we are going to the ZOO, zoo, zoo. how about you, you, you??
It has been ages since I went to the zoo. The other time I was there, I think I was less than a metre tall. This time round, I got lucky in my first time application for the corporate complimentary card! And I was a reversal of role, because it was me who brought my parents to the zoo (It used to be the other way round)!
OK, a little about Singapore Zoo first. Singapore Zoo is a world acclaimed zoo, with most animals able to wander around more freely in a man-made natural environment instead of being locked up in enclosure. We spent almost 7 hours strolling through the park, and catching the animal shows.
天堂鸟
A mother kangaroo with its joey in her pouch. See the awkward position the joey is in.
Australian Wallaby
The white tiger looking at its reflection.
The graciousness of the flamingo is something I admire
Meerkat, more commonly known as Timon in Lion King
That tall monster.
The giraffe sticking out its black long tongue, hungry for some potato sticks.
The sea lion doing its ballerina spin, and splashing water on the excited kids.
Elephants struting their stuff at the twice daily shows.
That's a terrapin!
Some information on tribes in Africa.
Naked mole rats - blind, wrinkled, but live a long life.
And how can any visit to Singapore Zoo go without visiting our dear Orang Utan?
10 new facts that I learnt during this trip:
1) There are penguins that are able to survive in Singapore’s ambient temperature, and this species of penguins hail from Africa.
2) There are 9 sub-species of giraffes that can be found in the world, and they are differentiated by their spot patterns.
3) The young of the black and white tapir actually has white strips on their black bodies for 5 months, because they change totally in colouration to what we see them as normally.
4) Rabbits actually eat their poo to aid in their digestion!
5) Under that white fur coat of polar bears, actually lies a totally black skin.
6) Lions sleep for 20 hours a day, while giraffes only close their eyes to rest for 4 hours a day, in a standing position.
7) ‘Kangaroo’ means ‘I don’t know’.
8) Naked mole rats do not rely on their eyes for sight, instead they use their whiskers to feel the surrounding. Their longevity (lifespan of 28 years) as a rodent, is also an area of interest for scientists!
9) White tigers are not albino tigers, the pale colouration is caused by the presence of a recessive gene.
10) Turtles stay in water; terrapins alternate between water and land, and tortoises are entirely on land.
