Popular Official Guide to the New York Zoological Park (September 1915): Thirteenth EditionHornaday, William T. (William Temple)
History
Popular Official Guide to the New York Zoological Park (September 1915): Thirteenth Edition
Hornaday, William T. (William Temple)
New York Zoological Park
Quite recently, three new species of caribou have been added to our
fauna, one from the Alaskan Peninsula (_Rangifer granti_), one from the
Kenai Peninsula (_Rangifer stonei_), and one from the Cassiar Mountains
(_Rangifer osborni_).
The Woodland Caribou attains nearly twice the bodily bulk of its more
northern congener, the Barren-Ground caribou. In a state of nature it
lives on browse, reindeer moss, tree moss, and lichens, and it loves
ice-covered lakes and ponds as much as any boy. Its loose-jointed and
wide spreading hoofs and enormously developed “dew-claws” have been
specially designed by Nature to enable this animal to run freely, as if
on snow-shoes, over snow or bogs, which to any small-hoofed deer would
be quite impassable.
The female Woodland Caribou is provided with small antlers, which, like
those of the male, are shed and renewed annually.
In the absence of caribou in the Park, visitors are advised to look for
specimens of the Lapland Reindeer, (_Rangifer tarandus_), for we shall
endeavor to keep this genus represented.
THE ZEBRA HOUSES, No. 14.
Although the main building of this installation has not yet been
erected, the plan for the various buildings and corrals has been
approved, and the main building was begun in 1911 and completed in 1912.
The three buildings, and the extensive corrals connecting with them, as
a whole, do justice to the important and picturesque Family _Equidae_,
which includes all the zebras, wild asses and wild horses of the world.
[Illustration: GRANT ZEBRA.]
The Prjevalsky Horses, (_Equus prjevalskii_).—Of all the wild equines
which either now or hereafter may be seen in the Zoological Park, the
strange little wild horses from western Mongolia are, and probably will
remain, the most interesting, from a zoological point of view. Broadly
speaking, they are the connecting link between the many-striped zebras,
the little-striped quaggas and the wild asses on one side, and the
domestic, unstriped horse on the other. These wild horses possess a
narrow, dark dorsal stripe, which, in the winter pelage is scarcely
visible, but in summer is plainly evident. A perfect specimen has an
erect mane, no long forelock and no “chestnuts” on its legs. On the
upper half of its tail the hair is short, and mule-like, but on the
lower, or terminal half, it is long and horse-like. The winter coat of
this animal is very long and shaggy.
Mountain Zebra, (_Equus zebra_).—This species has been nearly
exterminated by man, and is rarely seen in captivity. It inhabits the
mountains of Cape Colony, and it is estimated that only 400 individuals
remain, which now are carefully protected.
[Illustration: PRJEVALSKY HORSES.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account