Say hello to the Shoebill Stork (aka Whalebill or Whale-Headed Stork). The species is "vulnerable" (one step better than "endangered") and there are only between 3300-5500 of these critters remaining in the wild. There are only 3 in the US, and we are fortunate to have 2 of them at Zoo Tampa (the 3rd is in Dallas at the Dallas Cowboy's Aquarium, and that's probably a straight line for a good joke). They stand about 5 ft tall, and can fly at around 30 mph. I took my first trip to Zoo Tampa last week, mainly to see this bird. They look at little scary, but apparently the worst they would do to a human is look at them suspiciously.
Their native habitat is Africa, and they can be found in the Africa section of the zoo. One of the two is a juvenile and hatched in captivity. Apparently there were three (presumably an adult couple and the chick), but it's unclear what happened to the second adult.
I didn't have a lot of time this visit, but stopped by to see some other animals in the Africa and Florida sections, as shown below....
Here are African Penguins, followed by Flamingoes....
And, last but not least - the Florida Panther.....
This species is endangered, with only about 120-230 adults remaining in the wild.
I will be back to see them again; a day's ticket costs $45, but is good for unlimited visits for the rest of the calendar year.
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