Saturday, October 14, 2017 - Our first ever Oktoberfest fundraiser was a huge success! Thank you everyone who came out and celebrated with us!
Turtles are a unique group of animals that live from the driest desert to the deep ocean. Some of our native turtles here are the Western Pond Turtle and the Desert Tortoise, which you can see here at Turtle Bay.
Skunks are known for their stinky odor, but did you know that they only spray if they think their life is in danger? When skunks are afraid, they stomp their feet, backup, and scrape the ground to warn predators that they mean business. They can spray their pungent odor up to 14 feet in a stream or a mist.
Badgers are very intelligent animals. Despite having a really ferocious reputation, they’re actually fairly docile and solitary. Badgers are equipped with large front claws for digging, as they go after their favorite food of underground rodents. They can actually dig over 3 feet per minute!
Vultures are the single most important scavengers in the world. Turkey vultures are able to consume so many different types of viruses and bacterias that would normally kill other animals. Things like salmonella, anthrax, and even botulism. Because of this incredible immune system, vultures are really important with keeping us healthy.
This “mystery object” received an overwhelming number of votes in our visitor poll! A mystery no more, this head rest was accessioned into the Turtle Bay museum collection in 1978 with the description, “head rest from the Turkana culture of Northwestern Kenya; used to protect hairdos while sleeping and to keep bugs from getting into hair; carried with a sash worn around the waist and is sometimes used as a stool.” So, now you know!