We went to the Children’s Zoo so the kids could pet and feed the animals. I already have lots of pictures of ponies, goats, sheep, geese etc. so the only pictures I took of them were when the kids were feeding them. Unfortunately, the kids’ parents don’t like pictures of their children to posted on the internet.

One other inhabitant of the Children’s Zoo did catch my attention: A peacock. There are lots of peacocks at the Bronx Zoo. They seem to wander around freely. At one point we were sitting at a picnic table waiting for my wife when a peacock walked right under the table. I think this is the closest I’ve ever been to one.

There was another one at the Children’s Zoo. This one very cooperatively chose to raise its tail feathers just as I was passing. Really Spectacular.

Taken with a Sony RX-100 M3.

Another animal found in Madagascar, this time a reptile that is also found elsewhere: The Nile Crocodile – found in freshwater habitats. This species was once widely abundant and greatly feared in the country but years of hunting for its skins has made it a threatened species..

Taken with a Sony RX-100 M3.

Another inhabitant of Madagascar: The Fossa – a very curious animal.

According to Wired:

The fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) is the largest carnivorous mammal on the island of Madagascar. They can reach nearly six feet in length, with half of that due to their long tails.

They look like a cross between a cat, a dog, and a mongoose. Fossas have slender bodies, muscular limbs, and short, reddish-brown coats. They have small, cat-like heads, short, dog-like muzzles, and large, rounded ears.

The article goes on to highlight 10 “fun facts” about the fossa:

1. Their scientific name means “hidden anus.” The fossa’s genus name, Cryptoprocta, is inspired by how its anus is concealed by an anal pouch.

2. Fossas are the top predator in Madagascar. Lemurs make up a good deal of their diets, but they also eat small mammals, fish, lizards, birds, frogs, and insects.

3. Their classification has been complicated. The fossa has features in common with three different families of carnivores: Herpestidae (mongooses), Viverridae (civets and their relatives), and Felidae (cats).

4. Fossas are mainly solitary.

5. Fossas communicate largely through scent glands.

6. They also make several kinds of sounds.

7. They are agile climbers. The fossa’s long, slender tail provides balance as it moves through the trees, and its semiretractable claws and flexible ankles allow it to climb up and down trees head-first.

8. Fossas like forests.

9. Female fossas are temporarily masculine. The female fossa undergoes a strange developmental stage during adolescence known as transient masculinization, unique to fossas.

10. Fossas have an unusual mating system.

Taken with a Sony RX-100 M3.

The Madagascar exhibit is located in the former lion house, which forms part of an old section of the zoo called Astor Court (the historic sea lion pool is also part of Astor Court). This area contains many of the original zoo buildings designed by Heins & LaFarg, many of which are now closed.

The highlight of the Madagascar exhibit are the lemurs, which in the wild live in Madagascar and nowhere else. They’re extremely cute little creatures.

Red ruffed lemur.

Taken with a Sony A500 and Minolta 100-200mm f4.5 AF.