Amazon exhibits at the zoo

Last weekend, Carlos and I just couldn't stay away from the zoo so we went again to see the Amazon and Asia exhibits (it is so great to have a membership!). I love the Amazon exhibits -- they are so well done and the animals have a pretty good amount of space to roam around. Some of the highlights:

We caught a rare glimpse of the Giant Hummingbird: Patagona gigas. This fella is found only in the Andes of South America, can weigh from 18-20 grams, and measures approximately 22 cm in length! Sorry for the blurry photo, but he/she was zipping all over the cloud forest bird enclosure!

These glass frogs (Centrolenidae) were super-cute, small, and sleepy. I used to find these guys all the time in the PVC tubes holding up the corners of my mammal cages in La Selva. I would shake the water out of the tubes and *PLOP* out would splat a little glass frog! Many glass frogs have transparent skin (especially on their ventral sides) and through it you can see their green bones!

Bushmasters (Lachesis muta) usually scare me a little -- they are highly venomous and infamous for their bad tempers -- but this one was so cute and apparently very thirsty. He was drinking water from a little puddle the whole time we watched him!

This Sunbittern (Eurypyga helias) was very inquisitive and cute. When these guys spread their wings during threat and courtship displays, they show off two very lovely, bold eyespots.

I felt bad for this Blue-billed Curassow (Crax alberti) since all the idiot zoo patrons who saw him near the cage wall felt they had to poke at him and chirp stupidly in his direction. I really wanted him to bite one of these morons, but the Curassow just ignored them. This is an extremely rare and beautiful large ground-dwelling bird found only in Colombia. We have a different species at La Selva (Crax rubra).

This agouti (Dasyprocta aguti) was sleeping under a bromeliad next to the Curassow. Most people had no idea what kind of animal this cute agouti was (although there are signs everywhere!) and most called him a rat.

I love the Amazon exhibit and will visit it again whenever I am back at the zoo. On our way out of the Amazon, heading towards the tropical Asia exhibits, we saw a few White Pelicans (Pelecanus onocrotalus) sunning themselves on a lake -- so picturesque! Next time I will talk about the Wings of Asia aviary -- I got more pictures this time!