Zoo Miami

Zoo Miami

Zoo Miami

Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris) The beautiful19-year-old female Bengal Tiger named Roshe died in April 2012. She was born in captivity on November 1, 1992, and came to Zoo Miami (previously known as Miami MetroZoo) on February 18, 1994. The tiger once ranged widely across Asia, from Turkey in the west to the eastern coast of Russia (Nowell and Jackson, 1996). Over the past 100 years tigers have disappeared from southwest and central Asia, from two Indonesian islands (Java and Bali) and from large areas of Southeast and Eastern Asia. Tigers have lost 93% of their historic range (Sanderson et al., 2006). Tigers are currently found in twelve Asian range states: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Viet Nam. They may still persist in North Korea, although there has been no recent confirmed evidence. It is the largest living member of the cat family and no two animals are the same; each Bengal Tiger has its own pattern of stripes. Around the year 1900, there were as many as 50,000 Bengal Tigers in India. But by the year 1972, there were only about 1,800 Bengal tigers left. Through an attempt to conserve the existence of the tiger, there are currently about 4,000 tigers remaining. Status: Endangered --> Status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

White Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris) This is Carlita, a 19-year-old female. The tiger once ranged widely across Asia, from Turkey in the west to the eastern coast of Russia (Nowell and Jackson, 1996). Over the past 100 years tigers have disappeared from southwest and central Asia, from two Indonesian islands (Java and Bali) and from large areas of Southeast and Eastern Asia. Tigers have lost 93% of their historic range (Sanderson et al., 2006). Tigers are currently found in twelve Asian range states: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Viet Nam. They may still persist in North Korea, although there has been no recent confirmed evidence. It is the largest living member of the cat family and no two animals are the same; each Bengal Tiger has its own pattern of stripes. Around the year 1900, there were as many as 50,000 Bengal Tigers in India. But by the year 1972, there were only about 1,800 Bengal tigers left. Through an attempt to conserve the existence of the tiger, there are currently about 4,000 tigers remaining. Status: Endangered --> Status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

White Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris) This is Carlita, a 19-year-old female. The tiger once ranged widely across Asia, from Turkey in the west to the eastern coast of Russia (Nowell and Jackson, 1996). Over the past 100 years tigers have disappeared from southwest and central Asia, from two Indonesian islands (Java and Bali) and from large areas of Southeast and Eastern Asia. Tigers have lost 93% of their historic range (Sanderson et al., 2006). Tigers are currently found in twelve Asian range states: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Viet Nam. They may still persist in North Korea, although there has been no recent confirmed evidence. It is the largest living member of the cat family and no two animals are the same; each Bengal Tiger has its own pattern of stripes. Around the year 1900, there were as many as 50,000 Bengal Tigers in India. But by the year 1972, there were only about 1,800 Bengal tigers left. Through an attempt to conserve the existence of the tiger, there are currently about 4,000 tigers remaining. Status: Endangered --> Status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris) The beautiful19-year-old female Bengal Tiger named Roshe died in April 2012. She was born in captivity on November 1, 1992, and came to Zoo Miami (previously known as Miami MetroZoo) on February 18, 1994. The tiger once ranged widely across Asia, from Turkey in the west to the eastern coast of Russia (Nowell and Jackson, 1996). Over the past 100 years tigers have disappeared from southwest and central Asia, from two Indonesian islands (Java and Bali) and from large areas of Southeast and Eastern Asia. Tigers have lost 93% of their historic range (Sanderson et al., 2006). Tigers are currently found in twelve Asian range states: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Viet Nam. They may still persist in North Korea, although there has been no recent confirmed evidence. It is the largest living member of the cat family and no two animals are the same; each Bengal Tiger has its own pattern of stripes. Around the year 1900, there were as many as 50,000 Bengal Tigers in India. But by the year 1972, there were only about 1,800 Bengal tigers left. Through an attempt to conserve the existence of the tiger, there are currently about 4,000 tigers remaining. Status: Endangered --> Status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Temple Building - Tiger Exhibit The temple building was designed based on five ruins in India. In their natural habitat in Asia, tigers have been know to take over abandoned temples.

Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii) Orangutans are large, red-haired animals with four hands. They are members of a group called the Great Apes. Unlike monkeys, they have no tail. The word orangutan translates as "Person of the Forest" in Malay and Bahasa Indonesian. Orangutans are very similar to humans. They share 96.4% of our genes. The Great Apes are humankind's closest living relatives. Pongo abelii is endemic to the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. It is generally restricted to the north of the island, north of the Batang Toru river on the west coast of North Sumatra province (Wich et al. 2003). The Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii) differs genetically and physically from the Bornean Orangutan Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus and the population is smaller. Orangutans breed more slowly than any other primate, with the female producing a baby on average only once every 7-8 years. This makes the population extra-vulnerable to loss and accelerates the decline in numbers. Status: Critically Endangered --> It is in grave danger of extinction. --> Status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Northern White-cheeked Gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys [female] This has to be one of the cutest things I've seen :) This beauty ran to our right holding onto the garment and then disappeared. The next thing we know, she came out of hiding with this wrapped around her head and just plopped herself down. White-cheeked gibbons are "frugivorous" (diet is primarily fruit) and spend most of their time in the forest canopy searching for food. Gibbons use a highly specialized mode of of locomoation called "brachiation." This hand-over-hand motion of swinging through the trees is their main pattern of movement. Gibbons are lesser apes, as evidenced by their lack of tails and opposable thumbs. The reason they are "lesser" is because of their diminutive body size in comparison with the great apes. They can cover nearly 40 feet in a single swing and the are the fastest and most agile of all tree-dwelling, nonflying mammals. The average life span of the White-cheeked Gibbon in the wild is 28years. This species occurs in Viet Nam, Lao People's Democratic Repulic [Laos], and China. Status: Critically Endangered --> Status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Northern White-cheeked Gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys [female] This has to be one of the cutest things I've seen :) This beauty ran to our right holding onto the garment and then disappeared. The next thing we know, she came out of hiding with this wrapped around her head and just plopped herself down. White-cheeked gibbons are "frugivorous" (diet is primarily fruit) and spend most of their time in the forest canopy searching for food. Gibbons use a highly specialized mode of of locomoation called "brachiation." This hand-over-hand motion of swinging through the trees is their main pattern of movement. Gibbons are lesser apes, as evidenced by their lack of tails and opposable thumbs. The reason they are "lesser" is because of their diminutive body size in comparison with the great apes. They can cover nearly 40 feet in a single swing and the are the fastest and most agile of all tree-dwelling, nonflying mammals. The average life span of the White-cheeked Gibbon in the wild is 28years. This species occurs in Viet Nam, Lao People's Democratic Repulic [Laos], and China. Status: Critically Endangered --> Status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Northern White-cheeked Gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys [female] White-cheeked gibbons are "frugivorous" (diet is primarily fruit) and spend most of their time in the forest canopy searching for food. Gibbons use a highly specialized mode of of locomoation called "brachiation." This hand-over-hand motion of swinging through the trees is their main pattern of movement. Gibbons are lesser apes, as evidenced by their lack of tails and opposable thumbs. The reason they are "lesser" is because of their diminutive body size in comparison with the great apes. They can cover nearly 40 feet in a single swing and the are the fastest and most agile of all tree-dwelling, nonflying mammals. The average life span of the White-cheeked Gibbon in the wild is 28years. This species occurs in Viet Nam, Lao People's Democratic Repulic [Laos], and China. Status: Critically Endangered --> Status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Northern White-cheeked Gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys [male] White-cheeked gibbons are "frugivorous" (diet is primarily fruit) and spend most of their time in the forest canopy searching for food. Gibbons use a highly specialized mode of of locomoation called "brachiation." This hand-over-hand motion of swinging through the trees is their main pattern of movement. Gibbons are lesser apes, as evidenced by their lack of tails and opposable thumbs. The reason they are "lesser" is because of their diminutive body size in comparison with the great apes. They can cover nearly 40 feet in a single swing and the are the fastest and most agile of all tree-dwelling, nonflying mammals. The average life span of the White-cheeked Gibbon in the wild is 28years. This species occurs in Viet Nam, Lao People's Democratic Repulic [Laos], and China. Status: Critically Endangered --> Status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Northern White-cheeked Gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys [male] White-cheeked gibbons are "frugivorous" (diet is primarily fruit) and spend most of their time in the forest canopy searching for food. Gibbons use a highly specialized mode of of locomoation called "brachiation." This hand-over-hand motion of swinging through the trees is their main pattern of movement. Gibbons are lesser apes, as evidenced by their lack of tails and opposable thumbs. The reason they are "lesser" is because of their diminutive body size in comparison with the great apes. They can cover nearly 40 feet in a single swing and the are the fastest and most agile of all tree-dwelling, nonflying mammals. The average life span of the White-cheeked Gibbon in the wild is 28years. This species occurs in Viet Nam, Lao People's Democratic Repulic [Laos], and China. Status: Critically Endangered --> Status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Double-wattled Cassowary or Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) The Double-wattled Cassowary, found in New Guinea and northern Australia, is one of the largest birds in the world. Weighing as much as 128 pounds, only the ostrich is heavier. Flightless birds, Cassowaries are covered in coarse black feathers, with the exception of the skin on the head and throat which is brightly colored red and blue. One of the Cassowary's most distinguishing features is the large protuberance on the top of its head called the casque. It is believed that the casque assists the Cassowary in pushing through the dense tropical forest vegetation, and may also provide some sort of protection. In captivity, Cassowaries have been observed using their casques like a shovel to search for food on the ground. It is believed that the size of the casque may indicate dominance and age, since the casque continues to grow throughout the life of the bird. Another distinguishing feature of the Cassowaries is their wattles. Wattles are present in two of the three species of Cassowary. These brilliantly colored folds of skin hang from the bird's neck, and may act as social signals in the dark forest. Status: Vulnerable --> Status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Double-wattled Cassowary or Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) The Double-wattled Cassowary, found in New Guinea and northern Australia, is one of the largest birds in the world. Weighing as much as 128 pounds, only the ostrich is heavier. Flightless birds, Cassowaries are covered in coarse black feathers, with the exception of the skin on the head and throat which is brightly colored red and blue. One of the Cassowary's most distinguishing features is the large protuberance on the top of its head called the casque. It is believed that the casque assists the Cassowary in pushing through the dense tropical forest vegetation, and may also provide some sort of protection. In captivity, Cassowaries have been observed using their casques like a shovel to search for food on the ground. It is believed that the size of the casque may indicate dominance and age, since the casque continues to grow throughout the life of the bird. Another distinguishing feature of the Cassowaries is their wattles. Wattles are present in two of the three species of Cassowary. These brilliantly colored folds of skin hang from the bird's neck, and may act as social signals in the dark forest. Status: Vulnerable --> Status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Malayan Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus) The Sun Bear is nocturnal and escapes the sun's heat by sleeping in caves or trees by day. Bowed forelegs, curved claws, and great strength equip the sun bear for tree-climbing. Named for the golden crescent, or "U" shaped golden patch on their chest, sun bears are otherwise all black with smooth, short fur. Sun Bears occur in mainland Southeast Asia as far west as Bangladesh and northeastern India (Chauhan 2006), as far north as southern Yunnan Province in China, and south and east to Sumatra and Borneo, respectively. It now occurs very patchily through much of its former range, and has been extirpated from many areas, especially in mainland southeast Asia. Its current distribution in eastern Myanmar and most of Yunnan is unknown. Given the Sun Bear’s dependence on forest, it is clear that the large-scale deforestation that has occurred throughout southeast Asia over the past three decades has dramatically reduced suitable habitat for this species. Status: Vulnerable --> Status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Malayan Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus) The Sun Bear is nocturnal and escapes the sun's heat by sleeping in caves or trees by day. Bowed forelegs, curved claws, and great strength equip the sun bear for tree-climbing. Named for the golden crescent, or "U" shaped golden patch on their chest, sun bears are otherwise all black with smooth, short fur. Sun Bears occur in mainland Southeast Asia as far west as Bangladesh and northeastern India (Chauhan 2006), as far north as southern Yunnan Province in China, and south and east to Sumatra and Borneo, respectively. It now occurs very patchily through much of its former range, and has been extirpated from many areas, especially in mainland southeast Asia. Its current distribution in eastern Myanmar and most of Yunnan is unknown. Given the Sun Bear’s dependence on forest, it is clear that the large-scale deforestation that has occurred throughout southeast Asia over the past three decades has dramatically reduced suitable habitat for this species. Status: Vulnerable --> Status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Malayan Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus) The Sun Bear is nocturnal and escapes the sun's heat by sleeping in caves or trees by day. Bowed forelegs, curved claws, and great strength equip the sun bear for tree-climbing. Named for the golden crescent, or "U" shaped golden patch on their chest, sun bears are otherwise all black with smooth, short fur. Sun Bears occur in mainland Southeast Asia as far west as Bangladesh and northeastern India (Chauhan 2006), as far north as southern Yunnan Province in China, and south and east to Sumatra and Borneo, respectively. It now occurs very patchily through much of its former range, and has been extirpated from many areas, especially in mainland southeast Asia. Its current distribution in eastern Myanmar and most of Yunnan is unknown. Given the Sun Bear’s dependence on forest, it is clear that the large-scale deforestation that has occurred throughout southeast Asia over the past three decades has dramatically reduced suitable habitat for this species. Status: Vulnerable --> Status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Lowland Anoa (Bubalus depressicornis) Anoa, the smallest of all wild cattle, is a miniature water buffalo, a type of wild cattle, similar in appearance to a deer, weighing 150 - 300 kg (330 - 660 lbs.). It is a forest animal requiring dense vegetation. It lives in undisturbed forest and eats grass, herbs, leaves, fruit and marsh and aquatic plants. The anoa feeds in the morning and rests in the shade during the hottest parts of the day. One young is born at a time. Anoas live alone or in pairs, rather than herds, except when the cows are about to give birth. "Anoa" is the Celebes word for "buffalo." The Lowland Anoa is endemic to Indonesia, where it is found only on Sulawesi and Buton Island off the southeast coast, with no records of Anoas from other small neighbouring islands adjacent to Sulawesi (Burton et al. 2005), where it is found up to 1,000 m (G. Semiadi pers. comm. 2006). Status: Endangered --> Status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Lowland Anoa (Bubalus depressicornis) Anoa, the smallest of all wild cattle, is a miniature water buffalo, a type of wild cattle, similar in appearance to a deer, weighing 150 - 300 kg (330 - 660 lbs.). It is a forest animal requiring dense vegetation. It lives in undisturbed forest and eats grass, herbs, leaves, fruit and marsh and aquatic plants. The anoa feeds in the morning and rests in the shade during the hottest parts of the day. One young is born at a time. Anoas live alone or in pairs, rather than herds, except when the cows are about to give birth. "Anoa" is the Celebes word for "buffalo." The Lowland Anoa is endemic to Indonesia, where it is found only on Sulawesi and Buton Island off the southeast coast, with no records of Anoas from other small neighbouring islands adjacent to Sulawesi (Burton et al. 2005), where it is found up to 1,000 m (G. Semiadi pers. comm. 2006). Status: Endangered --> Status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Mexican Bluebell (Ruellia brittoniana)

Malayan Tapir (Tapirus indicus) The Malayan Tapir has 14 hooves, a rubbery snout, and walks under water. They are the only Asian species of tapir and are native to the island of Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula, and Southern Thailand. Its closest relatives are the horse and rhinoceros. The Malayan Tapir occurs in southern and central parts of Sumatra (Indonesia), Myanmar (south of latitude 18° N), Malaysia, and Thailand (along the western border and on the Peninsular down to the Malaysian border, and in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary in northern Thailand). It is also thought to occur in southern parts of Cambodia and Vietnam (although reports from this area are unconfirmed), and possibly Laos. (IUCN 2006) Although it still generally occurs throughout its historical range, it has been depleted, with only remnant populations surviving in isolated habitats. It is increasingly confined to the more remote mountain tops. Status: Endangered --> Status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Malayan Tapir (Tapirus indicus) The Malayan Tapir has 14 hooves, a rubbery snout, and walks under water. They are the only Asian species of tapir and are native to the island of Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula, and Southern Thailand. Its closest relatives are the horse and rhinoceros. The Malayan Tapir occurs in southern and central parts of Sumatra (Indonesia), Myanmar (south of latitude 18° N), Malaysia, and Thailand (along the western border and on the Peninsular down to the Malaysian border, and in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary in northern Thailand). It is also thought to occur in southern parts of Cambodia and Vietnam (although reports from this area are unconfirmed), and possibly Laos. (IUCN 2006) Although it still generally occurs throughout its historical range, it has been depleted, with only remnant populations surviving in isolated habitats. It is increasingly confined to the more remote mountain tops. Status: Endangered --> Status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species