Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Japan Orb: The Design

The Japan Orb is the 12th independent ecosystem orb to be revealed in my zoo.

It features a wide variety of both flora and fauna. 74 species of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians open the exhibit.

It is a two-tiered biome with a height of 125 meters and a width of 528 meters, making it a medium sized orb in the pantheon of the others orbs in my zoo.

Japan is a temperate "four seasons" climate by and large and the landscape choices largely reflect this. There are both coniferous and deciduous trees in the main areas, and smaller sections that feature azaleas and bamboo.

One unique aspect of the orb is faux-pagado that encircles one of the tier-two structural beams. It is loosely based on the most famous pagoda in Japan, To-ji Pagoda in Kyoto. It is also designed to be the home of the sole bat in the orb.

In selecting species for this orb great consideration was also given to those animals native to and inhabiting the various islands and archipelagos administered by Japan.

The Japan Orb is found in the SSE edge of the zoo.

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