A Red Tailed Black Cockatoo at the Melbourne Zoo. This cockatoo was flying up and down the main path through the zoo between two keepers. He was swooping around visitors and skimming just over their heads. Unfortunately none of the in-flight photos where he showed off the two red tail panels were clear enough to use.
A Black-faced Cormorant seen in the Great Flight Aviary at the Melbourne Zoo. These cormorants can dive 12m into the sea for prey, after fishing they spread their wings to dry. The black-faced cormorant is slightly smaller than the Great Cormorant and slightly larger than the Little Pied Cormorant.
A Swamp Wallaby in the Australian Bush Habitat at the Melbourne Zoo. These wallabies prefer areas with dense undergrowth like woodlands, swamps, and heathlands, where is plenty of cover to hide in during the day. The swamp wallaby is the only member of the wider kangaroo family with webbed feet, meaning that they are great swimmers.
It looks like the Hamadryas Baboons at the Melbourne Zoo are playing buses. One of the males is in the drivers seat and the females in the back catching up on some grooming.
A pair of Hamadryas Baboons look like they are deep in conversation at the Melbourne Zoo.
One of the male Hamadryas Baboons at the Melbourne Zoo appears to be deep in thought. Perhaps it is “…now where did I leave those earmuffs? I had them just a minute ago!”
A Rhinoceros Iguana lounges around in the Reptile House at the Melbourne Zoo. Apparently these iguanas communicate by nodding their heads.
A Rhinoceros Iguana in the Reptile House at the Melbourne Zoo. The Rhinoceros Iguana is native on the island of Hispaniola, which is shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic. They are mainly herbivorous, and it has been found that seeds that they digest germinate more quickly.
A Hosmer’s Skink in the Reptile House at the Melbourne Zoo. These skinks have sharp points on their scales. When they are alarmed they wedge themselves in between rocks and puff their bodies up. The spines grip the rock and make them almost impossible to remove.
A Philippines Crocodile cruising around in the Reptiles House at the Melbourne Zoo. This is the world’s most endangered crocodile, by the early 2000s their were only 20 left in the wild. Melbourne Zoo is now working on a breeding program after receiving a female crocodile from Germany to join their male.
Another unexpected animal on a lunchtime walk in Rowville. I’m not sure who lost this crocodile bit they should be able to find it on top of this letterbox.
I was not expecting to find a pair of black swans (Cygnus atratus) right next to the foot path on my lunchtime walk. The pair were quite happy for people to walk past and I wasn’t hanging around taking photos. You can just see the white flight feathers poking out on the wing.