August 11, Chattanooga Zoo

First, before I begin, let me show you this:

That's my girl

With that out of the way...

On our return home from "scouting trip" we stopped at the Chattanooga Zoo. Thanks to our membership at the North Carolina Aquarium that bought last October, it was a totally free visit! 

(I'm not going to lie, this is mostly going to be captions and links. Going to the zoo is much like... going to the zoo nearly every single time. Not that I don't enjoy the zoo, but honestly there are few surprises.) 

One of several bronze statues of chimpanzee

Actual, non-bronze, chimpanzee

Fennec fox

Watchful meerkat is watchful

Okay, on this reptile I failed at the "take a picture of the name plaque" trick I usually use to remember what the animals are at the zoo or the aquarium. He looks like an iguana, lives in the desert, and often comes up from the depths, 30 stories high, breathing fire, his head in the sky.*

Godzilla? Looks like an iguana, but lives in the desert; not a desert iguana.

Our orthodontist's dream

As I'm taking this picture my "auto zoom assist light" comes on and shines into the eyes of this Gaboon viper. None of the other snakes seemed to notice or be bothered by my camera, but this one guy tensed and then immediately relaxed every muscle along its coiled-up length. My brain monkey shrieked, then passed out and fell off the tree. 

"Pet me, I'm snuggly"

Two-toed sloth. Has three toes on feet. Mind blown.

Red panda endorses Chrome, contrary to popular belief

Esther tried to steal this pony

Just like that scene in "Hannibal"

Coyote. Never has one animal caused so many conflicting emotions.

Hissing cockroaches

Last, but not least, the noble Capybara, Lord of the rodents. When our big dogs have gone on the clearing at the end of the path, we will fill the back pasture with goats and capybara. This is the animal at the top of my bucket list of "Creatures I'd Like to Pet".**

We wrapped up the trip with a spin around the Merry-Go-Round. Minor point I'd like to make with the Chattanooga Zoo: without the looped circus calyope it's just sitting on a fiberglass horse going in circles. But hey, the kids were having fun with it.

All the other pictures are here.

*Godzooky? Are you kidding me? That theme song is alike all RAWWWRRR! and fist-pumping and chest slamming and then... what the frack? Godilla Jr. was more plausible and entertaining than Godzooky. GET OFF MAH CHILDHOOD, GODZOOKY. Godzooky was the 30 minutes of Smurfs that sat between The Super Friends and Thundar the Barbarian. Godzooky was the freaking Snorks. 

**#2 is Kat Dennings.