No that won’t be, she’s not a snake and goats do not have rattles so I pretty much could not spot anything. Plus spotting the rattle won’t be a key for me anymore, since now I realized rattlesnakes shed rattlesThe key giveaway will be spotting her "tiny rattle" in the enclosure
Philadelphia Zoo Philadelphia Zoo News 2022
- Thread starter Kevin2342
- Start date
There are actually two more observations I forgot to include both about the reptile house.
-The eyelash gecko exhibit has been covered up again depsite just renovating it. I am not sure what is going on or if the gecko is still there.
-I don’t think anyone noticed before, but based on my observations in a lot of visits on the zoos remaining king cobra, that she actually has developed cataracts in her left eye as she aged. She arrived from Indonesia in May 2003 as an adult and was wild-born. That makes her at least 18, but she is probably at least around 20. A king cobras lifespan is just around 20 years. One of the Philadelphia Zoo’s former king cobras held the record in history when he died at 26. So she’s slowing down, not a surprise. Once she passes and if king cobras are a phase out species they should change the name of the king cobra temple and bring some new species, or bring something back like the forest cobra. Picture below on observation, as you can tell the eye is very “cloudy”
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Unless they get some new gazelles... I'd like to solve the puzzle, Pat. W_oop__.
Because they have big horns that people can oooh and aaah about. I try not to mind it as much in city zoos, to city people they're probably just as exciting as giraffes or zebras. From a personal perspective, though, it's really boring.
There are no plans to get any gazelles/antelopes, I’m not sure if they will get more even when the last mhorr gazelle passes. The last mhorr gazelle is 14 years old
I saw all four shrews today. Neiffler, Drita and the new baby were in with Jabba the sloth. Harriet, the lone female was in with titi monkeys. Harriet’s previous mate, Max, passed away early last year. Keep in mind shrews don’t live long. Drita is about 4, so she is a pretty old mother and this could be her last baby. Harriet is around 4 or 5 and she’s not breeding. Max was also 4 or 5 when he passed. Max also had a previous mate named Georgia Weasley which they were in the front of the building with Argyle the sloth, but Georgia died a long time ago as she was around 6 or so. After Georgia passed, Max was off exhibit for some time and Harriet arrived. There was a lone elderly female for some time named Alasiri, who died in 2018 at the ripe old age of 8. She was always found with the titi monkeys when the family group was still here. Sorry i forget ages off the top of my head, it’s just like a lot of small mammals, who have short lifespans. The baby is growing up so fast, he’s already around half the size of his parents
A darn shame that an exhibit is being used solely for Watusi. Many of the AZA's ungulate programs are struggling to find enough holders, and these zoos (many of them- not just Philly) who are passing off Watusi as a 'wild species' in African Savanna habitats, while that space could be better utilized helping provide holders to any Antelope species.
Well I do think watusi are more attractive than antelopes, with their big horns and size, so it makes sense the zoo would choose them over antelopes, plus watusi being so large would take up more space
If a zoo wanted a large, attractive animal they could pick African Buffalo instead of Watusi. And there are plenty of extremely attractive antelope species as well, such as Bongo, Greater Kudu, or Roan Antelope. Any of those would have been incredible choices. Alternatively, since this is a single species exhibit, getting back into okapi (a species I know Philly formerly kept) may have been a possibility.
Okapi is not a good choice since it does not fit with the theme, they are not a savanna species like the rest of them so Philly having gave them a separate space at the end of the zoo was a better choice.
You’re right about antelopes, they’re smaller, but they move around more and utilize a lot of space. Besides bongos are critically endangered
Of course, a stuck eyecap or the snake getting close to a shed are highly likely alternatives
How do you know this for certain?
It's really annoying to see spaces being filled by llamas and ankole when we badly need more holders for other species... we're losing hoofstock left and right, why must the zoos waste space on domestics? Hold Bongo or kudu even, better than dime a dozen domestics.
Domestic cattle aren't a savanna species either, though?
I have no idea why bongo being CR would make a zoo not want them, when they could be contributing to their conservation.
Getting close to a shed in the eye is not possible, snakes don’t shed eyes. And the rest of her skin is normal. I have just noticed this for the past year and it is not long-term; I don’t know if her eye started declining during Covid, since the reptile house was closed but at most it has been two years. Again I don’t find it a surprise.Of course, a stuck eyecap or the snake getting close to a shed are highly likely alternatives
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I don’t know for certain. It’s just for now, things can change
They do in fact shed the skin on their eyes; if the rest of the skin does indeed appear normal than this strongly suggests a stuck eyecap (where a snake sheds its skin but the scale on the eye fails to shed) is indeed the issue rather than your wild and unsubstantiated theories about the snake having cateracts.
Well it’s can’t be the snakes shedding, I have noticed the same thing with the eye every visit, it’s not on/off. When snakes shed skin/eyes, they do actually grow back. It’s still “possible” that that eye has always failed to shed for the last year, instead of cataracts, it’s likely one or the other
I will ask the zoo online, and if I was wrong I will post it.
We're all well aware of this, it's basic snake/reptile knowledge.
Why put possible in quotation marks? It's a perfectly legitimate possibility, and with a venomous snake it's not so easy to take care of. The snake would need to be under anesthesia most likely to safely remove it for as large and dangerous as a king cobra is.
Your post before this said "Getting close to a shed in the eye is not possible, snakes don’t shed eyes." Now, instead of acknowledging you were wrong, you're making further claims about how snake shedding works. You did the same thing with the rattlesnake. Please take the time to really educate yourself about how snakes shed and what their bodies are like, and stop making claims that you don't know anything about. It isn't helpful and makes everything else you say seem questionable. You've been asked not to speculate numerous times in the past. Claiming she has cataracts, that the zoo will bring back the forest cobras and that they won't be adding more gazelles or antelope to the phase are all speculations that you presented as fact or near-fact.
You have said in the past I can speculate, as long as I specify it as a speculation. Plus many people on here have said similar speculations, regarding bringing back species.