LOVELAND, OHIO NEWS - Meet Angelina, Brittany, and Venus
LOVELAND, OHIO NEWS - The Cincinnati Zoo made an informative presentation to the children in the first, second and third grades at Children's Meeting House Montessori School. The talk began by discussing habitats, which are where animals live. The children learned that habitats must have adequate food, shelter, water and space for the animals to live there. The children then listed different habitats: desert scrub, forest, mountain, swamp, and rain forest.
Next, the children were delighted by the three unique visitors from the Zoo. First was Angelina, a beautiful Gallah cockatoo. The children saw that her beak was suited for eating seeds and fruit. The birds' beaks are so strong that they can rip open burlap sacks full of farmer's seeds, which gets them into trouble in their native Australia.
Second they met Brittany, a small crocodile skink with bright orange eye rings. The students learned that the skinks were only discovered in New Guinea in the 1970's, 
and very little is known about them. They learned that skinks, like many lizards, can lose their tail to a predator and, over time, can grow a new one.
Finally they met Venus, a blue tongued skink from Australia. The reptiles use their bright blue tongues to startle a predator. That bit of time can give the skink time to escape. The students learned that these skinks make a loud huffing sound to frighten away predators and even got a chance to hear Venus huff at them.
The Cincinnati Zoo's school outreach program served more than 30,000 children last
year from southern Ohio, northern Kentucky, and eastern Indiana. The program visits pre-kindergarden
through high school classrooms, home school groups, scout troops, and youth in juvenile detention. A huge variety of animals comprise the organization: scorpions, tarantulas, tree frogs, pythons, bearded dragons, alligators, raptors, doves, hedgehogs, opossums, skunks, and many more. The program has been sponsored by Frisch's for over 20 years. Visit www.cincyzoo.org for more information or to schedule a visit.
(Click photos to enlarge)
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