Kansas City Zoo, Kansas City, Missouri


Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) - Sub-Saharan Africa. This rhino baby was adorable.

Rhino mothers make the best Moms among the animal world. They train the calf in all that they will need to survive. The mother stays with the calf for years until she gives birth to another calf. The Rhino is a "browser" and feeds on a variety of bushes, shoots, herbs and acacia bark. The Rhino usually stays near water, but can go without water for 3 or 4 days if the plants have moisture. They spend the day dozing in the shade or like to wallow in the mud. The Black Rhino has a prehensile lip in a triangular shape, that works like a large, flexible finger. Both the white and black Rhinos really both have a dull gray color to their skin. However, they often take on the color of the mud that they have been wallowing in.

Masai Giraffe ( Giraffa Camelopardalis Tippelskirchi) - Kenya and Tanzania, African Savanna south of the Sahara Desert. The Masai are the largest sub-species of giraffe. They have jagged patches instead of smooth edged patches. Special valves in the giraffe's neck veins keep the blood from rushing too quickly to the head. Without this system, a giraffe would probably get dizzy every time they lowered their head to eat or take a drink.

Lilac-Breasted Roller (Coracias caudata) - Breeds in Europe and North Africa. Winters in South Africa. This Lilac-Breasted Roller has a forked, swallow-like tail with blue wings. They swoop down from a branch to seize their prey. There are white streaks on the throat. A noisy bird, they have a loud, squawking call. They measure about 16 inches.

Chimpanzee (Pan Troglodytes) - Senegal and Guinea, and in Central Africa from Cameroon as far east as Tanzania. The color of the coat is blackish-brown. They travel both in the trees and on the ground with equal ease. While walking on the ground, they use what is called "knuckle walking" instead of on a flat hand. The Chimp communicates well. The diet is mainly fruit.

Hunting Dog (Lycaon pictus) - South Africa - These are wild hunting dogs usually in a large pack.

African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) - Sub-Saharan Africa. This the largest living land mammal in the world. It's huge ears serve to reduce body heat. The trunk has two fingerlike processes at the tip that enables them to pick up small pieces of berries as well as large food pieces. The Elephant lives in a social group, having an elderly female as the matriarchal. She makes the decision as to where and when to move to find feeding grounds and she keeps peace in the herd.

Saddle-Billed Stork (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis) - Senegal to Ethiopia and South to South Africa. The Saddle-Billed Stork is the largest of the African Stork measuring 5 to 6 feet tall. The wingspan is around 9 feet. The females have golden-yellow iris, while the males have dark brown iris. Both have the red pointed bill, black legs with pink knees and black feet. There is a yellow frontal shield on the bill which resembles a saddle. They are silent except for bill-rattling in the nest, since they don't have any muscle in their voice box. This graceful wadding bird feeds on frogs, fish, crabs, grasshoppers, mollusks, crustaceans, snakes and insects. They swallow their prey whole and drink water rapidly after swallowing.

Chacma Baboon (Papio ursinus) - Africa: Angola, Zambia to South Africa. The muzzle is pronounced.