@Singapore Zoo - His First Visit after a long long time.....

His Top 10 Shots!

Giant Tortoise

Ring-tailed Lemur

Fruit Bat

Jaguar
Cheetah has black spots, Leopard has black rings called 'rosettes';
Jaguar has rosettes with a black dot in the middle.

White Tiger

Hamadryas Baboon

Saki Monkey

African Penguins
A flightless bird found off the coast of southern Africa.
Their distinctive black and white colouring is a vital form of camouflage–white for underwater predators looking upwards and black for predators looking down onto the dark water.

Giraffe

Free-ranging Orangutans

Guinea Pigs & Porcupines vs Hedgehogs

I was being asked.

Asked by a fellow Chinese, I stood dumbfounded.
"哇，这好可爱哦！是什么呀？“
(This is cute, what is this?)

I looked down at my guinea pigs and imagined big question marks hovering above me.
Should I say they are little pigs (猪) or mice （鼠）? Before, I could answer, parents gave either answers to their children.
I felt guilty as I knew they are not!

Asked by bright 6-year-olds, I muttered.
"So, this is a hedgehog. This is the same as a porcupine, isn't it?
They have spikes too, just smaller in size. Ya?"

Determined not to repeat such embarrassment, I made findings on these incredibly cute creatures. The questions asked were food for thought. And I was thankful.

Guinea Pigs are called 天竺鼠 (Tian Zhu Shu).
Although it is a species of rodent, unlike a rat who has a long tail, guinea pig doesn't have one.
Guinea pigs have 4 toes on each front foot, but only 3 toes on each hind foot!
Check them out!
Hmm. guess the missing toe doesn't really affect them much... from the way they run away when I try to catch them or when they come running to me for carrots!
Interesting Fact:
Like rabbits, guinea pigs do not sweat as they do not have the functional sweat glands.
Their ears help to regulate their body temperature.

Porcupine - 箭猪
Part of the rodent family, this animal is spiky!
These spiky spines are called Quills are easily released, when they shake, or move.
They are modified hairs coated with thick plates of keratin.
And please, ignore those old sayings. Porcupine doesn't shoot their quills out at attackers and their quills are not poisonous!! They may cause infection if they are not removed.
Porcupines are herbivores and nocturnal animals.

Hedgehog - 刺猬
Hedgehog is not part of the rodent family.
They are in the order of insectivore and are nocturnal, just like porcupines.
Their spines are the same as porcupines, but much shorter and are not easily removed.

Hope this page helps to give a little more insight to these cute animals!

Trip to the Zoo with Canon DSLR - 5 Dec 09

Before embarking on our photo-taking journey at the Zoo, we visited Ah Meng Kopi place at the entrance of the Zoo, my usual breakfast place whenever I visit the Zoo.

Nice cheap kopi (coffee), kaya toast and of course, the peanut toast... with jam!




Primates somehow caught our lens more than anything else that day
They were active and agile, just the kind of test we need for our DSLR.

The Tamarins
A nice warm greeting to visitors at the entrance are these cute Tamarins.
They were usually hiding in their tiny hut whenever I was there, they were pretty playful today.



The Endangered Proboscis Monkey
Dont laugh at its bloated tummy, it is a distinctive feature which help in digesting leaves, fruits and seeds. The digestive process releases a lot of gas, hence resulting in the bloatedness. Apart from that, it is hard not to notice the large protruding nose of the males, believed to be a result of sexual selection, i.e. the larger the nose, the more attractive he is to the female.
See how he sits and sleeps! Like an Ah Pek!

The Hamadryas Baboons
Fierce looking leader came towards us when he saw us visitors peering at his harem.



The Colobus Monkey
I like the tail of this species, just like a calligraphy brush!



Capuchin Monkey
Another playful species, having a fun time grooming one another.



Mandrills

Sadly, I can't recall the name of this species! To be updated...!
See how cool he looked, and wise.

Babirusa
Not to be mistaken as having 4 horns, the adult males have elongated canine teeth that curve and protrude out from both sides.
He looked as if he was smirking at us. Wonder what that was for.

Haven really seen the actual paw of a tiger, other than their tracks, cute!

Walking through Australian Outback, we spotted this active Kangaroo, hungry and thirsty.


Giant Tortoise
Not sure how old these tortoises are, but after taking several shots and this tortoise had just moved an inch to reach a piece of food, I believe he must be VERY old.

Cute Otters

More pics of my favourite Malayan Tapir


Close to being a horse, these Zebras are half my favourite.

Visit to the Zoo would never be complete without visiting my station - the Kidzworld.
The noisy pygmy goat

And the cute guinea pig!