Meet the Critters
Meet the Critters! The Yellow Mud Turtle
Our largest yellow mud turtle. You can see the webbing between his toes, which allows him to swim with ease. This week, we’re meeting the yellow mud turtle! The yellow mud turtle is an abundant resident of Cheyenne Bottoms, living in quiet, still water, preferably in areas with a muddy...
Meet the Critters! The Bullsnake
The bullsnake is only allowed to roam the halls of the KWEC under close supervision, we promise After a Thanksgiving break, we’re back with this week’s Meet the Critters! The star of this week’s show is the bullsnake, also known as the gopher snake. We’ve got a beautiful bu...
Meet the Critters! The Six-lined Racerunner
Meet the six-lined racerunner! An abundant inhabitant of the United States, the six-lined racerunner is known for its lightning quick speed – they’ve been clocked at 18 mph! Found mostly in warm, dry areas such as open fields or sparse woods, this lizard darts around at grou...
Meet the Critters! The Great Plains Toad
Our classroom is home to over 30 live critters native to Cheyenne Bottoms. This week, we’d like to introduce you to the Great Plains toad. We have two Great Plains toads here at KWEC, a male and a female. This nocturnal species is very long lived, up to 10 years in captivity. Our female...
Meet the Critters! The Big Brown Bat
The big brown bat uses those enormous ears to locate its insect prey Meet the big brown bat! We’ve got three of these little guys here at the KWEC, and they’re some of our favorite critters. Myths about bats are everywhere, so we’ll try to clear some of those up this week! Myth #...
Meet the Critters! The Common Kingsnake
The common kingsnake is our star this week on Meet the Critters. The common kingsnake is considered to be the most beautiful snake native to Cheyenne Bottoms, and our resident here at KWEC is no exception. Their striking black and yellow patterns are like no other snake found on the refug...
Meet the Critters! The Common Snapping Turtle
In this fourth installment of our Meet the Critters series, we’d like you to meet the common snapping turtle. This prehistoric looking beast is found from the east coast of North America all the way to Colorado, and from Florida to Canada. We have two common snapping turtles here at the center...
Meet the Critters! The Grasshopper Mouse
Date: 11/07/2012
This week, we’re introducing you the most ferocious mouse around, the Northern Grasshopper Mouse! Grasshopper mice are mostly carnivorous, though they will snack on seeds and fruit when available. It’s estimated that in the wild, up to 89% of their diet is made up of insects...
Meet the Critters! The Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel
Date: 10/12/2012
Continuing our series “Meet the Critters,” this week, we’d like to introduce you to the thirteen-lined ground squirrel. The thirteen-lined ground squirrel is related to prairie dogs, marmots, and chipmunks, and is common throughout the Great Plains. This small rodent g...
Meet the Critters! The American Kestrel
Date: 10/09/2012
This week, we’d like to introduce you to the American Kestrel, the smallest raptor in North America. Here at KWEC, we have a male American Kestrel. Pippin was brought to Prairie Park Nature Center in 2011 with a broken wing. Once he was healthy enough to place, he came t...
Meet the Critters! The Red-eared Slider
Date: 10/07/2012
This week on Meet the Critters, we’re introducing you to a common sight in ponds and creeks around Kansas – the red-eared slider! Red-eared sliders get their names from two things: the first is the bright patches of red right behind their eyes, the second is their reaction to...
Meet the Critters! The Western Hognose Snake
Date: 10/05/2012
Our classroom is home to over 30 live critters native to Cheyenne Bottoms. This week, we’d like to introduce you to the western hognose snake. Our hognose is one of our newest additions to KWEC, we purchased the male from a captive breeder only a month ago. He is just a few months old, and wit...
Meet the Critters! The Tiger Salamander
Date: 10/02/2012
With their wide mouths, tiger salamanders look like they're always grinning. This week’s critter is the tiger salamander! The tiger salamander is the state amphibian of Kansas, and an all around handsome critter. They’re named for their beautiful stripes, which help them stay camoufl...