Naples Zoo

I'd never been to the zoo in Naples, Florida before.  On the way, we read an excerpt from Henry V (the wonderful early scene with the French ambassador and his tun of treasure), and then the first few chapters of "A Study in Scarlet."

We mostly organized our visit to the zoo around the keepers' talks, which were interesting (with a strong pro-conservation bent).  We first met Uno, the blind Florida panther, and went on from there.

Leopard (NOT A RUG)

Ducks

Beaded Iguana - rendevous with reptiles / meet the keeper event

Branches of a possibly cauliflorous tree 

Ring-Tailed Lemurs on the Primate Cruise

I was impressed by the giraffe's long gray tongue, and the way it came out at an angle and swept around to corral the leaves the keeper gave it.

Tiger and Friends

Audience contestant gets instructions....

Four audience members were selected to compete against the animals.  This contestant was racing against a hornbill to collect worms. The hornbill used its beak, and the contestant used tongs.  Fortunatley, the hornbill won - I'm pretty sure the prize was getting to eat the worms!!

Racing against the hornbill!

Ranking of crimes in the U.S.A., by "popularity"

Wildlife Refuge

A few good sightings in the Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge: two alligators, two yellow-crowned night herons, and a green heron.   One gator and one of the yellow-crowns were on the Indigo Trail (specifically at the observatory).  The remainder were on Wildlife Drive.

We watched the gator exit the water and pose in a J shape with cactus arms:

 

The left rear leg had a ragged chunk out of it, as if bitten.

Nearby, on the other side of the walkway, we saw a yellow-crowned night heron which was very busy preening.

Green Heron