Cincinnati Zoo, Cincinnati, Ohio




Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) - Northern India and Nepal. The armor-like appearance are do to large folds of skin. Their diet consists of bamboo shoots, grasses, lush vegetation and aquatic plants. The Indian Rhino are good swimmers and prefer swampy, wet areas. This Rhino has one horn and is hard all the way through. Strands of keratin are packed together to form the horn. Of the Asian Rhino, the Indian Rhino is the largest. There are three Asian Rhino: the Indian Rhino, the Javan Rhino and the Sumatran Rhino. (The Javan Rhino also has only one horn.) Although the horns are smaller, the Sumatran Rhino has two horns like the African Rhino. The Rhino has a great sense of smell, but poor eyesight.

Sumatran Rhinoceros ( Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) - Sumatra (Indonesia), Bornea and Malay Peninsula. They are the only rhino with hair on their body and are known as the "hairy" rhino. The hair is reddish brown. the Sumatran rhino especially like to swim in the water and can swim across wide rivers. They live in wooded areas eating leaves. The Sumatran rhino has two small horns.

Black Rhino (Diceros bicornis) - Central and Southern Africa. The Black Rhinoceros are browsers, eating tree leaves branches and bushes, living on the African plains. The Black Rhino have two horns, the front horn being longer than the back horn. They are known for being mean-tempered and prefer to be solitary. Their legs are rather short and muscular. The upper lip (prehensile lip) works as a finger. They have been called "hook-lipped rhinos. There is a prehensile lip If there is moister on the leaves and vegetation, a Black Rhino can go for four or five days without drinking water. They do not have the hump on the base of the neck as the White Rhino has. The head is smaller and the ears are more on the side of the head and are smaller. When the weather is hot, they spend a lot of the time sleeping. Black Rhinos are not really black, but more grey. The color change comes with the type of mud and dust they wallow in. Black Rhinos weigh from 2,00 to 2,800 pounds and stand about five feet tall.

American Black Bear (Ursus americanus) - Canada, United States and Northern Mexico. The Black Bear has a strong, solid build. Their head is large with small ears and small eyes with relatively poor sight. The muzzle is long and and their sense of smell is remarkable. Most individual Bears are black, but they can be brown, blond or cinnamon color. The Black Bear has sharp claws and are excellent climbers. Unlike other bears, the Black Bear has a very short tail (4.8inches). They are good swimmers and enjoy the water. The Black Bear is particularly fond of honey. Vegetarians most of the time, the bear will eat insects, and anything available.

Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus) - Western South America. This Condor is the largest bird in the world that can fly. The wingspan is up to 10.5 feet. They can soar overhead and with their excellent eyesight, spot their prey from huge distances.
Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) - India, the Indochinese peninsula, Malaysia, Sumatra, South China and Sri Lanka. The Asian (Indian) Elephant has smaller ears than the African Elephant. An Asian Elephant can weigh 220 pounds at birth. An adult elephant will weigh 6,000 to 10,000 pounds. This young elephant was happily swinging it's trunk back and forth. There is a finger-like process at the end of the trunk The tail has black hairs on the tip. The back feet have four instead of three toes. Their diet consists of grasses, leaves, bark and fruit.

Barbours Map Turtle (Graytemys barbours) - Florida, Georgia and Alabama. Females grow almost double the size of males.

Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) - Africa and West Asia. The Cheetah is the fastest animal on land. They can reach 70 miles per hour for a short distance. The Cheetah's head is small and roundish with a definite black stripe down each side of the face. The tail has black rings on it. The length of the tail helps the Cheetah to keep it's balance. They have long legs and a slender body and seem to be built for speed. The Cheetah run on their toes, digging in with their non-retractable claws. They cannot roar, but purr loudly. The black spots stand out on the yellow-tawny background of a cheetah.

Bearcat (Binturong) - Southern Asia, Middle East, India, Southern Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa. Also can be found in Burma, Laos, Vietnam, Sumatra, Java and Borneo. They belong to the mongoose and civet family and is neither a bear or a cat. The Bearcat is also known as a Malay Civet Cat. The Bearcat's tail is three feet long and extremely strong. These animals are nocturnal and have terrific night vision. Their long whiskers are helpful in the dark. They can walk headfirst down a tree with its sharp claws.

Maasai Giraffe - calves ((Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi) - Southern Kenya and Tanzania. Giraffes are the tallest animal in the world. They have excellent eyesight and can spot trouble miles away. Since the Giraffe has such a long neck, they can eat on vegetation not accessible to other animals such as zebra. The female Giraffe will give birth after 15 months gestation period. When the baby Giraffe is born, he or she have to drop six feet to the ground, since the mother gives birth standing up. The baby is already around six feet tall. The newborn calves get to their feet within fifteen minutes and after seven or eight days will join other newly born calves. The calves will nurse for eleven or twelve months, but will eat leaves in a few weeks.

Maasai Giraffe - calves. A Giraffe can grow up to 18 feet tall. Their legs alone are six feet long. There are seven vertebrae in the long, flexible necks, the same as we have, only larger. There is a mane running down the neck Other features of the Giraffe are the large brown eyes they have, a very long tongue and big ears with white inside. The spots of a Maasai Giraffe are jagged where as the spots of the Reticulated Giraffe have smoother edges.

Western Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) - Central Africa. The Gorilla is the largest primate They spend much of their day eating. Most of the time the Gorilla is peaceful and stays in a troop of 15 or 20 individuals. The troop is led by the Silverback Gorilla.

Western Lowland Gorilla

Ring-Tailed Lemur (Lemur catta) - South and Southwest Madagascar. They are brownish-gray with white to gray under parts. Around their eye is a dark, triangular eye patch. The face is white and the long tail has black and white rings on it. On the front arms there are glands which secrete a strong-scented substance, helping them to communicate. They also use their tail to signal to each other. The Lemur lives in a social group from four to as many as 20 members.

White Lion (Panthera Leo) - Central Africa. Lions live in groups called "prides". The males weigh anywhere from 340 to 500. A recessive gene resulting in a light-colored coat distinguishes the white lion from other lions. They are members of the same species.

White Female Lion. The Lion is unique in their social lives. The Pride usually consists of two males, three female, young cubs and older cubs. Their body is powerful with strong legs and a long, tufted tail with a claw-like spine at the tip. The Lion spend much of the day resting when not hunting. Males in the pride let the female lionesses do most of the hunting and get to eat first.

Indo-Chinese Tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti) - China, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, India, Cambodia, Eastern Myanmar and Vietnam. There are five subspecies of tigers: The Indo-Chinese Tiger, the Bengal Tiger, the Chinese Tiger, the Sumatran Tiger and the Siberian Tiger. There is a size difference between the subspecies. The Tiger is usually solitary. They are good swimmers. A Tigers roar can be heard a mile and a half away,

Takin (Budorus taxicolor) - Asia, Himalayan Mountains, and Western China. They browse on twigs and leaves. If danger is near, a member of the herd will make a coughing sound to warn others. They have very sturdy legs and wide hooves. The Takin is covered with a long, dense coat of yellow or gray depending on the area. They live in groups sometimes numbering in the hundreds. Both the male and the female have strong horns ten to 12 inches long which grow outward and then backward. .

Spectacled Bear (Tremarctos ornatus) - Northwestern South America, Andes (Venezuela to Bolivia). This bear is the only native South American Bear and also is called the Andean Bear.. They have long, sharp claws that help them climb trees. There are white rings around the eyes and the white is sometimes joined on the chest. They have the shortest muzzle among bears. The Spectacled Bear is nocturnal.

Blue and Gold Macaws (Ara ararauna) - Trinidad and Tobago located off the northeastern coast of South America.

Bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus) - Western and Central Africa. The Bongo is the largest and most colorful antelope The classification is under Spiral-Horned Bovines. They have vertical stripes of their body. There is a white patch under the eye and two white patches on the side of the face.

Bar-Headed Goose (Anser indicus) - Central and Southern Asia. This Goose is the highest flying goose amoung geese. They have the best respiratory system of any flying bird, allowing them to take in or oxygen than other birds. Part of their migration route is over Mt Everest, a very high altitude. .

Salmon-Crested Cockatoo (cacatua moluccensis) - Australia, Southern Moluccas, Indonesia. Cockatoos are loud, noisy parrots.

Aardvark (Orycteropus afer) - Africa south of the Sahara. The Aardvark is a nocturnal animal with a powerful digging capacity. They are also known as Ant-bear or Ant-pig. Ants and termites are their main diet. The Aardvark has a long, tapered snout and long, tubular ears. The tail is thick and tapered. The back is curved with strong feet, four toes on the front feet and five on the back. They have large claws which help in the hunt for food.

Beaded Lizard (Heloderma horridum horridum) - Western Mexico. The Beaded Lizard and the Gila Monster are the only two venomous lizards. They have a bumpy surface resembling beads.

Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum) - Northwestern Mexico and Southwestern United States in desert areas. The Gila Monster is One of the two venomous lizards in the world, They are 1 1/2 to 2 feet long and weigh 4 to 5 pounds. They locate their prey by picking up the scent as it flicks its forked tongue.

Crocodile Monitor (Varanus salvadorri) - Southern Coast of New Guinea near Australia. The tail is twice the size of their body. They can whip the long tail around as a weapon. This is the longest lizard in the world (10 to 13 feet). Also known as the Tree Crocodile, this long tail helps them balance when walking along the forest canopies.

Southern Screamer (Chauna torquata) - Central South America. Southern Screamers spend most of their day eating aquatic plants in lakes and marshes. They have long legs and toes to help them in their food search. They weigh around 9 pounds. Their loud cry can carry for over a mile.

Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata) - Japan. The Macaque monkey has adapted to the harsh winters of the Northern regions. They have very thick fur and huddle together in the extremes. They bath in the natural hot springs to keep warm. The Japanese Macaque live in troop consisting of several families where they learn from each other. There is a dominant male in the troop, always fighting for the lead. Strength is key. The subordinate males take up the front and back positions as the troop moves in search of food. The females raise the young and try to keep peace in the group.

Japanese Macaques grooming is a vital part of the troop. This form of friendly contact helps keep down tension. Grooming is usually done by the females, but not always. Fruit, leaves, insects and small animals make up their diet.

Burmese Python - Asia

Florida Gar (Lepisosteus platyrhincus) - Florida. This Gar is found in a peninsular of Florida south through the Everglades. When the young hatch, they have an adhesive disc on the end of their snout. This enables them to cling to rocks and vegetation until they are older and more developed.

Large Spotted Genet (Genetta tigrina) - Southern Africa. The Genet is a relative of the mongoose family. They are solitary animals. They rest during the day, but at night they are on the move, leaping from tree to tree hunting for small prey. Once found, they will pounce on it.

Large Spotted Genet (Genetta tigrina) The Large Genet has short legs and a long body with rings on the tail with a black tip. The black spots can be on a background of white, grey or buff. They are about 2 feet long and weigh 3.5 to 5.5 pounds.

Sand Cat (Felis margarita) - North Africa and Southwest Asia. The Sand Cat is equipped for desert life. Their footpads are insulated from the hot sands.

Slender-Horned Gazelle ( Gazella leptoceros) - Northern and Central Africa. these Gazelles are nomadic and wander the Sahara desert in small herds. The have long, thin horns that curve a little. The horns can reach more than 12 inches. They weigh about 50 or 60 pounds.

Scimitar-Horned Oryx (Oryx dammah) - Northern Africa, the Saharan country of Tunisia. They conserve water by raising their body temperature instead of sweating.

Gray Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum) - Uganda, Kenya to South Africa.

Manatee Manatees are the only vegetarian mammals specially designed to live their entire lives in the water. They eat plants found hanging over the water and in the water. They grow very slowly. The Manatee is about 12 feet long and weight 1,200 to 3,000 pounds. In fresh or salt water, they swim from 3 to 15 miles an hour. Their front flippers can be used for bringing food up to their mouth.

Florida Soft Shell Turtle (Apalone ferax) - These turtles swim extremely fast When needed protection, they swim to the bottom and hide in the sand and mud. They eat crayfish, frogs, snails and fish.
Pesquet's Parrot (Psittrichas fulgidus) - New Guinea. This bird is also called the Vulturine Parrot because of it's black plumage, but has a bright red belly. They have a bald head and a broad tail. They eat soft fruit including figs and also eat blossoms and nectar. They jump from branch to branch with a quick motion instead of climbing like other parrots.