Whats the reason of that?
Zooboy28 in America
- Thread starter zooboy28
- Start date
Whats the reason of that?
According to the keeper, they are easily stressed out when visitors come close, and the male starts attacking females.
Does the male only have the bald head
Both males and females have bald heads
How can we tell the difference between them?
I think LA male is larger than females.
zooboy28
Well-Known Member
Yes, just haven't gotten around to writing up the final section of this review, should be up soon though.
zooboy28
Well-Known Member
Day Eighteen - Part Four
The lower portion of Cat & Dog Canyon marks the beginning of Asian Passage, which lies in the very centre of the zoo. The final exhibits in this canyon were predominantly aviaries, including large ones for Rhinoceros and Wrinkled Hornbills, as well as various smaller Asian birds. An aviary for White-faced Saki Monkeys and an exhibit for Indian Crested Porcupines rounded out the canyon, all of which will be demolished to make way for Africa Rocks. Hopefully some of these species will pop up again elsewhere in the Zoo. The path led into a small plaza, with an escalator leading up to the start of EO (past a warthog exhibit I missed) on one side, and another up to Parker Aviary on the other. Paths also led up through the rest of Asian Passage, and finally continued down Park Way into Panda Canyon. The plaza itself was part of Panda Canyon, and featured a café and shop.
Panda Canyon is a relatively small zone, with just five species displayed, although it is obviously one of the most popular, so exists as a one-way trail entered past those irritating photographers that take silly photos and photoshop you in with the animals. However, the entry is further down Park Way, and to reach it we had to walk past a steep wooded paddock, which contained Western Tufted Deer. It was now after 3pm, so there was no queue for viewing, and we were able to go straight through. The first exhibit we came to was an excellent Red Panda enclosure, with several decent trees. Opposite was a nicely furnished yard for a herd of (at least five) Sichuan Takin. A large glass-fronted exhibit held Mang Mountain Vipers, a striking species that is given high exposure here. The final two exhibits held the female Giant Panda and her male cub. The animals were very visible and feeding, but the enclosures were surprisingly small, and certainly not as impressive as I had expected. The exit took us back to the central plaza.
We then followed Center Street up through the remainder of Asian Passage, beginning with Sun Bear Forest. This small complex opened in 1989, but has stood up very well, clearly this was an outstanding time for the zoo! The first exhibit is a massive netted enclosure for Lion-tailed Macaques, which has to be one of the largest netted primate exhibits I have ever seen. Next is a pair of immensely tall cages for Francois Langurs, which is looks like a brilliant habitat, although you really have to look up to see them. Opposite this is a small aviary for Chinese birds, and further on is the Sun Bear exhibit. This is a rather odd construction, essentially mock rock with many logs and a pool, but odd sightlines which make it rather difficult to gauge the size. I don’t think there was any natural substrate either, although it wouldn’t take much to refurbish it into an excellent bear enclosure.
The last part of Asian Passage is a steeper hill with various old cages and grottoes on the left, the remnants of Bear Canyon, displaying an odd mix of left-over primates and carnivores. On the opposite side of the path was a forested hillside, with some very impressive plants and trees, which arguably were a more impressive display. The first two grottoes are fairly large affairs, with vegetation, climbing structures and shade sails, these housed Sun and Andean Bears. Past these were four small, barren and horrible old cages for a variety of primate taxa, most of which were displayed elsewhere, so these were presumably surplus individuals. These are certainly the worst old exhibits in the zoo, and I’m surprised they were on display; hopefully they aren’t around much longer. The final few grottoes were surprisingly good, and included natural substrates, vegetation and other furnishing. These held Grizzly Bears, Spotted Hyena and another very exciting new species – African Clawless Otter, in a particularly well-renovated exhibit that apparently used to hold pinnipeds. While the grottoes are very dated, and I imagine have a very limited future, they still provide very acceptable homes to their inhabitants.
At the top of Bear Canyon are the final two zones of the San Diego Zoo, the first of which is the former elephant mesa, which now houses an odd mix of megafauna. This area is named Urban Jungle, a name I quite like, but not one that particularly fits the species displayed. A short loop around this flat zone circles a central yard, with further yards around the outside. The first yard was long and narrow, and held some of the Zoo’s ambassador animals – hand-reared Wolves, NGSDs, Domestic Dogs and Cheetah, although I only saw a single cheetah here. Clouded Leopards were displayed in older cages further along, but their alcove was blocked off, so we didn’t see them. Likewise, the Caribbean Flamingo enclosure was empty with the pool drained. Further yards held Red River Hog, Red Kangaroo, Grant’s Zebra & Donkeys, and finally Nubian Soemmering’s Gazelle & Masai Giraffe, which were both new taxa. The central exhibit held Indian Rhino, with cages for Southern Ground Hornbill at the rear. All these yards were fairly barren, the cages basic, and viewing average - there was nothing world-class about this area at all. There have been discussions on here about what to do with this area, as it is particularly awkward – it will be interesting to see what they come up with.
Outside Urban Jungle is the Zoo’s Australian zone – Outback. This has been recently extensively renovated or built, except for the far end, which has since been shut off as part of the Africa Rocks development. The first exhibit here wasn’t Australian at all, rather a shady yard for Bactrian Camel. The older Australian exhibits were adjacent to this, including two small yards for Common and Southern Hairy-nosed Wombats, and an ugly pen for Matschie’s Tree Kangaroo, viewed from a raised deck. Next to this was the closest thing the Zoo had to a nocturnal exhibit – a dark, covered aviary with Short-beaked Echidna and Ringtail Possum. I think all these enclosures will be lost with the new development.
The newer Australian Outback exhibit has two parts; the first was composed of sunken yards with parasol-topped tree trunks for Koalas, viewed from a verandah. These made for good viewing, and were fairly similar to how this species is displayed in Australia, although the yards were particularly barren – a few shrubs wouldn’t go amiss here, and neither would a small macropod or echidna. While the exterior walls were respectable mock rock, the dividers between the male yards were ugly corrugated iron, which made the exhibit look a bit patchy. Between some of the yards was an aviary for Rainbow Lorikeets and Palm Cockatoos. The second part of the Outback exhibit runs along a path back towards the Zoo entrance, with a series of very nice exhibits for Tasmanian Devils, and then three circular aviaries with a variety of Australian birds, including two new species. Like the aviary near the koalas, however, the netting on these aviaries was not particularly conducive to viewing, and was very glary.
So the final part of the zoo was a bit of a let down, but that wasn't unexpected. I'll post a short overview of the visit (and new species list) later.
The lower portion of Cat & Dog Canyon marks the beginning of Asian Passage, which lies in the very centre of the zoo. The final exhibits in this canyon were predominantly aviaries, including large ones for Rhinoceros and Wrinkled Hornbills, as well as various smaller Asian birds. An aviary for White-faced Saki Monkeys and an exhibit for Indian Crested Porcupines rounded out the canyon, all of which will be demolished to make way for Africa Rocks. Hopefully some of these species will pop up again elsewhere in the Zoo. The path led into a small plaza, with an escalator leading up to the start of EO (past a warthog exhibit I missed) on one side, and another up to Parker Aviary on the other. Paths also led up through the rest of Asian Passage, and finally continued down Park Way into Panda Canyon. The plaza itself was part of Panda Canyon, and featured a café and shop.
Panda Canyon is a relatively small zone, with just five species displayed, although it is obviously one of the most popular, so exists as a one-way trail entered past those irritating photographers that take silly photos and photoshop you in with the animals. However, the entry is further down Park Way, and to reach it we had to walk past a steep wooded paddock, which contained Western Tufted Deer. It was now after 3pm, so there was no queue for viewing, and we were able to go straight through. The first exhibit we came to was an excellent Red Panda enclosure, with several decent trees. Opposite was a nicely furnished yard for a herd of (at least five) Sichuan Takin. A large glass-fronted exhibit held Mang Mountain Vipers, a striking species that is given high exposure here. The final two exhibits held the female Giant Panda and her male cub. The animals were very visible and feeding, but the enclosures were surprisingly small, and certainly not as impressive as I had expected. The exit took us back to the central plaza.
We then followed Center Street up through the remainder of Asian Passage, beginning with Sun Bear Forest. This small complex opened in 1989, but has stood up very well, clearly this was an outstanding time for the zoo! The first exhibit is a massive netted enclosure for Lion-tailed Macaques, which has to be one of the largest netted primate exhibits I have ever seen. Next is a pair of immensely tall cages for Francois Langurs, which is looks like a brilliant habitat, although you really have to look up to see them. Opposite this is a small aviary for Chinese birds, and further on is the Sun Bear exhibit. This is a rather odd construction, essentially mock rock with many logs and a pool, but odd sightlines which make it rather difficult to gauge the size. I don’t think there was any natural substrate either, although it wouldn’t take much to refurbish it into an excellent bear enclosure.
The last part of Asian Passage is a steeper hill with various old cages and grottoes on the left, the remnants of Bear Canyon, displaying an odd mix of left-over primates and carnivores. On the opposite side of the path was a forested hillside, with some very impressive plants and trees, which arguably were a more impressive display. The first two grottoes are fairly large affairs, with vegetation, climbing structures and shade sails, these housed Sun and Andean Bears. Past these were four small, barren and horrible old cages for a variety of primate taxa, most of which were displayed elsewhere, so these were presumably surplus individuals. These are certainly the worst old exhibits in the zoo, and I’m surprised they were on display; hopefully they aren’t around much longer. The final few grottoes were surprisingly good, and included natural substrates, vegetation and other furnishing. These held Grizzly Bears, Spotted Hyena and another very exciting new species – African Clawless Otter, in a particularly well-renovated exhibit that apparently used to hold pinnipeds. While the grottoes are very dated, and I imagine have a very limited future, they still provide very acceptable homes to their inhabitants.
At the top of Bear Canyon are the final two zones of the San Diego Zoo, the first of which is the former elephant mesa, which now houses an odd mix of megafauna. This area is named Urban Jungle, a name I quite like, but not one that particularly fits the species displayed. A short loop around this flat zone circles a central yard, with further yards around the outside. The first yard was long and narrow, and held some of the Zoo’s ambassador animals – hand-reared Wolves, NGSDs, Domestic Dogs and Cheetah, although I only saw a single cheetah here. Clouded Leopards were displayed in older cages further along, but their alcove was blocked off, so we didn’t see them. Likewise, the Caribbean Flamingo enclosure was empty with the pool drained. Further yards held Red River Hog, Red Kangaroo, Grant’s Zebra & Donkeys, and finally Nubian Soemmering’s Gazelle & Masai Giraffe, which were both new taxa. The central exhibit held Indian Rhino, with cages for Southern Ground Hornbill at the rear. All these yards were fairly barren, the cages basic, and viewing average - there was nothing world-class about this area at all. There have been discussions on here about what to do with this area, as it is particularly awkward – it will be interesting to see what they come up with.
Outside Urban Jungle is the Zoo’s Australian zone – Outback. This has been recently extensively renovated or built, except for the far end, which has since been shut off as part of the Africa Rocks development. The first exhibit here wasn’t Australian at all, rather a shady yard for Bactrian Camel. The older Australian exhibits were adjacent to this, including two small yards for Common and Southern Hairy-nosed Wombats, and an ugly pen for Matschie’s Tree Kangaroo, viewed from a raised deck. Next to this was the closest thing the Zoo had to a nocturnal exhibit – a dark, covered aviary with Short-beaked Echidna and Ringtail Possum. I think all these enclosures will be lost with the new development.
The newer Australian Outback exhibit has two parts; the first was composed of sunken yards with parasol-topped tree trunks for Koalas, viewed from a verandah. These made for good viewing, and were fairly similar to how this species is displayed in Australia, although the yards were particularly barren – a few shrubs wouldn’t go amiss here, and neither would a small macropod or echidna. While the exterior walls were respectable mock rock, the dividers between the male yards were ugly corrugated iron, which made the exhibit look a bit patchy. Between some of the yards was an aviary for Rainbow Lorikeets and Palm Cockatoos. The second part of the Outback exhibit runs along a path back towards the Zoo entrance, with a series of very nice exhibits for Tasmanian Devils, and then three circular aviaries with a variety of Australian birds, including two new species. Like the aviary near the koalas, however, the netting on these aviaries was not particularly conducive to viewing, and was very glary.
So the final part of the zoo was a bit of a let down, but that wasn't unexpected. I'll post a short overview of the visit (and new species list) later.
so there's no nocturnal house at the San Diego Zoo!? That is not expected. I'm assuming there has been one in the past (anyone?).
cough. Still waiting.zooboy28 said:
zooboy28
Well-Known Member
There was the Kiwi House, which must have been nocturnal, but that has been inaccessible for years. The exhibit above is no longer in existence either I don't think, as it is in the area that is becoming Africa Rocks.
I might be able to put it up tomorrow.
Never. Kiwi exhibit and (long ago) aardvark den being the only nods toward a "nocturnal house."
Last edited by a moderator:
huh. Thanks both of you. I really would have expected San Diego to have had a proper nocturnal house!
zooboy28
Well-Known Member
San Diego Zoo Summary
San Diego Zoo is one of the most well-known and respected zoos in the world, and often touted as the very best. So it was awesome to spend a day exploring it, and I was very keen to compare it to some of the world’s other “best zoo” contenders, like Singapore, Chester and Berlin. And I have to say that I think it is the best zoo I have ever been to. Overall exhibit quality is very high, and the collection is large and extremely diverse collection, featuring a number of impressive rarities. I do rate exhibit quality over collection size, which is why it beats Berlin. Sure, it has faults, some very embarrassing, for example exhibits that wouldn’t have been even average a hundred years ago and some odd groups missing or barely represented in the collection – ratites, owls, callitrichids, lemurs, and bats. But it’s an amazing day out, beautifully landscaped and planted, with an enticingly maze-like layout and exciting exhibits around every corner. I wouldn’t say it’s my favourite zoo, but it’s up there and I certainly haven’t been to a better one.
Not including the wild species, which included my first wild hummingbird, I saw 370 species (amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals) at San Diego Zoo, of which 106 were new. Breakdown as follows:
8 Amphibians (0 new)
103 Reptiles (33 new)
164 Birds (54 new)
95 Mammals (19 new)
New Species:
Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise, Angolan Python, Baja California Rat Snake, Banded Rock Rattlesnake, Brazilian Lancehead, Ethiopian Mountain Viper, Exuma Island Iguana, Giant Horned Lizard, Green Crested Lizard, Green Mamba, Huamantlan Rattlesnake, Mang Mountain Pit Viper, Parker’s Snake-necked Turtle, Pygmy Spiny-tailed Skink, Red Coachwhip, Red Diamond Rattlesnake, Red-headed Rat Snake, Red-headed River Turtle, Ringed Water Cobra, Rowley’s Palm Pit Viper, Samar Cobra, San Diego Gopher Snake, Santa Catalina Island Rattlesnake, Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko, Side-blotched Lizard, Side-striped Palm Pit Viper, Southern Pacific Rattlesnake, South-western Speckled Rattlesnake, Sungazer, Tropical Girdled Lizard, Twig Snake, Twin Spotted Rattlesnake, African Darter, African Olive-Pigeon, Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, Ashy-headed Goose, Black Casqued Hornbill, Black-billed Wood Dove, Capuchinbird, Chestnut-bellied Hill Partridge, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Collared Finchbill, Collared Lory, Coronated Fruit Dove, Crested Coua, Crowned Eagle, Egyptian Plover, Fire-tufted Barbet, Gadwall, Golden-crested Myna, Golden-fronted Leafbird, Green Aracari, Guinean Red-capped Cardinal, Harlequin Duck, Iris Lorikeet, Lesser Green Broadbill, Long-tailed Duck, Madagascar Partridge, Magpie Shrike, Melba Finch, Metallic Pigeon, Mountain Bamboo Partridge, Ornate Hawk Eagle, Peruvian Black-faced Tanager, Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan, Puna Teal, Purple Honeycreeper, Racquet-tailed Roller, Raggiana Bird-of-Paradise, Red and Blue Lory, Red-faced Liocichla, Ruby-throated Bulbul, Scaly-sided Merganser, Siamese Fireback, Sociable Weaver, Southern Bald Ibis, Spotted Tanager, Stone Partridge, Storm’s Stork, Sulawesi Tarictic Hornbill, Superb Bird-of-Paradise, White-breasted Woodswallow, White-crowned Shrike, White-necked Jacobin, Wompoo Fruit Dove, Yellow-breasted Fruit Dove, African Pangolin, Black Duiker, Black-crested Mangabey, Bontebok, Bornean Sun Bear, Cape Clawless Otter, Chacoan Peccary, Cuvier’s Gazelle, East Angolan Colobus, Lesser Spot-nosed Guenon, Masai Giraffe, Nubian Soemmering’s Gazelle, Peruvian Black-capped Squirrel Monkey, Pronghorn, Schmidt’s Red-tailed Monkey, Siberian Lynx, Southern Ratel, Western Tufted Deer, Yellow-backed Duiker.
San Diego Zoo is one of the most well-known and respected zoos in the world, and often touted as the very best. So it was awesome to spend a day exploring it, and I was very keen to compare it to some of the world’s other “best zoo” contenders, like Singapore, Chester and Berlin. And I have to say that I think it is the best zoo I have ever been to. Overall exhibit quality is very high, and the collection is large and extremely diverse collection, featuring a number of impressive rarities. I do rate exhibit quality over collection size, which is why it beats Berlin. Sure, it has faults, some very embarrassing, for example exhibits that wouldn’t have been even average a hundred years ago and some odd groups missing or barely represented in the collection – ratites, owls, callitrichids, lemurs, and bats. But it’s an amazing day out, beautifully landscaped and planted, with an enticingly maze-like layout and exciting exhibits around every corner. I wouldn’t say it’s my favourite zoo, but it’s up there and I certainly haven’t been to a better one.
Not including the wild species, which included my first wild hummingbird, I saw 370 species (amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals) at San Diego Zoo, of which 106 were new. Breakdown as follows:
8 Amphibians (0 new)
103 Reptiles (33 new)
164 Birds (54 new)
95 Mammals (19 new)
New Species:
Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise, Angolan Python, Baja California Rat Snake, Banded Rock Rattlesnake, Brazilian Lancehead, Ethiopian Mountain Viper, Exuma Island Iguana, Giant Horned Lizard, Green Crested Lizard, Green Mamba, Huamantlan Rattlesnake, Mang Mountain Pit Viper, Parker’s Snake-necked Turtle, Pygmy Spiny-tailed Skink, Red Coachwhip, Red Diamond Rattlesnake, Red-headed Rat Snake, Red-headed River Turtle, Ringed Water Cobra, Rowley’s Palm Pit Viper, Samar Cobra, San Diego Gopher Snake, Santa Catalina Island Rattlesnake, Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko, Side-blotched Lizard, Side-striped Palm Pit Viper, Southern Pacific Rattlesnake, South-western Speckled Rattlesnake, Sungazer, Tropical Girdled Lizard, Twig Snake, Twin Spotted Rattlesnake, African Darter, African Olive-Pigeon, Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, Ashy-headed Goose, Black Casqued Hornbill, Black-billed Wood Dove, Capuchinbird, Chestnut-bellied Hill Partridge, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Collared Finchbill, Collared Lory, Coronated Fruit Dove, Crested Coua, Crowned Eagle, Egyptian Plover, Fire-tufted Barbet, Gadwall, Golden-crested Myna, Golden-fronted Leafbird, Green Aracari, Guinean Red-capped Cardinal, Harlequin Duck, Iris Lorikeet, Lesser Green Broadbill, Long-tailed Duck, Madagascar Partridge, Magpie Shrike, Melba Finch, Metallic Pigeon, Mountain Bamboo Partridge, Ornate Hawk Eagle, Peruvian Black-faced Tanager, Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan, Puna Teal, Purple Honeycreeper, Racquet-tailed Roller, Raggiana Bird-of-Paradise, Red and Blue Lory, Red-faced Liocichla, Ruby-throated Bulbul, Scaly-sided Merganser, Siamese Fireback, Sociable Weaver, Southern Bald Ibis, Spotted Tanager, Stone Partridge, Storm’s Stork, Sulawesi Tarictic Hornbill, Superb Bird-of-Paradise, White-breasted Woodswallow, White-crowned Shrike, White-necked Jacobin, Wompoo Fruit Dove, Yellow-breasted Fruit Dove, African Pangolin, Black Duiker, Black-crested Mangabey, Bontebok, Bornean Sun Bear, Cape Clawless Otter, Chacoan Peccary, Cuvier’s Gazelle, East Angolan Colobus, Lesser Spot-nosed Guenon, Masai Giraffe, Nubian Soemmering’s Gazelle, Peruvian Black-capped Squirrel Monkey, Pronghorn, Schmidt’s Red-tailed Monkey, Siberian Lynx, Southern Ratel, Western Tufted Deer, Yellow-backed Duiker.
You sound like you had a lot of fun. I can't wait to go one day(and compare to Bronx
)
)
Was there today and saw one species of lemur plus signs for two others. Also noticed you did not include kagu in your list of new species. I am hoping this is because you have seen it before not because you missed it.
zooboy28
Well-Known Member
Fairly sure I only saw Ring-tailed Lemur, and it (they?) was in one of the four awful old primate cages on the Bear Canyon. What species did you see and were signposted? I think there is supposed to be a new Lemur exhibit in the upcoming Africa Rocks development.
I have seen Kagu before, at Berlin Zoo, so that is why they aren't on the list. Unfortunately however, I was unaware of the bus loading aviary, and so missed them (and any other species in there) at San Diego Zoo.
Fairly sure I only saw Ring-tailed Lemur, and it (they?) was in one of the four awful old primate cages on the Bear Canyon. What species did you see and were signposted? I think there is supposed to be a new Lemur exhibit in the upcoming Africa Rocks development.
I have seen Kagu before, at Berlin Zoo, so that is why they aren't on the list. Unfortunately however, I was unaware of the bus loading aviary, and so missed them (and any other species in there) at San Diego Zoo.
San Diego Zoo is building a lemur complex due to open in 2017.
Here are some details: Looking for Lemurs? They Need a New Home!
There will be Coquerel's sifaka, collared, blue-eyed, red ruffed, mouse lemurs, ring-tailed, and aye-ayes according to their preview website.
Currently there is a walk-through ring-tailed lemur exhibit at the Safari Park.
In October 2014 two out of the four old primate cages in the bear canyon held prosimians. One cage was shared by ring-tailed lemur and collared lemur (i think I saw only one of each) and the other cage had a aye-aye (which I did not see despite coming back a few times)
I was unaware of the bus loading aviary, and so missed them (and any other species in there) at San Diego Zoo.
There was an aviary in the bus lading area? Missed that one! I saw it in a small range of aviaries behind the artic zone. That is the trouble with a zoo the size of SD, there are small exhibits everywhere and you have to poke your nose in everywhere to find them all.