San Diego Wild Animal Zoo, San Diego, California



African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) - Sub-Saharan Africa. I must say, this is the best breeding zoo I have ever been to. The African Elephant is the largest living mammal today. The ears are larger than the Asian elephant. The legs are like pillars


The smallest elephant is three weeks old. Newborn elephants have can have lots of hair and adults will have short hairs on the trunk The elephant calf will stay with it's mother for three or four years. The other adult females will often help look after the young elephant.

Pink-Backed Pelican (Pelecanus rufescens) - Africa, Saudi Arabia, Madagascar.

Rothschild Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardis rothchildi) - Africa. This is one of the rarer Giraffes of it's species. With it's long neck and long legs, the giraffe can reach up to 35 mph. However, they tire easily - more of a sprinting - and do not last for long distances. The Rothschild Giraffe is much paler in color with less jagged blotches than the Masai Giraffe or the Reticulata Giraffe. The blotches have a sharper shape with connetive channels of cream hue on the pelt. There are no markings on the lower white leg stockings. This giraffe has five horns rather than the usual three horns. Two horns are at the top of the head, one horn in in the center of the head, These three are normal to all giraffes. The other two horns, one behind each ear, are the unusual horns.

Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) - East and South Africa. All Rhinos have a excellent sense of smell and great hearing, but they have poor eyesight. There are two horns, the front one is longer and measures around 50 inches. The Rhino needs to drink daily and likes to wallow in mud. The Rhino is a grazer and will eat shoots, leaves, some grass, bushes and acacia bark. The Rhino is about 10 to 12 feet long and weigh around 1.1 1/4 tons. They do not have a should hump like the White Rhinos.

This young black Rhinoceros will stay with the mother until the mother gives birth to another calf, which happens about every three years.. He is eating grass, using his prehensile lip which has a hook on it..

White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) - Africa on the savannahs It is larger and heavier than the Black Rhino. The head is long with a wide mouth The White Rhino is identified by the hump on the neck and the horns are longer and thinner. The upper lip is square-shaped. They need water every day. This is one of the most endangered species in the world.

Black-Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) - North America, South Canada. Argentina, Africa and North Eurasia. This night heron is a little over 2 feet, small and stocky that, as their name indicates, hunts at night. They often are seen in the day along the shores or seen roosting in the trees. The night Heron has a short neck, thick bill and sturdy legs with head plumes. The back is black with gray wings and whitish under parts. The red eyes stand out. They feed on insects, frogs, fish and eggs.

Gemsbok (Oryx gazella) - Namibia and South Africa.

This is a Rothschild baby Giraffe. Giraffes breed all year round and give birth after 15 months. The mother gives birth standing up. Upon birth, the baby is already six feet tall. Within 5 or 10 minutes the baby is standing. After a week or two, the calve will join the other calves in a calving area. One or more mothers are always in the calving area.

Western Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) - Africa:, West Nigeria and Sangha. The Gorilla is the largest of the primates, with a rounded belly, a large head and developed chest muscles. They have a bare black face and chest with small ears. Western lowland Gorillas live in groups of up to 30 or more Gorillas led by an adult "silverback" male. The small of the back, called a "saddle" on mature gorillas turns silver-gray after nine or ten years. The average weight of a male Gorilla is 350 lbs. The lower gorillas have a patch of reddish hare on the head, where the Mountain Gorilla has a patch of black. The Gorilla will seldom drink water, usually getting enough moisture from the plants they eat. Their diet inclues leaves, shoots, stems, bamboo, nettle, wild celery, thistles and fruit.

Chilean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis) - South America, Peru, Uruguay to Tierra del Fuego. The Flamingo has a unique bill. It is bent at an angle to allow them to feed in a standing position with the head down as they scoop up and strain small creatures from the water.

White-Breasted Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo lucidus) - Africa: Coastal West and South Africa. Cormorant can be seen spreading their wings wide for drying in the sun. Cormorant have a bill that is narrow and hooked at the end for grasping their prey. The Cormorant's neck is relatively short. The White-Breasted Cormorant has webbing between all four toes. They are fish-eaters, feeding on small fish and eels. They dive from the surface, propelling themselves with their feet.

Sable Antelope (Hipportragus niger) - South and East Africa. The markings on their face is distinct. There is a central black blaze and cheek stripes. Females and juveniles are a rich chestnut color and the male is black . Both the male and the female have thick and ringed horns that can measure around 3 feet. On the neck is a long erect mane. They have rather long ears. Grazing is done in the early morning or at dusk. After breeding, the females will leave the male and join a group with other females.