because that's really important 464 00:26:44,800 --> 00:26:48,970 for gorilla males to learn how to be a male, for a gorilla to 465 00:26:48,970 --> 00:26:52,060 be around other males, and so we need to do that. So that's just 466 00:26:52,060 --> 00:26:55,630 one example of maybe a scenario where we might move one animal 467 00:26:55,630 --> 00:26:59,860 to the other, so it could be a physical move with maybe a 468 00:26:59,860 --> 00:27:04,120 vehicle, maybe for traveling across seas. We did a, we used a 469 00:27:04,120 --> 00:27:08,485 plane for a giant panda move from China to San Diego Zoo, as 470 00:27:08,485 --> 00:27:10,645 an example. So, it really depends, but there's a lot of 471 00:27:10,645 --> 00:27:13,705 people, a lot of professionals, a lot of guidelines that we 472 00:27:13,705 --> 00:27:16,465 follow to make sure everything is safe and secure. 473 00:27:16,465 --> 00:27:19,825 Jane: Are you using the same kind of planes that humans fly 474 00:27:19,825 --> 00:27:22,645 in? I'm trying to picture a plane full of zoo animals, the 475 00:27:22,675 --> 00:27:26,605 giraffes up tall, being able to see down the aisle, and you 476 00:27:26,605 --> 00:27:29,950 know, maybe the hippopotamus being like, I can't fit down 477 00:27:29,950 --> 00:27:31,150 this aisle to get to my seat! 478 00:27:32,440 --> 00:27:34,990 Marco Wendt: I know, right, maybe he wants more peanuts, I 479 00:27:34,990 --> 00:27:37,720 would, I would love to be on that plane, but no, it's not 480 00:27:37,720 --> 00:27:41,380 usually like that, I can give you my personal examples where 481 00:27:41,380 --> 00:27:46,330 we have moved African vultures to a facility in the other parts 482 00:27:46,330 --> 00:27:50,560 of the United States using a non-human plane, more like for 483 00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:54,310 cargo, like a FedEx, but we have animal standards, so it's not 484 00:27:54,310 --> 00:27:56,935 being moved like a package, but we have our own rules and 485 00:27:56,935 --> 00:27:59,425 regulations, so sometimes it could be a plane like that with 486 00:27:59,425 --> 00:28:03,595 no human beings, but there are some times where we have used a 487 00:28:03,595 --> 00:28:07,795 plane and maybe moved the animal using that space, maybe a 488 00:28:07,795 --> 00:28:13,375 smaller animal. Once I had to move two California condors from 489 00:28:13,375 --> 00:28:16,855 our facility at Safari Park to be reintroduced in the wild in 490 00:28:16,855 --> 00:28:20,950 Mexico, and what we did then was myself and another colleague 491 00:28:20,950 --> 00:28:25,900 with two giant condor transport carriers in a teeny tiny little 492 00:28:25,900 --> 00:28:30,490 plane, and we flew from San Diego over Tijuana out to the 493 00:28:30,490 --> 00:28:33,790 outskirts of Ensenada to a national park reserve, and then 494 00:28:33,790 --> 00:28:37,570 in a vehicle up a mountain to get to the very top where those 495 00:28:37,570 --> 00:28:40,675 condors get to live and learn how to be wild condors, you 496 00:28:40,675 --> 00:28:41,875 know. So it kind of depends. 497 00:28:41,935 --> 00:28:45,775 Jane: That's so cool. Okay, one more question for you. And this 498 00:28:45,775 --> 00:28:48,565 one is from Nora, and I'm curious too, because when my 499 00:28:48,565 --> 00:28:51,535 kids were little, one of the favorite books we read at night 500 00:28:51,535 --> 00:28:55,705 was called Good Night Gorilla, and it was all about a zookeeper 501 00:28:55,705 --> 00:28:58,795 going around and saying good night to all of the animals, but 502 00:28:58,795 --> 00:29:02,095 the gorilla was a little bit sneaky and took the zookeeper's 503 00:29:02,095 --> 00:29:04,900 keys and let out all of the other animals, and then they all 504 00:29:04,900 --> 00:29:09,040 went home and got in bed with the zookeeper, who then realized 505 00:29:09,040 --> 00:29:12,550 when he said good night to his partner that all of the other 506 00:29:12,550 --> 00:29:14,830 animals said goodnight too, and he was like, what, and he had to 507 00:29:14,830 --> 00:29:17,770 go put them back where they were supposed to be living, but 508 00:29:17,770 --> 00:29:20,860 anyway, to Nora's question, 509 00:29:20,860 --> 00:29:21,460 Nora: What happens at the zoo at night? 510 00:29:21,460 --> 00:29:24,340 Jane: what happens at the zoo at night? 511 00:29:24,000 --> 00:30:11,880 Jane: cool, diurnal and you're nocturnal, so 512 00:29:24,320 --> 00:29:27,123 Marco Wendt: Oh, Nora, I love the zoo at night and the safari 513 00:29:27,182 --> 00:29:30,920 park. It completely transforms, but you know one thing I do want 514 00:29:30,978 --> 00:29:34,483 to say: not all animals sleep at night, you know. So we have 515 00:29:34,541 --> 00:29:37,637 staff, we have zookeepers, we call them wildlife care 516 00:29:37,696 --> 00:29:40,967 specialists, who are at the safari park or the zoo every 517 00:29:41,025 --> 00:29:44,413 day, every night. Now, some animals are what we call.. I'm 518 00:29:44,471 --> 00:29:48,034 going to teach you some words, kids. So, ready, these are fun 519 00:29:48,093 --> 00:29:51,773 words. So, my two favorite words right now to learn is diurnal. 520 00:29:51,831 --> 00:29:55,160 So, diurnal means I like to be up during the day, like my 521 00:29:55,219 --> 00:29:58,548 husband. He loves to be up during the day, and the second 522 00:29:58,607 --> 00:30:02,053 the sun goes down. He gets sleepy, and I want to go to bed, 523 00:30:02,111 --> 00:30:05,557 so some animals are diurnal, right? Like a, like a gorilla, 524 00:30:05,616 --> 00:30:09,120 as an example, is diurnal, but there's some animals that are 525 00:30:09,179 --> 00:30:12,625 nocturnal. I'm a little more nocturnal myself, and that for 526 00:30:11,880 --> 00:30:17,730 I'll tell you what I am, and this is a word we learned in a 527 00:30:12,684 --> 00:30:15,955 nocturnal animals, you're up mostly at night, right, and 528 00:30:16,013 --> 00:30:19,459 you're sleeping during the day. So we have animals that are 529 00:30:17,730 --> 00:30:23,730 recent episode about rabbits, but I am a crepuscular person, 530 00:30:19,518 --> 00:30:22,847 nocturnal. So, for instance, everyone loves a sand cat at 531 00:30:22,905 --> 00:30:26,118 Safari Park called Newman. Newman, if you look up, have 532 00:30:23,820 --> 00:30:29,400 so I like dawn and dusk, that's when I feel most awake and 533 00:30:26,176 --> 00:30:29,623 your parents look up sand cat, they're the cutest wild cat. 534 00:30:29,681 --> 00:30:33,127 They hunt snakes and scorpions in the deserts of the Middle 535 00:30:30,030 --> 00:31:35,445 active, so that's one of my favorite vocabulary words. 536 00:30:33,186 --> 00:30:36,866 East area. Now, Newman is really popular because every time the 537 00:30:36,924 --> 00:30:40,487 guests see him, he's sleeping, and he has a nice, cute little 538 00:30:40,545 --> 00:30:44,284 sleepy face. But I, I have been at the safari park at night, and 539 00:30:44,342 --> 00:30:48,022 I have seen Newman at nighttime, because he's nocturnal, and he 540 00:30:48,080 --> 00:30:51,585 is stocking his habitat, he is pouncing, he's running. We've 541 00:30:51,643 --> 00:30:55,265 also learned that, for instance, rhinos and elephants feed not 542 00:30:55,323 --> 00:30:59,120 only through the day but also at nighttime, so we have staff that 543 00:30:59,178 --> 00:31:02,858 specifically will feed certain animals at nighttime hours, like 544 00:31:02,917 --> 00:31:06,305 the rhino, as an example, or like our mountain lions, also 545 00:31:06,363 --> 00:31:09,868 are nocturnal, so they get fed at night time to match their, 546 00:31:09,926 --> 00:31:13,840 their sleeping patterns, right? So it kind of depends. I would say. 547 00:31:35,475 --> 00:31:37,305 Marco Wendt: I love that word, and one of my favorite 548 00:31:37,305 --> 00:31:40,665 crepuscular animals is a great horned owl, I mean, they're 549 00:31:40,665 --> 00:31:42,990 really, really great, too. Sometimes people call them 550 00:31:42,990 --> 00:31:45,390 nocturnal, but I say they're crepuscular, because that's 551 00:31:45,390 --> 00:31:49,470 generally where animals are either leaving for the night or 552 00:31:49,470 --> 00:31:52,860 coming in for the day, depending on the time, and those owls are 553 00:31:52,860 --> 00:31:54,840 kind of waiting for a little snacky snack. 554 00:31:54,940 --> 00:31:58,930 Jane: Wow, I learned so many cool animal facts today. Before 555 00:31:58,930 --> 00:32:00,810 we let Marco go, he wanted to leave you with some 556 00:32:00,870 --> 00:32:01,560 encouragement. 557 00:32:01,720 --> 00:32:03,670 Marco Wendt: As a little kid, I was watching cartoons like 558 00:32:03,670 --> 00:32:06,820 Captain Planet, and I wanted to be a superhero to protect the 559 00:32:06,820 --> 00:32:10,330 world. And you can do that right now. Don't leave it for the 560 00:32:10,330 --> 00:32:13,180 adults, and you know all you need to do is learn about 561 00:32:13,180 --> 00:32:16,870 wildlife. If you can visit your local zoo and aquarium and help 562 00:32:16,870 --> 00:32:20,470 support the good work that they do, but just get inspired about 563 00:32:20,470 --> 00:32:23,980 Mother Nature, go outside and maybe, maybe feel the grass 564 00:32:24,025 --> 00:32:27,715 underneath your feet, maybe feel the sun on your face, and you 565 00:32:27,715 --> 00:32:30,955 too can be a superhero for wildlife. So, you have the 566 00:32:30,955 --> 00:32:33,505 power. So, I want to make sure that you know that, because 567 00:32:33,505 --> 00:32:34,705 you're super special. 568 00:32:34,720 --> 00:32:37,720 Jane: Thanks to Marco Wendt for sharing so many cool animal 569 00:32:37,720 --> 00:32:40,870 facts with us today. Marco actually co-hosts his own 570 00:32:40,870 --> 00:32:44,710 podcast. It's a great show called Amazing Wildlife, a San 571 00:32:44,710 --> 00:32:49,000 Diego Zoo Podcast, and he shares his work on social media using 572 00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:53,890 the handle or name ZoologyMarco. That's it for today. As always, 573 00:32:53,890 --> 00:32:57,160 if you have a question about anything, have an adult record 574 00:32:57,160 --> 00:33:00,655 you asking it on a smartphone using an app like Voice Memos, 575 00:33:00,655 --> 00:33:02,365 then have your adult email the file to 576 00:33:02,365 --> 00:33:07,315 questions@butwhykids.org. Don't forget to be in a quiet place if 577 00:33:07,315 --> 00:33:10,765 you can, and tell us your first name, where you live, and how 578 00:33:10,765 --> 00:33:13,795 old you are, along with your question. But Why is produced by 579 00:33:13,795 --> 00:33:17,215 Sarah Baik, Melody Bodette, and me, Jane Lindholm, at Vermont 580 00:33:17,215 --> 00:33:21,550 Public, and distributed by PRX. 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