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| This large signs reminds that it's important to keep voices down when near the chick rearing facility at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. | |
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| About 24 hours prior to hatching the chick uses its egg-tooth to break a small hole in the egg shell. This is referred to as "pipping" and slowly, over the next day, the chick enlarges the hole, working its way around the perimeter, very much like a can-opener. | |
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| This is the first hatch of the season! And its one of the San Antonio Zoo cranes... Hatchdate: 4/21/03 | |
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| Two days later it is strong enough to stand on its own. Time will tell if this is a male or female crane - researchers take a small sample from the egg sac that the crane hatched from and perform DNA tests to determine the gender. | |
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This is one of the very important adult role models, which are each house adjacent the chick runs at the Patuxent facility. Separating each role model from chick is fencing but also clear Plexiglas panels, which allow the new chicks to watch the older cranes. At times the crane crew actually sees the adult cranes trying to offer food to the youngsters; only to tap their long beaks against the plastic panels... This particular role model is very special in that he is crane #6 from the '02 hatch year! Number 6 was found to have a droopy wing early on in last year's training season and as a result was never transported to Necedah, WI. Instead, because he had already received some training with the ultralight aircraft, it was decided that he would stay at the facility and graduate to the status of Adult Role Model for the future chicks. |
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| This is the second chick to hatch out - Official hatchday: 4/22/03 | |
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| The first object the newly hatched chick sees is a puppet head, resembling an adult Whooping crane. | |
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| Dr. Glenn Olsen examines each new chick to ensure each is healthy. | |
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And of course everything must be done in-costume when in the vicinity of the new crane chicks. |
Whooping crane 206 (hatch year 2002-crane 6). |
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Photos taken by: Dan Sprague |
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