St. Louis Zoo

The zoo has always been one of my favorite places to go during the summer with friends and family, but this was my first visit to the zoo during the winter season. I was a little disappointed because not all of the animals were out, and the indoor portion of the penguin exhibit was closed for renovations, but these guys made me smile the moment we stepped up to the exhibit. At first, all of the penguins were either hiding or sleeping, but one by one, penguins started to emerge from their hiding places and started gathering around to show off to the the crowd that was waiting to see them. I think some of them were even posing for us! I love how you can see one of the penguins emerging from his hide out spot to take a peek at what's going on.

Several of the sea lions and seals were out and about, swimming past all of the visitors that were observing through the underwater tunnel. One of the zoo's staff members mentioned that this sea lion was a female and she loved attention from all of the visitors. You could tell how happy she was to see everyone watching her while she swam with ease through the water and flipped around to show off her tricks. I love this shot of her because it captures not only her beauty, but also how free she looks. She's swimming to the top of the water in this photo, and nothing is holding her back. The different shades of blue from the water and sky really make her stand out.

The orangutan house was one of my favorite parts about the trip to the zoo. These animals are constantly doing something to keep people entertained, and their similarities to humans never fail to amaze me. I like the amount of detail that this picture holds. You can see the hairs on his chin, the different colors of hair, and the wrinkles on his forehead, much like a human would have. In this photo, the orangutan is rubbing his eye, almost like there was something stuck in there that he was trying to get. Once again, this act resembles so much of something that a human would do.

Not many of the animals were outside that day, but fortunately, we were able to see the gazelle out and about enjoying the snow and sunshine. I love how calm and peaceful this picture is. Even though it was cold and snowy outside, the gazelle were still enjoying their time outdoors and appreciating the blue sky and sunlight that was shining above them.

We finished our trip to the zoo with a visit to the reptile house. I am not a big fan of snakes, so I was thinking I would come out with a picture of a turtle, lizard, frog, or anything else besides a snake. But here I am, with a picture of a snake. This guy was so interesting to me because of the way he blended into his environment. You can tell how dangerous he could be to another animal because of how well he camouflages himself. If you look closely, you can see another snake of the same species behind the one in the front, also blending in with its environment. Talk about sneaky.