By: Valentina, Tori, Diego

WEATHER: Weather in Asia varies, with wet and humid climates across southeast section, and dry at the interior. Also seasonal monsoons (wind storms) across South and Southeast Asia.

• Monsoons in Asia are classified into two sub-systems;
  • These are East Asian monsoon, and South Asian Monsoon
    • East Asian monsoon is classified as a storm that carries a mix of moist air from both the Indian and Pacific ocean.
    • South Asian monsoon normally are known as "summer monsoons". These occur from July to September.

Asia is in the northeastern hemisphere, meaning that the warm temperatures begin in March, and rise the most from June to August. Colder temperatures begin in October, and drop most from December to February.

This means that the seasons are quite similar to those in Miami, as our summers and our winters occur at the same time as theirs. Climate is also pretty similar to an extent; Miami is particularly humid and wet, but not so much dry as Asia is in some sections.

The difference between Miami and the region of Asia is that places on the southern border of North America, such as Florida in general, tend to have warm temperatures throughout most of the year. Asia, on the other hand, has a more of a noticeable change of temperature during the year. For example, temperatures in Florida drop in the winter to an average of 16°C (60.8°F), and go up to an average of 21°C (70°F) in the summer. However, in much of Asia temperatures can drop to the negatives during the winter months while having upwards of 27°C during the summer.

Biomes in Asia range from wetlands and grasslands, to deserts, to forests and mountains.

Comparison:

In the Miami Zoo, the dromedary camels were put into a somewhat different environment then they are usually accustomed to.

• The environment of their habitat was mostly grass and tress, and only a little bit of sand, but dromedary camels usually live in the desert. Dromedary camels live on the northwestern side of Asia (middle east) some examples of deserts there are the Thar Desert, Gobi Desert, and the Kara Kum Desert. The environment in Miami is different than the deserts of the middle east because Miami is more subtropical, with beaches on the coast, while the desert is completely sandy all throughout.
• The climate was different because the climate in miami is humid, and dromedary camels usually live in the dry and arid areas that are deserts. The difference is that the temperatures in Miami rise mostly in the summer months, but in places like these middle eastern deserts the temperatures are always at a higher range.

The dromedary camels live in a very different place than the agrid, hot deserts they have adapted to. The habitat they were given at the zoo was grassy and more sub-tropical, which is not what they are accustomed to. The animals were given a relatively small but fair amount of space to roam, and since they are not particularly active, it did not seem as though they were out of place in the habitat that was given to them.

Comparison:

In the Miami Zoo, the asiatic lions have a quite similar habitat to the typical environment of Asia.

• Asiatic Lions are not found all too commonly in Asia, they are mostly found in India's Gir forest. The climate there is tropical, with humid temperatures and common rainfalls. The difference between the two climates is that the temperatures in the Gir Forest change drastically from day to night, and between winter and summer. In places like Miami, temperatures are high during the summer months from June to August, and cool during the winter months from December to February. It is similar because climate in Miami is also humid, and also includes several rainfalls and tropical storms.
• The environment is quite similar as the habitats of these animals is tropical. Miami is subtropical, but the similarities are the amount of tropical storms and rains, as well as humid climate, and the rise of temperature in the warmer months. The differences are how much the temperatures lower in the colder months, as well as, of course, lack of sand and beaches. The habitat at the zoo was filled with grass and, as Miami has, sub-tropical plants, as well as a bit of sand. This was very similar to their normal habitats that they have in their regular environments.

The asiatic lions are not in a completely different place both environmentally and climate-wise than their own natural habitats. In the zoo exhibit, the lions had a fairly large amount of room to roam, with rocks and hills to climb and plenty of open grass space.

Comparison:

In the Miami Zoo, the Banteng Bulls have a very different environment to their normal habitat in the region of Southeast Asia.

• Temperatures in Southeast Asia are generally more warm, considering it is in the more tropical area of Asia. This also means the temperature is more humid, as well as it is here in Miami. This area is greatly affected by the monsoon season; there is a dry season and a wet season caused by the changes in the monsoon wind pattern. During monsoon season, heavy rainfalls are expected, which is also similar to the tropical storms of Miami. A difference between the region of the bantengs and Miami, is that the high mountaintop ranges have a drier landscape, with more arid temperatures. But the majority of Southeast Asia is wet and tropical.
• In this region, the environment is tropical, meaning the landscape involves a variety of rainforests and vegetation. Miami is only subtropical, meaning it does not contain the same amount of forests and jungles as there are in this region. In Southeast Asia, a small portion is dry, with only a relatively small effect of the monsoons compared to the rest of the region. In this area, on the other hand, there is little vegetation and rainfalls.

In general, the climate and environmental status of Miami is not too different from where the Banteng bulls are from. However, their habitat inside the zoo was sandy and completely dry. The space was fair but rather small.

Comparison:

In the Miami Zoo, the area where the asian box turtles live is very similar to their normal environment.

• Like the banteng bulls, the asian box turtle lives in the more tropical area of Asia; in southeast Asia. Their environment consists of aquatic or semi-aquatic regions, and they usually live in small and shallow swamps. They are herbivores (plant eaters), meaning that their habitats consist of places with an abundance of vegetation. Since this area is tropical, the environment is similar to Miami; but it is different it contains more plant life (aka jungles and forests). Some of the regions in Asia where these turtles can be found include places like China, Indonesia and the Philippines.
• The climate of southeast Asia is similar because it is humid and wet. Rainfalls and tropical storms are common here as well as they are in Miami. Yet, regions like the tropical areas of Asia definitely are more expectant for seasonal monsoons. This brings on many tropical storms and more humid climate.

The box turtles are held in a small space in the Miami Zoo, but they have similar aspects in their zoo habitat that they normally do. This includes rocks to climb and a water feature.

Comparison:

In the Miami Zoo, the area where the oriental small clawed otters are kept is very similar to their normal environment.

• As well as the asian box turtles, the small clawed otters live in the southeast region of Asia, where there is a more aquatic region. These animals can be found anywhere next to small or large bodies of water- river banks, ponds, lakes, freshwater swamps, and rice fields. This is similar in a sense to the region of Miami because Miami also resides near large bodies of water. What is different about these regions is that they are mostly aquatic, and not sub-tropical.
• The climate of this region is humid, with monsoons during specific seasons of the year. The climate is humid, with rainstorms being common. Temperatures are usually warm, but cool off a little during the winter months. These regions experience more storms than Miami and more intense ones too, but generally the temperatures and climate changes are very similar.

Their zoo habitat was quite small, but they had space to swim and climb rocks which definitely gave them the opportunity to have more exercise.

Request to the zoo:

We request for the habitats for the zoo to be larger, so the animals will not feel so much in captivity and will be more free to roam. The animals seemed trapped, like they did not have either enough space to feel comfortable inside the habitat or like they did not have enough space to roam for exercise.

Also we request that some of the animals have their habitats changed to the kind of environments that they are usually accustomed to. This will make the animals feel more comfortable and at home rather than feel out of place in a new environment.

CITATION:

Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark. (2017, March 28). Arabian Camel. Retrieved April 02, 2017, from http://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/a/arabian-camel/

Oriental small-clawed otter. (2017, March 23). Retrieved April 02, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriental_small-clawed_otter

(n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2017, from http://www.boxturtles.com/

Temperatures and Weather in Asia. (n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2017, from https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/?continent=asia

Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark. (2017, March 28). Arabian Camel. Retrieved April 02, 2017, from http://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/a/arabian-camel/

Miami Weather. (n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2017, from https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g34438-s208/Miami:Florida:Weather.And.When.To.Go.html

Asia. (2016, July 12). Retrieved April 02, 2017, from http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/aslanddeserts.htm

Asian Box Turtle. (2017, February 07). Retrieved April 02, 2017, from https://allturtles.com/asian-box-turtle/

Climate of Asia. (2017, March 23). Retrieved April 02, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Asia

The Green Standard. (n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2017, from http://eng.bambooselect.com/sasagroup.html

Fargesia robusta. (n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2017, from http://www.bamboogarden.com/Fargesia%20robusta.html