A Frightfully Good Time!

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My family and I had some great luck this weekend and won tickets to the National Zoo’s Boo at the Zoo!  We had a terrific time collecting candy, checking out people’s very creative costumes , enjoying the spooky decorations (the butterfly ecologist in me loved this one!), and visiting some of the animals .  We especially enjoyed the Reptile Discovery Center We visited our favorite Panamanian golden frogs and learned about the Appalachian hellbenders from the Salamander Ambassadors!  I really enjoyed learning about these fascinating creatures that are right in our backyard.  Did you know:

• of the 550 salamander species found worldwide, about 1/3 of them call North America home
• Appalachia is home to 77 species of salamander
• salamanders start their lives fully aquatic with gills, and move to land for their adult lives
• 0ne of the main threats to salamander survival is climate change – they need cool, wet places to live. 

Want to help with salamander conservation?  Check out this webpage. 

Many thanks to FONZ and the National Zoo staff and volunteers for a fun evening of Halloween trick or treating!

Source:  Smithsonian National Zoological Park.  N.d.  Be An Ambassador for Salamanders.  Accessed 10/27/2013 at http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ActivitiesAndEvents/Celebrations/ambassadors.cfm.