World of the Insect, or the Insectarium, was the first and largest building in the world with the widest collection of six-legged species after opening in 1978. The zoo has received four AZA awards for this achievement, which also includes breeding of many rare species like the Hercules beetle, the Royal Goliath beetle, the Giant Southeast Asian Walking Stickand the Harlequin beetle. Not only does the building showcase invertebrates but it also is home to small animals that prey on them in the "What Eats Insects" area along with a burrow exhibit for naked mole rats. There is a long line of plastic tubes that travel throughout half the building, containing millions of leaf-cutter ants in the longest ant exhibit in the country. Connected to the building is a separate walk-through atrium called the Butterfly Rainforest showcasing hundreds of small birds and butterflies native to South America. Over seventy species are on display, but the building actually holds over 500,000 total animals. Currently the building holds baby walking sticks, whipscorpions, emperor scorpions, hissing cockroaches, leaf katydids, and spiny leaf insects.
That's a shame. I never got a glimpse of one of them. I would have liked to see them moved to the Amazonia exhibit in Wings of the World; I wonder if they would have done better there seeing at is larger, and the visitor area is smaller.
That's a shame. I never got a glimpse of one of them. I would have liked to see them moved to the Amazonia exhibit in Wings of the World; I wonder if they would have done better there seeing at is larger, and the visitor area is smaller.
Same here, great disappointment. The lady who told me this had the same idea (moving to the what is actually called "South America" (just found that out today)). I wish they would move them there, and added a separate aviary like they did with the hornbills if that's what you meant.
I think the cocks-of-the-rock would be fine either in a separate aviary, like the hornbills, or in with the other birds. The aviary in Wings of the World has quite a bit more space for the birds than in World of the Insect; it allows for quite a bit more space for the birds to get away from the visitors; I don't think there would as much of a problem between the cocks-of the rock and the visitors with the greater amount of space. If they were to consider adding a separate aviary for the cocks-of-the-rock, the far right hand of the aviary near the birding blind/research hut would likely work well.
I think the cocks-of-the-rock would be fine either in a separate aviary, like the hornbills, or in with the other birds. The aviary in Wings of the World has quite a bit more space for the birds than in World of the Insect; it allows for quite a bit more space for the birds to get away from the visitors; I don't think there would as much of a problem between the cocks-of the rock and the visitors with the greater amount of space. If they were to consider adding a separate aviary for the cocks-of-the-rock, the far right hand of the aviary near the birding blind/research hut would likely work well.
Insects and fruit make up the large majority of the diet of cocks-of-the-rock, so it is really no surprise that did eat some of the butterflies. However, I would have thought that wouldn't eat many of them after they settled in considering that they receive a regulated amount of food every day, I have a feeling that they were attacking the visitors because they likely felt threatened by them. The aviary in World of the Insect is narrow, and the birds are in very close proximity to the visitors. They would've done better in a larger aviary or in aviary where there isn't such close contact with humans.
Insects and fruit make up the large majority of the diet of cocks-of-the-rock, so it is really no surprise that did eat some of the butterflies. However, I would have thought that wouldn't eat many of them after they settled in considering that they receive a regulated amount of food every day, I have a feeling that they were attacking the visitors because they likely felt threatened by them. The aviary in World of the Insect is narrow, and the birds are in very close proximity to the visitors. They would've done better in a larger aviary or in aviary where there isn't such close contact with humans.
