Located in Miami, FL, Miami MetroZoo is a cageless zoo where animals roam in settings similar to their natural habitats. It is the only zoo in the United States in a subtropical climate.

Photos one through eight are my first attempt at digital photography. I decided to take the plunge and went from using a Canon AE1 to a Sony Cybershot. I have since graduate to a Canon Rebel XTi - and I must admit, it was a bit traumatic at first and I'm still learning.

Bird photos numberered 36 through 60 are found in the "Wings of Asia" exhibit.

I have attempted to put the conservation status in the description of each animal and bird. If there isn't any, that means the beautiful creature is considered "Least Concern" - for now.
Gallery pages:  1  2  3  4  5  6  >  >>
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Denise > Cuban Crocodile (Crocodylus rhombifer) (January 24, 2004) The Cuban Crocodile is the rarest crocodile in the Western Hemisphere. It has the smallest range of any crocodile and can be found only in Cuba in the Zapata Swamp in the northwest and in the Lanier Swamp on Isla de Juventud (Isle of Youth). The Cuban Crocodile appears to favor freshwater habitat such as swamps, marshes, and rivers and rarely swims in salt water. Status: Critically Endangered Status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Denise > Cuban Crocodile (Crocodylus rhombifer) (January 24, 2004)
Denise > Blue-winged Kookaburra (Dacelo leachii) (January 24, 2004) The Blue-winged Kookaburra is one of the largest members of the kingfisher family. It has a streaked head and blue wings and rump and a characteristic extended manic laughing call. This forest-dwelling bird is common throughout most of northern Australia and southern New Guinea.
Denise > Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii) (January 24, 2004) Orangutans are large, red-haired animals with four hands. They are members of a group called the Great Apes. Unlike monkeys, they have no tail. The word orangutan translates as "Person of the Forest" in Malay and Bahasa Indonesian. Orangutans are very similar to humans. They share 96.4% of our genes. The Great Apes are humankind's closest living relatives. Pongo abelii is endemic to the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. It is generally restricted to the north of the island, north of the Batang Toru river on the west coast of North Sumatra province (Wich et al. 2003). The Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii) differs genetically and physically from the Bornean Orangutan Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus and the population is smaller. Orangutans breed more slowly than any other primate, with the female producing a baby on average only once every 7-8 years. This makes the population extra-vulnerable to loss and accelerates the decline in numbers. Status: Critically Endangered --> It is in grave danger of extinction. Location and status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Denise > White-handed Gibbon (Hylobates lar) (January 24, 2004) Gibbons are considered the aerial acrobats of the animal world. Their "opposable" thumbs increase dexterity. Their long, strong fingers help form a hook for swinging through the trees in a method of movement called "brachiation," useful in their habitat of the Southeast Asian rain forests. Gibbons are forest creatures that live in troops. They have long arms and legs and get around by swinging from branch to branch with their arms, like trapeze artists, or running hurriedly over branches. Their arms can be 2 1/2 times as long as their body length! Some gibbons have a huge inflatable pouch on the throat (like a treefrog) that they use when calling. The species as a whole is found in northern Sumatra (Indonesia), throughout Peninsular Malaysia (except for a narrow strip between the Perak and Mudah Rivers, where H. agilis occurs), north through southern and eastern Myanmar (east of the Salween River), most of Thailand (though not in the north-east), and marginally into southern China. Status: Endangered Location and status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Denise > Malayan Tapir (Tapirus indicus) (January 24, 2004)) The Malayan Tapir has 14 hooves, a rubbery snout, and walks under water. They are the only Asian species of tapir. Its closest relatives are the horse and rhinoceros. Tapir's closest relatives are horses and rhinos and they inhabit jungle and forest lands in Central and South America as well as in Southeast Asia. (An unusual distribution, which can hardly be overlooked by anyone interested in geomorphology.) All four species are considered by one list or another to be endangered. The Malayan tapir is the species of tapir that lives in the Southeast Asia. The other three live in the Americas. Deprived of much of its former range by logging, war and human habitation, these strikingly-marked animals, built for survival and existing unchanged for millions of years, are now at risk for extinction. The Asian tapir is the largest of the tapir species, reaching about 800 to 900 pounds. The unique "saddle blanket" pattern of white midsection with dark front and rear quarters makes the tapir's outline hard to see in the moonlit shadows of the tropical forest. The Malayan Tapir occurs in southern and central parts of Sumatra (Indonesia), and on the Asian mainland in Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand (along the western border and on the Peninsula south to the Malaysian border, and in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary in the north), and Myanmar (south of latitude 18°N). Its populations are now highly fragmented within its former range. Status: Endangered Location and status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Denise > (January 24, 2004)
Denise > Siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus) (January 24, 2004) Siamang (SEE-uh-mang) belong to the family Hylobatidae, which includes all 11 gibbon (or lesser ape) species. It is the largest of the lesser apes. Siamangs are native to the island of Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. Siamangs sing so loudly that it can be heard for up to 3 miles (4.8 km). To produce this loud call, Siamangs have a hairless, reddish-brown or gray throat (laryngeal) pouch which acts as a resonator to enhance the carrying of their call. When not in use, the pouch is hidden under their long, shaggy, jet-black fur. When inflated, the pouch is about the size of a Siamang's head, and amplifies its hooting and barking to ear-splitting levels. Usually involving the adult pair, the male and female sing different but coordinated parts; songs have a definite beginning, middle and end. Each elaborate duet begins slowly, then accelerates in speed. A song lasts about 18 seconds and is repeated for about 15 minutes. The Siamang is the largest of the lesser apes. Siamangs and gibbons are the only anthropoid apes that habitually walk erect like humans. In their treetop habitat, they will walk along a vine as if on a tightrope with their hands held high for balance. The Siamang is distinctive for two reasons. The first is that two fingers on each hand are fused together (hence the name "syndactylus"). The second is the large "gular sac" (found in the male of the species), which is a throat pouch that can be inflated to the size of its head, allowing the Siamang to make loud resonating calls or songs. This species is found in Indonesia (Barisan Mountains of west-central Sumatra), Malaysia (mountains of the Malay Peninsula south of the Perak River), and a small area of southern peninsular Thailand (Chivers 1974; Khan, 1970; O’Brien et al. 2003; Treesucon and Tantithadapitak 1997). Status: Endangered Location and status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Denise > Caribbean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) (July 3, 2005) Also called the American flamingo, this species is the most brightly colored and largest of all flamingos. With their bright feathers and strongly hooked bills, flamingos are among the most easily recognized waterbirds. Their pink or reddish color comes from the rich sources of carotenoid pigments (like the pigments of carrots) in the algae and small crustaceans that the birds eat. The Caribbean flamingos are the brightest, showing their true colors of red, pink, or orange on their legs, bills, and faces. They are a scarlet pink color overall and have black primary feathers. Their bill is downward bending at its midpoint. They have large bodies and flexible long necks topped with a small head. The flamingo's long legs and feet are bare, and their toes are webbed, which is good for wading. Young birds are mostly grey and do not develop their characteristic pink until after the first year. The sexes are similar in appearance.
Cuban Crocodile (Crocodylus rhombifer) (January 24, 2004)

The Cuban Crocodile is the rarest crocodile in the Western Hemisphere. It has the smallest range of any crocodile and can be found only in Cuba in the Zapata Swamp in the northwest and in the Lanier Swamp on Isla de Juventud (Isle of Youth).

The Cuban Crocodile appears to favor freshwater habitat such as swamps, marshes, and rivers and rarely swims in salt water.

Status: Critically Endangered

Status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
> Cuban Crocodile (Crocodylus rhombifer) (January 24, 2004) The Cuban Crocodile is the rarest crocodile in the Western Hemisphere. It has the smallest range of any crocodile and can be found only in Cuba in the Zapata Swamp in the northwest and in the Lanier Swamp on Isla de Juventud (Isle of Youth). The Cuban Crocodile appears to favor freshwater habitat such as swamps, marshes, and rivers and rarely swims in salt water. Status: Critically Endangered Status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Cuban Crocodile (Crocodylus rhombifer) (January 24, 2004)

The Cuban Crocodile is the rarest crocodile in the Western Hemisphere. It has the smallest range of any crocodile and can be found only in Cuba in the Zapata Swamp in the northwest and in the Lanier Swamp on Isla de Juventud (Isle of Youth).

The Cuban Crocodile appears to favor freshwater habitat such as swamps, marshes, and rivers and rarely swims in salt water.

Status: Critically Endangered

Status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Gallery pages:  1  2  3  4  5  6  >  >>
< 1 of 128 >

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