Meet “Sid” — Our Baby Sloth!»
Okay, is this baby cute or what? Meet "Sid," Zooniversity’s newest animal ambassador. This adorable, baby two-toed sloth has actually been with us for a couple of months already, spending his time in quarantine and bonding with our keepers. Now, it’s time for his grand debut!
"Sid" needed a new mama, so he traveled all the way from the jungles of Guyana to adopt Zooniversity’s owner, Allison, as his new mother. He’s turned into a real hip-baby — you’ll find him perched on her hip with arms around her neck while she does chores or just napping in those rare, quiet moments. Some of our Facebook fans met him online last Fall, when we were calling him "Dante." But, due to overwhelming demand by friends and family, we’ve renamed him "Sid," after the comical, prehistoric giant ground sloth in the animated Ice Age movies — hence, the kid-friendly name change. "Sid" doesn’t seem to mind at all. Actually, he doesn’t seem to mind anything, as long as a juicy grape is involved!
Two-toed sloths are found throughout tropical South America and are built for life in the jungle treetops. They spend nearly all of their time aloft, hanging upside down from branches with a powerful grip using their long claws. Sloths even sleep in trees, and they sleep a lot — up to 20 hours every day. The sloth is the world’s slowest mammal. So sedentary in fact, that in the wild algae can actually grow on their furry coat — earning them the "slothy" reputation that we equate with human laziness. Even when awake, they often remain motionless and are silent. At night they eat leaves, shoots, and fruit from the trees and get almost all of their water from juicy plants. Food can take up to a month to digest, due to their slow metabolism. Sloths are clumsy on land and usually only go to the ground to defecate. 
The sloth’s weak hind legs provide no power and their long claws are a problem on land. They must dig into the earth with their front claws and use their strong front legs to pull themselves along, dragging their bellies across the ground. If caught on land, these animals have no chance to evade predators, such as big cats or humans, and must try to defend themselves by clawing and biting. And, believe us, you don’t want to battle with an upset sloth — they are stronger than they look and can do some serious damage! They are also surprisingly good swimmers, sometimes falling directly from rainforest trees into rivers to stroke with their long arms.
"Sid" will be ready to travel with us this Spring and Summer to meet our school and library audiences. (A long day of birthday parties would still be too stressful for this baby, so he won’t be available for parties for awhile.) Be sure to invite "Sid" to meet your students — and be sure to bring along some grapes.
You Again Named Us “Best of the Metroplex!”»
We are so honored. For the second year in a row, our clients and friends took the time to name Zooniversity as one of the "Best of the Metroplex." A minimum of 50 write-in nominations were needed to even get us on the ballot and then hundreds of you voted online to award us the title of:
"Best Party Entertainer"
We are so thankful for your support — awards like this help us to better market our services, which in turn, allows us to provide our animal ambassadors with the best of care from our professional zookeepers and veterinarians. We will continue to work hard to keep your trust.
It’s Time To Register for Spring Zoo School!»
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Do you have a young conservationist or an aspiring zoologist? Are you looking for a multi-week series of life science classes to complete your school, homeschool, or afterschool curriculum? Zoo School is back for another animal-filled Fall semester. Registration is underway!
Every Zoo School class features a combination of lecture, discussion, and LIVE demonstration animals. And, each student is given a personalized follow-along workbook and will be asked to complete and to present a semester-long research project.
BASIC Zoo School: Introduction to Zoology
An introductory 12-week series of fun, hands-on zoology enrichment classes for K-4th grade students. Each week students learn all about a whole new phylum of animals. Your students will become experts on the animal kingdom!
ADVANCED Zoo School: Habitats & Conservation
An advanced 12-week series for 1st-5th grade graduates of BASIC Zoo School or for students who’ve previously studied 3rd-5th grade life science. Each week students will study a new ecosystem and will discuss the critical conservation issues impacting it.
NEW & Favorite Locations!
We’re moving to some new locations this semester — and partnering with some fabulous new schools for afterschool enrichment!
BASIC Zoo School for Homeschoolers (K-4th) Tuesdays from 10:30-11:15 am, hosted by USA Martial Arts, 8822 Teel Pkwy. in Frisco (they’re offering a discounted optional homeschool karate class after Zoo School). Download details and registration form (pdf).
BASIC Zoo School for St. Thomas Aquinas Lower School (K-2nd), Tuesdays after school from 3:30-4:15 pm (St. Thomas Aquinas Lower School students only). Download detail and registration form (pdf).
ADVANCED Zoo School for St. John’s Episcopal School (1st-5th), Wednesdays after school from 4:00-4:45 pm (St. John’s Episcopal students only — open to all 3rd-5th graders and to BASIC Zoo School graduates in the 1st-2nd grades). Download details (pdf).
Want to Bring Zoo School to You?
We’re always looking for new parent site coordinators or organizations who would like to bring Zoo School to their school, homeschool, or afterschool community. It’s not too late for the Spring Semester – call us today! Read all the "how to’s" on our Site Coordinator Information page.
Meet “Diego” — A Four-Eyed Opossum»
Ahhh, a baby four-eyed opossum (Philander opossum) . No, he doesn’t have four eyes. But, the unusual facial markings give the illusion of four eyes — a great way to keep predators at bay in the rain forests of Central and South America. Meet "Diego," Zooniversity’s newest animal ambassador.
This sweet baby has been with us for a couple of months now and is tame and gentle and has already been traveling to meet our school students and party guests. He was shared with us by another wildlife expert, who found this lone, unclaimed baby in a sleeping poach when cleaning a cage full of adults. His name? Thanks to a plea for a suitable name on our Facebook page, we had lots of imaginative suggestions. One of our favorite librarians suggested "Diego," Greek for "teacher," and a name that is quickly recognized by any child under the age of 15 years as that cute, cartoon boy, who rescues rainforest creatures — what could be more appropriate?
This sweet, nocturnal marsupial will soon grow to be the size of a large kitten, especially at the rate he’s been chowing down on bugs and tropical fruit. He has bonded to our keepers and he is easy to hold and to pet. Be sure to invite him to your next event — he may even show you how he hangs upside down by his tail!
Vote for Us! “Best of the Metroplex” Awards»
Our clients are truly the greatest! You took the time to nominate us for the "Best of the Metroplex" awards. Drum roll, please…you’ve again nominated us for "Best Party Entertainer" in Dallas-Fort Worth, the category that we won in 2009! But it’s not over yet, now it’s time to vote. Help us to maintain our title,not only as a party entertainer, but as a party EDUCATOR. If you enjoy Zooniversity’s ed-zoo-cational services, please take a quick moment to vote for us in the "Best Party Entertainer" category. Voting deadline is November 30, 2010.
VOTE FOR US
"Enough!" with the bounce houses and crazy, chaotic kids’ parties. Let other parents know that there is a fun, party alternative where kids can have a one-on-one animal encounter that will leave fond memories for a lifetime. This is not an ego-feed (we have enough to feed around here) — public recognition helps us to better market our services and allows us to provide our rescued animal ambassadors with the finest of care and loving attention. Help us to keep setting the standard in wildlife education.
