San Diego Zoo - A to L

Wednesday September 30, 2009

I'm not a big fan of zoos and it would be fine with me if there were none, but I have to admit that we did enjoy our day at the zoo. As a kid I had wanted to see the world famous San Diego Zoo, and here we were. $63 for the two of us included use of Skyfari aerial tram, guided bus tour and express bus.

I failed to take a picture of the entrance
so this will have to do.

A IS FOR:
Anteater

Giant Anteater

This is kind of a mishmash of anteaters but I couldn't get a better shot. Trivia: Giant anteaters can fend off or even kill their main predators, big cats such as jaguars and pumas. Their sense of smell is 40 times more powerful than ours.

Antelope

Various antelopes - Top two: Cavendish's Dik Dik (and/or Red-flanked Duiker - not sure); bottom left: Speke's Gazelle maybe; bottom right: Southern Gerenuk.

Antelopes are one of my favourite animal groups. I read that the name antelope comes from a Greek word meaning 'brightness of the eye'.

Nubian Soemmerring's Gazelle

A pretty antelope that I've never heard of.

* * * * *

C IS FOR:

Condor (California Condor)

Condor sounds better than vulture. :-)

* * * * *

D IS FOR:
Drink

$4.50

* * * * *

E IS FOR:

Egret

I'm not sure it's an egret but that's my best guess.

Elephant

The zoo seems quite excited about the 7½ acre Elephant Odyssey. No wonder - it cost $45 million and took four years to create.

Glenn wanted to see elephants most of all because he'd never seen one in real life. I was amazed at how much dirt they could pick up with their trunks. If any African elephants were around, we didn't find them.

The elephant care center covers half an acre. I understand elephants get check-ups, feet cleanings and such done here. We saw elephants in these cages later when we went by later on a bus, but didn't have to time to stop and watch.

* * * * *

F IS FOR:

Flamingo

There were lots of a flamingos, a few spoonbills and other birds in this pond.

But I like this picture because it takes me back to how warm and peaceful it was at this spot.

* * * * *

G IS FOR:

Giraffe

Masai Giraffe

Our first view as we saw them from the express bus which we hopped on after wandering around on foot for a few hours.

We got off the bus for a closer look.

The tallest one figured something was up by a building and went to check it out. Two others followed him as he peered over to the other side.

They don't miss a trick. Moments later a guy showed up with food and soon six giraffes were following him. Note the pacing kind of gait.

The tall one was considerably larger than the rest. Imagine the system involved in getting blood to the head and down the legs, and look at how that neck can bend. I wonder if they get neck aches. Their hearts are two feet long.

This smaller one looked like a juvenile. What a beaut.

* * * * *

H IS FOR:

Hog

As wild hogs go, this is a rather attractive one, I think.

* * * * *

K IS FOR:

Koala

I was surprised how small they were - about the size of a baby. They were all dozing. Koalas only eat eucalyptus leaves but like the leaves of about three dozen varieties out of more than 600 different kinds of eucalyptus trees. They also eat a little dirt now and then to help with digestion.

* * * * *

Kudu

Lesser Kudu

I was looking forward to seeing Kudus since I never saw any in Tanzania, although I think the Greater Kudus are much grander looking than these lesser types which are still lovely.

* * * * *

L IS FOR:

Lapwing

An interesting looking bird.

Lioness

To me, lions never look right in zoos.

Llama

On the express bus the driver stopped to chat to a couple of workers who came along with llamas. There seems to be great camaraderie among staff at this zoo.

San Diego Zoo - M to Z

M IS FOR:
Meerkat

Now we come to one of the highlights of the zoo for us, the meerkats. This bunch of characters were almost always moving - playing, fighting, rolling on top of one another, running through pipes and in and out of holes. I could watch them all day.

If you've watched the tv show Meerkat Manor, you'll know that usually at least one member of the family is on guard duty. Even here, where there are probably no predators to worry about, this fellow takes his lookout job seriously.

Monkey

* * * * *

P IS FOR:

Panda

Giant Panda Bear

We went straight to the giant panda area because I'd heard it could get crowded. It looked like there was a railing for a snaking line-up so maybe we were lucky to be there with so few people around. The caretakers seemed protective of the pandas and encouraged people to be quiet. I believe the panda above was a young one. It didn't do much other than eat - chew away, stop and look at you, and go back to eating - but it was sure cute.

Cute, but according to one of the zoo's signs: "A giant panda's powerful jaws and huge molars grind and shred bamboo branches that would jam a wood-chipping machine."

Its mother came out later. Here she is walking off with a chunk of bamboo. We were told that she was taking part in a hearing test being done on all bears.

Parrot

A lorikeet? I'm not sure.

Peccary

Pig

Plant

I think this picture shows that it was hot and dry in the area of the zoo where the elephants are. We saw a rattlesnake, behind glass.

Polar Bear

Pronghorn

A rather gaunt specimen. The sign says pronghorns can run up to 40 mph but, by some accounts, they can run up to 60 mph and maintain speeds of 30-40 mph for long distances. I remember seeing them in N. or S. Dakota looking quite grand, romping off with their white rumps puffed up. Haven't seen any since. Pronghorns have hollow hair.

* * * * *

R IS FOR:

Rhino

Asian Rhino

A worker was standing at the rhino pen with a water hose but the rhinos weren't there. She called them and they came over, like pet dogs! We were amazed. Glenn thought they were pretty ugly. I just think their heads look heavy to hold up. This type of rhino was near extinction not that long ago. Rhinos may look ponderous but they move fast when they want to! Most appropriately, a group of them can be called a 'crash'.

* * * * *

S IS FOR:

Skyfari aerial tram

A great way of zipping across the park is by aerial tram. We rode it a couple of times.

* * * * *

T IS FOR:

Takin

I'd never heard of a Takin in my life.

Tar Pits

A sign at this display reads: You've probably seen pictures of fossils being dug out of dirt. But fossils are also found in natural asphalt seeps, or "tar pits." These sticky ponds act like quicksand, trapping anything that falls in, preserving the remains. The most famous of these areas is the La Brea Tar Pits located in Los Angeles, California. Since 1906, more than a million bones have been recovered from these pits.

The skull was from some sort of bear. There was a mark on a wall showing its height. 10 feet? Whatever it was, it would have towered over us.

Tiger

* * * * *

Z IS FOR:

Zebra

Grevy's Zebra

* * * * *

We didn't cover the whole zoo by any means. I think you'd need an entire day; two would be better. We missed a lot of animals - snow leopards, camels, crocodiles, gorillas, etc., and a miniature train. If one had time, there are talks that would be interesting to attend such as: the Gerenuks Keeper Talk, Gorillas Keeper Talk, and Tigers Keeper Talk. Now we leave the zoo and head for a restaurant in Balboa Park.