3:00 snapshot #1402 plus bonus tropical forest animals

[urbpan]

Hey look it's our new mandrill pair! This is Squiggy. The lighting of our exhibit and the heavy brow of these animals makes them always look broody. These guys are senior animals, characterized by arthritis and a generally slow pace compared to younger monkeys we've had.


This is Morticia, she's about half the size of the male. They are usually very close to one another, and will smell one another's mouth to find out what the other has been eating. I love mandrills, they have such expressive faces and gestures.


Here's Jockamo the giant anteater! Why is he going so fast?


He's excited because he's getting a nice shower from his keeper. He ran back and forth into and out of the stream, sometimes stopping to groom himself with his huge claws.


Of all the animals I've been lucky enough to see close up, I think the giant anteater is the most unbelievable. I mean that literally: if I hadn't seen one close up, I'm not sure that I would believe they were real.