3:00 snapshot #1222: Tropical Forest Zoo Animals!

[urbpan]

Abby the Baird's tapir sniffs down into her pool.



Abby and Milton standing around their pool. They communicate a lot--I'm not sure about what. Much of it is olfactory, lots of flehmening.


Jockamo, the giant anteater was very active as I walked by. One of my coworkers proposed a study on anteater pacing--they are one of those species that is usually either sleeping or pacing (also big cats). I am fascinated by Jockamo. He quarantined at Stone Zoo (because of space reasons--the hospital was too full to accomodate him at the time) so I've never taken care of him. Definitely one of the most singular, unique animals at the zoo.


We have a number of capybaras--I don't even know which one this is. They have a range of temperaments, and people in other parts of the country keep them as pets. Massachusetts has strict laws about what wild animals can be kept as pets (almost none). It wasn't until I started to write this post that I noticed something that all the animals above have in common. Actually two things. Any guesses? Answer behind the spoiler cut.


This is our one yellow-billed stork. He is the largest free-flight bird in the building.


The Tropical Forest Exhibit used to be the "African Tropical Forest" but over time they put in tropical animals from other parts of the world. All the mammals in this post are South American. The stork is native to sub-Saharan Africa. The mammals are also the largest species in various categories: Baird's tapir is the largest mammal in South America. The giant anteater is the largest anteater species (and second only to the giant armadillo as the largest extant xenarthran). The capybara is famously the world's largest rodent species.

Extinct members of their taxa were true giants: ancient tapir relatives were the largest land mammals to ever live, giant glyptodonts and sloths were elephant-sized, and ancient rodents were as big as bears.

Comments

[elainetyger.livejournal.com]

And they're all adorable. The capybara should be on the standard of its paesano, the new pope.

[bunrab.livejournal.com]

Those are three of my favorite mammals ever. Not so much because they're giants, though for the capybara that is certainly part of the charm - but because they are such weird adaptations, things in odd niches that don't look like the other things that live around them. My plush toy anteater and plush toy tapir are two of my favorites. I wonder why I don't have a toy capybara? Could it be because on that scale, no one could tell it apart from a guinea pig?