California Condor #190, aka "Slope Slug"

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Hatchday: May 10th, 1998 Hatch location Los Angeles Zoo Sex: Female Current Status: Partnered with Kingpin (#167) Offspring: Foster mother to Ventana (#444) Current location: Big Sur, CA

Condor #190 took many months longer than her flock members to explore the rest of the world, rarely moving more than a quarter mile from the release slope. Biologists eventually grew a bit impatient with her very stationary lifestyle, which led to her unflattering nickname, the slope slug.

A clerical error for Slope Slug, lead us to believe she was male for many years. Hugely puzzled by apparent female courtship behaviors, we contacted the LA Zoo and the error was finally corrected. Biologists who have worked on the condor project for many years still have a difficult time thinking of Slope Slug as female, after defining her as male for so many years. Now she is a foster mother and has started laying eggs, her female status is easier to remember!

When Slope Slug was released, she was at the bottom of the dominance hierarchy. She was mercilessly harassed by the rest of the flock, and forced to wait until everyone else had fed. Many years later, she paired with Kingpin - the most dominant male in Big Sur. Since that time, she has enjoyed lording over the rest of the flock, apparently feeling that "what comes around, goes around".

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