WORLD OF THE INSECT. Wild Discover Zone

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1 Wild Discover Zone WORLD OF THE INSECT This activity is designed to engage all ages of Zoo visitors. Your duty as an excellent educator and interpreter is to adjust your approach to fit each group you interact with. Be aware that all groups are on some kind of a time limit. There are no set time requirements for this interaction. Read their behavior and end the interaction when they seem ready to move on. Theme: The Cincinnati Zoo is part of a breeding and release program for the American burying beetle, an important native species to our ecosystem. Summary: Educators will engage visitors in discussion and activities examining what it takes to breed and release the American burying beetle. Objectives: At the end of the encounter, guests will: Understand that the American burying beetle is a local critically endangered species Discuss techniques and materials needed for rearing beetles at the Zoo Learn about the release process and the recent release at Fernald Preserve Engage with technology to examine the species up close and personal Location: Counter in World of the Insect near Leaf Cutter Ants Materials: Burying beetle pinrail, breeding and release equipment, release photos, microscope Background Information: Length: Up to 1.5 in Lifespan: 1 yr Ecological Role: Predator, scavenger, decomposer Habitat: Grassland and forest Diet: Live insects and carrion Current Range: Central United States (Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma) and Rhode Island 1

2 ABB Natural History The American Burying Beetle (sometimes known as the giant carrion beetle) is a critically endangered species of beetle endemic to North America. This nocturnal beetle is the largest carrion-frequenting insect in North America, reaching lengths up to 1 ½ inches. They have a distinctive bright orange-red and black body; the males have a rectangular orange patch on their head while the females have a triangular one. These beetles eat dead animals mice, birds, or other suitably sized creatures they can find. They are remarkably adept at detecting the odor of recent death. Using the organs on the tips of their antennae, the beetles can smell dead animal carcasses up to 2 miles away just an hour after death. After flying to the vicinity of the carcass, they drop to the ground, go under the body, and turning on their backs, experimentally lift the remains to determine if it is the right size (approx. 2-7 ounces). If a male arrives at the carcass first, he waits for a female. If no female arrives after a period of time, the male will sit on top of the carcass and broadcast pheromones to attract a female. Once both male and female are present, they begin digging the soil out from underneath the carrion, chewing through roots if necessary. The dead animal is eventually buried as soil piles up all around it. After burial, the beetles strip away fur or feathers from the animal and work the mass into a compact ball. They will inoculate the remains with secretions to preserve and modify the decomposition rate of the carcass. The female builds a chamber above the carrion where she ll lay anywhere from eggs. The amount of eggs depends on the size of the carcass and how many larvae it can sustain. The female then prepares a conical depression on top of the carcass where both parents regurgitate droplets of partly digested food into it. The fluid accumulates as food for the larvae that will hatch just a few days later. Breeding season can be anywhere from April to August depending on the location, but here in our area, most of our ABBs breed around May. Unlike most other insects, the ABB actually remains to guard and care for their young until they are ready to pupate. After the larvae hatch, they will feed on the carrion for about a week. The adults will emerge from the nest and shortly die, as they are an annual species. The larvae will pupate underground for one month and emerge sometime in the summer. This emergent date is known as eclosion. The average time from birthday to adulthood is about 68 days. A Local Endangered Species The new adults will feed through the fall, and then bury themselves in the soil again to overwinter (the process by which some organisms pass through or wait out the winter season). They reemerge in the springtime to begin the annual process all over again. This species once lived in 35 states but have quickly declined due to habitat degradation, the extinction of the Passenger Pigeon and increased competition for prey from mammalian scavengers. By 1923, they were dwindling, and whey they were placed on the Federal Endangered Species list in 1989, they only were found in four remaining states. A short time later the USFWS initiated a project to save the species from Male Female 2

3 extinction. The idea was to collect a limited number of beetles from the wild, establish a captive population and eventually reintroduce ABBs to their former habitats. Currently, the beetles are found at sites in Nebraska, Rhode Island, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Kansas and Arkansas. There are ongoing attempts to reintroduce this species back into Ohio, Missouri and Massachusetts. Why They Matter Insects in general are extremely important to keeping our ecosystems healthy, but this particular beetle plays the important role of nature s garbage men, recycling dead and decaying material back into the ecosystem. They help return nutrients to the soil and by lessening possible contact with decaying animal tissue, reduce the threat of disease. ABBs compete with fly maggots for food which can help reduce populations of flies. It is also of great interest to science. It is one of the few beetles in which both parents care attentively for their young. It is also useful in studying its response to changing ecosystems. ABB and the Zoo The Cincinnati Zoo's (CZBG) Insectarium first acquired ABBs in April of 1991 and established a successful breeding program. The AZA recognized the success of that program with a Significant Achievement award in A short time later, with no immediate plans for reintroduction, the CZBG Insectarium s participation in the project waned. By the later part of the last decade the project had found its wings and taken off; a number of zoos and universities were rearing ABBs and reintroductions were taking place at several locations. The AZA had developed a Species Survival Plan for ABBs and the project s profile had grown with both local and national media outlets covering releases. The CZBG Insectarium reacquired ABBs in 2009 and began the search for a nearby site where we could release our captive reared beetles. In 2010, we zeroed in on the Fernald Preserve in Harrison, Ohio. As the site of the former Fernald Feed Materials Production Center the location had some dubious history; opening in 1951 it had been a Cold-War era uranium processing facility and in 1984 it was discovered that the plant was contaminating the surrounding area. The plant ceased operations in 1989 and in 1992 a Superfund cleanup of the site began. As part of the cleanup, thousands of tons of contaminated concrete, sludge, liquid waste and soil were removed from the area and properly disposed of. The environmental cleanup and ecological restoration was completed in 2006 at a cost of $4.4 billion and the Fernald Preserve was born. No longer a toxic casualty of the nuclear industry, the site has been transformed into something clean and natural. There are prairies, forests and one of Ohio s largest man-made wetlands. Hopefully in the future, the preserve will also be home to a thriving population of American Burying Beetles. On May 13, 2013, the Cincinnati Zoo released 240 critically endangered American Burying Beetles (Nicrophorus americanus) or ABBs at the Fernald Preserve. This release was just the first step in a 5-year reintroduction plan. We hope to release more than 1,000 beetles at the preserve over the next 4 years and will frequently survey the site to determine the viability of the population. 3

4 We are working closely with a number of entities on this project including the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Ohio Division of Natural Resources, the Department of Energy, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the Wilds and Ohio State University. Zone Set-up: Using the Insect key, unlock the closet across from the counter to turn the TV and microscope on. Unlock the counter cabinet and remove all needed materials and microscope. Assign one person as Volunteer A and one person as Volunteer B. Feel free to switch roles as often as you both like throughout your shift. Volunteer A should be positioned in front of the counter to engage visitors they walk by and use the pin rail to strike up a conversation. Volunteer B will be stationed behind the counter with the activity materials. Make sure you count guest attendance during your shift. Breaking the Ice: Tips for getting started. Volunteer A should mingle with guests as they walk by or stop to observe the Leaf Cutter Ant exhibit. Engage them with an icebreaker by introducing yourself as a volunteer and striking up a conversation about their experience at the Cincinnati Zoo, answering their questions, or adding something to their observations. Volunteer B can do the same thing at the counter as guests approach. Ask them if they d like to check out one of the cool conservation projects the Cincinnati Zoo is involved in! Doing the Activity: Depending on how your initial conversation starts, there are a variety of ways to approach this activity. Go with the flow of what the guests are interested in while still focusing on the theme. 1. Encourage the guests to examine the American burying beetle pinrail up close. Use the microscope to show the images on the TV screen. What cool features do they notice? Share some natural history about the beetle and why it is such an important species to the environment. 2. The props are actual items that the Zoo uses in the rearing and release process. Discuss how sometimes conservation doesn t have fancy technology, it can sometimes just be a rat in a bucket! Let guests hold and examine the props and if they want, they can go through the process by placing a rubber rat into the bucket and burying it with two beetles. 4

5 3. Share the story of CZBG s connection to the burying beetle and why we are involved in this project. Use the pictures to show the release and Fernald Preserve 4. Engage guests in a discussion about why it is important for the Zoo to get involved with conservation projects. We are posed to make a big impact! Ending the Activity: Find out if there is any more information they d like to know about the ABB or World of the Insect in general. Make sure to remind guests about other cool places to visit or things to see while they are here! Find out what the guest is interested in and make an appropriate suggestion. Make sure to thank them for stopping by! Zone Clean-up: Put all materials away inside and lock the counter. Turn off the TV and microscope. Record your attendance on the attendance sheet and make a note if any materials are missing. Please report any cart issues on the clipboard in the volunteer room. 5