My Mobile Adventures *~*~*

© Copyright 2008 Tink *~*~*
http://MyMobileAdventures.com

Once upon a time, a cougar stuck his tongue out at me at the Naples Zoo (Just call me “The Cougar Whisperer”. The long name for the Naples Zoo is Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens. The property was once privately owned by a botanist, who had populated it with plants and trees he’d collected from around the world. A few subsequent owners later, animals were added to create a zoo, which was opened to the public in the 1960s.

There are other animals dwelling there besides my friend the raspberry-blowing cougar – let’s have a look at a few of them. The day of our visit was very hot, so we found that most of the animals were sprawled out in whatever shade was available. The porcupine in the photo above was hiding the cool comfort of his stone cave (thank you 10x optical zoom).

The fosa is a native of Madagascar, so he’s used to the heat and knows what to do – sleep through it!

This egret is probably not a resident – more likely, he is a squatter from the wild. And he’s doing that “strike a pose there’s nothing to it VOGUE” thing that birds of his ilk do so well.

I’d like to go back and visit this zoo again sometime during the cooler weather – I think I’d linger longer at each exhibit and get some better photos.

Visit other Camera Critters participants
CLICK for my previous Camera Critters posts
SUBSCRIPTIONS to My Mobile Adventures *~*~* are FREE!
CLICK to Subscribe by email
CLICK to Subscribe by RSS

Thanks for your visit!

© Copyright 2008 Tink *~*~*
http://MyMobileAdventures.com

Zazu bemoans his fate to no one in particular


Meanwhile, at the O, Canada! pavilion, Bambi and Thumper wax rhapsodic over the chicks they’ve just encountered


Yeah, just what Stitch needs – sugar and caffeine!

Happy Critturday!

Visit other Camera Critters participants
CLICK for my previous Camera Critters posts
SUBSCRIPTIONS to My Mobile Adventures *~*~* are FREE!
CLICK to Subscribe by email
CLICK to Subscribe by RSS

Thanks for your visit!

© Copyright 2008 Tink *~*~*
http://MyMobileAdventures.com

As mentioned previously on this blog, meerkats are among my favorite animals because, like prairie dogs and otters, they are the shape and size of puppies and therefore very cute. In fact, all three species – prairie dogs, otters and meerkats – are known to “bark”, just like a puppy. The only time a meerkat doesn’t look like a puppy is when he’s standing up on his back legs, using his tail for balance.

Last week, I referred to a group of meerkats as a “colony” but I have since discovered that this is incorrect. One needs to refer to a group of meerkats as a “mob”, sometimes also “clan” or “gang”. This makes them sound dangerous, like they should be starring opposite the Jets and the Sharks in West Side Story

This fellow is performing sentinel duties while the rest of the colony forages for insects, small lizards, scorpions, eggs, centipedes and anything else that might be “slimy yet satisfying”, as Timon of The Lion King has been known to describe his diet. Should the sentinel spot a predator approaching, he will emit a warning bark and all the mob of meerkats will scatter into the many “bolt holes” they have built on their territory, so they have a place to hide during such emergencies. The sentry is responsible for emerging first and checking to see if the predators are still there before giving the “all clear” signal.

Last time I visited Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the sentry posed nicely for me for several minutes before staring at me to signal that the photo shoot was over. Here’s a slide show of the sentry from that visit, along with a clan from 2008.

Subscribers: if you do not see a Flickr slideshow right below this sentence, please click through to the blog to view it,

BONUS!- the Animal Planet channel has a series called “Meerkat Manor”, and there are some snippets of episodes on YouTube. Season’s 1 through 4 are available from Amazon.com on DVD

Meerkat Manor – Season 1
Meerkat Manor: Season Two
Meerkat Manor: Season Three
Meerkat Manor: Season Four – The Next Generation

Here’s Season One, Episode One snip from YouTube, which explains what the whole ongoing drama serial is about. I hope you enjoy it

Subscribers: this is VIDEO – if not visible, click through to the blog

Visit other Camera Critters participants
CLICK for my previous Camera Critters posts
SUBSCRIPTIONS to My Mobile Adventures *~*~* are FREE!
CLICK to Subscribe by email
CLICK to Subscribe by RSS

Thanks for your visit, and HAPPY CRITTURDAY!

© Copyright 2008 Tink *~*~*
http://MyMobileAdventures.com

This is the Great Blue Turaco. I heart this bird’s colorful plumage.

RANDOM FACT about the great blue turaco: In the province of Africa formerly known as Zaire, the great blue turaco is hunted for food as well as feathers. Those yellow feathers on the underside of the turaco’s tail are considered good luck. Next time I visit the Pangani Forest Trail, I hope I remember to look around on the ground for a yellow tail feather.

Here’s a meerkat – for fans of The Lion King, that’s a “Timon”. I like meerkats for the same reason I like prairie dogs and otters – they remind me of cute little puppies.
RANDOM FACT about meerkats: Meerkats are social and live in little colony families. One of them always keeps lookout while the others forage for food.



Saved the best for last. I stalked this Eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly all over creation, it seemed, but only got ONE good shot, and this is it!
RANDOM FACT about swallowtail butterflies: There are over 500 species of swallowtail butterfly that live on every continent of the Earth except Antarctica.

Visit other Camera Critters participants
CLICK for my previous Camera Critters posts
SUBSCRIPTIONS to My Mobile Adventures *~*~* are FREE!
CLICK to Subscribe by email
CLICK to Subscribe by RSS

Thanks for your visit, and HAPPY CRITTURDAY!

© Copyright 2008 Tink *~*~*
http://MyMobileAdventures.com

A pair of ducks stop for a rest on the lawn of the Canadian pavilion at EPCOT.
Someday, when I grow up, I want to live in that little cabin.

Visit other Camera Critters participants
CLICK for my previous Camera Critters posts
SUBSCRIPTIONS to My Mobile Adventures *~*~* are FREE!
CLICK to Subscribe by email
CLICK to Subscribe by RSS

Thanks for your visit!

© Copyright 2008 Tink *~*~*
http://MyMobileAdventures.com

There’s an osprey nest atop a tall pole at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse Beach. Nearby are the branches of a dead tree which make for a convenient perch for this young osprey. He waits impatiently for a parent to come back with some dinner. While he waits, he whines, much like his human counterparts. Only, he whines on a single note, rapidly and repeatedly. “Where! Is! My! Food! I! Want! To! Eat! Where! Is! My! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! MOM!” If you want to hear what the osprey sounds like, then CLICK HERE for a *.wav file I found (it opened Quicktime in the browser for me). OK, now picture being subjected to that for even two minutes straight while you are trying to shell serenely. Do you not want to run away screaming yourself?

Since he’d given me his profile in the previous shot, he decided to turn the other way and give me the other side, too. Not sure which I’d classify as his “good side”, but he does seem to be sporting quite the stylin’ cowlick in this one. This is one hawt seahawk!

And finally we get his very best, “What are YOU lookin’ at?” pose – as though he totally isn’t digging all the attention! I think the only way he’d like it more is if I had a dead fish in my hands instead of a camera!
Click each photo to see a variety of sizes in Flickr

Visit other Camera Critters participants
CLICK for my previous Camera Critters posts
SUBSCRIPTIONS to My Mobile Adventures *~*~* are FREE!
CLICK to Subscribe by email
CLICK to Subscribe by RSS

Thanks for your visit!

© Copyright 2010 Tink *~*~*
http://MyMobileAdventures.com
click the photo to see if there is a bigger size available in Flickr

This is the last of DINOSAUR WEEK here at My Mobile Adventures *~*~*, and I have a question for you – is this Chester or is it Hester?

In the DinoLand section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, everything is named after these two dinosaurs, but I’ve never been able to work out who is who. While this one looks like a brontosaurus, the other one is more of a triceratops.

Does anyone know – which one is Chester and which one is Hester?

Visit other Camera Critters participants
CLICK for my previous Camera Critters posts
SUBSCRIPTIONS to My Mobile Adventures *~*~* are FREE!
CLICK to Subscribe by email
CLICK to Subscribe by RSS

Thanks for your visit!

© Copyright 2008 Tink *~*~*
http://MyMobileAdventures.com

I have decided that it’s DINOSAUR WEEK here at My Mobile Adventures *~*~* – if for no other reason than I have a few pics of dinosaurs

Here’s one from Disney’s Hollywood Studios, only I took the photo when it was still Disney-MGM Studios. He seems to enjoy chowing down on the hibiscus. He’s not very scary, as dinosaurs go – he’s rather placid looking, friendly even, and there are no discernible teeth. I’m pretty sure he’s a vegetarian, actually, so unless he accidentally stomped us, I’m convinced we’ve nothing to fear from him.

I’m not sure what movie he’s supposed to be from – can’t be Jurassic Park because that’s that “other” theme park in Orlando *cough* Universal *cough*. I’m trying to think of what movie Disney or *cough* MGM did that has a dinosaur like this in it, but I’m afraid I’m coming up blank.

Does anyone know what movie this dinosaur appeared in?

I promise, I will not google – I will wait for one of you to tell me!

Visit other Camera Critters participants
CLICK for my previous Camera Critters posts
SUBSCRIPTIONS to My Mobile Adventures *~*~* are FREE!
CLICK to Subscribe by email
CLICK to Subscribe by RSS

Thanks for your visit!