Alright, since nobody's take it, I guess I will. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
McGuire Zoo and Aquarium. Portland, Maine
History: What was once struggling wildlife park and wildlife rehab center, in 1995, John McGuire donated a large fund to the park to redesign it into a small, but wonderful zoo.
Wildlife of Maine
Half of the zoo is composed of this exhibit. Displaying the wildlife of Maine, from the coasts to the forests. the first animal you encounter is
1.1 Harbor seals. These were both rescues from Maine's shores. One, the male, was born blind, and was found as a baby and had to be hand-reared. The other, a female, was caught in a net as a baby. As she progressed to grow, she had trouble eating, and was found by officials in 2016. The exhibit is quite simple, with a concrete wall in the back with rocks to add a bit of naturalism. There is is a small underwater viewing area at the side, but nothing special as it is just a small glass pane on the wall.
The next exhibit is the aquarium. Because there are so many animals, I'm not going to list them all, but the stars include,
Catsharks, Dogfish, Skates, Lobsters (duh),
Sea stars, Crabs, Toadfish and Snails. Basically, it is a large rotunda, with a touchtone in the middle. In the back is a large rocky tank with the sharks, and small tanks on the walls with lobsters and fish. There is also a small play area where kids can play on a de-commisened lobster boat, donated to the zoo.
Outside is the seabird aviary. It's not walkthrough, due to breeding programs, but visitors can get a good view of it from inside the hall leading out of the aquarium. There is also a nursery to see caretakers taking care of newborns, and scientists studying populations. Signs on each side display Maine's important seabirds. The aviary includes:
Piping plover, Spotted sandpiper, Atlantic puffins, Common eider. (Not listing amount of males an females, sorry. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)
After exiting, you will go to the forests. You first will see a medium sized pond for
1.2 American Beavers. There is a beaver lodge which people can crawl through to the beavers up close, and their sleeping quarters through one-way glass. The next exhibit is home to
2.0 River Otters (both rescues) And features underwater viewing down a hill.
Next to underwater viewing, you will enter
Mysteries of the Woods. Basically a reptile and nocturnal house. The species include:
Reptile House - Timber rattlesnake, Common garter snake, milksnake (not sure which species lives in Maine), Snapping turtle, Painted turtle, Spotted turtle, Wood turtle, Eastern box turtle, Wood frog, Gray Tree frog, Crayfish, Eastern Newt, and multiple species of
Freshwater fish. Nocturnal House - Mudpuppy, Crayfish, Little brown bat, Virginia opossum, Striped skunk, White-tailed mouse, raccoon, Barn owl, Flying squirrel. The exhibit goes like this. A large sign shows how Maine's wildlife affects us humans, then you enter the reptile house. Nothing special, its a large hall with terrariums, but then you see Maine's lakes at the end of the hall. Large tanks with turtles and fish complete with floor to ceiling windows and water up to the visitors head. You enter into a cave with mud puppies and bats, then into the barn, where dimly lit exhibit display small mammals and owls.
After you exit, you go on the boardwalk. Down the trail you encounter large aviaries. these aviaries include:
2.0 Bald eagles, 1.0 Great gray owls, 1.0 Red-tailed hawks, 1.1 Canadian porcupines, 1.1 Canadian Lynx. There are several displays on each side where you can compare your "wingspan" to an eagle's, owl's, and hawk's, or Even see how lynx use their feet to stay above the snow. The final two exhibits n the board walks are viewable through a log cabin. The first exhibit is a rocky exhibit for
2.0 American Black Bears. Which includes a pool, waterfall, and a large cave in the back. Finally, there is a large yard with
1.1 American Moose (or Elk depending on where you're from) and 2.5 Wild Turkey.
Adaptations
The second, and final, exhibit, displays animals from around the world, showing how their adaptations allow them to survive. This is where (all) the zoo's exotic animals are located. Though the collection isn't that incredible, it still has some notable animals.
The first exhibit, across from the seals, is the rainforest, and starts with a walkthrough aviary, which is climate controlled for the winter. It is home to birds from around the world. They include:
5.5 Scarlet ibis, 1.1 Scarlet macaws, 2.4 Sun conures, 3.3 Spotted whistling ducks, 5.5 Cattle egrets, 11.2 Black-necked swans, 1.1 Golden pheasants, 1.2 Rhinoceros hornbills, 1.2 Victoria crested pigeons. In the aviary are many signs showing how flight helps these creatures survive, and how birds evolved from dinosaurs. Outside, you start the loop back around. A large path showcases the following animals in medium sized aviaries? (not sure how to describe it lol)
1.1 Brown spider monkeys, 1.2 White faced sakis. A playground nearby shows how these animals climb through the tree tops.
The next exhibit, is temperate forests. It starts with a cliffside aviary for
2.3 Keas. And you then you loop a bit to two small ponds, one is home to
2.5 Chilean flamingoes, and 1.2 Orinoco Geese. The next pond is home to
1.2 Red crowned cranes, and 1.2 Mandarin Ducks. The final exhibit in this section is the Red Panda Forest. You enter into a Chinese Temple, where you view a medium sized yard home to.
1.3 Red pandas, 1.1 Reeve's muntjac.
The final part of the zoo is Deserts and Plains, which is basically a few paddocks for the zoos large hoofed animals. You walk past a shaded path and along the way you see a paddock with
1.2 Guanacos and 1.2 Rheas. The next paddock is home to
1.2 Springbok, 2.4 Grey crowned cranes. You then go to the desert buildings. An outdoor rocky exhibit is home to
1.1 Fennec foxes. You go inside to see the springboks indoors (and the next surprise) The house is currently going through a renovation, so most of the animals are off display. Large floor to ceiling terrariums on the side display
Chilean rose tarantulas, Texas horned lizards, Common chuckwallas, Collared lizards, and Black spiny tailed iguanas. Signs on the sides show how these animals survive in such hot conditions. Go outside, and the final exhibit is home to
1.1 Dromedary Camels, and 1.1 Ostrich. A cute photo opportunity allows kids to crawl inside an ostrich egg, and and the camel exhibit itself includes a small oasis and a fake palm tree.
Next Zoo, Blue valley Safari Park
So here's what I used to find out the animals of Maine:
https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1028&context=aes_bulletin
https://www.maine.gov/ifw/fish-wildlife/wildlife/species
