Miami Zoo, Miami, Florida




Flamingo

Siberian Tiger (Panthera tigris) - The tiger is the largest cat and lives in Siberia to Java in mostly forested areas. This graceful cat climbs very well. They are loners most of the time except when mating. They can claim territory of 300 square miles or more. They can swim well and can move quickly on land. Their stripes are like fingerprints - every tiger has a different pattern.

Indochinese Tiger


This four year old Indochinese Tiger got a bag of treats - a juicy bone and other surprises. This is part of the great enrichment program at the zoo. After chewing the bones thoroughly, he went to investigate the rest, putting his head in the bag ("cat in the bag").

Female Lioness (Panthera leo) - Africa. Lions are a social species which is unusual in the cat family. They live in groups called prides.


Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) - Africa, east to Asia and Iran. The Cheetah is the fastest cat in the world. They can run almost 60 miles per hour, but in short spurts. Then they have to stop to catch their breath. It has a long body with long legs. When sprinting, their tail help them to balance. Their spots are solid black. They have a black, curved line on each side of their face.

Asian Black Bear from the Himalayas - Also known as Moon Bears because of the white crest on the chest.	Malayan Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus) - Southeastern Asia, Sumatra and Borneo. This is the smallest member of the bear family. The chest has a large patch of yellow to white. They spend a lot of time in trees like this sun bear getting the sun.

Three cute baby Otter curled up together.

King Vulture (Saroramphus papa) - Mexico to Argentina. The King Vulture has a colorful featherless headwith a marked pattern. Their bill is thick and powerful. They have an amazing sense of smell which helps them in locating fresh food sources. .

Crested Porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis) - Africa - The quills are hollow and as long as 12 inches. They do not "shoot" there quills, but come off by backing into an enemy.

Yellow-Faced Myna (Mino dumontii) - New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago and the Solomon Islands.

	Sarus Crane

Nicobar Pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica) - From the Niobar Islands (in the Indian Ocean off Burma) Southeastern Asia to Indonesia, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. They have an upright wattle on the bill and colored spiky feathers. (12 to 14 inches)

Great Argus Pheasant (Argusianus argus) - Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo. It's courtship display is one of the most spectacular of all birds, spreading his tail to form a huge fan. They live in the tropical forest. The eye spots on the side are very unusual.

	Smew (Mergellus albellus) - North Eurasia, south to North India and Southeast China. Also, Common Meganser (Mergus merganser) - North America and Eurasia. Winters in South USA and Central China.

Collared Imperial Pigeon (Ducula mullerii) - Southeastern Asia. These pigeons has a liquid musical whistle. The females have yellow throats and eye rings.

Asian Elephant (Elephus maximus) - Asia. These elephants were "DUSTING" , throwing dirt over their body to help keep the flies and insects away. The females do not have tusks.


Black-necked Stork (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus) - Southern Asia and Australia. The female has yellow eyes while the male has black eyes. The Miami Zoo is the only park to date (2007) in the United States to display a pair of Black-Necked Stork. (Also called Jabiro)

Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) - India and Nepal. The Indian Rhino is one of the largest living land mammals in the world. They only have one horn compared with the African Rhino with two horns. Look at the armour-like skin. They can get a sunburn, so they wallow in mud to cool off.

Black Rhinoceros (Diceros dicornis) - Africa. They can weigh 2,600 pounds and can pluck leaves from trees and bushes with their prehensile upper lip. The baby Rhino was born in January, 2004.

Black Rhinoceros Baby born in 2004.

African Elephant

African Elephants - The elephant on the right looks rather young since he still has fluffy hairs on his body. I'm guessing this is his mother.

Banteng (Bos javanicus) - Southeast Asia and Malaysia. Bantengs are considered the most beautiful species of wild oxen. Females and calves have chestnut coats while the males are almost black in color with a prominent hump above the shoulder. Both males and females have white stockings and white rump with light patches at the muzzle.

Onager (Equus hemionus) - Northern Iran and Central Asia. The Onager's speed is their primary defense. They can go for long periods of time without water on the desert. They are close relatives of the horse.

Bactrian Camel (Camelus bactrianus) - Asia and China. These camels store fat in their two humps, not water, to help ensure survival when food and water are scarce.

Dromedary Camel (Camelus dromedarius) - North Africa and Asia. The Camel has broad feet so they do not sink in the loose sand while walking in the desert. They get water from the plants they eat, but when available, they will drink up to 15 gallons of water.

Sable Antelope (Hippotragus niger) - Africa. This is the largest and most impressive of the African antelope. They have 3 foot long curled-ringed horns.

Goitered Gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa marica) - Middle East to China. This small gazelle lives in the desert. The males have an enlarged larynx from which the common name "goitered" is derived from. The males have horns.

Gemsbak (Oryx gazella gazella) - Southern Africa. "Oryx" comes from the Greek word meaning "pick axe", referring to their diverging "V"shape horns, which can reach up to "48".

Grevy's Zebra (Equus grevyi) - Eastern arid plains of Central Africa. Grevy's Zebras are smaller than Grant's Zebras, have larger rounded ears and narrower stripes that go all the way down the legs to the hooves. The long legs and long face also are distinguishable traits, plus no stripes on the belly. They also have a white-margined spinal stripe.

Chimpanze (Pan Troglodytes) - Africa. They are very social, living in large groups. There us a thumb deparated from the other toes on his back feet.

Prehensile-tailed Porcupine (Coendou prehensilis) - From Mexico throughout much of South America.

This Prehensile-tailed porcupine was a cute one. The short, thick spines on his body are white mixed with darker hair, while the underside is gray. The tip of the tail curls upward so as to get a better grip on branches. All four feet have four toes with claws to also help hold on to branches firmly. They show little fear if it happens to be caught and can be tamed.

Gerenuk (Litocranius walleri) - Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya. The gerenuk has an exceptionally long slender neck and long legs. By standing on their hind legs, they can reach even higher in the trees, getting the leaves many animals can't reach. There front legs can pull down tall branches so they can eat more easily. They don't need to drink water often but get the water from the vegetation they eat. Only male gerenuks have the stout, ringed horns. Their eyes have a white ring around them. The tail is short and ends in a black tuft.

Andean Condor - These huge birds can soar at altitudes up to 18,000 feet and can spot an animal carcass from a distance of several miles. He has the largest wing span, ten feet, of any bird, allowing them to glide on rising air currents. They weigh around 24 - 33 pounds.

Stanley Crane (A ) - South Africa. The Stanley Craneis renowned for their elaborate courtship dance and calls. They are slate gray with a pale head and black tail feathers; and Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) - Africa south of the Sahara, N. Yemen and South Iraq. The Ibis has a downcurved bill. Their wings are black-tipped. This bird was held sacred by the ancient Egyptians.

Newborn calves rise on their feet within the first five minutes of their birth.

Giraffe - The Giraffe has two small horns and a medium bulge on the forehead which are covered with skin and hair. Their horns are called ossicones. The neck is fringed with a short, thick mane. Male giraffes are "bulls" and females are "cows". Scientists believe the giraffe have purple-black tongues to prevent sunburn while the are eating. They have prehensile tongues that can twist around thorns. The Giraffe is tall and can eat from trees other animals can't reach. There is a great balance in nature.

Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) - Africa. The males are called "Silverback" because of their silver hair that developes when they get older.

Guanaco (Lama guanicoe) - Argentina and Chile. These are relatives of the llama and alpaca and are found in dry areas. The cute tail is about 10 inches long. The ears are long and mobile. They graze on prairies from sea level up to 12,000 feet in the Andes.

This Guanaco is standing to get the leaves off the tree. The sole of the foot is divided into two by a deep cleft; the feet are long and narrow.

Angolan Colobus Monkey (Colobus angolensis) - Africa. Colobus monkeys spend the majority of their time high up in the trees of the dense forest and rarely come down to the ground. They can move through the canopy of the forest with great agility and can leap up to 20 feet from limb to limb.

European White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) - Europe, North India, Africa and Pakistan. The Stork is a wading bird seen in marshes and shallow water in streams. They fly slowly with steady wingbeats and occasional glides, with it's neck and legs extended.

Komodo Dragon - Indonesia. Komodo dragons spend much of the day basking in the sun. They have strong claws and a powerful tail. Their tongue is forked, which they flick like a snake. They grow to about 10 feet and weigh around 300 pounds. The Komodo move by lifting up on four legs and carrying their body high above the ground. Their long tail leaves a "drag mark" in the sand. Young Komdos are found up in the trees to avoid being eaten by larger Komodo Dragons.

Giant Eland (Taurotragus derbianus) - Africa in the savannahs and woodlands south of the Sahara Desert. These are massive antelope, considered to be the largest in the family. They are fast and agile. They can run up to 45 miles per hour and can jump to a height of over five feet. Both the male and female have spiraled horns, although the males are larger. The males have a dewlap in front that grows until it hands below the knees. The white stripes seem to fade as they get older.

Eland Antelope family at the Miami Metro Zoo.

This parrot was amazing. He could talk up a storm.


Red Ruffed Lemur (Varecia variegata rubra) - African Island nation of Madagascar. These are the largest of the Lemur family. The spend their day foraging for leaves, fruit and seeds. Lemur groom themselves and each other using their teeth.

Ring-Tailed Lemur (Lemur catta) - Southern part of the Island of Madagascar. They live in large groups. Lemur spend a lot of time preening and cleaning their coat.

Nyala (Tragelaphus angasi) - Africa. Females are russet with up to 18 stripes down their sides. Males begin with the similar coloring but pass through a prolonged metamorphosis as they mature.

Arabian Oryx (Oryx leucoryx) - Desert Regions of the Middle East - Arabian Desert. They can detect rain from a great distance.



Okapi (Okapia johnstoni) - Central Africa. Okapi are relatives of the Giraffe. The males have skin-covered horns, females do not have horns. They have black and white barred stripes in different widths on legs and rump. They have a very long tongue similar to the Giraffe. It is mainly nocturnal.

Malayan Tapir (Tapirus indicus) - Southeast Asia. The Malayan Tapir is dark with a white saddle midsection and rump. They have a elongated prehensile snout. They communicate with shrill whistles. Even though tapirs are robust, they are very agile and can climb steep hills with ease.

Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) - Forests on the Islands of Borneo and Sumatra. These are tree dwelling apes but tail-less with small ears and a small nose. The reddish-brown coat is long and soft. Their arms are long and extremely strong. Babies weigh only 3 pounds at birth, nurse for three or four years and stay with the mother up to 7 years.