ZooMontana Grizzly
ZooMontana is a wildlife park located in Billings, Montana, U.S. and is Montana's only zoo and botanical park. It currently maintains nearly 100 animals, representing 58 species. These animals all live in habitats designed to imitate their natural habitats. The zoo was incorporated and established as a non-profit 501 C (3) organization in 1982. It focuses on year-round wildlife native to Montana, the Rocky Mountains, and other cold temperature regions at or above the 45th Parallel. Indoor habitats include animals from around the world. The zoo hosts over 80,000 visitors per year. Canyon Creek runs through the center of the zoo's grounds, creating a natural and tranquil park-like setting. 2018 marked the establishment of the Yellowstone Arboretum located on the ZooMontana grounds, containing a large selection of native and non-native trees. Animal exhibits ZooMontana is divided into two main "regions" in addition to other exhibits. The Asia Region starts by the wolves and ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Billings, Montana
Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Metropolitan Area, which had a population of 184,167 in the 2020 census. It has a trade area of over 500,000. Billings was nicknamed the "Magic City" because of its rapid growth from its founding as a railroad town in March 1882. The nearby Crow and Cheyenne peoples called the city ''É'êxováhtóva''. With one of the largest trade areas in the United States, Billings is the trade and distribution center for much of Montana east of the Continental Divide, Northern Wyoming, and western portions of North Dakota and South Dakota. Billings is also the largest retail destination for much of the same area. The city is experiencing rapid growth and a strong economy; it has had and is continuing to have the largest growth of any city in Montana. Parts ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Mink
Mink are dark-colored, semiaquatic, carnivorous mammals of the genera ''Neogale'' and '' Mustela'' and part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, otters, and ferrets. There are two extant species referred to as "mink": the American mink and the European mink. The extinct sea mink was related to the American mink but was much larger. The American mink's fur has been highly prized for use in clothing. Their treatment on fur farms has been a focus of animal rights and animal welfare activism. American mink have established populations in Europe (including Great Britain and Denmark) and South America. Some people believe this happened after the animals were released from mink farms by animal rights activists, or otherwise escaped from captivity. In the UK, under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it is illegal to release mink into the wild. In some countries, any live mink caught in traps must be humanely killed. American mink are believed by some to have c ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Pygmy Goat
The American Pygmy is an American breed of achondroplastic goat. It is small, compact and stockily built. Like the Nigerian Dwarf, it derives from the West African Dwarf group of breeds of West Africa. Between 1930 and 1960, animals of this type were imported to the United States for use either as zoo animals or for research; some were later kept and bred as companion animals and established as a breed in 1975. It may also be known as the Pygmy or African Pygmy. It is quite different and separate from the British Pygmy breed. History Between about 1930 and 1960 a variety of small goats of the West African Dwarf group of breeds of West Africa were imported from zoos in Germany to the United States, to be exhibited in zoos or used as research animals. Some came into the hands of private breeders who kept and bred them as companion animals. By the 1970s, two distinct types had developed: one broad, compact and solid like the original African stock, the other more delicate, mu ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
American Belgian Draft
The American Belgian Draft is an American breed of heavy draft horse. It derives from the draft horses of Belgium but, as a result of isolation and different selective breeding, became genetically distinct from them in the early part of the twentieth century. It is generally taller and less heavily built, and has a very different distribution of coat colors. History The American Belgian derives from heavy draft horses of Ardennais, Brabant and Flemish stock imported from Belgium in the latter part of the nineteenth century and in the early years of the twentieth. A breed association, the American Association of Importers and Breeders of Belgian Draft Horses, was founded in 1887 in Wabash, Indiana. Imports ceased during the First World War, resumed in the 1930s, and ceased again when the Second World War broke out; Erwin F. Dygert of Iowa bought a horse from the last shipment made from Europe as the war was beginning. From the 1920s the American Belgian was bred to be somew ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Savannah Monitor
The savannah monitor (''Varanus exanthematicus'') is a medium-sized species of monitor lizard native to Africa. The species is known as Bosc's monitor in Europe, since French scientist Louis Bosc first described the species. It belongs to the subgenus '' Polydaedalus''. Etymology The specific name ''exanthematicus'' is derived from the Greek word ''exanthem'' , meaning an eruption or blister of the skin. French botanist and zoologist Louis Augustin Guillaume Bosc originally described this lizard as ''Lacerta exanthematica'' in reference to the large oval scales on the back of its neck. The species was formerly known as ''Lacerta exanthematicus''. Description Savannah monitors are stoutly built, with relatively short limbs and toes, and skulls and dentition adapted to feed on hard-shelled prey. They are robust creatures, with powerful limbs for digging, powerful jaws and blunt, peglike teeth. Maximum size is rarely more than 100 cm. The skin coloration pattern varies accor ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Boa Constrictor
The boa constrictor (scientific name also ''Boa constrictor''), also called the red-tailed boa, is a species of large, non-venomous, heavy-bodied snake that is frequently kept and bred in captivity. The boa constrictor is a member of the family Boidae, found in tropical South America, as well as some islands in the Caribbean. A staple of private collections and public displays, its color pattern is highly variable yet distinctive. Four subspecies are currently recognized. This article focuses on the species ''Boa constrictor'' as a whole, and on the nominate subspecies ''B. c. constrictor''. Common names Though all boids are constrictors, only this species is properly referred to as a "boa constrictor"—a rare instance of an animal having the same common English name and scientific binomial name. All subspecies are referred to as "boa constrictors", and are part of a diverse group of New World boas referred to as "red-tailed" boas, comprising species of both ''Boa constrictor' ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Common Degu
The common degu (''Octodon degus''; ), or, historically, the degu, is a small hystricomorpha rodent endemic to the Chilean matorral ecoregion of central Chile. The name ''degu'' on its own indicates either the entire genus ''Octodon'' or, more commonly, just the common degu. Common degus belong to the parvorder Caviomorpha of the infraorder Hystricognathi, along with the chinchilla and guinea pig. The word ''degu'' comes from the indigenous language of Chile, Mapudungun, and the word ''dewü'', meaning 'mouse' or 'rat'. The animal may be kept as a pocket pet, though there are prohibitions on their ownership in some territories. As a pet, the animal is larger than a golden hamster but smaller than a fancy rat. Description The common degu is a small animal with a body length of and a weight of . It has yellow-brown fur above and creamy-yellow below, with yellow around the eyes and a paler band around the neck. It has a long, thin tail with a tufted, black tip, dark sparsely ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Aracari
An aracari or araçari ( , , ) is any of the medium-sized toucans that, together with the saffron toucanet, make up the genus ''Pteroglossus''. They are brightly plumaged and have enormous, contrastingly patterned bills. These birds are residents in forests and woodlands in the Neotropics. Taxonomy The genus ''Pteroglossus'' was introduced in 1811 by the German zoologist Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger. The name combines the Ancient Greek ''pteron'' meaning "feather" with ''glōssa'' meaning "tongue". George Robert Gray designated the black-necked aracari as the type species of the genus in 1840. The name "Aracari" was used in 1648 by the German naturalist Georg Marcgrave for the black-necked aracari in his book ''Historia Naturalis Brasiliae''. The name comes from the word ''Arassari'', the name of the bird in the Tupi language. One species, the distinctive saffron toucanet, was formerly placed in the monotypic genus ''Baillonius'', but Renato Kimura and collaborators showed ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Rubber Boa
The rubber boa (''Charina bottae'') is a species of snake in the family Boidae and is native to North America. It is sometimes known as the coastal rubber boa or the northern rubber boa and is not to be confused with the southern rubber boa (''Charina umbratica''). Taxonomy Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville described the rubber boa in 1835. The generic name ''Charina'' is from the Ancient Greek "graceful" or "delightful", and the specific name ''bottae'' honors Dr. Paolo E. Botta, an Italian ship's surgeon, explorer, and naturalist. The family Boidae consists of the nonvenomous snakes commonly called boas and consists of 43 species. The genus ''Charina'' consists of two species, both of which are found in North America. There is debate on whether the southern rubber boa should be a separate species or a subspecies (''Charina bottae umbratica''). A study published in 2001 concluded there is enough evidence to indicate that the proposed independent species, ''Charina umbra ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Box Turtle
Box turtle is the common name for several species of turtle. It may refer to those of the genus '' Cuora'' or ''Pyxidea'', which are the Asian box turtles, or more commonly to species of the genus '' Terrapene'', the North American box turtles. They are largely characterized by having a shell shaped like a dome, which is hinged at the bottom, allowing the animal to close its shell tightly to escape predators. Furthermore, the two genera are very different in habitat, behavior and appearance, and are not even classified in the same family. Even though box turtles became very popular pets, their needs in captivity are complex and the capture of turtles can have serious detrimental effects on the wild population. The box turtle commonly lives over twenty years, with verified cases of lifespans exceeding 40 to 50 years. There have been unverified cases of box turtles living for a hundred years and more. Diet Box turtles are omnivorous. Their eagle eyes and keen sense of smell hel ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Ball Python
The ball python (''Python regius''), also called the royal python, is a python species native to West and Central Africa, where it lives in grasslands, shrublands and open forests. This nonvenomous constrictor is the smallest of the African pythons, growing to a maximum length of . The name "ball python" refers to its tendency to curl into a ball when stressed or frightened. Taxonomy ''Boa regia'' was the scientific name proposed by George Shaw in 1802 for a pale variegated python from an indistinct place in Africa. The generic name ''Python'' was proposed by François Marie Daudin in 1803 for non-venomous flecked snakes. Between 1830 and 1849, several generic names were proposed for the same zoological specimen described by Shaw, including ''Enygrus'' by Johann Georg Wagler, ''Cenchris'' and ''Hertulia'' by John Edward Gray. Gray also described four specimens that were collected in Gambia and were preserved in spirits and fluid. Description The ball python is black, or ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Tiger Salamander
The tiger salamander (''Ambystoma tigrinum'') is a species of mole salamander and one of the largest terrestrial salamanders in North America. Description These salamanders usually grow to a length of with a lifespan of around 12–15 years. They are characterized by having markings varying in color on the back of their head, body, and tail. The coloring of these spots range from brownish yellow to greenish yellow, while the rest of their back is black or dark brown. They have short snouts, thick necks, strong legs, and lengthy tails. Their diet consists largely of small insects, snails, slugs, frogs, and worms, although it is not rare for an adult to turn cannibalistic and consume its own kind. Cannibalism in these salamanders can almost always be traced back to a large volume of competing predators and lack of prey in the area. If the opportunity presents itself, tiger salamanders will even feed on other smaller salamander species, lizards, snakelets (baby snakes), and newbo ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |