Saturday, September 24, 2011

Exotic Animals at the Naples Zoo

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The Naples Zoo is  housed in the famous Caribbean Gardens. The zoo is a wonderful family visiting spot. They have many exhibits displaying exotic animals as well as shows. http://www.napleszoo.com/

Parrots

Macaws have a long lifespan living up to 60 to 80 years! They are large and colorful. When it comes to choosing a mate they will stay together for life. Their diet includes ripe and unripe nuts, seeds, fruit, and even insects.

green parrot

Military Macaws are bright green with red at the front of their heads. They received their name because of their bright green color which quoted by experts “They look like they are ready to march in a parade.” This playful parrot flashed out his head feathers just as I shot the photo.

large cat

This pacing “spotted cat” known as the leopard can be a skilled man-eater. It can reach speeds over 60 km! There coats allow them to blend in with surrounding leaves as they approach their pray. They are nocturnal hunters and eat antelope, pigs, and deer.

grooming

These Gazelles are a friendly couple. They live from Northern Africa through India Semi-desert. The fact that they can go their whole lives without drinking show how well they have adapted to life in the desert.

giraffe

The giraffe is the tallest animals in the world. The males can rise up to 19 feet tall and weigh between 2400 and 4250. The females are slightly shorter at 17 feet tall. The giraffe is one of my favorite animals at the zoo. They have around a 100 different plants they eat. When visitors feed the giraffes they quickly slurp up the foliage with their long tongues.

nap time

It is nap time for this African Crested Porcupine. This is one of the animals we were able to see at a show. It is the largest and the heaviest of the African rodents. When danger approaches, the porcupine raises its quills and spreads them our. The skills latch onto the skin like fishhooks and are not easy to remove. Fortunately for the porcupine, they do grow back.

playing with tub

The stripes on each zebra is unique as the variety of fingerprints on a human. An interesting fact is that there has been albino zebras in captivity!

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turtle

The leopard tortoise can live up to 100 years! It is the fourth largest species in the world with adult reaching up to 18-inches. When threatened, they can retract their head and feet into their shell.

I hope you enjoyed my tour of the Naples Zoo. Following this entry, will be a continuation of the Zoo.

Scripture of the week

Songs of Songs 2:2 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is to come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.

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