The harsh cold continues. The "Animal Plaza" at Inokashira Park Zoo has completely withered in winter, and it's hard to believe it was bustling with creatures until autumn. However, even in winter, creatures continue to live in various ways.

On January 13, 2013, we held a "New Year's Exploration of Local Creatures" event to search for creatures that survive the winter. The program involved children searching for and catching wild animals in the "Creature Plaza" and throughout the park.

We always start by setting a goal like, "Let's find XX kinds of creatures!", but many of the participating children are repeat visitors, so we set a high goal of 80 species and set off!

In hollows in tree trunks, under fallen leaves, beneath stones... Searching for creatures in winter requires patience and persistence. Under stones and decaying wood we found Eastern Japanese Common Toad and earwigs; between peeling bark we found Japanese gecko and spider eggs; on branches where leaves had fallen we found praying mantis eggs; and on the underside of fallen leaves beneath hackberry trees we found nymphs of the spotted butterfly. Everyone became an insect-eyed (desperately searching for insects) and discovered an amazing 60 different species of creatures. Unfortunately, we didn't reach 80 species, but everyone seemed satisfied that we were able to find so many creatures even in winter.

What excited the children the most was the small hornet hibernating inside a rotten log. The boys, in particular, seemed captivated by its beautiful yellow and black coloring and its cool-looking face.

And to top it all off, I made an amazing discovery. When I brought a hornet back to my room in a small plastic case to observe it, I found the head of a parasitic insect called a hornet's twisted wing protruding from its rear end. Of course, this was also added to the list of species.

In the winter "Let's Play in the Wildlife Plaza" program, we'll search for creatures that are overwintering, just like in this program. You might make new discoveries about inconspicuous creatures that are often overlooked in the spring and summer when there are so many animals around.

Photo above: Scenes from the "New Year's Exploration of Local Creatures" event.
Photo: Larva of the Common Map butterfly
Photo below: Hippopotamus

[Inokashira Park Zoo Zoo]

(January 25, 2013)