I suggested
that Thursday would be the best day for our all day trip to the zoo, aquarium,
and botanical garden complex. After all, people should be working, kids would
be in school, and it should be relatively quiet. That is the last time I get to do the
thinking on our trip schedule. It was
Earth Day at the Zoo and every 2-5 year old in Albuquerque was there on a field trip along
with their teachers, parents and younger brothers and sisters in strollers.
Flowers are
out in full bloom here.
Most of the
aquarium is too dark for good pictures.
The sting rays did show up pretty well.
These Garden
Eels caught my eye. I don’t know that I
have ever seen them before. They live in
the ocean near coral reefs and sea grasses.
Colonies of these eels will burrow into the sandy sea floor. Each of these muscular fish has its own
burrow, which it lines with slime. With
its long body (sometimes 47 inches long) anchored in the burrow, the eel’s head
sways in the water catching small fishes.
If an arm or
ray of the Sea Star (star fish) is torn off it will be regrown. A simple eye, which can sense light or dark,
is located at the tip of each of the five rays.
The underside of a sea star is covered with suction cup-like tube
feet. With its powerful tube feet a star
can pry open an oyster or clam and stick its stomach out of its mouth and into
the mollusk. Digestive juices liquefy
the prey to be absorbed by the star.
This allows a sea star to hunt prey larger than its mouth.
A train runs
from the botanical garden and aquarium area to the zoo and a place called
Tingley Beach. We rode in the cattle
car.
This is a
slow process as both trains pass at the Tingley Station. One is headed toward the zoo, the other is
coming back.
Most of the
animals were laying in the shade so pictures didn’t turn out too well. However, the giraffe couldn’t hide.
Some pretty
well fed prairie dogs were out eating and playing.
This guy was
the highlight of the day. This is a male
silver backed gorilla. Just before he
struck this pose he was running full speed across their large facility. Just after this picture, as quick as any
major league pitcher, he threw a fist full of poop at the crowd just down the
sidewalk from us. There are signs posted
that things could be thrown at the crowd but I didn’t see them until after this
happened. Luckily the poop didn’t hit
anyone. After he made that amazing throw
he went running full speed back to the other side of the enclosure. I really think he knew just exactly what he
was doing – and he did it well, you could almost see him smiling.
Flamingos
can live up to 60 years in captivity.
They are born white, through successive molts they turn grey, brown and
white, and ultimately pink from the pigments in their food. I’m not sure I understand that because the
information on their fence said they eat small crustaceans, mollusks, insects,
worms, grass seed and algae – none of that is pink, unless it is the algae.
The Eastern
Green Mamba is the smallest of the mamba family at an average length of six
feet. Its neurotoxic venom is being
studied for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s treatments.
The elephant
yard is across from the train station.
This is a
view of Tingley Park taken from the train.
It has three catch and release lakes for fishing. Lots of people were out there.
Our last
stop was the botanical gardens. We were
too tired to take advantage of all of the different gardens. This arbor I think might be wisteria. There was evidence of lots of purple blooms
on the ground. Wouldn’t this be a great
place for a wedding?
Two
conservatory buildings held flowers and cacti so perfect they didn’t look real.
This G-scale
Railroad Garden was huge, but most of it was in the shade so my pictures didn’t
come out real well.
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