Though black bears may be Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant’s specialty, the Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild co-host has a slew of other species she’s fond of.
Check out this wildlife ecologist’s five favorite animals.
5 species Dr. Rae adores
Bald eagles
“Since I was a kid, I just thought bald eagles were amazing,” Dr. Rae said. “Just look at them!”
Her first time seeing a bald eagle was while driving on the freeway in New York state, when she spotted one in the sky.
“I almost drove off the freeway because I couldn’t believe it!” Dr. Rae said.
Dr. Rae was able to work with a bald eagle in the Protecting the Wild episode, “Rescue, Rehab and Release,” She and Co-Host Peter Gros went to Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) to see how they rehabilitated the bald eagle who was injured from a gunshot wound. Then, they got to participate in the eagle’s release back into the wild.
It’s because of organizations like PAWS that the bald eagle population is growing. In 1978 bald eagles were listed as an endangered species, but thanks to conservationists, they were removed from the list in 2007.
“We almost lost them as a species,” Dr. Rae said. “And today, there are hundreds of thousands of them because conservation actually works!”
Gorillas
As a young girl, Dr. Rae was fascinated by the gorillas she saw on TV. This curiosity only grew further when she lived near gorillas in Africa. She even went on an expedition to look for lowland gorillas but didn’t see one.
“I think it’s amazing that human primates have such close cousins, evolutionary, that we’re sharing the world with,” Dr. Rae said. “They have these families that are so much like ours. I think it’s kind of comforting to see other wild animals that have a society like us.”
As a wildlife professional, Dr. Rae also has a special spot for gorillas, which are classified as endangered.
“There’s always been this knowledge that they need help and attention,” Dr. Rae said.
Giant pandas
While filming the Season 3 Protecting the Wild episode, “Panda-Monium!” Dr. Rae and Peter went to the San Diego Zoo to see giant pandas.
“Being 20 feet from a giant panda, even in human care, is extremely moving,” Dr. Rae said. “They have this kind of quiet dignity to them.”
As a black bear expert, Dr. Rae knows a lot about the eight species of bears around the world, but she and other scientists still have a lot to learn about pandas.
One of the panda’s greatest mysteries is its appearance. Why do pandas all share the same look when other bears within a species can look quite different?
“It must somehow be important for their evolution, but why is it important?” Dr. Rae said. “They all look exactly the same to us, but our vision is different than other animals, so perhaps they look wildly different to each other.”
Scientists are also trying to figure out giant panda’s biology. They can eat and digest meat, but pandas only eat bamboo.
“I always like it when there’s some big, iconic species, like giant pandas, and we can say, ‘Actually we don’t know why and we need to know and we want to know,’” Dr. Rae said. “We need many generations of scientists devoted to studying this animal so that we can understand them.”
Chameleons
Another animal Dr. Rae has always thought was neat is the chameleon. There are more than 200 chameleon species. Some are rare, and others more common, like the ones Dr. Rae encountered while studying in Kenya. Most chameleons live in Africa.
“Their eyes are so cool, how they can move in different directions,” Dr. Rae said. “There are multiple things about chameleons that I’m always like, ‘Hello! Why aren’t we talking about this more?’”
Chameleons are most known for their ability to camouflage by changing color to match their environment. Scientists are still trying to figure out just exactly what allows chameleons to do this.
One of Dr. Rae’s other favorite characteristics of chameleons is the way they catch insects.
“Their tongue is almost like a frog,” Dr. Rae said. “It reaches out and retracts really quickly to get an insect.”
“The world isn’t talking about chameleons enough!”
Moose
“Every time I’ve encountered a moose, it’s been a bit unexpected,” Dr. Rae said. “To me, there’s a bit of magic about moose because they’ve always shown up and caught me off guard.”
Unlike other members of the deer family, moose are solitary animals. They’re the tallest mammal in North America, standing around 6 feet tall. Moose are found in colder climates and are sensitive to changes in the environment.
“They’re actually really good indicators of climate change because they need to live in climates that remain cool,” Dr. Rae said.
Learn about another indicator species, the Ozark hellbender.
Then check out Peter Gros’ top five animals.
