Yet another day at the Zoo!

Even polar bears love a swim on a warm day!

We have a couple of memberships that we keep up, ostensibly for "the grandchildren" but at the first hint of a warm day I dash the 1 1/2 mile from our home to the zoo for a camera safari.  There is always something new and different--including the photos that got away.  Just as we were passing the mesh fence the zebras began to run madly around their large enclosure.  The reason:  an aggressive ostrich was pursuing them.  Before I could get a clear shot, the zoo keeper had enticed the ostrich back into its enclosure and the action was over.

Siberian tiger just out of his rock pool. This feline likes water.

Sadly this magnificent animal is highly endangered.  I use a lot of digital memory on this guy.

Live Nautilus through the glass wall of its tank. 

We are fortunate to have Tropical Discovery in our zoo. This exhibit contains plants and animals from 5 tropical habitats:  Coral reef, tropical caves, estuaries, river pools and desert.

I have always loved the nautilus ever since I first read Anne Morrow Lindberg's Gifts from the Sea.  Long before I knew about how endangered they would become, I had collected two from shell shops in California and Mexico.  Now I content myself with watching these little water-propelled shells moving around their tank in TD.

Walking sticks in a tank in T.D. 

One of many examples of slow-moving animals or insects using camouflage to "hide in plain site" from their predators. If you look closely you can see several "baby sticks" staying pretty close to the adults.