Roger Williams Zoo, Rhode Island

Roger Williams Park Zoo - Rhode Island's Finest

Polar Bear and Cub - This cub was born November 4, 1997. His name is Triton and in this picture he is 8 months old. The Polar Bear is the largest of the bear family. On our second visit to the zoo on 10-28-07 there was great renovation going on at the Roger Williams Park Zoo. Triton has gone to a zoo in Detroit, Michigan and is very happy. The new polar bear habitat is being worked on now.

Masai baby Giraffes - Mtembei was born 5-5-07 and Kimba was born 7-24-07. This picture was taken on 10-28-07. Mtembei was six feet tall and 140 pounds when he was born. Kimba was five feet five inches and weighed 100 pounds. The mother giraffe gives birth standing up, so the baby has about four feet to fall when born. They are hardy and usually do great, standing minutes after being born.

Masai Giraffe Herd (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi) - Southeastern Africa. Even though the neck of the giraffe is long, they still only have seven vertebrae as humans do, only longated. The 18 inch tongue helps them gather foliage from acacia trees with thorns. They have a tufted tail and a thick mane on their necks. They have three horns above their eyes. The Giraffe is the tallest living mammal in the world.

Star Turtle Tortoise - These retiles live on Sri Lanka in dry lowland forests.

Dromedary (Camelus dromedarius) - One Humped Camel have fat stored in hump - Northern Africa, Middle East and Introduced into Australia. They have a flexible upper lip with a deep cleft. They can go for extremely long periods without water. When they do get to a water source, they can consume 30 gallons in a short period. They conserve water in the body. The body temperature of the camel drops at night and slowly rises during the day so camels do not sweat to cool off. The Dromedary Camels can carry 300 pounds and can travel 25 miles a day.

Dromedary Camels were given a Pumpkin as a Halloween Treat, which they enjoyed in 2007 when we visited this zoo Their usual diet consists of grass and other plants.

Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) - This fluffy Flamingo Chick must stay near the parents for a while.

Bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus) Africa from around Sierra Leone to Kenya where there are forest, bamboo jungle and bush. Their back is arched somewhat with white vertical stripes. Their are white patches on the cheek and a white line on the bottom part of the neck.

Ostrich (Struthio camelus) - Australia. Although the Ostrich cannot fly because of it's size, they are fast runners, reaching speeds of 40 miles an hour.

Asian Black Bear - Moon Bear - (Ursus thibetanus) - Afghanistan to China, Japan, Siberia, Korea, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. This Bear has a shiny black coat with a white Y shape on the chest giving them the name "Moon Bear". The ears are very large and rounded. They weigh about 330 pounds. Because they live in tropical and temperate woodlands, they are not "true" hibernators as northern bears would be, but do have an inactive period. They are excellent climbers and swim well.

African Elephants (Loxodonta africana) - Africa south of the Sahara Desert. The length of the head along with the length of their trunk is approximately 24 feet. Their large ears help to control body heat. They drink water daily and like to take a dip in the watering hole. The trunk has 40,000 muscles, which is amazing. All those muscles help to enable them to pick up small items precisely.

Grant's Zebra (Equus burchelli) - Eastern Central Africa. No two Zebras have the same stripe pattern. The Zebra grazes on grass, shoots and leaves. They usually drink water every day so they would be somewhere near the watering hole. When they are in a herd, the stripes act as camouflage and it is difficult for predators to pick a prey out among all those stripes which protects the Zebra some. Even when running away from danger they will stay close together for more protection.

Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) - North Carolina to Argentina. These Anhinga are drying their wings after diving, full body, into the water after fish sense they have no natural waterproofing like other water birds. Anhinga have a long, sharp bill to spear fish and prey with. Because of the forward stretching of their head in water and out of water as they swim they are also called "snake bird".

Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) - Africa south of the Sahara, Arabia, Iran. Cheetah has single black spots unlike the Jaguar and the Leopard. They do their hunting in the day. This is the fastest land mammal, but only in short sprints, reaching 70 mph at times. They have black "tear stripes" on the face.

Aoudad (Barbary Sheep) (Ammotragus lervia) - Northern Africa. The fringe of the male Aoudad is very long. The horns are thick at the base and are around 30 inches long. The females also have horns but are smaller in general. Their light beige color blends in with the rocky surroundings for perfect camouflage. They eat herbs, bushes, grasses, lichen and will get up on their hind legs to reach trees such as the acacia tree.

The Giant Anteater has a very bushy, long-haired tail. The anteater walks on its knuckles, protecting its long, sharp claws on their front feet. The nose is tapered and the mouth is small. The ears and eyes are also small.

Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) - Southern Mexico to Northern two thirds of South America except the Andes.

Giant Anteater's nose has a elongated and cylindrical shape. The tongue is very long., reaching 24 inches and is covered with a sticky coating to help them gather ants and termites. The Anteater has strong front legs and long, sharp claws that can break through the termite hills. The front legs are also used for defense against predators, such as jaguars. The gestations period is about 190 days. Only one young is born and the mother carries it on her back for a while.

West African Crowned Crane (Balearica pavonina) - Africa, Southern edge of the Sahara Desert. There diet consists of seeds, roots, frogs, insects, worms and small fish.

Humboldt Penguin (Spheniscus humboldti) - Along the Pacific Coast of South America. These Penguins can swim as fast as 15 mph. They have the nickname "jackass" penguins because of their braying call. Humboldt Penguins hunt in small flocks, using strategy to gather the fish underwater such as pilchards, anchovies and small surface fish. They nest in burrows or rock crevice in a large colony of penguins.

Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) - Throughout the Australian mainland. Emu can be seen on the Australian coat of arms. The Emu has very small wings, since it is a flightless bird, inhabiting grasslands and open woodland. They have long, loose shaggy feathers. Emu can run as fast as 30 mph with their powerful legs.

The Female Emu lays 7 to 10 dark green eggs in a hollow on the ground and the males incubate the eggs and care for the chicks.

Merten's Water Moniter (Varanus mertensi) - Northern Australia. They have long necks, strong claws and a powerful tail. Their tongue is deeply forked which they flick like a snake. In Australia they are known as goannas.

Green Tree Python (Morelia viridis) - New Guinea and Northern Australia. This Python has a special way of climbing smooth tree trunks. According to "The Little Guides Reptiles Amphibians", "The snake coils around the trunk, gripping it with its tail and the rear part of its body. It then reaches up with its head and hooks its neck around the trunk further up. Hanging on firmly with its neck, it loosens its tail and pulls the rear part of its body up to near the neck. Repeating this process, it can climb up the smooth trunk of the tree."

Parma Wallaby (Macropus parma) - Northeast New South Wales and Kawan Island. This Wallaby is full grown. The back feet are used for jumping. Grooming is also done by these large back feet, using the claw on a special back toe to clean and scratch. The Wallabies like the euclypus trees in the forest, eating the hard shelled nuts. Wallabies are "marsupials". When they are born, this less than one inch tiny baby has to crawl from the birth canal into the pouch where this joey will live for six to nine months in the mothers pouch.

Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) - Eastern third of Australia and Tasmania. The Eastern Grey Kangaroo is on the Australian Coat of Arm with the Emu. The Grey Kangaroo is large with long back feet and legs. The tail is heavy at the base and then tapers to a point, usually with dark fur at the tip. The fur is a silvery-gray color.

Baborisa (Byrousa babyrousa) - The Island of Sulawesi; Togian, Susu and Buru. The name Babirusa means "pig-deer" and is not your average swine. The skin often has large folds on the neck and belly. They usually have tusks stick upward and backwards. They eat tubers and roots. They can run fast on their relatively long legs. They have been known to swim to other islands.

Gray Peacock-Pheasant (Polyplectron bicalcaratum) - India, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Southwest China. The spots on the tail and wings are called "eye spots" (ocelli). The females are black and white where the male has violet on them. The male spreads his tail and wings in a fan.

African Wild Dogs (Lycaon pictus) - Africa savannahs, grasslands and woodlands. These large African Dogs have blotchy patches that are different on each wild dog. Their ears are large and round. The tufted tail usually has white on the tip. The forehead has a black center line. Their legs are long and slender. The feet have four toes. They weigh about 66 pounds. They live and hunt in packs. These carnivores are very fast, reaching 37 mph and can sustain a speed of 30 mph for an enduring 2 1/2 to 3 miles without stopping.

The African Wild Dog pack centers on the breeding pair. The other members of the pack help feed the litters, having a very social cooperation. They are nomadic in nature, roaming over large areas looking for prey. The African Dog usually hunts in the early morning or evening. They are the only predator that allows the pups to eat before the adults. The pups will go on hunting trips when they are about 3 months old.

The African Wild Dogs was well camouflaged among these rocks and foliage. The den is a burrow in the ground. The female will give birth to a large litter, even as many as 12, after a gestation period of 70 - 72 days. The pups are blind at birth but within two weeks their eyes are open. The whole pack takes an interest in feeding the young. At six months they learn to hunt.

Australian Side or Snake-Necked Turtle ( Chelodina longicollis) - Eastern Queen Island. Also called the long-necked tortoise or Eastern long-necked turtle, it likes slow moving fresh water such as swamps, slow moving rivers and lakes. The long neck is sometimes as long as it's carapace (shell). The shell underside has cream-colored patches surrounded by black. The eyes are on top of the turtles head. "Side-necked" refers to the ability to bend it's head sideways into the shell. When threatened, it emits a smelly fluid from the musk glands and earns the name "stinker".

Miniature Donkey - Originally from the Mediterranian. Great companion for other animals. This breed was fabled to have carried Mary to Bethlehem.

European Rabbit - All domestic breeds of rabbits are of this species. They were introduced to Australia in 1788.

Chilean Flamingo ( Phoenicopterus chilensis) - South America from Peru and Uruguay south to Tierra del Fuego. The blue legs and dark pink knee joints distinquish the Chilean Flamingo from other species. They have pink bodies with a dark pink wing with black tail feathers. Their diet consists of small crustaceans and other microscopic animals, algae and one-celled organisms.

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) - Abundant in Alaska, Northwest USA and Eastern USA and Canada. They have white heads and white tails which they acquire after four years of maturity. The large yellow bill is curved for catching and holding on to fish. They build a large nest in tall trees or cliffs and come back to the same nest, improving it every year until it is extremely large.

Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) - Western USA, Central Canada, Mexico in arid plains, open prairies and deserts. Both the female and the male haave bony horns which are covered with sheaths of specialized hairs which are shed annually. The pronghorn is extremely fast, running up to 40 mph, with quick turns.