AFRICAN SAFARI
Giraffes consistently amaze me with their long necks and legs that give them a typical height of 5 m (or 16-18 feet). I had no idea they had a voracious appetite, consuming roughly 45 kg (or 100 lbs) of leaves and twigs a day!
The Meerkat has dark eyes that act as built-in sunglasses, protecting it from the harsh sun.
Did you know that each Zebra has his own unique set of stripes?
The Himalayan Tahrs are at home on the steep slopes overlooking Sydney harbor. Their special hooves have flexible, rubbery cores that help them grip rocks and lodge their hooves into the smallest crevice.
The Chimpanzees were in their typical playful mood.
Barbary Sheep are native to the rocky mountains in North Africa where they can graze on grasses. Both the terrain and their camouflage helps protect them from predators. I didn't know they can do a standing jump of over 2 m (or 6.5 feet)!
AUSTRALIAN WALKABOUT
I had heard of the Anteater but not the Short-Beaked Echidna that are native to Australia and covered with long, sharp-edged, hollow hair. Apparently, they can burrow into the ground and leave only the sharp quills exposed for protection. Their long nose and sticky tongue allow them to extract food from ant and termite nests.
It was fascinating to visit commonly-known species indigenous to Australia like the Wallaby, Emu and (of course) Koala Bear.
I am particularly fond of this shot of the sleeping Koala in the tree. These bears are definitely cute awake or asleep!
As one who lives in Thailand, I am quite familiar with the importance of the elephant to that country's history. The Asian Elephants are truly remarkable, with trunks that can pick up something as small as a peanut and as big as a tree. Their trunk also assists in communication, smelling, lifting, defense and offense.
RAINFOREST AND REPTILE TRAILS
A variety of reptiles were available for the viewing, some I recognize as roaming free in Thailand!
The Southern Cassowary lives in the wet tropics of Australia and is the third largest bird in the world.
I didn't get the name of this multi-colored bird from the rainforest as it was not in a designated area but sharing the path along with us visitors to the zoo.
The Francois Langur monkey is indigenous to the limestone cliffs in Southeast Asia. I suppose the organizers placed this animal in the Rainforest category because it likes to sleep in cool wet caves which are common in tropical zones.
All in all, a great day at the zoo being able to view animal species from this part of the world.
