Snapshot Meme: All the Other Animals

Posted by: Allison Helps Cats on: December 6, 2014

• In: Teasers
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Saturday Snapshot invites bloggers to share photos. The Wildlife Safari Park is one of my favorite places to visit, because I can observe animals in their natural environment. So far, I have posted photos of cranes, bears, and wolves. What follows are the rest of the best!

First are the elk. More than seventy of them roam the 50-acre Elk Prairie. They are one of the largest species of the deer family in the world, as well one of the largest land mammals in North America and eastern Asia. Elk were first called “wapiti,” a Shawnee Indian term meaning “white rump.” Male Elk antlers can reach five feet across and five feet front to back. Each year, Elk shed their antlers to grow another pair.

After a scenic drive, we next encounter white-tailed deer. Several years ago, the deer featured in this photo tried to charge our car. Another time, the deer instead came up to my husband and licked his ear. Of recent, the deer mostly seem to keep their distance. I enjoyed seeing them playing pee-a-boo in the grass on our last visit.

Further along are the pelican. About twenty of them inhabit the 10-acre Wetlands. Most of them are rehabilitated, non-releasable birds due to wing injuries restricting their flight. Other native wildlife, such as turtles and frogs, also inhabit the area. Pelicans are large water birds, characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped up contents before swallowing. The bills, pouches, and bare facial skin of all species become brightly colored before the breeding season. Pelicans are colonial breeders, meaning they only breed if living in large numbers.

Nearby are the eagles. The Eagle Aviary features four bald non-releasable eagles on loan from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. I enjoyed watching a couple of eagles who seemed amorous. Bald Eagles are native to Mexico, Canada and the United States. They can live up to 40 years in the wild and even longer in captivity. The Bald Eagle has been the symbol of the United States since 1782.

Near the exit are bison. American Bison are the largest terrestrial and heaviest land animals in North America. Known for living in the Great Plains, Bison were hunted close to extinction during the 19th and 20th centuries, but have since recovered in population. At the Wildlife Safari Park, Bison Plains is situated on more than 40 acres of land, half of which is woodland and hills and the other, flat, open grasslands. At night, the bison herd is let off of the main pasture to an off-exhibit holding pasture. The movement helps prevent wear and tear on their daytime area. During our most recent visit, we saw an albino bison!

The most unusual sights we’ve seen all happened on our fall visit. The walking trails boasted assorted mushroom. Turkeys were eating from bird feeders. And finally a raccoon raced across the water to eat along with flocks of birds.

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Tags: Allison's Book Bag, memes, reviews of books for young people, Wildlife Safari Park