Franklin Park Zoo, Boston, Massachusetts

Franklin Park Zoo - Boston, Massachusetts

African Lion ( Panthera leo) - The Lion is the largest of cats with tawny yellow to deep ochre-brown fur. The female has lighter coloring. The male has a thick, wooly mane also varying in color from light to black. There are rosettes are the young cubs. This lion is roaring, starting from a low sound and building to a full roar. The African Lion is the only social cat, living in prides of 3 to 15 adult females, 2 adult males and their young. The tail is long and has a claw-like spine on the tip where the tuft of hair is located.

African Lion - Africa, Sout of the Sahara, Northwest India, Asia. The Lion as a broad head and is larger built than the female. They spend sometimes 22 hours resting during the day and hunt the rest of the time depending of the area. Lionesses do most of the hunting, sometimes in groups.

Bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci) - Kenya, Central Africa and Western Africa. Bongos are very shy in the wild. They are most active at dusk and at dawn when they do their best browsing. Bongo can weight anywhere from 450 lbs to 900 lbs.

Masai Giraffe - (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi) - West Central Africa. Giraffes have the highest blood pressure of any warm-blooded animal. Giraffes have large necks. An adult giraffe's neck is longer than the average person is tall. Even though a giraffe's neck is enormous, it has the same number of bones a person has - 7.

Warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus) - Central Southern Africa. Tusks are enlarged eyeteeth. They use the tusks to dig for food and for defense. The male tusks are larger for fighting off enemies.

Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) - Lowland gorilla in Cameroons, Gabon, Zaire; Mountain Gorilla in Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania. The Gorilla is the largest of the primates. The nostrils are always flared. Their heads are large with a short muzzle. They are black, the male having silver and gray when they get to be around ten years old and are referred to as "Silverbacks". The older the gorilla also develops a high crown. When walking on the ground, the gorilla uses his front knuckles bent for "knuckle-walking". The Gorilla is intelligent, sociable and peaceful, unless threatened.

Black Swan (Cypnus atratus) - Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand and parts of Europe. The Black Swan uses their long necks to eat vegetation under the water of rivers, lakes, streams and swampy areas.. They also graze on grasses. Their necks are arched when they swim, making a lovely sight.

Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) - South America in tropical evergreen forest. Capybara weigh about 145 pounds. They are the largest of all rodents. Built for life in the water, capybaras have their eyes, ears, and nose on the top of their heads, where only a small portion of their head can be seen above water when swimming.

White-Crested Hornbill (Berenicornis comatus) - Indonesia and portions of Southeast Asia. The Females are black and the males are white. After mating, the male seals the female into a tree cavity, leaving only a tiny beak-shaped opening. For the next several months, it's the male's responsibility to make sure that the female and her young are supplied with food.

Waldrapp Ibis (Geronticus eremila) - Morocco, Syria, Northern Africa. Also known as the Hermit Ibis or the Northern Bald Ibis - Their black feathers have a sheen of purple, green and orange to add to their unusual look. The crest feathers give them a scruffy comical look. Th shaggy ruff around the neck is raised in the courtship display. The long curved red beak and their unusually sensitive sense of touch help them forage in grassy and muddy areas for food. Unlike the other Ibis, the Waldrapp Ibis only seek water for drinking and bathing. The Waldrapp Ibis is about 14 inches tall. They are considered sacred in Egypt. These are rare birds.

Northern green-winged King-Parrot (Alisterus chloropterus moszkoruskii)

Indian Ornamental Tarantula

Monarch Butterfly and

Red Admiral Butterfly

Monarch Butterfly