Toronto Zoo (Woodchucks)

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Address: 2000 Meadowvale Road
Date: July 2013
Website:  www.torontozoo.com

  The Toronto Zoo has two types of woodchucks.  There are those that can be found in an enclosure in the Kids Zoo and those that live wild on the grounds or in the surrounding Rouge Valley.  We have encountered both types during our visits to the zoo.  Woodchucks are large rodents which are part of the marmot family and can be found throughout Canada and the eastern USA.

  Another name for woodchucks is groundhog.  Most people may be familiar with Groundhog Day which takes place on February 2nd.  It is said that on this day if a groundhog comes out of his burrow and sees his shadow then there will be 6 more weeks of winter.  If the groundhog does not see his shadow then it will be an early spring.  Two of the most famous groundhog prognosticators are Punxsutawney Phil in the United States and Wiarton Willie in Canada.

  The two woodchucks pictured at the top of this post are permanent residents of the zoo.  The woodchuck pictured above is one that we encountered as we walked along the pathways of the zoo.  We could tell that we startled him because he stood up on his hind legs and looked around to ensure he was not in any danger.  Once he was confident that we meant him no harm, he went back to rummaging through the grass.  Another woodchuck we encountered seemed to enjoy a little danger.  We spotted him inside the Indian Rhino enclosure.  The Toronto Zoo displays its animals by geographic region, so we knew that an animal from India would not be on display with one from North America.  While the rhino was over by the fence, this little woodchuck decided to eat from the rhino's hay.  He had better be careful.  While the woodchuck may not have the strength to chuck any of the wood he was hiding behind, the rhino could chuck the whole pile with just one swing of its head.

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Toronto Zoo (Kids Zoo) , Toronto Zoo (Indian Rhino)

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Post # 94

Secretary Birds

Location: San Diego, California, USA
Address: 2920 Zoo Dr.
Date: Feb 2014
Website: www.sandiegozoo.org

  Take a memo.  File these reports.  Cancel my 10 o'clock.  These birds have nothing to do with this kind of secretary.  In fact these days someone performing this type of work would be an administrative assistant.  Also, more and more, these tasks might be performed with a cellphone.  Anyway, having one of these almost four feet tall birds strutting around the office would probably freak people right out.
  We have seen secretary birds at the Toronto Zoo as well as at both the San Diego Zoo & San Diego Zoo Safari Park.  In the wild they can be found in the savannahs of Africa. If you see them up close they have some wonderful eyelashes and red and yellow around their eyes. 

  You can tell from their beaks that they are a bird of prey.  You can also tell that they are very strong.    We enjoy watching them walk around on their extra long legs.  (See the video at the bottom of this post for a bit of walking, but mostly standing, by one of these impressive birds). In fact they prefer not to fly, but capture most of their food by stomping it to death.  Their food usually consists of small mammals and reptiles.  They appear on many stamps, flags and emblems across Africa and after seeing a few of them for ourselves we can understand why they are so admired. 

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San Diego Zoo (Secretary Birds)

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Post # 74

MUSIC - Rock Lobster

Artist: The B-52's
Song: Rock Lobster
Released: 1979
Where to listen: East Coast, Snorkeling, Aquariums & Beach Parties

    The B-52's were the first successful band to hail from Athens, Georgia.  They would be the most successful if it weren't for a band called REM.  While REM may have sold more records, The B-52's are much more fun.  This song is great for parties and summertime travel.  It would be perfect if you were at the beach with boys and bikinis and girls and surfboards.  This song also works when visiting any fishing towns in the Maritime provinces of Canada or the North-Eastern USA.  We visited a 55 tonne lobster in Shediac, New Brunswick that is sitting on a huge rock.  Now that is a rock lobster!
  This song is also great to help kids learn all the fish noises when visiting an aquarium.  The ending of the song is sort of an Old MacDonald of the sea.  Instead of moo, quack and oink it gets a little more complicated.  Let's look at some of the lyrics.

Here comes a stingray (wok ahh whuhh)  - The noises are hard enough to imitate let alone write down.  Below are two southern stingrays from the Toronto Zoo.

There goes a manta ray (aya aya ayah) - Manta Rays are the largest rays and can reach widths of up to 23 feet.  We have never seen one or heard what it sounds like.

In walked a jellyfish (uuhhh) - We have seen lots of jellyfish, but they always seem very quiet.  The picture below is of a Japanese sea nettle from the New England Aquarium.  We don't know if Japanese jellyfish sound different or not, or if this one has been in Boston long enough to pick up an accent.

There goes a dogfish (reeawr) - Dogfish are a type of small shark.

Chased by a catfish (blrroooh) - The catfish below are from Sea Life London Aquarium.  You can always tell a catfish by its whiskers.  Actually those whiskers are not hair but skin.

There goes a narwhal (eehh  eehh) - A narwhal is a whale that lives in the Arctic and has a long tusk.  We did see this one on display at the Royal Ontario Museum.

While the song Rock Lobster may not be as educational as this blog post, it is always lots of fun no matter where you are vacationing.  Oh, and remember to watch out for that piranha!

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Toronto Zoo (Stingray Bay) , New England Aquarium , Sea Life London Aquarium
Royal Ontario Museum

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Post # 51

Humphrey the Polar Bear

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Address: 2000 Meadowvale Road
Date: Feb 2015
Website:  www.torontozoo.com

  Humphrey the polar bear was born November 9th, 2013.  He was one of three cubs born that day and the only one to survive.  Unfortunately, his mother Aurora was not properly taking care of him.  As a result he had to be raised by the keepers at the Toronto Zoo.  The pictures and video are from when he was almost five months old. 

  Humphrey always entertained everyone at the zoo and he grew bigger and bigger.  At 1 year and 3 months old it is obvious that he is still just a cub.  We braved -40 degrees Celsius weather to visit Humphrey one last time before he moved to the Assiniboine Zoo in Winnipeg.  He didn't seem to mind the cold as he took a nap with what looked like a big smile on his face.  Have a safe trip Humphrey.

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Toronto Zoo (Tundra Trek) , Assiniboine Park Zoo (Journey To Churchill)

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Post # 39

World's Oldest Wombat

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Address: 2000 Meadowvale Road
Date: Feb 2015
Website:  www.torontozoo.com

  Hamlet, the southern hairy-nosed wombat, turned 33 on February 1, 2015.  We visited the Toronto Zoo to wish him a happy birthday and to congratulate him on being the oldest wombat in the world.  On September 1, 2016 he will become the oldest wombat in history.
 

   Hamlet is still quite active and can often be seen roaming around his enclosure.  He is a little worse for wear, as he had to have one eye removed and he often requires his food to be microwaved in order to soften it up for chewing.  His right eye always appears closed which makes him easy to differentiate from the other two wombats at the zoo.  If you can, we recommend that you come and visit him in the Australasia Pavilion.  If not, you can always enjoy the video of him below.  We wish you all the best Hamlet!

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Toronto Zoo (Australasia Pavilion)

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Post # 37

Toronto Zoo (The Santa Clause)

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Address: 2000 Meadowvale Road
Date: Nov 2010
Website:  www.torontozoo.com

  If you have ever taken a ride on the zoomobile at the Toronto Zoo you may have heard the guide state.  "Our reindeer are movie stars. They appeared in the hit movie The Santa Clause starring Tim Allen."  Not only did the reindeer appear in the movie, but there are also a couple of scenes that were filmed on the zoo grounds.

  The first scene takes place in the polar bear underwater viewing area where Scott (Tim Allen) and his son Charlie debate whether or not he is Santa Claus.  This area has undergone a bit of a facelift since the 90s, but it is a great spot to watch these huge bears as they swim through the water.  If you are lucky one may come right up to the window to check you out.

  The second scene shows Scott and his son walking along the Camel Trail continuing the discussion.  The Camel Trail used to loop around the Eurasian section of the zoo and if you look closely you can still see some of the yellow camel feet painted on the pathway.  As they walk further along the path the son turns and smiles.  This is the big movie moment for the zoo's reindeer as they follow behind them walking in a row.  Why else would they be following Tim Allen?  He must be Santa Claus.
 

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Click here to take a virtual tour and see our collection of Toronto Zoo animal photos.

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Toronto Zoo (The Santa Clause)
Toronto Zoo (Tundra Trek)

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Post # 32

Toronto Zoo (Giant Pandas)

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Address: 2000 Meadowvale Road
Date: May 2013
Website:  www.torontozoo.com

Back in 1985 the Toronto Zoo had Qing Qing and Quan Quan for several months.  Now it is Da Mao and Er Shun who pay the zoo a visit.  We are sure to stop by and see them whenever we can, as we know that their time on loan from China is limited.  They are expected to remain at the zoo until 2018 and then move on to the Calgary Zoo, unless they breed successfully.  If that should happen then their departure date will be re-evaluated.

 

   Pandas spend most of their time either sleeping or eating massive amounts of bamboo.  On our visits they have usually been sitting back enjoying a good chew on a bamboo stick.  Despite being known for being cute and cuddly, pandas have big claws and sharp teeth that help them with this task.  We would expect that 10 out of 10 dentists don't recommend that you try this at home.

The two pandas are kept separate unless it is during the mating period.  They spend a lot of time apart since that period is only for a few days each year.  Da Mao is the male panda and he usually spends his day in the larger outdoor area of the enclosure.  His name in english is 'Big Fur'.  Er Shun is the female and she has a smaller area on the other side of the exhibit.  Her name means 'Double Smoothness'.  Both pandas weighed roughly the same amount shortly after their arrival.  Da Mao was 98.8 kg and Er Shun had a slight advantage over him at 100 kg.

 

  We have also been fortunate enough to see the pandas do something else besides eat.  Da Mao often takes a walk around his pond area to help him digest before his next snack.

   During one visit Er Shun treated us to quite the acrobatic display as she did somersaults, commando moves and spent some time swatting at a big giant mirror.  We were lucky enough to have recorded this and you can see the highlights in the video below.

We hope that the pandas will be with us for quite some time and maybe if we are really lucky the Toronto panda population is on the rise.

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Toronto Zoo (Giant Pandas)

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Post # 16