Now, you are in the Land of the Pharaohs area which has an entrance to the Las Vegas Zone. The Land of the Pharaohs is sponsored by Luxor, and consists of a pyramid building with adjacent exhibits. Before you walk in the pyramid, there is a narrower pathway leading to the entrance with exhibits on both sides. On the left side, there is an aviary, then 2 other enclosures. On the right side, there are 2 aviaries, then another enclosure. The aviary on the left side is mesh-topped, 740 sq. m. large with 4.5 m high fencing, and is home to 1.1 Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca), 4.4 Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita), and 4.4 Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus). These birds were found/are found in Egypt, and the Nile River Delta. Geese were associated with the earth god Geb, while ibis were associated with Thoth. At nighttime, this enclosure is covered with a tarplike thing. The next enclosure on the left side is mesh-topped, 420 sq. m. large, and 3.75 m fencing, with 1.0 Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus niloticus). Crocodiles were revered, feared and thought to be a symbol of the god Sobek. The final enclosure on the left side is 4 m long, and 2.5 m wide, with 2 m tall fencing, housing 1.0 Nile Monitor (Varanus niloticus), a species commonly found in the Nile banks. At nighttime this enclosure is covered with a tarplike thing. On the right side of the path, the first enclosure is a netted aviary, and 120 sq. m large, with 5 m high fencing home to free-flight 1.1 Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) which was thought to be the symbol of the goddess Nekhbet. At nighttime, this enclosure is covered with a tarp-like thing. The next enclosure is 60 sq. m large with 3 m high fencing, and is home to 0.1 African Wildcat (Felis lybica lybica) as cats were sacred and the symbol of the goddess Bast. The final enclosure on the right is netted, and 24 sq. m large, with 4 m high fencing, home to 1.0 Lanner Falcon (Falco biarmicus). At nighttime, this aviary is covered with tarp-like thing.
As you walk into the pyramid, you first walk into an education centre with various information about the Ancient Egyptians, Egyptian Mythology, and the Nile River. Then at the end of the hallway, you can go either left if it’s daytime or right if it’s nighttime. If it’s a different time of day, a section is closed off. If you take a sharp left, there is a hallway with 4 terrariums which lead to an exit. The first terrarium is 60 cm long, 30 cm wide, 30 cm tall, and houses 0.0.3 Sacred Scarab (Scarabaeus sacer) which was a symbol of the god Khepri. The next terrarium is a large terrarium/aquarium that is 4.5 m long, 3 m wide, 1.4 m tall, and 950 gallons housing 1.0 Nile Softshell Turtle (Trionyx triunguis), a species commonly found in the Nile River. The third terrarium is 1 m long, 0.75 m wide, and 1 m tall housing 0.0.40 Desert Locust (Schistocerca gregaria), an animal found in myths as plagues. The final daytime terrarium is 1 m long, 0.5 m wide, and 0.4 m tall housing 0.1 Egyptian Tortoise (Testudo kleinmanni) which are a species commonly found in Egypt now. Then the exit leads to the next exhibits in the Africa sector but I will explain them later. If you took a sharp right in the education centre, you will be in the nighttime hallway with 4 terrariums, and one enclosure. The first terrarium is 2.5 m long, 1.2 m wide, and 1.2 m tall housing 1.0 Egyptian Cobra (Naja haje), which were often a symbol of the goddess Wadjet. The second terrarium is 90 cm long, 45 cm wide, and 45 cm tall. It’s home to 1.3 Cairo Spiny Mouse (Acomys cahirinus), a species found in Egypt’s deserts. The next terrarium is 30 cm long, 20 cm wide, and 20 cm tall. The inhabitant is 0.1 Deathstalker (Leiurus quinquestriatus) as scorpions were the symbol of the goddess Serket. The last terrarium is 40 cm long, 30 cm wide, 30 cm tall, and home to 0.0.1 Megarian Banded Centipede (Scolopendra cingulata) because centipedes were the symbol of Sepa, an afterlife deity. The final enclosure is a cove similar to the enclosure of Big Brown Bats in the Las Vegas Citylife exhibits. It’s 8 m long, 4 m wide, 3.5 m tall, and home to a colony of 3.12 Egyptian Fruit Bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus) which are commonly found in Egypt at nighttime. Then there is the exit which like the daytime gallery, leads to the rest of the exhibits in the African Sector. Sometime later this week, I will post descriptions on the Inside Africa Building, Madagascar Spiny Forest, and the Kalahari-Namib Desert exhibits. Before I post them, feel free to suggest species, give feedback, identify any missing species or implausible species, etc.
Current Species Count
Mammal: 18
Bird: 16
Reptile: 10
Amphibian: 2
Fish: 3
Invertebrate: 9
Total: 58
