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Marmots in the Prague zoo predict Spring

Predicting the spring with marmots has a great tradition in North America. According to the most famous of them, Punxsutawney Phil, said this year the spring will come really soon. And it looks like the groundhog in the Prague zoo give him the truth, because they have woken from their winter sleep, like ground squirrels living freely in the colony under Sklenářka.

"Our marmots asleep approximately 7 October last year, when it ceased to appear for feeding, and first awakened during this weekend of the 13th and 14th of February. Last year we saw yet to start their activities until around February 28. The exposure urzonů front of the pavilion Indonesian jungle currently breed one pair. The other couple is in the background of AIU him activity increases. Forest marmots are European breeds rare, and those that we find here, come mostly from our offspring, while in other zoos do not reproduce, "says curator Pavel Brandl.

Ground squirrels this year woke up at about the same time as marmots. Their activity, however, has demonstrated only that the acclimatization aviary disappears feeding them here by - direct observation of the animals still missing. At this time of year, because on the surface of the ground squirrels appear only on days when the sun is shining, so the chance to see above ground is very limited. In previous years, they awoke some time later, usually in the first days of March. Last year zazimovali early September, which is the usual term for them. Indeed ground squirrels go to bed very early, sometimes even in August. Colonies gophers under Sklenářka lived for two seasons freely spilled outside aviary and estimate includes about 50 individuals.



Source: tz Prague Zoo
Photo to tz: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

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