Bronx Zoo Field Trip
The largest metropolitan zoo in the United States, the Bronx Zoo comprises 265 acres of parklands and naturalistic habitats -- home to over 4,000 animals, many of which are endangered or threatened species. The Zoo contains a number of unique habitats -- areas designed to replicate the homes of their inhabitants as closely as possible. Jungle World, for instance, is an indoor rain forest where Asian gibbons, hornbills, tapirs, and many other rare species live among equally rare and beautiful plants and trees. Himalayan Highland Habitat is the home of the red panda, snow leopard and white-naped crane.
Congo Gorilla Forest
The Bronx Zoo's newest exhibit features 6.5 acres of shady forest, treetop lookouts, rock promontories, streams and wading pools, bamboo thickets, and sunny meadows -- all home to a wonderful collection of animals, including two troops of lowland gorillas. The Forest's dense and mysterious landscape comprises more than 15,000 plants, representing 400 species.
Aside from watching the twenty-two gorillas in action, visitors can enjoy and learn about mandrills, DeBrazza's monkeys, and red river hogs living in naturalistic habitats throughout seemingly contiguous outdoor exhibits. Indoor habitats are home to Wolf's monkeys, reptiles, fish, and invertebrates.
Congo Gorilla Forest is:
The largest African rain forest ever built
Big! The exhibit trail is nearly one-third of a mile long
Home to Patty Cake, the first gorilla born in New York City
Interactive, with high-tech, video, film, and CD ROM exhibits
The dry riverbeds of Baboon Reserve feature a simulated archaeological dig where visitors can learn about the evolution of gelada baboons. A field station affords impressive views of baboons and Nubian ibex co-existing on an Ethiopian-style mountain range.
Other features of the Bronx Zoo include:
The Bengali Express
a two-mile-long monorail trip through the dark forests and open meadows of the elephant, rhino, antelope, and Siberian tiger
The World of Darkness
where night is day for bats, bush babies, sugar gliders, and other nocturnals
Reptile House
The famous Reptile House, where crocodiles, pythons, frogs, and others hop and slither about.
Visitors will also enjoy the World of Birds, Skyfari, Wild Asia, African Plains, MouseHouse, and much more.
There is also the Children's Zoo, where kids can pet and feed domestic animals. Here they can also be animals by climbing a spider's web, crawling through a prairie dog tunnel, trying on a turtle shell, or escaping like a lizard down a hollow tree.
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