Saturday, September 02, 2017

Summer Vacation Redux #9: Sioux Falls: The Great Plains Zoo, part 3 of 7


The area I designated as zone 3 is the heart of the zoo in terms of animal human interaction.  The children's petting farm is sponsored by Hy-Vee, and it really is rather nice.  Besides the domestic animals, you can also have your child take a ride on a Dromedary Camel--how quintessentially zoo-Americana--or ride a vintage early 20th century--completely enclosed--Merri-go-round. 

Jacob's Four-horned Sheep, Ovis jacob_four_horned.  Jacob's Sheep is a breed native to England that produced this four-horned variant.  A fully mature member will have the oddest set of four large curly horns like a built in face-guard.



 Isn't he beautiful?  San Clemente Goat, Capra aegagrus hircus san_clemente.  They are a mutation of goats brought to the Channel Islands by Spanish explorers in the 16th century that went feral and then developed unique characteristics such that they achieve sub-species status.  They were nearly slaughtered to extinction when it was determined that the island must be rid of them in order to restore it's previous ecosystem.  They are considered endangered.



A little group of Leopard Tortoise, Psammobates pardalis.

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