We all need somebody to lean on. ❤️ The size of a human thumbnail at birth, our tree kangaroo joey, now a little over a year old, is almost as big as her mother. Hop on over to Jungle World for a look!
Spa break! Spa break! You’ll often see our ebony langurs sitting in the treetops at JungleWorld, grooming each other. Like many primates, these pampering pros groom to keep their fur clean and to reinforce their social bonds. The next time you visit take a look, you might get a little spa day inspiration! 📸@rachaiasky
Wait for it… Keeper Andrew sent us this amazing slooow-mo video of a jeweled chameleon eating fruit flies! In real time, a chameleon's tongue launches, catapult-like, at speeds faster than a jet plane. The tip of the tongue is also covered with a syrupy mucus that allows these lovely lizards to snag prey weighing up to a third of their own body weight. Now that’s some real sticking power!
Waddle on over to the zoo for #PenguinAwarenessDay – what better way to celebrate?! Spend some time with the Magellanic penguins in the Sea Bird Aviary then stop by to visit the little penguins in the Aquatic Bird House. We don’t think you can ever be too aware of penguins! 🐧
Give your kids an unforgettable summer experience at our Bronx Zoo Summer Camp! We have tons of exciting activities and adventures for kids of all ages with programs like Nature Adventures, Natural New York, and Little Zoo Vets. Your child will get up close and personal with amazing animals, explore the park, and have loads of learning-filled fun. Hurry and register now - spots are filling up fast! Link in bio.
You've done the flowers, you've done the chocolates. But you can't spell “romance” without “roach”. Okay, you can. But you shouldn't. Love is in the air, and there's no better time than right this second to name a Bronx Zoo Madagascar hissing cockroach for your special someone.
We want to bust a big bear-sized myth! Bears are not true hibernators. Keeper Brent tells us that in the wintertime, when food is scarce, bears will enter a deep sleep state called torpor. Their body temperature, heart rate, breathing, and metabolism are temporarily lowered to conserve energy, but they can come out of this state at any time to look for food. Females can give birth during torpor and the newborn cubs will be able to nurse. Because torpor is linked to the abundance or scarcity of food, our bears, Koots, Denali, and Glacier, don’t enter torpor. Although, they will slow down a little and gain some weight during the winter months.
What do you see in this photo? A Komodo dragon on a rock? That’s not just any rock! It’s specially designed to reach temperatures of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Komodo dragons enjoy the heat. They also need a high body temperature to help them to digest their food, and heated basking rocks in their habitat help. We feed our Komodo dragons a varied diet of insects, mice, fish, rats, eggs, chicken, etc. See if you can spot one of these large lizards lounging on a heated rock next time you visit.
This winged wonder definitely stands out in a crowd! Named for the distinctive shape of their beaks, roseate spoonbills are large vibrantly-colored wading birds that live in mangroves and marsh-like areas. They move their bills from side to side to stir up shallow water, snapping up small fish and invertebrates. See them for yourself on your next visit to the Aquatic Bird House.
We can state categorically that these two photos are of tigers, but do you know what kinds?! If you guessed that the first image is of an Amur tiger, and the second a Malayan tiger, you’re right! Keeper Brent tells us that Amur tigers are built for strength, sort of like the powerlifters of the tiger world, while Malayan tigers are built for speed and agility, more like crossfitters! Amur tigers live in the forests of Siberia and are the largest cat in the world, with males weighing up to 650 pounds. Their weight and thick fur help protect them from harsh winters. Malayan tigers are much smaller – males top out at around 350 pounds – and have slicker, less-dense coats better suited in their tropical and sub-tropical forest range. Both subspecies of tiger are adapted to their unique environments. You can see these cool cats on your next visit to Tiger Mountain!
