Bronx Zoo, New York City, New York


Bronx Zoo, New York City, New York


American Bison (Bison bison) - Western North America and Canada. Bison and Buffalo are used interchangeably in America. There is an African Buffalo that looks different than our American species. The American Bison has a large head with dark brown to black fur and short, curved horns. There is a beard under the chin. The coat is shaggy and long on the shoulder area, neck and front legs. The Bison have high, humped shoulders. The forehead has curly, thick hair. They live in large herds, grazing the prairies in semi-wild conditions. They feed in the early morning and evening in the wild. The Bison is very agile and can run 35 mph. Native Americans and early pioneers used to burn dried bison chips as fuel to keep warm. They fertilized the grazing land as they roamed, thus putting rich nutrients into the soil.

Amur Tiger - Siberian Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) - India, Sumatra, Java, Malaysia, Amur-Ussuri, a region of Siberia (Russia) and Northern China and Korea. The Amur or Siberian tiger is larger than the Bengal tiger. The Amur-Ussuri area is often covered with snow. This tiger has a thicker coat to combat the cold and the stripes may be lighter to blend in with the snow. Their claws are kept retracted except when they need them. There is white on the belly and inside legs of the Amur Tiger.

Amur Tiger - Siberian - (Panthera tigris altaica) - This is the largest living cat in the world. The male Amur Tiger is a solitary animal. The female tiger gives birth after about 103 days. Two to four blind cubs are born. In two weeks their eyes are opened and a three months the cubs venture out of the den. The cubs will stay with the mother for two or three years. The Amur tiger can measure 9 to 12 feet long from head to tail. They weigh 400 to 600 pounds.

Grizzly Bear (Urus arctos) - Alaska, Western Canada, Western USA, Russia, Asia north of the Himalayas and Europe; Scandinavia to Balkans. This bear has a hump on it's shoulders with a large, round head. The tips of the fur are whitish. They have long claws on the front feet.

White-throated Bee-eater ( Merops albicollis) - Africa south of the Sahara. Winters further south in West and Central Africa. The Bee-eater has a down curved bill, long, narrow wings and two thin tail streamers and white brow and white throat. They are colonial breeders and dig tunnels in mud banks next to each other. They catch bees and other insects on the wing. It recognizes insects that are venomous and holds them in the tip of their bill, making them safe to eat before swallowing.
omachrus auriceps)
Golden Headed Quetzal (Pharomachrus auriceps) - Panama to Northwestern South America. Quetzal are frugivorous, consuming fruits whole and regurgitating seeds later, which aids in seed dispersal.

Guira Cuckoo (Guira guiria) - Southeastern Bolivia to Uruguay.

Cuban Amazon (Amazona leucocephala) - Cuba and Bahamas. This is a medium-sized parrot with beautiful pastel pink, green and blue with a white face, one of the most beautiful of the Amazons. The Cuban Amazon eats fruits vegetables and seeds.

The Great Indian Hornbill (Buceros bicomis) - India, Southeast Asia, Sumatra. The Great Hornbill looks top-heavy, but the bill and casque (top section) are very lightweight. They are hollow and are made from keratin, the same material as human hair and nails. You can tell the difference between the male and female Hornbill by their eyes. The male has red irises with black rims. The female has white irises with a red rim. They eat fruit such as figs, insects and reptiles. After laying 1-3 eggs in a nest hole in a tree, she walls up the entrance from inside, using her own feces and material the male brings her and incubates the eggs for 31 days.
Guiana,
Toco Toucan (Ramphastos toco) - Guiana, Brazil and Argentina. Toucan have a very loud croaking sound that can be heard a half a mile away. Even though their beak is large, it is lightweight. They eat fruits, insects, reptiles and eggs of other birds.

Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) - Central Asia, from Northwestern China to Tibet and the Himalayas. They live on rocky crags on mountain slopes and alpine meadows at high elevations, only venturing down in bad weather.

The Snow Leopard has thick, dense fur, pale gray on the back and white on the underside. A darker streak runs along the back; There are rosettes on the sides of the body and the tail. There are solid blotches on the head, neck and legs. They can leap over ravines in a single bound.

The Snow Leopard's tail is long and thick.

Gelada Baboon (Theropithecus gelada) - Mountainous regions in Northern Ethiopia Highlands. The male has a thick mane that hangs halfway down his back. They have three hairless areas: a central area beneath the throat, and two red areas on the chest. They are on steep sides of alpine slopes and cliffs. As grazers they are unique among the primates in using grass as their primary food, but will eat roots, bulbs, and other green plants. They live at altitudes of up to 14,000 feet in the cold African mountains and have a thick coat to stand the freezing weather.

Gelada Baboon

Nubian Ibex (Capra ibex nubiana) - North-east Africa, Mideast. The Nubian Ibex have the longest and most heavily reinforced horns of all goats. They have a beard on their chin. There is a stripe of white on the face, flanks and thighs. They live in rocky mountains.

Rock Hyrax (Procavia capensis) - South-central Africa. The Rock Hyrax have adapted to living on steep cliffs and rocky areas.

White-naped Crane (Grus vipio) - Central Asia, migrating to the coasts for winter. Renowned for its grace and beauty, it is also a symbol of longevity because of its long lifespan.

Palm Cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus) - Australia and Indonesia. The beak of the Palm Cockatoo is powerful enough to crack any nutshell. The red cheeks get redder when excited and blanched when nervous.

Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) - Sub-Saharan Africa. A Giraffe can stand 18 feet from crown to ground. Permanent skin-covered horns distinguish the giraffe family from all others. Giraffe herds are casual. Individual giraffes come and go. Pacing, according to the information at the Bronx Zoo: At slow speeds, giraffes pace, swinging the two legs on one side of the body forward together. This gait is faster than the diagonal walk, expends less energy and overcomes possible interference from their long legs. Galloping: Moving at speeds up to 40 mph, their necks arching forward and back during each 10 foot stride, giraffes have been described as "pitching ships" or "rocking horses" as they gallop across the grassland.

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) - Northwestern United States, Florida, Alaska, Canada and part of Mexico. This Bald Eagle was taking a bath and enjoying himself. The Bald Eagle is not really bald, but has white feathers on its head. They have white tail feathers and white rump. The Bald Eagle has been the national Symbol of America since 1782. The female lays 2 eggs which are off white without any markings.


American Flamingo - Phoericopterus ruber ruber) - Caribbean and Galapagos Islands. Now the American Flamingo, these are the largest flamingo. They breed on mudflats or islands where they are more protected. They are strong flyers and can move long distances in a day for better eating areas. They don't just live in one spot. The Flamingo only lays one yellowish egg in a built-up mound of mud and clay on the ground, which protects the egg from getting wet.

Chilian Flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis) - South America: Chile, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay. This Flamingo is distinguished by the blue legs with dark pink joints on them. This Flamingo has a pale pink body with dark pink wing and pink feet. The Chilian Flamingo is one of 5 different species of flamingo. They eat Brine Shrimp and Algae.

Babirusa Wild Swine (Babyrousa babyrussa) - Eastern Indonesia, Sulawesi (Celebes), and Togia and Suta in tropical rain forests. This male Babirusa shows the four tusks that curve backward. They are upper canine teeth growing out of the roof of the mouth and are brittle and break easily.

Common Squirrel Monkey ( Saimiri sciureus) - Northern South America in tropical forest, gallery forest and forest edge usually in the treetops in large numbers. They have white ear tufts, arches over their large eyes, pink face and a black muzzle, and yellow-orange hands, feet and forearms. They have a very long mobile tail. The female gives birth after a gestation period of 25 weeks. The baby is able to climb soon after birth. The Squirrel Monkey eat fruit, flowers and insects.

Acouchi (Myoprocta acouchy) - South America. This Acouchi rodent seemed surprised at finding a pumpkin in his habitat on Halloween. They eat the fruit monkeys drop accidentally from trees in the wild.

Red Fody (Foudia omissa) - Madagascar. The males are bright red during the breeding season. The males weave nests that hang from trees.

Boat-Billed Heron (Cochlearius cochlearius) - Mexico to North Argentina. This Heron is adapted for night hunting with large eyes for feeding at night and for extra sensitive touch with its bill, locating shrimp, fish, insects and frogs. The crest is longer on males than females. They are about 20 inches in length.

Buff-Necked Ibis (Theristicus caudatus) - South America. It probes in soft soil for insects. Also eats spiders and frogs.

Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber) - Northern South America from Venezuela to Southern Brazil. The slender curved bill helps them probe in shallow water and mud to find food such as crabs, mollusks, small fish, frogs and insects. They have beautiful scarlet plumage and black wing tips when they are about three years old. Nestlings hatch with dark gray down and get adult feathers in just a few weeks. By six weeks the chicks can fly. The red feathers start to appear after 4 to 8 months.

Maagellanic Penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) - South American Coast. The bill is hooked at the end to help them catch and hold fish. The black and white coloring helps camouflage them in the water. They lay 2 eggs. The chicks hatch two days apart.
Magellanic Penguins swim through water at remarkable speeds.

Inca Tern (Larosterna inca) - Chile and Peru. The adult bill and feet are red. They have an outward curling mustache plume of white. The tern flies over the sea and snatch fish from the surface. They nest in old burrows of other sea birds or crevices among rocks.

California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus) - British Columbia to Gulf of California coastline. They inhabit rocky shorelines, kelp beds, bays, harbors and sandy beaches. The male sea lions are larger and have a dome on their heads, where the female head is smooth. The sea lion closes its nostrils to keep water out until it reaches the surface of the water. They have very good vision in the dark. Their diet consists of anchovies, squid, sardines, mackerel and crab. The gestation period is eleven months when the female gives birth to one pup on land at "rookeries" where these sea lions meet, mate give birth and raise the pups on land.

Young Sea Lion has a sleek shaped body that allows it to swim rapidly with speed. They have a thick layer of blubber to keep them warm.

Guanay Cormorant (Phalacrocorax bougainvillll) - Coastal Chile and Peru.