The fiberglass tusks and teeth that hang over the wooden slatted entryway imply ferocity.
But don’t let that scare you.
The new Complex Carnivores area at Zoo Atlanta, opening Friday, seeks to educate visitors about the, well, complexity among meat eaters.
After all, they aren’t just massive lions ripping apart steaks at the zoo or steamrolling hapless wildebeest on The Animal Planet.
Right?
Of course not.
The six-habitat exhibit, a $500,000 addition to last year’s million dollar first phase, Trader's Alley: Wildlife's Fading Footprints, introduces a trio of new animals to Zoo Atlanta, along with a carnivorous plant bog.
While the stars of the setting have some cuteness competition with their neighbors around the corner – hello, pandas! – they bring their own intriguing backstory.
-- Logan, a 6-year-old male fossa, comes from Naples Zoo. Though he projects some feline features, he’s more closely related to mongooses. The favorite meal of a fossa is lemurs.
-- Timber, a 12-year-old female binturong, also comes from Naples Zoo. She’s nocturnal, and also a carnivore who enjoys an omnivore diet of fruits, leaves, eggs, insects and small mammals.
-- Davi and Ernesto are 18-month old brothers from the Little Rock Zoo. They’re social animals who usually travel in packs and use their webbed toes for a semi-aquatic lifestyle.
Three current zoo residents, Moby the clouded leopard and Chelsea and Kavi, the Sumatran tigers, remain in their viewing areas. Complex Carnivores was constructed around their domain, which has been spruced up with more in-depth signage.
This summer, the zoo will begin public presentations of tiger training. Professional trainers will simulate different trainings – with the omnipresent barrier between themselves and the big cats.
In addition to these traditional carnivores, the plant bog in the center of the display provides a look at some unusual flora.
“We wanted to show the difference between being a carnivore and being carnivorous,” said Dr. Dwight Lawson, deputy director at Zoo Atlanta.
A collection of venus fly traps, pitcher plants and sundews – some donated by the Atlanta Botanical Garden – satisfies that intent, while explaining to gawkers that pitcher plants have been known to consume small mammals while venus fly traps stick to insects.
While there aren’t any other expansions underway at Zoo Atlanta, Raymond King, president and CEO promised, “We have bold plans for the future."
Exhibit preview
Complex Carnivores at Zoo Atlanta
New exhibit opens Friday. 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mondays-Fridays; 9:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Ticket booth closes an hour before zoo. $20.99, adults; $16.99, seniors 65 and older, military and college students; $15.99, children 3-11; free, children 2 and under. 800 Cherokee Ave., S.E., Atlanta. 404-624-WILD, www.zooatlanta.org.
Special offer: The new field trip program provides an instructor-led presentation while touring the zoo and $2 off per participant. Must be booked by April 30 with coupon code FTPS11. Limited to one discount per field trip program registration.
Meet the new mammals
Bush dogs
Navi and Ernesto are 18-month old brothers
Native to South America
Have skin between toes to aid swimming
Classified as near-threatened due to habitat loss and human encroachment
Live about 10 years
Binturong (pronounced bihntuhrohng)
Timber is a 12-year-old female
Native to Southeast Asia
Often called “bearcats”
Nocturnal
Live more than 20 years in captivity
Fossa (pronounced foosah)
Logan is a 6-year-old male
The top predators in Madagascar, primarily of lemurs
In Latin, the species name, ferox, means "fierce" or "wild"
Greatest threat to species is habitat destruction
Live about 20 years in captivity
Spring means pollen, but this year, it also means Po. The baby panda, who turns five months old Sunday ), is regularly on display daily between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. The 17-pound bear spends his time frolicking with his mother, Lun Lun, and playing with toys. The mother and son combo will often stay out longer, depending upon their mood.
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