Toledo Zoo
After we went to the Binder Park Zoo, Katelyn made the observation that she did not see any lions or tigers or bears. Heather and I realized that we had to do something about that dilemma.
We planned a trip to the Toledo, Ohio, Zoo, and we met up with Heather’s parents from central Ohio. We also planned on a stay at the Holiday Inn waterpark just off the Ohio Purnpike. After a hard day of play at the zoo, why not cool off at a waterpark?
We started off with the seals and polar bears. The seals enjoyed swimming upside down. They have fat yet streamlined bodies that allow them to zip around effortlessly. I was not able to get any pictures of them on land, and that actually worked out well since they appeared to be much more interesting while swimming.
The polar bears were quite impressive. At first, the two were lounging about just pawing and playing with one another. I was amazed at the photos I was able to get. They then got up and moved around, and again I was able to get some good shots.
Our next stop was the African exhibit. The zoo has several acres for many species of animals to roam, including gazelles, giraffes, zebras, and wildebeests. After our incredible giraffe experience at Binder Park earlier this year, this exhibit was actually a little bit disappointing. However, the Toledo Zoo had a lot of surprises yet to come.
After enjoying the Africa exhibit, we crossed a large pedestrian bridge into the larger main part of the zoo. The Asian Sloth Bear has a sizable exhibit not far from the bridge. The bears are ugly, but very active and amusing. The one picgtured below spent his time pacing back and forth in front of the glass shield where people can get close. He would then run to the other size of the exhibit and pace back and forth in front of the other glass shield.
My very favorite animal was next, the Siberian Tiger. At first, he was laying down and just panting. That was impressive enough. However, our patience was rewarded, and he got up and walked around a bit. He did a couple of circles, and walked right up against the fence, giving us an amazing view of a toothy, monsterous, beautiful cat. I was even able to catch some pictures of him while I was standing behind the glass shield, unobstructed by fencing.
The Toledo Zoo is home to one of the world’s first Hippoquariums. This gives us a view of the secret underwater lives of hippos. These animals weigh tons a piece, but they are still able to glide gracefully underwater. They shove off the bottom, and just float along like we would in a pool. Again, I did not get to see them on land, but I suspect that seeing them underwater was a lot more rewarding.
The Cape Clawless Otters are right across the hall from the hippos. Now, these animals know how to put on a show. They are constantly active, swimming around, and bounding up on shore. They are hard to photograph since they move so quickly, but they are fun to watch. The otters can spend a couple of minutes underwater before they have to come up for air. Most of the time they would just stick their noses up and catch a breath, but once in a while they would crawl up on shore, albeit briefly.
Elephants are always one of the stars of the show. Their sheer size induces awe into anyone with a heartbeat. They just don’t appear to move that quickly at all, but I think the size of their steps tell a different story.
We took a ten-minute rest by the elephant exhibit. It was a hot and humid day, and we needed time to rest and get hydrated.
While resting, I took notice of another exhibit somewhat hidden behind a bench and tree. If you have ever been to a zoo, have you ever noticed that the animals have a habit of hiding from humans if they can? They will snuggle up in the farthest corner of their habitat for some privacy. I realized that I was looking into the rear of the Cinereous Vulture exhibit, and the male was standing about as far back as he could from the front, which left him mere feet from me. I was able to get several excellent close-up shots of him thanks to my fluke of proximity.
Do any of you like monkeys? I do! Too bad I did not write down the species.
The rhinos were pooped from the midday sun, and just lounged in the shade. I have a lot of pictures of them . . . just looking weary.
I did not see a lot of the reptile house. Katelyn found the craft center there, and did her own thing while I kept watch. However, I saw enough to get a few shots of some really interesting snake and reptiles. Every picture I took of the green tree snake turned out blurred, same thing to the tongue-flipping monitors. So, I struck out on them, but check out the creatures below.
It’s the Year of the Frog at the Toledo Zoo, and we found quite a few of them in the Museum of Science building in the middle of the zoo. The exhibit rooms are dark to encourage the frogs to be active during the day, so I was not able to get very many pictures at all. However, here are my three best.
I’ll share more pictures in an entry tomorrow or Friday.
buck on 07.16.08 @ 10:39 PM EST [link]
