The A to Z of Autumn at the Zoo

Alligators; that is to say I think it was an alligator I spent 15 minutes drawing... I enjoyed his textured skin and he sat still the whole time I was drawing...

Bears; this was probably my favourite part of the day. I've not seen any bear in the wild here, which is probably a good thing! Every time I've been to a zoo the bears have been asleep in their concrete enclosures. These bears lived in a little wilderness, small to be sure but green at the very least. Perhaps because of this or maybe because of the temperature these bears were not asleep but moving... Also the zoo used a little optical illusion of a deep pit/moat. So it felt like the bears were feet away but they couldn't actually eat you! I spent happy minutes watching them and waiting for them to stroll over for the perfect photo...  which I missed every time! 

Canaries; Canaries + seed sticks = fun. This was a chance to interact with the animals; in a large room with lots of perches and squawking you could buy a seed stick for a dollar, then commenced a little feeding frenzy as one bird, then another, perched to eat. I imagine if you we're the only one in there it could be quite overwhelming but there was a little crowd when I was in there so I wasn't mobbed.

Disappointment; I had left the best to last. The best obviously being the red pandas. I made my way to their cage my steps quickening as I neared my destination and I was greeted by this sign.


Enough said!








Elephant; I only saw this single Indian elephant munching hay.

Fall; It was a lovely autumn day. Crisp in the morning and sunny by the afternoon. Some of the fall colours has tumbled to the ground but many trees were still decorated with the shades of the season.

Gorillas; There are several families of gorillas at the zoo. One included a juvenile who came bounding at the glass teeth bared, a little scary as they can run fast. Meanwhile the Silver-back sat placidly back to the cameras.

Hippos; it turns out hippos really love pumpkins, who knew! Never have I seen a hippo out of water. I'm fairly sure I have a picture taken at some zoo somewhere of a hippo swimming but never have I seen one on land. Tempted by seasonal pumpkin delights Seattle's hippos were dining topside. Munch... Munch... Munch...

 

In; a tree. At first I didn't spot this tree kangaroo but then I looked up and their he was just hanging out. Look at his amazing tail!

Jaguar; I had fun trying to get a photo of this big cat as it paced behind the waterfall. This is when I wish I had a better camera where I could control the point of focus properly. 

Kangaroos; or possibly wallabies? The ones I had just seen huddled in the warm were Kangas but for whatever reason this little guy was out on his own. I liked the tableau of him with the pumpkin and autumn tree.

Lions; I saw Mr. Lion at the corner of the his enclosure sitting down. A few minutes later something must have unsettled him because I got to hear his roar, Roar, ROAR.

Meerkats; These guys were cute but I can not look at them without seeing comparethemeerkat.com adverts. British advertising at it's best!

Natural; enclosures. I realise that nature has some very dry and barren landscapes and for many zoo animals that is what home is like but one of the things I enjoyed most about the enclosures at Seattle zoo was their lusciousness. The pacific northwest is nothing if not lush, green and healthy looking and it was nice to see animals, especially wolves, bears, otters in something more than a concrete jungle. 

Otters; There were Asian small-clawed ottters and river otters. Both sets were gambolling. I particularly enjoyed the river otters, they had an underwater viewing point. I loved the bubbles rising up from their fur as they dived.

Asian small-clawed otters

River Otters (N. American)

Pumpkins; In a bit of seasonal flare the zoo likes to give the animals pumpkins to play with or eat, as you can see on many of the photos. So much for natural! 

Quiet; It was a long week and it took a while to unwind. Zoos are not the best place for quiet with small animals running around, not to mention the occupants of the cages. Sometime after lunch, having done a bit of exercise I started to enjoy myself more and absorb the moments of peace. 

Regeneration; of limbs, as commonly studied in the Mexican Salamander (Ambystoma mexicanum). The information above this little guys tank informs me that although very common in labs around the world their native habitat barely exists any more. 

Snakes; I have decided not to put online the lovely video I have of a snake flicking his tongue in and out and tasting the air. I enjoyed watching him though. I also enjoyed watching to see if I could see the massive python take a 'breath'. 

Tortoise; this little guy was busy eating... yum salad! 

Underwater; There was a chance to see the otters and the penguins under the water. There was even an underwater viewer for the bears if they had chosen to take a dip. 

V; a formation of turtles. 

Wolves; were busy pacing through their wooded enclosure.

X-ray vision; required to see this lone Orangutan (his 'friends' were inside) huddled under his cardboard shelter. Can you spot him? 

Yule tide; or at least in Decmeber I am going to return to the zoo in the evening to see the zoo's Christmas lights. Already in place, but not lit, were light sculptures of gorillas, salmon, butterflies and much much more, but that is a blog for another time. 

Zoobiquity; Whilst I was at the zoo there was a conference in progress. I heard snatches of the talks which sounded really interesting. Do gorilla's experience Seasonal Affective Disorder? How do bears manage their blood sugar during hibernation? There is an entire book on the topic which I just purchased so I'll let you know if it's good.