Post-Note on Fish Foot Spa : My Pa-in-law had advised not to go for this fish spa thingy. Reason being that the fish might nibble on some person's feet whose feet might have an infectious disease and when these fish then comes to nibble on you, the fish might pass this disease to you.So scary, don't think I'll go for a fish foot spa again. Better safe than sorry. And better listen to my Pa-in-law, why? - because my Pa-in-law is a Skin Specialist and he should know.****************************************
Not many pics cos we arrived at about 4pm and the zoo closes at 6pm.
Didn't want to go so early cos too hot and also Eugene was having his afternoon nap and we didn't want to wake him
Entrance ticket was $18 each adult. Just entrance only hor, no tram rides.
WHITE TIGERS"White tigers are simply white-coloured Bengals and not a separate subspecies as many people think.
Perhaps the most common myth is that white tigers are albinos, but without pigment they would also not have stripes, coloured noses and paw pads, and lip mottling. Their skin would be milky and not striped.
A little-known fact is that white tigers do not always have ice blue eyes; they may be green or amber. Again, this requires pigment in the eyes that an albino would not have.
These tigers grow faster and heavier than their orange counterparts and with their pale ice blue eyes, white fur with chocolate stripes, pink noses and pink paw pads they are indeed a beautiful sight.
Unfortunately, beauty brings a curse and with the white tiger that curse is one of extreme inbreeding."
So pleased with my shots of the white tigers. I guess I came at the right time.
Hubby said this shot is so "National Geographic". I think it's a good shot too. Guess I arrived just in time when this tiger took his sip of water.
HAMADRYAS BABOONSVISUAL COMMUNICATION:social presenting: This is like
presenting, but is done by females and juvenile males towards higher ranking males. This is a submissive display and differs from
presenting by the hindquarters being lower.
staring: This display by the hamadryas baboon is used as a threat display. The eyes are fixed on the stimulus and the eyebrows are raised and the scalp is retracted, the facial skin is also stretched by moving the ears back. Underneath the eye lids the color is different which contrasts sharply with the surrounding facial color.
staring with open mouth: This is the stare accompanied by the mouth being open but the teeth are covered. This is a threat expression and often occurs with
head-bobbing.
head-bobbing: This is used as a threat display by the hamadryas baboon and head bobs up and down. This often occurs with
staring with open mouth.
tension yawning: This is done by an adult male hamadryas baboons. This is when the mouth is opened fully to reveal the canines. This is done when a rival group or a predator is approaching.
teeth-chattering: This is done by a male hamadryas baboon to a female that is
presenting. This is probably derived from
lip-smacking.
lipsmacking: This is when the lips are protruded, then smacked together repeatedly. This is a reassuring display by the hamadryas baboon.
TACTILE COMMUNICATION:social grooming: This is when one individual removes parasites and dead skin with their hands from another individual. In this species it generally only occurs between same sex individuals. This is used to reinforce the social bonds.
nose-to-nose greeting: When two individuals meet each other they touch noses as a friendly sign.
social mounting: This is generally a response to
social presenting and serves to signal a friendly reassurance. This is also seen during aggressive encounters.
Buttocks very red hor...
Eugene looking at the turtle.
PYMY HIPPOSMuch smaller than the common hippopotamus, with proportionally longer legs, a smaller head, less prominent eyes and ears more towards the side of the head.
The pygmy hippo's nose and ears can be closed under water - an adaptation to aquatic life.
The skin is hairless and sensitive to the sun, but is kept supple and moisturised by a fluid that oozes from glands all over the skin. This gives the Pygmy Hippo a glossy sheen all over. Adults stand about 0.75m high and weigh up to 275 kg.
They look so cute and graceful under water!
Easier to carry Eugene this way. Carrying him on the hip is tiring and he's rather heavy now.
FOX
Stroller Parking!
At the children's section.
Except for the nice water-play area, I thought it was rather disappointing.
Decided to have dinner (KFC) - no choice lah, only have this KFC at the Children's section.
Eugene had his cheese bread but refused to finish his milk. Too many distractions.
Eugene sitting on a zebra chair. There are other animal inspired chairs too like giraffe, etc.
Cute and interesting for the kids.
End of zoo trip and Eugene's finally drinking his milk. Guess he was still hungry.
I've not been to the zoo for many, many years and I must say that it is really, really fantastic and world-class.
A lot of natural greeneries, trees - I feel like I'm walking in a rain-forest.
The animals are well-presented in the "open" enclosures.
Well done!
Next, the Night Safari (been to the Night Safari many, many years ago too and I was really impressed! Can't wait to see what changes there are)
FISH PEDICUREAt the entrance/exit of the zoo, there's a Fish Foot Spa.
Here you put your feet into shallow waters and get some fish to nibble away the dead skin from your feet!
Ok, "some" fish is not exactly some fish, it's a lot of fish. When you put your feet in, they immediately swarm around your feet. A little unnerving at first. I actually let out a yelp.
Gosh, you can actually feel the fish nibbling away at your leg. They must be powerful "suckers" cos I can feel a slight prick now and then.
Seems these fish are imported from Turkey and are known scientifically as
Garra rufa.
The fish act like living pumice stones, nibbling off the dead epidermis and leaving behind baby-smooth skin. (Thankfully, they don't have a piranha streak.)
$10 for 10mins. Think I'll do 20mins next time.
The Fish Food is YOU!!!
