Zoo interns hypnotized by the various seeds on display.

Briana Moseley shows us a machine that organizes seeds by weight using wind-powered levitation.

Interns Veronica and Tawni pick through the roughage, scouring for seeds wherever they find them.

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Mrs. Tobey plugs in her iPod to a speaker, letting us hear the unique calls of the koala.

Zoo intern Claire holds a shotgun sound amplifier and recorder, allowing her to hear the unique sounds of the koala enclosure.

This comfortable koala sits in its branch gracefully grooming itself and eating.

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An amethystine python writhes captivatingly in its enclosure, as if being charmed.

Mr. Schmidt explains the importance of having multiple antidotes on hand in the herpetology lab.

Beware! Mr. Schmidt bravely restrains a snapping turtle.

Intern Clark buddies up with a very friendly Galapagos tortoise.

Intern Leslie is fascinated by the stoic nature of this Galapagos tortoise.

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The process of collecting the plants is more involved than just going out and picking a few flowers, however. The researchers have to note the direction the plant is facing, the type of soil it is in, how much sunlight it is receiving, the colors of the leaves/flowers/fruit, whether or not the plant is on a slope and if so how steep, and they have to do this with as many plants as possible in order to create the most diverse parental gene pool they can.

The purpose for all of this work is to be able to restore the natural beauty of our county, if need be. The road to this position is not a very difficult one, but certainly requires a passion for plants. A degree in general biology is good, and plant physiology/genetics classes are also helpful, but not necessary. The most productive option is to have an internship of some kind in this field before applying for a job. Though I found this job a little too meticulous for my taste, it was full of surprises, from the level of details that are necessary to the fact that San Diego County has such a variety of habitats and plant species that need to be preserved.

End note: This blog was posted after the San Diego County fires. Now that over 250,000 acres of habitat have been burned, the precious genetically varied seeds in the Seed Bank may be brought out and put into service to restore areas that the fire destroyed. After these events, this job is even more pertinent.

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Koalas are famous for their sloth-like behavior, sleeping between 19 and 22 hours daily. Although many people think that this behavior stems from pure laziness, it is actually attributed to the combination of a low energy diet of nutrtient-depleted eucalyptus leaves and an especially slow metabolism. With this knowledge of lethargy in mind, it was all the the more special when one of the koalas actually decided to wake up, scratch itself, switch branches, and then eat. We even observed it drinking! Koalas almost never drink water because most of their water supply comes from the leaves they eat; in fact, its name derives from the Aboriginal word for “no drink”.

Koala mating is another intriguing topic. The levels of their reproductive and stress hormones increase dramatically during the breeding season and cause these sluggish creatures to disperse in order to find a mate. Unlike humans, the females do not have menstrual cycles, but instead release eggs upon copulation. The gestation period is only a little over a month, during which a tiny, quarter-of-an-inch-long “joey” is born. It then climbs into its mothers pouch for its 12-month development.

For behavioral enrichment, Mrs. Tobey works with two nifty gizmos: a motion sensor and a shotgun-shaped recorder/amplifier. The motion sensor is used to limit the time a researcher must watch the koalas. Since koalas sleep most of the day, the sensor saves valuable reseach time by alerting the researcher when koalas become active. The recorder is useful in recording the vocalizations of the koalas. Most people think koalas are mute, cuddly creatures, but their vehement bellows completely shatter this image. Recording these calls allows for the matching of behavior patterns with vocalization patterns.

From our experience with koalas, we transcended the stereotypes that surrounded koalas, obtaining a deeper understanding of their behavior. Hopefully this blog will allow people to have a greater understanding of these amazing creatures, too.

Clark - Photo Team

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Certain reptiles, including crocodiles, exhibit temperature-dependent sex determination. This means the gender of the unhatched baby depends on the temperature at which the egg is incubated. Often it’s a matter of only a few degrees. This can make preserving a captive species easier, but as reptile keeper Todd Schmidt pointed out on our tour of the Reptile House, this is one reason why global warming is “astronomically bad for some species.”

Habitat changes are affecting amphibians as well. Schmidt explains that all frogs are indicator species, meaning that if something changes in the environment, amphibians are the first to respond and show signs of decline. Multiple lines of evidence show that populations of wild frogs are in trouble. One example is the Panamanian golden frog, which is classified as extinct in the wild. However, these frogs are part of the San Diego Zoo’s collection. Hopefully the offspring of these frogs will one day be reintroduced back into their natural habitat.

Breeding healthy endangered animals is just one piece of the conservation puzzle. Oftentimes social circumstances must be changed, working relationships with foreign countries must be made, and human impact on habitat must be reduced. Even so, captive animals and their contributions, both to education and the preservation of their species, are crucial.

Jane - Conservation Team

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I was surprised when he announced that frogs were indicator species. Like all amphibians, frogs are extremely sensitive to climatic changes. With the outbreak of chytrid fungi due to global warming, frog populations in Central America are being decimated. Reptiles and amphibians are also closely tied with the environment. In fact, their sexes are determined by minute temperature changes: one degree lower during incubation could mean a female pops out from an egg, while one degree higher means a male. Thus, with recent global warming problems, numerous species of reptiles are facing endangerment and even extinction. However, humans can alleviate this problem with a little effort; each individual can make a difference. By driving less and carpooling, buying locally made and grown products, and using less stuff in general, you can reduce the carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere, thereby reducing the greenhouse effect. Now that’s a real-world connection to the helping wildlife!

On a different note, but something that was definitely of great interest to all of the interns, the herpetologists at the San Diego Zoo work with venomous snakes. Therefore, having the antivenins on site is mandatory. Many bites can lead to a nasty death. Stacked neatly in a refrigerator with labels and instructions, herpetologists have quick and easy access to them in case of an emergency. Shockingly, these antivenins are the most expensive parts of herpetology. They can cost up to thousands of dollars for just one bottle and because the effectiveness of these chemicals can decrease over time, they must be replaced every few years. Many of the antivenins are specific to one or two snakes, making it so the herp team has to have many antivenins on hand. This may be alleviated as one Mexican company is trying to synthesize one polyvalent that can counteract a broad spectrum of venoms.

Herpetology is also an international affair. Studies of reptile species often occur between herpetologists of different parts of the world—China, India, Africa, New Zealand, and Fiji. State, national, and international permits are often required for projects. In fact, the San Diego Zoo is currently home to a breeding colony of Fijian banded iguanas, which came with the permission and consent of the Fijian government. It is surprising to think that the international reputation of the U.S. could have an impact on such apolitical issues like conservation, but it turns out that it can. When the relationship between governments is strained, researchers and conservation organizations may be refused permission to study or import animals.

Haoyu and Claire - Real World Team

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Ecstatic about his work, Mr. Schmidt occupies his time doing veterinary care, field research, data acquisition, and, of course, spending his days with the animals he loves, especially the snakes. Even though a college-level education is required to do what Mr. Schmidt does, some reptile keepers have a master’s degree, which helps in the task of data acquisition. One goal of the department is the successful reproduction of both endangered and common reptile species, but another part of the reptile keepers’ job is to travel around the world, learning and sharing techniques that help the Zoo produce healthy offspring.

When you think of the Herpetology Department, you think of poisonous snakes and animals that are really dangerous. Well, you can find those kinds of specimens in the Reptile House, but you can rest assured that it is one of the safest departments in the entire Zoo. Of course, accidents do happen, but there is help available in the form of first aid and number-coded antivenom. To prevent accidents from happening, keepers like Todd Schmidt have a variety of apparatus on hand. “We use a lot of remote tools,” Mr. Schmidt said, “and our heads.” For large, mostly venomous snakes, the use of long metal poles with curved hooks on the ends allow keepers to safely pick snakes up from the ground or pull them down from trees. After hooked, they go into a plastic container, about the size of an everyday trashcan! If a snake or other reptile is too big for the container, they will first be placed in a collapsible bag and are then transferred to the plastic container. Similar to the hooks, keepers will also use spring-released tongs that allow keepers to get a good grip on the animal without endangering the animal or being in harm’s way. Mr. Schmidt and the keepers in the Reptile House know how to keep their distance, even when it comes to medical procedures.

Believing that I had a large amount of knowledge about reptiles behind me, I never knew that they could be trained! “We train a lot of animals,” Mr. Schmidt said, “including the snakes.” Using the taipan as an example, some reptiles have been trained to go into a box, with the hopes of being rewarded with food. In the box, keepers are able to anesthetize them for surgery or transportation, desensitize them, or inject them with medication. I thought I knew everything about reptiles! I guess spending time at the Zoo’s Reptile House can really inform you on a thing or two that you might not have known about reptiles before!

Tawni - Animal Careers Team

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Jennifer Tobey, a graduate of Franklin and Marshall College for her bachelor’s degree, and California State San Marcos for her master’s degree, majored in animal behavior and is now at home at the koala barn. While a major in animal behavior is very important, the mastery of either psychology or comparative psychology can give you a lot of background in research; a huge part of observing animal behavior is research. A part of the Behavioral Biology Division, Ms. Tobey studies the behavior of koalas. By using data sheets, a part of Ms. Tobey’s job is to observe and record certain actions such as sleeping, alertness, locomotion, scent marking, eating, pacing, grooming, and other behaviors such as interactions with other individuals. She also collects data in the form of excretion fluids (urine and feces – gross!) also known as hormone data. By collecting this type of data, and transferring it into a type of bar graph called a histogram, it is much easier for specialists in Ms. Tobey’s area of work to determine when a koala is the most, or least, active. Enough about data sheets and histograms, let’s go into the “barn.”

To tourists and interns alike, only the outdoor and a few indoor exhibits are available for koala viewing. Behind the scenes, though, there is another building that houses the love birds and opera singers. Following Jennifer into a cool, roofed enclosure, we were introduced to one of the most studied factors in koala behavior: reproduction. One of the main questions in the koala barn is why has breeding been so successful? Most of it has to do with pairing. Finding the perfect mate, based on scent and vocalization, requires the exchange of koalas between zoos, but more importantly, the timing is most critical.

Female koalas are the most fertile when they are in a certain phase called estrus. During this time, koalas’ hormones change and they become much more active in preparation for reproduction. To be able to distinguish estrus from regular activity, researchers and keepers at the San Diego Zoo have begun to use small devices, or “glorified pedometers” according to Ms. Tobey, that record activity levels. Displaying data on a basic readout, these devices can tell the research specialists whether or not the koala has been active over a certain period of time.

Estrus and related activity is also exhibited by vocalizations. When observing vocalizations, Ms. Tobey records the length and pitch of each vocalization. Special microphones make listening to the guttural calls of koalas a lot easier. Surrounded with a wind screen to cancel out minor interferences, and connected to bulky headphones, these microphones allow observers to hear exactly what the mic is pointed at. Attached to a digital recording device, the research specialists are able to both listen and digitally record what they are hearing. “With animal recordings,” she said, “we want to make sure we’re getting the entire vocalization.” You really get to learn how to multitask observing koala vocalization! What a noisy and busy job!

Tawni - Animal Careers Team

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Briana Moseley and her colleagues showed us a typical day in this very unusual bank. A huge tub of aromatic sage sat on a table. It was collected by hand from at least one hundred parents to preserve genetic diversity. We took turns grinding the sage through custom-made sieves and then placing the contents into a machine that separates seed from plant debris by means of just a current of air. This sounds a lot easier than it was. Too strong a current of air and seeds are lost. Too weak and tiny pieces of debris must be picked out by hand. Incredible variation of seed size and weight between species adds another layer of complexity.

So how does collecting seeds and storing them help save species of both plants and animals? To save an animal species, entire ecosystems must be preserved. Some seeds will be used for habitat restoration projects in San Diego helping animals right here in Southern California. As the county with the largest number of endemic species (species that are unique to the area) in the nation, and also the greatest number of endangered species, San Diego County is very lucky to have a seed bank. It’s astounding to think that from tiny seeds grows the chance of protecting the biodiversity of our region.

Koala Conservation through Communication

The koala is, in appearance, an adorable, peaceful, and cuddly animal that children and adults love to see at the San Diego Zoo. Who knew that an animal so cute could produce a deep and guttural bellow? As we went behind the scenes at the koala enclosure, Jennifer Tobey gave the interns some background on when koalas make these bellows and why the study of their communication methods is important.

Similar to the Wild Animal Park’s Caroline Pitt, Ms. Tobey studies the behaviors of animals at the San Diego Zoo in order to understand how and why animals react to certain situations. Koalas, the main focus of Ms. Tobey’s studies, communicate with one another using vocalizations and scent. Since koalas use these methods of communication to find a mate, it is important to study what drives a koala to produce certain hormones and make certain sounds.

At the San Diego Zoo, there has been great success with koala breeding, and Ms. Tobey’s efforts are focused on understanding what about the Zoo promotes the koala reproduction. Since koalas are unique in the fact that a female may mate with a male and still fail to ovulate, it is crucial to understand what about a male’s display may attract a mate. This information can also be applied in the wild, where koala mating calls may be affected by noise pollution and other threats. Field researchers in Australia place GPS tracking devices on select members of a koala population, and then return to that population after several months to observe the koala individuals. Since koala populations in the wild face the same issues as koalas in the San Diego Zoo, Ms. Tobey’s research is helpful to the scientists looking to protect koalas in their natural habitats.

Jane and Veronica - Conservation Team.

Listen to an iZoofari Chat with Jennifer Tobey…

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