Interesting facts about desert animals, etc.

We spent a few days in Nebraska/Idaho to celebrate my husband's recent retirement.  We enjoyed watching three IMAX shows at the Henry Doorly Zoo.  My favorite show was Journey to the South Pacific.  It was so hot while we were there the first two days that we didn't spend a lot of time walking around the zoo.  Our first of three visits to the zoo was at the Desert Dome which was enclosed and out of the heat.  Most of the images below were taken at the Desert Dome except for the groundhog images.  The first image is of an African wild cat from Northern Africa.  There were two in the cage. While one was prancing around very fast, this one came up and stopped for a second allowing me to capture a shot of him.  It's interesting to note that most cats lack eyelashes.  They have a third eyelid which protects the eye from damage and drying.

This Centralian python is a non-venomous python found in Central Australia. Most female pythons coil around their clutch of eggs and shiver when necessary to produce heat and help the eggs stay warm.

This Tawny Frogmouth looks like an owl but they are not related.  They have weak feet instead of talons and lack a curved beak.

As we were walking the zoo early in the morning we came across some prairie dogs. The prairie dog is in the same squirrel family as the groundhog.

Mertens' water monitors are members of the monitor lizard family found in Northern Australia.

These collared peccaries which are resting look like pigs but are not considered in the pig family. The forage for food at night which normally includes prickly pear cacti.

The kookaburra's loud call sounds like echoing human laughter.  This one didn't make any sounds while were were there.

Meerkats work together in numbers. A few will typically serve as lookouts, watching the skies for birds of prey, such as hawks and eagles, that can snatch them from the ground. A sharp, shrill call is the signal for all to take cover. While a few individuals guard the group, the rest busy themselves foraging for the foods that make up their varied diet. When hunting small game, they work together and communicate with purring sounds. Meerkats are good hunters and are sometimes tamed for use as rodent-catchers.

Rough-scaled death adders are among the most venomous snakes in the world.  Despite their name, they are not related to adders.  Hope you enjoyed these images from our trip to the zoo!