Chapter 1: A Trip to the Saint Louis Zoo
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FEMALE VOICE 1:
Welcome everyone! My name is Krystal, and I am a fourth grader at Walnut Grove Elementary School. Today, I will be talking to you about an activity my class did and different animals we got to learn about.
Chapter 2: Saint Louis Zoo
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FEMALE VOICE 1:
On May 20, 2007, our fourth grade class went on a trip to the Saint Louis Zoo in Missouri. I walked around with my classmates and took a tour of the zoo. We got to see many different types of animals. Some of them looked really cool and others were just plain creepy-looking. I enjoyed taking a field trip to the zoo because we learned a lot and it was fun. The animals we saw were fish, amphibians, reptiles, invertebrates, birds, and mammals.
Chapter 3: The Assignment: Take Notes about the Animals
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FEMALE VOICE 1:
When we got to the zoo, the first thing we did was get into groups of four. We were told to observe several different types of animals and record different things about certain animals. We were to write information about animals we thought were interesting, our favorite animals, animals we didn’t especially like, and animals we would like to learn more about.
Chapter 4: Endangered Animals
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FEMALE VOICE 1:
While we toured this incredible zoo, we couldn’t help but notice that there were several animals that were threatened or critically endangered. This is extremely disheartening. (Narration stops while music plays).
Chapter 5: Classroom Assignment
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FEMALE VOICE 1:
The next day in class, our task was to collaborate with students from each of the groups who toured the zoo. There were six different students in my group including myself.
Chapter 6: Discussion with My Classmates
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FEMALE VOICE 1:
Our job was to have a discussion using the notes we had taken during our fieldtrip and listen to others’ opinions about the animals at the zoo. This is what I had to say about the animals I saw at the zoo.
Chapter 7: The Most Interesting Animals
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FEMALE VOICE 1:
First of all, I am going to talk about animals that I found interesting. The most interesting animal at this zoo in my opinion is the False Katydid. I think its name is different to begin with, and its ability to blend in with its background is quite clever. The reason the False Katydid can do this is because it is green, which is the same color as the plants it lives on. It also has leaf-shaped wings and veins. It got its name because the male makes a tic-tic sound while rubbing its wings together. This animal lives mostly in the United States in grasslands or woodlands and eats other plants.
Another animal I found interesting is a fish called the Puffer. It lives all over the world in tropical and temperate waters such as oceans, rivers, lakes, and coral reefs. A Puffer is able to scare its enemies by puffing up into a round ball. They can do this by either swallowing air or water. When they puff up, they have spines that stick out. Their skin and organs are poisonous so watch out! They eat shrimp, worms, urchins, crabs, and snails.
Did you know that there is such an animal as an egg-laying mammal? I didn’t either. There is one called a Short-beaked Echidna. It looks like one but is not a porcupine. This independent animal likes to munch on insects, termites, and worms in Australia in different areas such as deserts, grasslands, and forests. The Short-beaked Echidna cannot see very well but has extra sensitive hearing so don’t talk about it behind its back!
I thought the European Green Toad was an interesting animal. It is an amphibian that lives in prairies, deserts, and mountain regions in Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The reason I find this animal so fascinating is because it can change its color due to the light and temperature. (Narration ends at 3:51.469 seconds).
Chapter 8: My Favorite Animals
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FEMALE VOICE 1:
Next, I am going to tell you a little bit about the animals that are my favorite at this zoo. I especially like the Black Rhinoceros because it looks very interesting and it’s huge. In fact, it weighs more than a ton. The Black Rhinoceros lives in mountain rain forests and arid scrublands in Africa. It eats mainly herbs and shrubs. Sadly, it is considered critically endangered.
Another one of my favorite animals at this zoo is the Mongoose Lemur. The reason this creature is one of my favorites is because it is just so darn adorable. It only weighs about three pounds and lives to be about 30 years old. It lives in dry forests and scrublands in Northwestern Madagascar. Its diet consists of nectar, flowers, and fruit.
The cheetah is an amazing animal but its species is threatened so we must be careful. It can run faster than any other animal, which is 70 miles per hour. This is incredible. They are able to run fast because their body is slender, flexible, and has long legs. They also have over-sized lungs and heart. Cheetahs roam in open and semi-arid savannahs and light woodlands in Sub-Saharan Africa and Northern Iran. In these areas, it eats gazelles, birds, hartebeests, warthogs, and springhares.
The Red Kangaroo lives in plains in Australia and is a marsupial. In case you are not sure of what this means, a baby kangaroo is born prematurely and is carried in its mother's pouch. Here, it is nursed until it has grown larger and is able to cope on its own. The Red Kangaroo can travel as fast as 30 miles per hour and can travel as far as 25 feet in one jump. Wow! That’s pretty far. (Discontinue narration at 5:45.688 seconds).Chapter 9: Unpleasant Animals
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FEMALE VOICE 1:
As I looked at the different types of animals, I also encountered some that were extremely disturbing to look at and some frightened me. One animal in particular is the Black Widow. Looking at this spider made me itchy all over, and I felt like it was crawling on me. The Black Widow is venomous, and its venom is supposedly 15 times more deadly than the venom of a rattlesnake. If this spider feels violated, it will scurry or play dead, which I found to be quite amazing. It lives in forests, deserts, woodlands, and grasslands all over the world.
Another creature I found to make me incredibly uneasy is the Indian Ornamental Tarantula. It once again looks intimidating and it should. The reason I say this is because it has venom and is dangerous. It is a very aggressive animal and inhabits itself in Southern India.
The Yellow-and-blue Poison Dart Frog is an animal at this zoo I would not be caught near. I believe it is the coolest looking creature I have ever seen. By no means is it cute, but it does catch your eye; and if you ever get the chance to see it, you will know what I am talking about. It is black, bright blue, and has yellow stripes running down its back. Even though it is appealing to the eye, its skin is poisonous so stay away from lowland rainforests in Northern South America. (Discontinue narration at 7:10.031 seconds).Chapter 10: Endangered Animals
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FEMALE VOICE 1:
My classmates and I also noticed that some animals were endangered as I mentioned earlier. Another animal that is near threatened is the Jaguar. It can be found in tropical forests, swamps, grasslands, and deserts in Mexico and South and Central America. It is also the largest cat in the Americas. Its meals consists of peccaries, tapirs, monkeys, crocodiles, fish, and capybaras. Jaguars are excellent swimmers.
The Polar Bear is threatened and lives in sea ice, coastlines, and islands in the Circumpolar Arctic region. They eat seals, walrus, and fish. They are also great swimmers due to their webbed paws and streamlined body. Polar Bears have a white coat, which is the same as their background. This makes it easier for them to sneak up on their prey. Because of global warming, the ice is melting, which is causing these animals to lose their homes.
The Goeldi’s Monkey is near threatened. Rain forests in Northwestern South America are considered home to these little monkeys. These small creatures are very cute and fluffy. They like to chow down on fruit and insects.Chapter 11: Learn More About Animals
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FEMALE VOICE 1:
I have told you about several different types of animals that I learned about while visiting the Saint Louis Zoo. I hope you enjoyed learning about them and continue to learn about the environment around you. Have a fantastic day!