Tag Archives: zoo

Antlerless Bull Elk at the Zoo

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The bull (male) elk are beginning to drop their antlers—a yearly occurrence that happens a few months after breeding season due to a decrease in testosterone.

Antlers drop annually in late winter, typically January through March. The dropped antlers are called “sheds,” and the process does not hurt the buck. From spring to summer, the antlers regrow and are usually larger than the previous year.

Here is one at the North Carolina Zoo.

Elk Looking Up

Elk

Chimpanzee Lying Down

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The chimpanzee, also known as the chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forests and savannahs of tropical Africa.

Chimpanzees are listed as endangered in the wild. The North Carolina Zoo is actively involved in wild chimpanzee conservation in Uganda’s Kibale National Park, which boasts the largest chimpanzee population in East Africa.

Here is one lying down at the zoo to get some rest.

Chimpanzee Lying Down

Chimpanzee Closeup

Baboon Fellow Grooming

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Grooming is indeed a valuable commodity in itself, likely due to its stress- and tension-reducing effects. Primates also groom socially in moments of boredom, and this act has been shown to reduce tension and stress.

One hamadryas baboon is grooming another at the North Carolina Zoo.

Fellow Grooming

Hamadryas Baboon Staring

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The hamadryas also differs from other baboons in its social behaviour. Instead of maintaining a large cohesive troop, hamadryas split during the day into groups consisting of a single male and his “harem” of up to six (or more) females. Unlike most species that live in one-male social units, hamadryas males use aggression both during and after takeovers to condition females to maintain proximity.

This one at the North Carolina Zoo looks pretty aggressive.

Hamadryas Baboon Staring

Giraffe Portraits

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The Forest Edge habitat at the North Carolina Zoo has giraffes and zebras. Guests can see the animals at four different viewing areas. The habitat is 3.5 acres and mimics the lightly wooded savannas found in Kenya.Here are portraits of giraffes from the Giraffe Deck, where you get eye-to-eye with these long-legged giants and even feed them.

Giraffe Portrait

Giraffe Looking Away

Side View of Giraffe

Nibbling and Eating

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As herbivores, white rhinos mainly eat grasses found in their grassland and savannah habitats. They prefer short grasses around 3 to 4 inches tall and use their square lips to crop the grass close to the ground.

Here is a rhino at the North Carolina Zoo nibbling and eating grass.

Rhino Nibbling

Rhino Eating

Grass for Rhino

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White rhinos are grazers, feeding entirely on grasses that they crop with their wide front lip. Their short legs, long head reaching almost to the ground, and wide mouth, combined with a side-to-side head movement, allow them to eat massive quantities of grass.

Here are two herbivore rhinos at the North Carolina Zoo eating grass.

Grass for Rhino