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Pelican in Flight This photo was taken from the rear dining
deck at Rusty's in Port Canaveral on December 4, 2011 |
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Anhinga at the Verde Wetlands |
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Egrets These two Egrets were nesting, probably one male and one
female with the female giving instructions to her mate. Guess which one
is female... This photo was also taken at Gatorland. |
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Roseate Spoonbill I got this one at Gatorland. |
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January in the snow On our trip back from Ohio in January 2011
Shutterbug snapped this winter scene from the car window at
65 MPH!! |
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Mallards in the Winter On a recent trip to Ohio Shutterbug
and I braved the snow and ice to photograph these wood ducks in a
partially frozen pond. |
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Anhinga |
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Gators in the fog |
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Mother Osprey with her baby |
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The Flower and the Bug This photo was taken in the canal in
Shutterbug's back yard
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Malayin Tapir The Malayan Tapir is
native to Burma and Thailand, south to the Malay peninsula and Sumatra.
Length: 7 to 8 feet
Height: 3 to 4 feet
Weight: 550 to 750 lbs.
The black and white patterned Malayan tapir is the largest of the
four species of tapirs, and the only tapir in the Old World (Eastern
Hemisphere or Europe) . Tapirs are among the most primitive herbivores,
dating back 20 million years.
This photo was taken at the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa
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Osprey This picture was taken in Winter Park
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Manatee This picture was taken at Blue Springs State Park on
our
November 23, 2008 ride. With the weather cooling down the Manatees
took refuge in the 72 degree water in the springs.
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Tri Colored Heron Like most juveniles this baby will mature and soon look like a
Heron instead of an infant who stuck his beak in a light socket!!
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Angolan Black & White Colobus - Habitat: Native to NE Angola,
Zaire, Tanzania, Kenya and Rwanda Weight: 13 to 25 pounds
Lifespan: 20 to 30 years
The arboreal Angolan Colobus is a primarily leaf-eating Old World
(Eastern Hemisphere or Europe) monkey from Central Africa. The social
structure of Angolan Colobus is highly cohesive and groups may contain
several hundred individuals. Relationships between the individuals are
reinforced with social grooming
This photo was taken at the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa |
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Ring-Tailed Lemur - Habitat: Deciduous forests, open and scrubby
areas in north and south Madagascar Weight: 5 to 8 pounds
Lifespan: 27 years
The ring-tailed lemur is the only primate on Madagascar that makes
extensive use of the ground, although the ring-tailed lemur will nest in
the trees.
This photo was taken at the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa |
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African Elephant - Habitat: South of Sahara Desert to southern tip of
Africa and from Atlantic Ocean to Indian Ocean Status:
Endangered (SSP) due to poaching and habitat loss
Approximate Dimensions of Adult: Height at shoulder: Bull - 12
ft. Cow - 9ft.
Weight: Bull - up to 6 tons. Cow - up to 3 tons.
Lifespan: In the wild, up to 60 years. Up to 80 years in
captivity.
Reproduction & Offspring: Gestation averages 630 days, almost 2
years. Calf will weigh about 265 lbs. at birth. Will be able to follow
mother shortly after birth. Calves will nurse for 2 yrs. Will begin
eating forage from mother's mouth with trunk at about 6 months.
This photo was taken at the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa |
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Meerkats live in the Kalahari Desert region of Southwestern Africa
including Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, and South Africa.
Meerkats are highly social, and will live in familial packs called mobs
or gangs which consist of up to 3 families, and comprising of between 10
and 30 individuals.
Meerkats are not cats, but are suricates-slender-tailed members of
the mongoose family. The name meerkat is an Afrikaans term which
literally translates to lake or marsh cat, but in Afrikaans means
mongoose.
This photo was taken at the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa |
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The Komodo Dragon is native to only a few small Indonesian islands,
including Komodo, Rintja and western Flores. Komodo dragons are the
largest living species of lizard in the world. They are fierce predators
which stalk and ambush their prey. Their diet consists of Deer, goats,
boars, carrion, eggs and small Komodo dragons and will subdue prey many
times its size.
Komodo dragons swallow smaller prey whole and shred large prey using
their serrated teeth. It was always believed that Komodo dragons killed
their prey by infecting them with their saliva, containing deadly
microorganisms. However, a recent study by the University of Melbourne
in Australia has concluded that Komodo dragons do in fact produce and
use venom.
The venom was found to act as an anticoagulant (anti-clotting agent)
leading to extensive blood loss and weakening of the prey, making it
easier for the Komodo dragon to subdue and consume. This photo was taken at the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa |
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Hawk A pair of Hawks just sitting on the fence in Shutterbug's back yard. |
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American Alligator |
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The Battle of Narcoossee Mill Civil War Re-Enactment - Cannon Fire |
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Cypress Knees are a natural part of Florida but rarely are they in a
setting this beautiful. Shutterbug captured this scene on our
road trip
to Panama City Beach to visit Pathfinder in September, 2008 |
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The Chimpanzee is well known for its use of tools.
Flywhisks, leaf rags and sponges are some tools made and used.
The senses of the chimpanzee are similar to our own,
and more than thirteen categories of vocalizations are recognized. These
include soft grunts, pants, hoots and screams. The chimpanzee travels on
the ground using a method known as a knuckle walk.
Recent DNA studies have shown that the chimpanzee is
the closest living genetic relative to humans, sharing about 98% of our
DNA.
This photo was taken at the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa |
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Wolf's Guenon - native to the lowlands of the Congo and Uganda The
Wolf's monkey is a member of a large family of African monkeys known as
guenons. It is generally dark gray in color with a reddish saddle on its
back, white or yellow on its underside, black on its arms and
brownish-red on its hindquarters. This photo was taken at the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa |
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Bornean Orangutan - native to the lowlands of Borneo This longhaired
red ape is one of two subspecies of orangutan. The other is the Sumatran
Orangutan from the Asian island of Sumatra. It has extremely long arms
that are used to move through the trees. This photo was taken at the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa |
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The Sri Lankan Sloth Bear is found in the lowland
forests and has a diet of: Termites, insects, sugarcane, honey, eggs,
carrion (dead and decaying flesh), fruits and flowers.
The sloth bear is highly feared in its native India and
Sri Lanka and has a reputation for unpredictability and ferocity. This
is due to the fact that the sloth bear tends to panic if taken by
surprise.
Status: Endangered (SSP). The sloth bear is rare, but no
exact figures are available.
This photo was taken at the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa |
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White Rhino
Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo is currently home to a herd of
five white rhinos: three adult females who came to the Zoo from the
Phinda Reserve in Africa, one adult male and the new male offspring
The rhino calf was born in the early morning hours on
Thursday, March 18, to first-time mother “Kidogo” in the African rhino
boma (barn) which houses the animals overnight. The birth marks the
first southern white rhino calf in the Zoo’s history.
This photo was taken at the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa |
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Barn Owl One of the most widespread of all birds, the Barn Owl is
found everywhere in the world except Antarctica. The majority of prey
taken is small mammals, but Barn Owls will also hunt birds, fish,
reptiles, and insects. Barn Owls hunt from a perch and swoop down onto
their prey with their talons extended.
The Barn Owl has a body length
of 14 - 20 inches, a 3 1/2 foot wingspan, and weighs 8 - 21 ounces.
This photo was taken at the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa |
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Osprey The Osprey, often mistaken for the American Eagle. The
size and color makes the two look a great deal alike, but the Osprey has
the white chest and dark tail. This beautiful bird was taken across the
street from my home. I noticed the bird flying by with dinner. Of
course, I had to check this out!! |
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Brown Pelican The Brown Pelican. All wildlife has a comfort zone that
they maintain, but the pelican will allow this zone to melt away when
there is food on the table. This bird was waiting for the fisherman next
to me to toss it a fish. The closeness allowed me to get a very good
close-up that captures the eyes. |
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Pink Flamingo
Flamingos are one of the most instantly recognizable birds. In the
wild, this bird is a rare find and an extremely local non breeding
resident of Florida bay. For most of us, this bird is found in zoos or
local attractions. I found this one at Gatorland. I just love pink.
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Emu The Emu is a smaller cousin to the Ostrich. The Emu is a
swift-running, flightless, Australian bird which is easily found in zoos
or other attractions around our state. I found this bird at Gatorland.
Don’t you love those pretty brown eyes. |
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Great Egret A Great Egret at Gatorland seemingly posing for me. |
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Brown Pelican These beauties are Brown Pelicans. The Pelican is
commonly seen perched on pilings, but today they are snoozing on
someone’s boat. Most of you know where I found these two; Rusty’s!! |
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Great Egret The Great Egret on the nest. This all white bird nests
March to May. Here you see two very young Egrets getting up and calling
for food. The birds stay under the adult until time to eat. Once they
are feed, the adult will tuck them back underneath him, or her, for
warmth and protect them from the sun. This photo was taken at Gatorland. |
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