WHAT'S NEW
Births Hatchings Acquisitions By Donna Bear, Curator of Species Management and Jasmine Alvarado, Species Management Officer
April–June 2021 Births & Hatchings African Pancake Tortoise.....................................................0.0.1 Angolan Colobus.....................................................................0.2 Aruba Island Rattlesnake*...................................................0.0.3 Black-Faced Ibis......................................................................0.0.5 Boat-Billed Heron..................................................................1.1.1 Cotton-Top Tamarin.............................................................0.0.1 Cownose Ray.........................................................................0.0.4 Eastern Black-and-White Colobus.........................................1.0 Golden-Breasted Starling.....................................................0.0.1 Magellanic Penguin.................................................................2.0 Prehensile-Tailed Skink.........................................................0.0.2 PUERTO RICAN CRESTED TOAD †............................... 0.0.1920
Cownose Ray
Roseate Spoonbill.................................................................0.0.6
(Rhinoptera bonasus)
Southern Toad.....................................................................0.0.16
Due to the shape of their foreheads, these cartilaginous fish are aptly named the cownose ray. In Spanish they are called cara de vaca, which translates to “face of cow.” An open-ocean species, cownose rays typically live in warm, temperate, and tropical waters; but they can inhabit shallow bays and estuaries as well. They can be found in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, Atlantic Coast of the US, and even western Africa. While the size of a full-grown cownose ray may differ depending on their habitat, the average width of the body ranges between 2–3 feet, with their tail being up to twice as long. Cownose rays are often confused with sharks when their fin tips break the surface of the water, appearing much like a shark’s dorsal fin. Since sharks and rays are both in the taxonomic subclass Elasmobranchii, the confusion is understandable. There are about 700 species of rays in the world, most of which originated 250 million years ago during the Paleozoic Era. Here at the Zoo, we have five species of rays, including the cownose ray. The other species are freshwater stingrays, bluntnose stingrays, Atlantic guitarfish, and Atlantic stingrays. While you might be able to spot the freshwater stingray in the Lost Temple, you will be able to see, and maybe even interact, with the rest of the species at Stingray Bay.
Striped Newt..................................................................... 0.0.357 WALDRAPP IBIS........................................................................0.1 WESTERN LOWLAND GORILLA.............................................1.0 Yellow-Backed Duiker.............................................................0.1
Acquisitions EASTERN INDIGO SNAKE .......................................................0.1 Eyelash Palm Pitviper ...........................................................0.0.2 Flat-Tailed Gecko .....................................................................1.1 Giant Anteater ........................................................................1.0 Southern Copperhead ............................................................1.0
LEGEND: 0.1.2 • • • • • • 14
First digit male. Second digit female Third digit sex unknown Two digits only represent male and female CAPS = Endangered Species * (Asterisk) = First time at the Zoo †(Dagger) = Released back into the wild WILD MAGAZINE • FALL 2021 • JACKSONVILLE ZOO AND GARDENS
