Visitors can view a series of aviaries even before they reach the ticket booth. This one contains some red-tailed black cockatoos.
A Pesquet's parrot. It is easy to see how it received its alternate common name of vulturine parrot.
Past the ticket booth, there is an exhibit for a Matschie's tree-kangaroo.
A shoebill.
The main display area starts as one goes up a flight of stairs. Even though this institution is nominally an aquarium, most of the exhibits are not strictly aquatic-themed. Its biggest and probably most impressive display is an immersive exhibit simulating a tropical South American rainforest. A variety of birds are free to roam here and a few other animals have at least the illusion of such freedom. There are also smaller, enclosed displays set along the path throughout.
One of these enclosed displays contained a number of small birds. This blue-naped chlorophonia aptly demonstrates why the display is known as "Jungle Jewels".
I neglected to take a picture of the sign for this one, but I think it is a swallow tanager. I wasn't a fan of the touchscreen signs they had at this aquarium. In my experience, the average visitor ignores typical signs frequently enough as they are, let alone signs that require you to click through multiple menus to find what you are looking at. Even I couldn't be bothered at times to read the exhibit signs here, which is saying something.
Some golden-headed manakins.
A helmeted curassow with its striking casque.
Sharing its enclosure were two giant anteaters (only one visible in this photo) and many other bird species. This exhibit was extremely tall (making it difficult for visitors to see most of the birds), but the ground space looked far too small for the anteaters. Sadly, this is a recurring problem with this aquarium.
Some white-faced sakis. They are confined to an island in the midst of the immersive habitat, but the tall trees and dense foliage probably make up for limited horizontal space.
On the flip side, some pied tamarins were kept in a glass-fronted display that didn't appear to provide much room for them. Though they are small, they are also very active, and would almost certainly appreciate more opportunities to burn off their high energy.
Below them was a (small-looking, yet again) pond for giant otters, the first ones I've ever seen in life. (In typical otter fashion, they were too active to photograph easily.) Despite its flaws, the Dallas World Aquarium is arguably worth a visit for the impressive number of rarely-seen species it has.
A curl-crested aracari. There are likely more toucan species housed here than anywhere else I've been to.
A pygmy marmoset in much the same situation as the pied tamarins.
A three-toed sloth! Another first for me, as two-toed sloths are much more common in captivity.
An emperor tamarin, from a view that doesn't fully show off its distinctive mustache.
An Orinoco crocodile, likely yet another first!
A Cuvier's dwarf caiman, sadly in yet another tiny exhibit.
The descending pathway leads to an underwater view of the lake surrounding the monkey island visible from earlier in the tour. This tank houses many Amazonian fish and a West Indian manatee.
The rainforest gives way to the part of the aquarium that actually focuses on aquariums. Ultimately a minor part of the facility in terms of space, but not without gems like this mandarinfish.
There were your "standard" leafy seadragons and weedy seadragons, but I had never seen ribboned pipefish before then. Their seaweed-mimicking appendages are probably convergent with those of the better-known seaweed-mimicking pipefish. (Yes, seadragons are pipefish, not seahorses!)
A sea cucumber. I frequently see this species in pictures, but its name escapes me.
A small outdoor detour took us to a series of displays with African animals, including some black-footed penguins. Penguins are wonderful, but I was more taken by this white-crested turaco.
The last third of the aquarium was devoted to Mesoamerican animals and their roles in Mayan culture. This part starts off with a series of terrarium-style exhibits before making way for another immersive rainforest display, though it is smaller than the one that came before.
Some Mexican beaded lizards. They were being fed while they were there, hence why one of them has a baby mouse in its mouth. Prior to the discovery that the presence of venom is widespread in squamates, beaded lizards and the Gila monster were widely said to be the only venomous lizards (naturally, excluding snakes in those pre-phylogenetic-nomenclature days). Behind them were some rattlesnakes (which I didn't get pictures of), separated by glass but giving off the illusion of sharing the same exhibit.
A Morelet's crocodile.
A jaguar playing with a log. Although there is an outdoors portion of its enclosure (only visible to visitors through a video camera), this exhibit still suffers from limited space.
A harpy eagle. Cool.
An ocellated turkey, the species of turkey we North Americans are not familiar with.
As Matthew's Animals have travelled to several zoos across the European Continent as well as Israel, Australia and Japan, We think it would be nice to leave some zoo reviews, starting off with MA's fond favourite, Edinburgh.
ReplyDelete/\/\/\/\/\= 5/5 stars
Overview
Very notable, a skip-stone away from the luxorious Edinburgh Hotel inn, Edinburgh Zoo, although located in the centre of the large Edinburgh City, is a very beautiful and landscaped zoo.
Animals and enclosures
ReplyDeleteSoon after you get in Edinburgh Zoo, you are greeted by some common species in zoos, Scarlet Ibis, Chilean Flamingo and Meerkats. Past the large Eastern White Pelicans, a large Bush-themed exhibit made for the purpose of housing African Bush Dogs, and in later exhibits here, Southern Pudu and Hammerkop.
Although the monkey house for zoogoers here can't be said interesting, The Giant Pandas have a beautiful enclosure. On August days they might be asleep, but on a September morning, the Pandas are likely to be awake.
The last Rhino at Edinburgh Zoo (its partner went to another zoo) Is a young Greater One-horned Rhinoceros, known by name as Bertus. He will participate in a breeding programme once by sexual he is mature.
There is more, but would be a bit tiring for more details.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the Pygmy Hippo close up don't look liberal, even less liberal looking does their house.
ReplyDeleteBetween the hippos and the otters, There is a round enclosure, covered in foliage, made for one Striped Skunk, whom originally lived near the porcupine, as the two would live in the wild.
Near that, the Sun Bears have "been fed enough protein so please do not feed them."
As one goes up the zoo, the Koala House is in sight, with the only koalas in the UK, with 0,2 koalas and 1,0 koala. They gave birth to yet one more 0,1 koala, but died in 2016.
ReplyDeleteAs one gets out Koala Territory, they go to Wallaby Walkthrough, populated by Swamp Wallabies and the occasionial wild rabbit.
Nearby the wallabies, there is a nice group of again 2,0 and 0,1 Viatnemese Spotted Deer. Up the zoo, there are 0,2 Nile Lechwe, 1,0 Nile Lechwe, 0,0,? Lowland Nyala, (they have a large herd, so hard to tell,) and a small herd of Grevy's Zebra, in the African Plains Exhibit, and nearby, Vicun'a, a nice pair of Asian Lion, and |a pair of tigers.| (Like Teletubbies, remember?)
This post is about the Dallas World Aquarium, NOT Edinburgh! My kids grew up with DWA and absolutely LOVED it. Yes, the exhibits are small but nonetheless magnificent. The animals appear happy and well-kept. The admission price of this "zoo" is well worth coming in from the summer heat and strolling around, with or without the kids.
ReplyDelete