Philadelphia Zoo: Primate House

 The Philadelphia Zoo is home to a state of the art Primate Conservation Center/PECO Primate Reserve.  It contains interior habitats that provide homes for 2 species of Great Apes, 1 species of Lesser Ape, 2 species of Monkey, 2 species of Lemur, and a nocturnal primate also native to Madagascar, the Aye-Aye.  Additional Primate species live in other areas of the zoo as well.  Interior spaces are connected to 2 exterior yards and an island-like peninsula.  

Additionally there are interconnected habitat-trails and towers that give the animals access to other adjacent areas of the zoo.  The two olive green trails in the illustration belong to the Apes.  The darker green to the Gorillas, and the lighter green is shared (like the exterior yard) between the Sumatran Orangutans and the White-handed Gibbons.  The thin light blue trail on the left-side of the illustration is used by the monkey and lemur species and takes the animals off the upper portion to the illustration to vistas above and about the Reptile House.  The concept, created by the legendary zoological park designer, Jon Coe, is called Zoo360.  It was first implemented with the large cats (Lions, Tigers, Leopards and Pumas) at the Philadelphia Zoo, and later expanded to include the Greater and Lesser Primates, as well as, Goats!  So successful a way to exponentially enrich the lives of the animals who call zoos home, the concept has been used by many other zoos like the Maryland Zoo, the Jacksonville Zoo and the Denver Zoo.

The Philadelphia Zoo's PECO Primate Reserve has also had a bit of a baby boom with successful live births of an Orangutan, a White-Handed Gibbon and a White and Black Colobus.  Sumatran Orangutan births are always a source of great celebration as the species is on the fast track to extinction.  I was very fortunate to have gotten to see Sugi (born last June) on his first day outside last August.  On this trip, the Orangutans weren't early risers, and so I got to watch the keepers prep their interior day room and then a single male emerged to have breakfast.  I assume it was Jambi, but I don't know them well enough to know for certain.

The associated exterior yard with its humongous Sycamores was occupied on this morning by the family of White-handed Gibbons.  The species is gender dimorphic meaning that males and females are different colors.  The females are a blond/beige while the males a deep dark brown/black.  Newborns tend to be dark brown and then morph up or down in color as they reach the end of their first year of life.  The Philadelphia Zoo is home to a very successful breeding pair: 35-year-old female Phoenice and 34-year-old male Mercury.  The birth of Eros on March 14th of this year brings their family of offsprings up to 3!  Eros has both an older brother (Polaris, born in 2018), and an older sister (Ophelia, born in 2023).

The Stork's other delivery was a baby White and Black Colobus monkey on January 27th of this year.  The happy parents are both 11-years-old and first timers.  The mother is Tatu, and the father is Dexter--who was born at the Maryland Zoo in 2014!  It's so exciting to see these connections between my beloved Maryland Zoo and others.  The baby, Yeti, is a male.  

During my visit, I was also able to see the Coquerel's Sifaka and Ring-tailed Lemurs and the Western Lowland Gorillas.  

The Ring-tailed Lemur "Island"--that is actually a peninsula.  You can see the line of bubbles in the water?  This is strategic.  It fools the Lemurs into thinking that a predator is lurking beneath them, and they never try to get in the water or jump away.

Ring-Tailed Lemur

Lemur catta

Tatu and Yeti awaiting the opening of the Habitat-Trail.

White and Black Colobus Guereza

Colobus guereza

A male enjoying the Habitat-trail over the Giant Tortoise yard.

Coquerel's Sifaka

Propithecus

Western Lowland Gorilla

Gorilla gorilla

White-Handed Gibbon

Hylobates lar

Sumatran Orangutan

Pongo abelii

Philadelphia Zoo: Herpetarium

I love Herpetariums.  I have strong opinions about them.  Some zoos have crappy ones: Richmond Metro Zoo, Memphis Zoo, Little Rock Zoo, Detroit Zoo.  Some Zoos are doing the best they can: Lehigh Valley Zoo, Maryland Zoo, Turtle Back Zoo.  Some zoos have amazing ones: St. Louis Zoo, Toledo Zoo, Virginia Zoo, Denver Zoo.  But NO ZOO has one with a rich a story as the Philadelphia Zoo's.  And I love to tell it.

It begins with a man named Roger Conant who went from taking a job at a local zoo for cash fresh out of high school, to becoming the foremost herpetologist of his generation.  His second job was curating reptiles at the Toledo Zoo and it corresponded with the WPA creation of a range of new structures at the zoo including a Reptile House.  While there, he used his proximity to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to make lifelong connections with other herpetologists working and studying at one of the leading programs in the nation.  Among his many accomplishments was authoring "Peterson's Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Eastern and Central North America" which first came out in 1958 and instantly became the standard guide for professional and amateur herpetology enthusiasts.  

He joined the staff of the Philadelphia zoo in 1935 as its Curator of Reptiles.  32 years later he was named director of the entire zoo.  During this time he designed the Reptile house incorporating many of the principles of animal husbandry that he had learned and perfected in a career spanning some 42+ years.  The building opened in 1972.  Dr. Conant retired from the zoo the following year making the Herpetarium a mix of his parting gift to the Philadelphia Zoo and the crowning achievement of a life spent discovering and teacher others about the world of Reptiles and Amphibians.  He continued exploring and writing and discovering new species up until his death in 2013 at the age of 94.  

Every time I enter, I feel like I'm in a sacred space.  A landmark in the world of public herpetariums.  I am always struck by the naturalistic spaces and the inclusion of both live plants and water features.  The only drawback is that habitats that might have seemed generous in 1972, not often feel more like adequate.  In 2006, the space was shuttered to the public for a top to bottom renovation of HVAC, Electrical and plumbing systems along with repairs and upgrades to any of the habitats.  Though most of the work was done on systems not visible to the public, the changes have provided stability and greater comfort for the animals that call the place home.

Not to put too fine a point on my love of this place, but of the four zoos I visited I took a total of 40 photos at Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown, 67 photos at Lehigh Valley Zoo outside of Schnecksville, and 70 photos at Brandywine Zoo in Wilmington, Delaware.  I took 87 photos in the Herpetarium alone at the Philadelphia Zoo.  So let's see what caught my fancy during this visit.

The unassuming main entrance with it's frivolous sign.

Magnificent Tree Frog

Litoria splendida

Kaiser's Newt

Neuerergus kaiseri

Common Asian Toad

Duttaphryus melanostictus

Black-Breasted Leaf Turtle

Geoemyda spengleri

Smooth-Sided Toad

Rhaebo guttatus

Emerald Tree Boa

Corallus caninus

Golfodulcean Poison Dart Frog

Phyllobates vittatus

Golfodulcean PD Frog [L]

&

Green & Black Poison Dart Frog [R]

Dendrobates auratus

European Glass Lizard

Pseudopus apodus

This is an example of an old world "legless" lizard.  At first glance, you might think it a snake, but a little more observation and skill would prove that Pseudopus is definitely a genus belonging to the family of lizards.

Possible the only "cheesy" thing in the place is the "stone sculpture" of a cobra.  And yet, what Temple is without a deity?  

Weber's Sailfin Lizard

Hydrosaurus weberi

Caiman Lizard

Dracaena guianensis

Sheild-Tailed Agama

Xenagama taylori

Collard Lizard

Crotaphytus collaris

The giant tortoises were out enjoying the sun's warmth and curious crowds.

Galapagos Giant Tortoise

Chelonoidis niger

What gentle giants... 

CODA: I end with the Galapagos Giant Tortoise, because there is such big news out of the Philadelphia Zoo regarding this species.  A female auspiciously named "Mommy" who arrived at the zoo on April 23, 1932!  She is believed to be around 100 years, making this first time mother, the oldest mother of her species.  I mean sometimes it just takes a girl a little while to warm up to a fella.  The father, "Abrazzo" (which is Spanish for "hug") arrived in the same year and is also assumed to be around 100 years old.  They are the oldest two members of their species in any AZA institution.  And now they have 4 offspring to raise!  

We truly live in interesting times.

Philadelphia Museum of Art: European Art 1850 - 1900 (Impressionism)

 My final stop at the Phila- delphia Museum of Art was the collection of galleries on the second floor dedicated to European Art from 1850 to 1900 (Impressionism).  Lots of new works rotated in from last long ago visits back in 2009 and 2012.  Here are some highlights, images that caught my attention and with which I spent extra time.  Enjoy!
 

BARBARO AFTER THE HUNT

circa 1858

Rosa Bonheur, 1822 - 1899

BASKET OF FRUIT

circa 1864

Edouard Manet, 1832 - 1883

STUDY OF THREE HEADS

circa 1870

Henri Regnault, 1843 - 1871

HIGHWAY OF COMBES-LA-VILLE

1873

Giovanni Boldini, 1842 - 1931

MOORING LINES, THE EFFECT OF SNOW AT SAINT-CLOUD

1879

Alfred Sisley, 1839 - 1899

YOUNG GIRL WITH BASKET

1892

Berthe Morisot, 1841 - 1895

THE MEAL

1899

Edouard Vuillard, 1868 - 1940

THE MERRY JESTERS

1906

Henri Rousseau, 1844 - 1910