Omaha Zoo, Omaha, Nebraska



Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) - Nepal and northeastern India. The Indian Rhino has only one horn, unlike the other Rhinos having two horns. The one-horned Indian Rhino was one of the mammals considered in the myth of the unicorn. The horn is hard all the way through. It is made up of thousands of strand of keratin packed tightly. The hide has many bumps all over the hide. The Rhino has thick folds resembling armor. The Indian Rhino, being an excellent swimmer, can swim across wide rivers with ease. They are browsers, munching on leaves, shoots and tender plants. .

Indian Rhinoceros love to wallow in swamps or bathing areas. They are both nocturnal and diurnal (day time mostly at dawn and dusk ). All Rhinos have a huge head, short neck and a broad chest. The Rhino has very poor eyesight. They are nearsighted and tend to charge when startled.

Sable Antelope and babies (Hippotragus niger) - Eastern Africa, from Kenya south to Mozambique and Angola. The adult antelope are a glossy black, A pattern of white with a central black blaze is on the face and white on the underside. On the neck is a mane of long, stiff hair. Both male and female have heavily ringed horns that measure 3 feet or over. Sable Antelope form herds of 8 to 20 females and young, dominated by a large bull. The herd always stays within a mile or two of water. .

Black Crowned Crane (Balearica pavonina) Africa, South of the Sahara. The white wing patches on the gray plumage stand out when in flight. They have a red throat wattle and a decorative crown on their heads. In flight the head droops slightly. Their diet is insects, frogs, toads, grains, grass, grains and other plants.

Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus) - Western United States and North Mexico. It seems harmony reins for this prairie dog and this long-eared Jackrabbit. This Jackrabbit has enormous, black-tipped ears up to 6 inches long. They also have very long legs. The hare feeds on vegetation such as sagebrush, creosote bush and juniper, plus grasses and herbs. When threatened, they run in jagged paths or freeze in one spot. This rabbit can run, reaching speeds of 30 mph.

Okapi (Okapia johnstoni) Okapi come from the area around Northern Congo, Zaire. They have giraffe-like features, yet stripes on their legs. The females do not have horns as the males do. The tongue is black and very long, similar to the giraffe. They have stripes on the rump and upper part of the leg. The Okapi prefer dense forests.

Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot (Loriculus galgulus) - Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo. This is a small parrot only 4 1/2 inches tall.

Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) - Africa, east to Asia. These two Cheetahs seemed in unison.. The Cheetah is the fastest land animal in the world. They can reach a speed of 55 to 60 mph in a short time, but tire easily. The Cheetah has a slender body with a relatively small head ,with very long legs. There are two black lines running down the face, sometimes called "tear lines". The coat has a tawny-yellow base with black spots on the fur.

Reticulated Giraffes (Camelopardallis reticulata) - Africa. The Giraffe is the tallest living animal in the world. They can grow as tall as 18 feet. The coat pattern differs in other sub-species. This is a reticulated Giraffe having brown spots of varying sizes. The tongue of the giraffe is extremely long enabling them to reach between the thorns of such trees as the Acacia Tree to get at tender leaves. The herd is dominated by a bull male, but when on the move, a female takes the lead.. Giraffes breed all year round and give birth after 15 months. The mother gives birth standing up. The calf already measures 6 feet tall when they are born.


Bllack-footed Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) - Southern Africa. Warm weather penguins mix with the Reticulated Giraffe at this zoo. They do not tolerate the extreme cold as most penguins can. Their legs are placed close to the tail. They stand upright and walking over land is awkward for the penguin. The avoid coming to the shore very often. They do have to spend some time on land while they are molting and when they are raising the young penguins.

Malayan Tapir (Tapirus indicus) - Burma, Thiland, the Indo-Chinese peninsula and Sumatra. The Baby Tapir was born April 6, 2005. The young are brown with white markings. The Malayan Tapir is the largest of the tapirs. The forward part of the body and the back legs are black and the rest of the body is white. The extended flexible snout is used to root up food. They stay mostly in forest areas near water. Their diet consists of soft vegetation and fruit.

Francois Langur (Trachypithecus francoisi) When Francois's langurs are born, they are bright orange. In 7 or 8 months they get their black fur. The white patches on the cheeks develop around 3 months. They live in groups called troops. There is a dominant male in charge of the female in the troop. This male might change if a challenge is won by another male.

White Rhinocerose (Ceratotherium simum) - North, East and South Africa. The White Rhino is the largest of the Rhinoceros. The hard upper lip is wide and straight. This allows them to graze close to the ground. This Rhino has a hump on the nape of the neck. The horns are longer and thinner than other Rhinos. Rhinos need water every day, so they stay close to a waterhole. They like to wallow in the water at length. The legs are extremely strong in order to carry the heavy weight of the Rhino. They walk and run on their toes and can run as fast as 35 mph.

Silvery-cheeked Horn Bill (Ceratogymna brevis) - Africa. This bold bird came flying down beside me and posed for me while I took his picture.

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