Rocky 3

[Jeremias Resendez]

While at the exhibit, guests will be immersed in the themed areas simulating a canning facility. Educational information about the animals, their behaviors and instincts, and their future survival are presented through innovative programs and interactive displays.

See the animals from beneath the surface of the water at Tidewater Cove, splash around at the Lighthouse Point Splash Pad, watch a Seal & Sea Lion training demonstration, and grab a bite to eat at Shoreline Grill. All of these offerings can be found at the Rocky Shores exhibit.

The bald eagle is the largest raptor in Utah and second only to the Condor in North America. As with most raptors, the female is larger than the male. The adult plumage is attained gradually over a 4-5 year period and is dark brown on the body with a white head and tail. First-year juvenile birds have a dark brown plumage mottled with white, particularly on the underparts. The beak and eyes of the juvenile are dark brown and gradually change to yellow as the bird matures.

Bald eagles are large, aggressive, vocal raptors who often use communal roost sites, except during the breeding season. Although very efficient hunters, bald eagles are very piratical in their feeding habits, and often steal prey from other birds. In Utah, they arrive in November and typically stay until the end of February. Bald eagles that winter in Utah return to western Canada in the spring.

The fur of a grizzly bear ranges from white to cinnamon to black, but most often is some shade of brown. They have long front claws, ranging in length from three to six inches. They easily recognized by the large muscle mass located between their shoulders. These muscles give the bears tremendous power and strength. In fact, grizzlies have been known to move several tons of dirt while excavating a winter den site. The hump on grizzlies is also a good means of identification because the black bear shoulder muscle is hardly visible.

Grizzlies are generally solitary bears except females with cubs. One exception is that huge gatherings of grizzly bears often occur during the annual salmon run for summer spawning. During this period of time, dozens of bears gather and feast on fresh, fatty salmon. The fish provide the necessary nutrients for grizzlies heading into winter.

Grizzlies have an excellent sense of smell and will use their powerful nose to detect prey, sense danger, find suitable foods, locate mates, find their cubs and avoid people. They can smell carrion (dead flesh) miles away without any wind and will travel over mountains, across rivers or through a dense forest to find it. They will often stand up on their hind legs to get a better smell or a better view of something.

When Grizzly bears get ready for hibernation in the winter, they begin gorging carbohydrate-rich berries and other foods, to put on weight during the summer. They may gain as much as 30 pounds per week. Each year they may return to the same den, which is usually within a sheltered slope, under a large rock, or within the roots of a large tree. During hibernation, their body temperature drops, and their general metabolic rate decreases as well. This is not considered complete hibernation. They will occasionally emerge from their dens to forage, particularly during spells of warm weather or during years when food is scarce prior to denning.

Breeding occurs in May or June after 2 to 15 days of courtship. Female grizzlies usually give birth to two cubs during denning in January or February. They stay in their dens until springtime, when the cubs have reached about 20 pounds. Once they are out in the world, they remain with their mother for at least two more years.

To swim the seals move their hind flippers side-to-side to propel themselves in water. The hind flippers also function as a rudder. They cannot rotate their hind flippers underneath their bodies like a sea lion and must move on land by flopping along on their bellies. This behavior makes them look a bit like a giant caterpillar.

Harbor seals often use their semi-flattened back teeth for crushing shells and crustaceans. Whiskers grow from the thick pads of the seals upper lips and cheeks. Each is attached to muscle and supplied with blood and nerves. These sensitive whiskers grow throughout the seals lives and pick up vibrations in the water. This helps them to find food and avoid predators.

Unlike other pinnipeds, harbor seals are generally solitary and rarely interact with one another outside of the breeding season. They maintain several feet of space between seals, even when hauled out on land. If touched by another harbor seal, they respond by growling, snorting, flipper-slapping and even biting.

Pacific harbor seals spend about half their time on land and half in water. Studies show that, within a season, harbor seals tend to return to one or two particular haul-out sites with regularity. The preferred sites may change seasonally.

Harbor seals have a total gestation of about 9 to 11 months. Most pups are born in February through July depending on their latitude. Females generally give birth to one pup each year either on land or in the water. Unlike sea lion pups, seal pups can swim at birth.

Worldwide, the harbor seal population is estimated at 500,000 individuals. They are not considered an endangered or threatened species, however, they do face threats by humans. Spring brings harbor seal colonies to rookery, or birthing beaches, that are accessible to humans. The mother may also choose to abandon her pup if she feels threatened. Harbor seals are marine mammals and are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. It is illegal to harass, touch or harm a harbor seal.

Another threat to harbor seals is discarded plastic and other human debris. Seals are very curious and will often approach trash in the ocean and become entangled in it. Young seals may mistake it for food and eat it which can make them sick. Help keep all wildlife safe by putting trash where it belongs!

Compared to other bears, polar bears have more slender bodies and longer necks and heads. Their coat can vary from pure white to yellow to light brown depending upon season and angle of light. Their hind limbs are longer than the forelimbs. This makes their large, muscular hind end stand higher than the shoulders. Their paw pads are furred and are covered with small bumps called papillae to keep them from slipping on ice.

Polar bears are active any time of the day or night. On bitterly cold days, they might dig a hole, curl up and even cover their noses with their paws to keep warm. In warmer weather they might also burrow into the earth to keep cool.

Polar bears spend a great deal of time grooming. In the summer they will take a swim after feeding and in the winter will roll around in the snow to clean their fur. They will also lick their paws and fur to keep it clean.

Polar bears are solitary animals and mating takes place on the ice in April or May, but the fertile egg do not implant until the following fall. This is called delayed implantation. Usually two cubs are born between December and January. Milk from polar bear mothers is 35 percent fat, the richest milk of any species of bear. This helps the cubs grow quickly, and by April they weigh more than 20 pounds and start exploring with their mother outside the den. At about two years of age they are ready to be on their own.

River otter tails help to steer the otters as they swim through the water or slide down hills. Their faces are rounded with sturdy whiskers to aide in finding food. Their eyes located close together and have a third clear eyelid or nictitating membrane that helps protect their eye as they swim.

They rely on their senses, especially their excellent vision (both above and below water) to locate prey. Ears and nostrils are both small and can close underwater. Oil glands in their skin helps to waterproof their fur to keep them dry and warm in the water. Their nose is large and helps distinguish the North American river otter from other otters.

River otters are members of the mustelidae or weasel family and hunt at night. When swimming, otters leave a trail of bubbles of air that was trapped between their two layers of fur. These two layers of fur provide excellent insulation, make the otters resistant to cold, and help to keep their skin dry.

North American river otters have playful, sociable personalities. They love sliding down icy or muddy slopes, especially when their routes land them in the water. These otters also display curiosity; they approach new visitors with their noses held high in suspicion.

North American river otters exist in small groups usually consisting of unrelated males or a mother and her cubs. If resources are plentiful, the species can form larger groups as well. Sliding on slippery slopes and splashing around in the water are common games mothers play with their young. These activities help cubs develop survival skills and increase sociability.

Males and females come together to breed in late winter or early spring. The gestation lasts two months, but the young may be born up to a year after mating because these otters exhibit delayed implantation. Kits are born between November and May. Females give birth to from one to six kits per litter, with an average of two to three, in a den near the water. Kits first take to the water when they are two months old, and are natural swimmers. Between six months and a year of age they will leave their birth range.

North American river otters have been hunted for many years for their fur. Trapping and water pollution removed otters through many parts of their range, especially around heavily populated areas in the mid-western and eastern United States. Their populations have stabilized in recent years and reintroduction and conservation efforts have resulted in recolonization of areas where they were previously removed. Utah is one of the states where river otters have been released back into their former native habitats.

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