Reproductive Strategies
This reproductive strategy involves producing few offspring with high parental investment. The cheetah and giraffe are examples of species that primarily exhibit this reproductive strategy.
K- Strategy
The large spiralling horns of the male Blackbuck and male Nyala are an example of a trait shaped by what evolutionary process?
Sexual Selection
The New Zealand Whio will often remain in the same area and with the same mate for the entirety of their lives. What kind of mating system do they exhibit?
Zebra gain protection from predators through this group-living behaviour.
Herding.
This large cat typically lives and hunts alone. However, at the Zoo there are two in the enclosure (sisters). This only works in this captive environment because they are related. If they were random strangers, the keepers would expect conflict to ensue, and possibly the death of one of the individuals.
Hint: They are the largest cat species.
Tiger.
This endemic reptile lays eggs and provides little to no parental care after laying them. The name of the reptile in Māori roughly translates to ''peaks on the back''. They are known as a taonga in New Zealand and have been devastatingly affected by introduced predators.
Tuatara
This principle suggests that costly traits can honestly signal fitness to potential mates. This is due to the risk to survival these traits have for the individual, but are selected for by the females.
The Handicap Principle
These primates live in highly complex social groups involving cooperation and social learning. They are medium-sized, lean primates that weigh about the same as a domestic cat. At the Hamilton Zoo, they can be found in the rainforest section, immediately after the amazon birds.
Capuchin Monkeys
This animal is famous for sentinel behaviour (where individuals take turns to watch for danger and give alarm calls to approaching predators). We saw one individual practicing this on our arrival to the zoo.
Meerkat
Male White Rhinos defend these areas against rival males. The purpose of this is to ensure they are the ones mating with the females in the area.
Territory
These migratory birds hatch young that are relatively well-developed and able to feed shortly after hatching. The keeper discussed these birds at the Zoo and described how much they grow in size over the first weeks of their lives.
Bar-Tailed Godwit/Kuaka
This process involves males gathering in display areas where females choose their mates.
In Lemur troops, females dominate males and hold top ranks across the entire hierarchy. What kind of hierarchy is this?
Matriarchal
This species experienced a severe genetic bottleneck, resulting in very low genetic diversity and increased vulnerability to disease and environmental change.
Hint: The savannah keeper stated this species is the only big cat that doesn't seem to think of us as a meal (in captivity).
Cheetah
The keeper discussed new research to suggest why certain birds migrate, they found this in the Arctic Tern and Homing Pigeons. Name the process and explain what part of the birds' body is responsible.
Magneto-reception, mineral within the upper beak.
This duck demonstrates characteristics of an R-strategist, including a relatively high reproductive output. There is clear sexual dimorphism between the sexes of this species.
Australasian Shoveler OR Paradise Shelduck
Bright plumage differences between male and female Himalayan monals are an example of this phenomenon.
Sexual Dimorphism
This behaviour strengthens social bonds in Chimpanzee troops (and other primate and mammal species alike) while reducing tension between individuals. It is one of the main behaviours that enables Luka to be the alpha, even though his brother Lucifer is larger and stronger. This was mentioned in the chimp talk at the Zoo.
Grooming
Red pandas use scent markings to communicate territory occupancy, reducing the need for these costly interactions.
Combat, aggressive encounters, fighting.
Agoutis may defend food-rich areas (territories) because access to these resources increases their chance of survival and reproduction.
The key difference between a territory and home range is that a territory is actively defended, whereas a home range is this.
Lace monitors exhibit this mating system in which both males and females may mate with multiple partners each breeding season.
Polygynandry
Siamang Gibbons use this behavioural adaptation to attract and maintain mates. This method is helpful as the message can be received even when there is no line of sight (e.g. mist, mountains, dense jungle). This was mentioned by Ken when we first arrived at the Zoo.
Vocalisations/Duetting
What were the two main purposes (or benefits) discussed in relation to flocking behaviour in birds?
Defence mechanism/Safety in Numbers
Heat generation/Keeping warm.
This behaviour in Moreporks (Ruru) reduced competition with many other bird species for food.
Nocturnal Activity
Both Tigers are largely solitary. This survival advantage of solitary living reduces competition between individuals for limited resources. What kind of competition would this be referring to?
Intraspecific Competition