Zoo School, part 1

I have been animal crazy my who life. In kindergarten I began flipping logs and catching salamanders. By fourth grade I was catching snakes. I've kept nearly every pet my family/significant other would allow: hamsters, gerbils, rats, mice, water snakes, fighting fish, anoles, iguanas, parakeets and many other critters. In another lifetime where I am less paralyzed by math I will become a biologist and live out my dreams of studying the natural world. But until that reincarnation, there is Zoo School.

I am currently training to become a volunteer docent at the Nashville Zoo. As a docent my job is informal interpretation: answering questions, providing information and showing off "biofacts" like skulls, pelts and preserved specimens. This is a dream come true for me.

When I received the training schedule, I was utterly delighted. Who wouldn't want to take a class called Zone 1 - Entry Village exhibits {meerkat, macaws, lorikeets, etc}. Just to repeat, I AM TAKING A CLASS ABOUT MEERKATS.

We had our first class yesterday and it was a blast. I sat there the whole time thinking Wow, I really get to do this. This is really real. We spent part of the class discussing the mechanics of zoo interpretation and biofact use. The rest of the class was devoted to an exhibit called The Unseen New World, a collection of fish, reptiles, birds and amphibians from the Americas and West Indies. We moved through the exhibits at molasses speed, discussing the animals and habitats with keepers and experienced docents. We learned how to tell the caimans apart, which animals were a-courting, and which turtles had to be separated because they wouldn't stop a-courting in front of guests. Even though I am pretty well read on wildlife I learned so much, especially talking to the aquaria keeper. Needless to say, I am super stoked for my next class.

Here are some of my new friends:



These Mexican Beaded Lizards may look sweet sleeping, but they are one of the few venomous lizards in the world.





Here a Caiman Lizard (not to be confused with the crocodilian caiman) shows off its swimming skills.





A staring contest with a Black Pacu. I love its weird mouth.



QUOTE OF THE DAY:
little boy, looking at a stingray: "It looks like a QUESADILLA!!!!"
dad: "..."