I went to the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita Kansas on a bit of a whim. I was surprised with the number of animals they had. I was also thrilled with the friendly staff.
Once again, upon entering the zoo there are flamingos.
As I often do, I took a right from the entrance, and was shortly greeted with a lovely landscape. I had been heading home after visiting my mother in Arizona when I made the stop at the Sedgwick County Zoo, so I was delighted to see a cactus garden.
I then head to the penguin area, though not just penguins as you will see.
Humboldt penguins are fairly common in zoos, but I’ve only seen Inca terns at a few zoos. This was the first grey gull I’ve ever seen. They live on the west coast of South America, so I would have to make a fairly long trip to see them in the wild.
At the end of the penguin area was a display showing all the penguins in the world,
Instead of where penguins live from warmest to coldest like the Rio Grande Zoo, this display showed largest to smallest penguins.
I now head to the Reptile & Amphibian House. As I often do, I will start with snakes.
As with other zoos, there are mostly venomous snakes, but there are two non-venomous snakes. The rubber boa actually occurs in the United States. I had thought at first the Cape twig snake was non-venomous but when I read more about it I found not only is it venomous but has a fairly strong venom. I also learned that spitting cobras don’t occur just in Africa. I was surprised that there were no American snakes. At first I thought the black-tailed horned pit viper was a type of rattlesnake.
The Sedgwick County Zoo had a healthy number of lizards, some I had never seen before, like the carrot-tailed viper gecko.
Though it is not obvious from some of the photos, some of the lizards (like the carrot-tailed viper gecko) are quite small. Though they are called “viper” geckos, they are not venomous. Laying in the sun, the rainbow whiptail is very colorful. As one might expect with a name having “rainbow” in it. I had a hard time seeing the Northwestern alligator lizard, very sneaky.
The zoo also had several turtles but I had a bit of difficulty getting photos of them. I did pretty good with the Eygptian tortoise.
All of the turtles in this display are either endangered or critically endangered. This makes the work that the Sedgwick County Zoo does for turtle conservation very important. When I first saw the Pascagoula map turtle, I thought it was a red-eared turtle. Red-eared turtles used to be sold in pet stores. I was surprised with how the Pan’s box turtle looks, when I think of box turtles I think of the North America box turtle, which has a similar build as the Egyptian tortoise. So, seeing the Pan’s box turtle swimming around was a bit surprising. I would suggest if you get a chance to go to this zoo you spend a little time looking at their tortoises and turtles since some may go extinct in the wild before too long.
Last up of the reptiles are an alligator and a crocodile.
Both of these crocodilians were fairly small. I imagine smaller crocodilians are easier to handle. From previous posts, the group that has species of alligators and crocodiles is called the “crocodilian”.
We now move on to amphibians. The amphibians continue to be difficult to photograph. There were other amphibians (mostly poison dart frogs) but I did not get descent photographs. First up are some frogs and toads.
I think of frogs in wetter areas than toads and though the zoo habitat looks wet, the Chihuahan green toad actually lives in arid or semi-arid areas of the southwest United States.
The largest amphibian at the Sedgwick County Zoo is also the largest amphibian in North America: the hellbender.
I do not think I’ve ever seen a caecilian before. For amphibians, there are frogs and toads, newts and salamanders, sirens, and then there are the caecilian. They are a unique group of amphibians, which have poor or no eye-sight. They live in very wet areas, like tropical rainforests. And what is really strange about these amphibians, is that some species excrete a “milk” like substance for their hatchlings. This makes them the only non-mammal to lactate (provide milk for young)!
I now move into a building called the Tropics. This time we start with some invertebrates.
There are several species of birdeater spiders, and they really do catch small birds and eat them. They will also catch small bats and eat them as well. I thought the Borneo forest scorpion looked scary and modeled for horror films.
I then walk into an area with tropical birds, and they have a lot of them. I did not get photos of all of them, and would like to go to Sedgwick County Zoo again and spend a few hours looking for all the birds.
Here are the birds I actually got photos of.
I have found that some of the less colorful birds can be harder to find, especially the smaller ones. I almost missed the spectacled mousebird. I also almost missed Bruce’s green pigeons because they blend in so well with the foliage. I continue to try and get a good photograph of a Mandarin duck.
I mentioned in the Tracy Aviary write-up, I think the “pheasant pigeon” looks more like a pheasant to me. To add to the confusion they had a “quail dove”!
The wrinkled hornbill is one of the most colorful hornbills. I find hornbills to be fascinating birds. Zazu from the movie the Lion King, was a type of hornbill. Zazu was an African red-billed hornbill to be exact (see the St. Louis Zoo for a photo).
The Guam kingfisher is extinct in the wild. I have seen them at a few zoos, like Tracy Aviary. The Guam rail is critically endangered however in 2019, the species became only the second bird after the California condor to be reclassified by the IUCN from extinct in the wild to critically endangered. However, the Guam rail still has away, to go to be considered re-established.
Near the end of the Tropics building, they had an aquarium. It had a couple of unique species in it.
The Fly River turtle (some times called the pig-nosed turtle) has appendages very similar to sea turtles, and unlike soft-shelled turtles (which also have flipper like feet) this turtles shell also has similarities to the sea turtle. It’s nose is similar to soft-shelled turtles and some other fresh water turtles. So it seems to be the link between land turtles and sea turtles.
The Australian lungfish has the unique ability to breath air. It can stay on land for a few days as long as it’s skin stays moist. It also has modified fins to “walk” on land.
Upon leaving the Tropics building, I head over to the giraffes.
I will try to find out in the future the type of giraffe being displayed. There is some indication that there are 4 different giraffe species, and 7 subspecies. I believe the reticulated giraffe is the most common type of giraffe in zoos.
Since they are so tall and their legs look kind of spindly (for that large of an animal), it is easy to forget that they can weigh 1 – 2 tons. This makes them larger than any living buffalo or bison and one of the top 10 heaviest land mammals!
Now I head over to the North America area. With first up is a grizzly bear statue.
Next is the grizzly bear.
As I’ve mentioned before the grizzly bear is a type of brown bear. There are many different kinds of brown bears that live all around the Northern portion of the world. The different kinds can also be of different size with the Gobi brown bear being about the size of an American black bear to the Kodiak brown bear with males averaging over half a ton.
The grizzly bear was more active than I am used to bears being, except polar bears. The black bear in the shade a sleep is how I often see bears at zoos. All bears get more active at feeding time.
Still in the North America area, there is a white-tailed deer.
White-tailed deer are very common across the North America. In a recent study, it was estimated that white-tailed deer have the greatest biomass of any wild animal in the world. By biomass, that is the weight if you got all the white-tailed deer together and put them on a scale. Despite them being common, I rarely see them in zoos.
I now enter a building and find the missing North American snakes, all venomous and all but one rattlesnakes.
I mentioned earlier that I was surprised with no North American snakes, specifically rattlesnakes, in the reptile house; I like that they spread them out.
As I am exiting the building I see a wonderful exhibit for the black-footed ferret!
The black-footed ferret, at one time, was the most endangered mammal in the world with only 18 individuals left. All 18 black-footed ferrets were in zoos. After a successful zoo breeding program, there are now about 1,500 estimated in the wild. They are still listed as endangered because they many face challenges in the wild, including being dispersed over a large area.
Next up are a few birds, a parrot, a duck, and an eagle.
The thick-billed parrot lives in Mexico, and used to range into the United States. I was expecting just North American birds but the red-cresteded pochard is from Europe. The bald eagle can be seen in different areas of North America, though there is much seasonal variability.
Next some mammals an elk, a wolf and a cougar.
The name “elk” is kind of interesting. In Europe, an “elk” is what Americans call a “moose”, and vice versa. Maybe we should use the name “wapiti” for elk from the Native Americans, specifically the Shawnee and Cree.
The Mexican gray wolf is considered a subspecies of gray wolf. The only other distinct wolf species in North America is the red wolf.
Like the elk, cougars have several common names: cougar, puma, mountain lion, or panther. I like cougar or puma, since not all cougars live in mountains and black leopards of Asia and Africa are sometimes called panthers.
I head over to the North America prairie icons: the bison and prairie dogs.
Prairie dogs are the most important food item for black-footed ferrets. On the other hand, prairie dogs are not good for farmers or ranchers since cows get their legs caught in prairie dog holes. So it makes black-footed ferret conservation that much more difficult.
As with the grizzly bear, the zoo has a statue honoring the American bison.
Bison are the largest North American animal.
After a little bit of a walk, I enter the Asian big cats area.
I have a story about the photos of the tigers. I was trying to get a good photo of the tiger hiding in the foliage. It was quite difficult. Then I went around the exhibit and there was another tiger just laying there waiting to get its photo taken. In the first photo, it is easy to see how tigers can “disappear” into the bushes.
The Amur leopard population in the wild has declined so much, there are now more Amur leopards in captivity (zoos around the world) than there are in the wild. Maybe with conservation efforts some day maybe some Amur leopards can be released back into the wild.
The snow leopard is the largest cat in Asia that cannot roar, though it is considered a big cat. They are also the most adapted big cat for living in very cold and high altitude habitats.
The Sedgwick County Zoo also had some great information posters on Asian big cats.
I guess the area is considered an Asian mammal area since there was a red panda in this area as well.
Red pandas are not very closely related to giant pandas (the black and white ones), but actually are more closely related to raccoons and coatis.
Now I head to the African area, with first up some primates (apes and monkeys).
I like gorillas because despite their amazing strength they are actually quite peaceful. When I saw the gorilla napping, I was thinking that was a good idea after walking so much.
Next up is one of my favorite hoofed animals, the okapi.
At the time of this writing I had just finished a book on Okapi’s called: The Okapi: Mysterious Animal of Congo-Zaire. I had thought okapis were common in zoos, but I guess I have been lucky. Not only have I seen several okapis in zoos, but also their calves. According to the book, okapi’s are difficult animals to keep. They get very skiddish when they have a calf. So it is important that okapis have dedicated and knowledgeable keepers.
In with the okapis was an African crowned crane and a saddle-billed stork. I have seen African crowned cranes at several zoos. At Tracy Aviary they have trained African crowned cranes for a bird show.
Still in the Africa area I head over to the African elephants.
To be correct I should say African savanna elephants, because there is also a separate species called the African forest elephant. However, since there are no African forest elephants displayed in North American zoos, all African elephants in North American zoos are African savanna elephants.
I enjoy watching elephants move around. It seems like most of the time each step is deliberately put down.
I was very impressed by the size of the elephant barn. It looked large enough to house a jet!
I continue with the African plains animals, starting with meerkats.
I enjoy watching meerkats, especially after watching “Meerkat Manor” on Animal Planet. They are usually active, even when it is quite warm.
Meerkats are highly social animals. They look and sometimes act like squirrels or weasels, however their closest relatives are mongoose.
Next to the meerkats are red river hogs. The red river hog is sometimes called the bushpig. It is strictly a jungle pig which lives in the jungles of Africa. In zoos, I have mostly seen them in open areas like they are here.
I now come to the African lions.
When they are up next to the glass I get a good idea of how large these cats are!
I have heard zoo-goers comment on how the lions are always sleeping. Actually they do that in the wild as well. In the wild they may sleep as much as 21 hours (out of 24 hours in a day). Since like dogs they don’t sweat, staying still is a good way to stay cooler. Though it isn’t obvious from documentaries, lions do most of their hunting at night, partially because its cooler.
Next to the African lions are the African wild dogs but across the path is a mixed species group.
As with the African lions the African wild dogs are often sleeping during the heat of the day. However, in the wild African wild dogs hunt first thing in the morning at first light and just before dark in the evening. They are probably the most successful large predator in Africa.
Though in Africa warthogs are quite common, I don’t see them in zoos that often. Unlike the red river hog, which I talked about earlier, which is rare in the wild but common in zoos.
I find the blue cranes lovely and graceful, unlike the marabou stork. The cranes eat insects, while the marabou stork eats anything it can swallow. The marabou storks are often scavenging along with vultures at carcasses. However, they will also kill and eat small mammals and birds.
Zebra’s are very common in zoos. About half the zoos have Grevy’s zebra and about half have plains zebras, with just a few zoos having mountain zebras. This is interesting because the Grevy’s zebra is the most rare of all zebras in the wild.
Around the corner from the mixed species is the hippopotamus.
Though once in awhile I see hippos out of the water the majority of the time they are in the water, only coming to the surface to breath. This is how most hippos act in the wild as well, provided there is enough water. Their skin is sensitive and can burn fairly easily. In the wild, hippos come on land, usually at night, to feed on grass. If while they are eating they are startled, they run back to the river and trample anything in their way!
As I leave the hippos, and I see a black rhinoceros laying next to a rock. As I approacDownloadable Animal Listhed, the rhino got up and was very interested in me.
I do not know why the rhino was interested in me. However its head followed me as I came walking up and then I continued to the right and its head followed me the whole time. I am guessing I sounded or smelled like one of its keepers. All rhinos have poor eye-sight, so I’m guessing it used sound or smell to focus on me.
This was especially exciting for me because the black rhinoceros is my favorite pachyderm (elephants, rhinos, hippos). I stood with the rhino for a bit of time.
After wonderful rhino encounter, I take a turn into the Australia area. With first up a cassowary.
I know this is a large set of photos, but I just couldn’t figure out a good way to break it up.
The southern cassowary is sometimes called the “double waddled cassowary” because the males have two long waddles (the folds of red skin hanging from the cheek). Though the cassowary is a fairly colorful bird, they can be quite aggressive.
I have seen eastern rosellas, yellow naped Amazons, galahs, and various cockatoos in bird shows. Most parrots are quite smart. The kea, a New Zealand parrot, is one of the most intelligent parrots, and are known to be incredible escape artists, even using tools to break out.
I find ducks, swans, and geese look very peaceful to watch while swimming. They look a bit clumsy when walking on land. The black swan is the only swan found in Australia.
The tammer wallaby, like several of the ducks and geese, was wandering around on the foot path. I find in really neat to have the animals walking around with me at the zoo. Some will get real close if you walk slowly and quietly.
Next up was some more birds, but from South America. First up is a spectacled owl, which is called spectacled because it looks like it has glasses on.
I see some really pretty birds, parrots, troupial, and motmot after the owl. Before I started doing Zoo Folk, I had never heard of either a troupial or motmot. I guess others don’t know about these birds either, since all the writing software I use, indicate they are miss-spelled words (same with hornbills)!
In this area, you can see a path, and a number of birds are free to roam in the area. I met some wonderful zookeepers, and talked to them about taking care of their birds. We talked so long, some of the macaws thought we were like a food truck and they started coming over to us. It was quite amusing seeing a scarlet macaw walking on the path, with food on its mind.
The whistling ducks have a high whistle when they make noise. Nothing like the quacking of many ducks or the honking of geese.
The Coscoroba swan, found in South America, is sometimes classified as a swan and sometimes as a goose. If it is a swan then it is the only pure white swan in the Southern Hemisphere. South America also has the black-necked swan. There are no swans in Africa.
One of the zookeepers showed me where to see the boat-billed heron. This was a bird I had never seen before, so I was quite excited. Unfortunately the heron was being uncooperative and I couldn’t get a photo of its bill. Their bill is very broad for a heron bill.
Golden and sun conures look similar. At first I thought they were all sun conures, which I’ve seen in pet stores. Both are bright yellow and are beautiful birds, in my opinion. The golden conure has more yellow (gold) plumage than the sun conure.
The next two birds, the southern screamer and red-legged seriema seem kind of indistinct, however they are quite interesting birds. The southern screamers vocalizations can be heard over 2 miles away!! And, the red-legged seriema is the closest living relative to the extinct but deadly terror birds!! The terror birds were flightless and would run down their prey.
There were a few mammals in this area as well, like the giant anteater.
I find giant anteaters interesting. When they have young, they carry them on their back. All 8 species of pangolin also carry their young on their back. However, though the anteaters and armadillos in South America fill a similar place in the ecosystem as the African and Asian pangolins, the two groups are not related at all. When I see giant anteaters up close, I am surprised by how large adult giant anteaters are. The giant anteater could also be called the ground anteater, because the other anteaters in South America live in trees.
The peccary is one of those animals I learned more about once I started writing my blog Zoo Folk®. There are three different species, with the Chacoan peccary having a small range and being an endangered species. The only peccary I have not seen is the white-lipped peccary. I have mentioned before that though they look very similar to pigs that aren’t that closely related.
The maned wolf is also an interesting animal. From a distance they look like a big red fox on stilts! I included a photo of a maned wolf at the Beardsley Zoo, which I took before starting the Zoo Folk® blog. The maned wolf at the Sedgwick County Zoo was lying down and hard to see. The maned wolf is also the tallest wild dog, reaching up to 43 inches at the shoulders.
The capybara is the largest rodent. It is surprising, when looking at the capybara, to think of them equally at home on land or in water. They even swim completely underwater, like a beaver but without a tail.
After the shy coati, were active squirrel monkeys. Spider monkeys were often sold as pets in the 1950s through early 1970s. Monkeys do not make good pets and are a lot of work.
I’ve talked about the birds and mammals in this area, however there was also reptiles. First up are the yellow-footed and red-footed tortoises.
Both the yellow-footed and red-footed tortoises are good sized tortoises, but they seem small next to the Aldabra and Galapagos giant tortoises. I always have trouble telling the Aldabra and Galapogas tortoises apart. Even with a sign I had trouble telling them apart.
The last area is some more apes, specifically chimpanzees and orangutans.
The chimpanzees seemed quite content to sit and watch people. Similarly, the orangutans seemed to be watching people.
At this point I am back at the entrance, which will now act as an exit for me. The highlights for me were my interaction with the black rhinoceros and the zookeepers. What a wonderful zoo. They also have a great display of turtles and tortoises,
So this is the Zoo Guy to all the Zoo Folk, perhaps you can find time to visit a zoo, maybe the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas.
