You've just taken a job as the veterinarian's assistant at a nearby zoo. The vet is gone for the weekend, so you're in charge.

Your experience has been mostly with your own pets (dogs, cats, and goldfish). Now you have to solve problems related to real, wild animals. Luckily, you have your mathematics skills and the Internet at your fingertips.

Click an animal's name in the list below to get started.

» Liona, the African Lioness

» The Bengal Tigers

» Kola the Koala

» Trish the Ostrich

Liona, the African Lioness

Liona, the African lioness, has been resting 22 hours per day. Zoo visitors are asking you if she's sick.

When Liona is not resting, she's been roaring so loud that it can be heard at the mall 5 miles away. This seems a bit odd.

You decide to use the Sea World/Busch Gardens Animal Database to find out if these symptoms are unusual.

Remember to return to this page by closing the new window.

Go visit the Animal Database page on the African lion.

When you get back, answer this question.

Is Liona sick?

Yes    No

 

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The Bengal Tigers

You saw the tigers eating yesterday, and they sure ate a lot. Now you're worried that there won't be enough food to last the weekend.

You have 10 Bengal tigers in your care. And you have 400 kg of meat for their next meal. You're wondering if you will have enough food, or if you will have hungry tigers being rude to the visitors this weekend.

Use the Sea World/Busch Gardens Animal Database to find out if 400 kg of meat is enough to feed 10 tigers.

Remember to return to this page by closing the new window.

Go to the Animal Database page on the Bengal tiger.

What was the result? Will the tigers be --

Hungry    Full

You remember that some kids asked you a question by e-mail the other day. They wanted to know what percent of a tiger's body weight a tiger eats each day. You figure the Animal Database might have the facts you need.

Remember to return to this page by closing the new window.

See if you can find the facts to calculate the percentage.

Go back to the Animal Database page on Bengal tigers.

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Kola the Koala

Visitors are worried that Kola, the Koala, is sleeping too much. (Why do people worry about how much the animals sleep? What would you do if you were in a zoo?) Kola is sleeping 21 hours a day. Is 21 hours of sleep normal for a koala?

Remember to return to this page by closing the new window.

Quick! Go to the Animal Database page to find out about the koala.

Should you contact the Vet and tell her the koala isn't well, based on the sleep data from the Animal Database?

Yes    No

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Trish the Ostrich

Oh my gosh! You just found out that Trish laid an egg that is 24 times as big as a chicken's egg! This seems so unusual that a visitor suggested that you sell it to a museum for a million dollars.

Is this a normal size egg for an ostrich? Or is it a gold mine for the zoo?

Remember to return to this page by closing the new window.

Go to the Animal Database page about the ostrich to find out.

Is this a normal sized ostrich egg?

Yes    No

Now that raising money for the zoo has come up, you're thinking about the possibility of ostrich races. You wonder how fast an ostrich can run.

Go back to the Animal Database page on the ostrich to find out how fast an ostrich can run. Then, decide if you think ostrich races are a good idea.

Here's a gotcha question. If you know how fast one ostrich runs, how many km/hr can 3 ostriches run together? (Did this question getcha?)

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