Omaha Zoo, Omaha, Nebraska



Siberian Tigers (Panthera tigris) - Manchuria and Siberia. The orange coat is distinctly patterned with black stripes with white undersides. The stripes are different on every tiger, just like our thumbprints are all different. The Siberian Tiger is the largest of all living tigers. When the cubs are born, they are about 10 to 12 inches long and weigh less than 2 lbs. The mother will stay with the cubs for two years, teaching them all they need to know in the wild.

These tigers are playing, probably holding their claws in, since the claws are sharp and retractable.


The Siberian Tiger is an excellent swimmer. Very few cats love the water as the tiger seems to. They cool off in shallow streams and often play in the water.

Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) - Africa : West Nigeria to Zaire. The Gorilla is the largest and heaviest of the primates. Adult Gorilla do not have hair on the face, chest, the palms of the hands or the soles of their feet. The eyebrows grow straight across the brow and the nostrils are flared. All Gorillas live in family groups called "troops". When a male Gorilla reaches ten or eleven years of age, the "saddle" of the adult male becomes silvery-gray to white and are called "silverbacks". The silverback is the strongest male in the group and is responsible for protecting the others in the troop.

Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) - Africa. This gorilla was eating the berries on the bush. The Gorilla is a choosy eater. Depending on what part of Africa the Gorilla live determines some of their diet. They eat a variety of plants and fruits. Food is usually not a problem in their "home range". The Gorilla gets a lot of the moisture they need from the plants, so don't drink a lot of water. Most of the troop stay on the ground the majority of the time, only climbing trees to build the nightly nest. The young will play in the trees

Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) is commonly known as the Peacock. - India, Sri Lanka. The beautiful long train is not the peacocks tail but used as an ornament. The train has some 150 large feathers growing out of his back with vivid eye spots on the feathers. It is fanned out in a half circle when displayed. The actual tail is under the train.

Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus) - Southeastern Asia, Sumatra and Borneo. This bear is the smallest of the bear family. Sun Bear enjoys the sun as the name indicates. Look at those curved claws. The Sun Bear spends the day climbing and resting in trees.

Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus) - Southeastern Asia, Sumaltra and Bornio. The Sun Bear is sometimes known as the Dog or Honey Bear. They dig into old logs and bees' nests with their long claws to get insects and honey. Once they dig, they use the long, ten inch tongue to acquire the food. The short fur is usually black or gray. There is a circular tawny to cream patch on the chest and the muzzle is light cream.

Lion (Panthera Leo) - Africa and India. (This great photo is courtesy of Dr. Stephen Tibbels). The Lions are social animals living in a group called a pride. The normal color of the coat is a tawny-yellow, but varies from gray, whitish to ochre. They hunt mostly at night, but will hunt in the cool of the morning. Males develop thick, wooly manes. Both the male and female roar and can be heard several miles away.


The female Lion is smaller than the male. The Lion is the only cat that live in large family groups. The females usually stay in the same "Pride" all their lives. The male, however, will probably move on to another pride in a few years. Males living in the pride let the females do the hunter, but have the first choice at the catch. Gestation last for about 103 days. Usually the female gives birth to 2 to 4 cubs called a "litter". The cubs are helpless when born and weigh less than three pounds. After three months, the cubs will follow their mother. Other females in the pride will help with the cubs.

Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) - Artic Ocean. This Polar Bear seems to be doing the backstroke. What enjoyment!! The Polar Bear is more slender than other bears. The coat is whitish-yellow with hollow, air-filled hairs. The pads of their feet are partially covered with fur to help them walk on ice and snow. The Polar Bear probably has the most advanced sense of smell than any other bear.

Ostrich (Struthio camelus) - Africa, from Senegal to Ethiopia and Tanzania. This is the largest and tallest bird in the world. The average height of the Ostrich is 8 feet. It is a flightless bird with extremely strong legs, enabling the Ostrich to run up to 40 mph. They like open land areas such as the semi-desert and grasslands. The Ostrich feeds on leaves, flowers roots and seeds of plants.. The fine downy plumes are impressive. There are two large toes on each foot, with a long, sharp claw on each toe.

The male Ostrich lives in a herd of 3 to 10 hens. The male dominants over the hens, choosing one hen as the dominant female. The male sometimes mates with other hens besides the chosen hen and their eggs are all placed in the dominant females nest. The narrow nest is sometimes as large as 9 feet across. The dominant male and female will turn the eggs. The Ostrich egg is the largest egg in the world. The fluffy young are taken care of by both dominant parents. Contrary to popular belief, the Ostrich does not bury their heads in the sand. When in danger, the Ostrich will press their necks to the ground in an attempt to hide. This action probably led to the myth.

Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) - Mexico, Central America, North South America, Brazil and Bolivia. These two parrots have lots of company. This Macaw is one of the largest of it's kind. When they fly, they do so squawking loudly.

Cape Thick Knee (Burhinus capensis) - Central and Western Sub-Sahara Africa. This desert bird was adorable. What wonderful camouflage the Cape Thick-Knee has in the semi-desert and grass areas where they live. They are about 17 inches tall and weigh about 4 1/2 ounces. The diet consists of grass, seeds, insects, rodents, snails and crabs.

Cape Thick-Knee chick. In the spring or early summer the female lays one to three brown, speckled eggs.



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