Not-Yet-Greater Rheas

This May the greater rheas at the zoo became the proud parents of four rhea-lettes, which are, not surprisingly, adorable and fuzzy, and amazingly tiny compared to the adults.

In case you’re wondering just how much smaller the little rheas are than their mother, here’s an illustration:

I’m not sure if four chicks is an especially big batch of hatchlings or not, but there was only one young rhea last year. This could mean that last year was a fluke, or this year was a fluke—or both years were flukes and usually there are no chicks. That’s the problem with trying to make generalizations from small sample sizes…

And speaking of small, look how cute—!

It’s amazing how cute creatures that still look a lot like dinosaurs—that still, depending on how you look at it, are dinosaurs—can be. Perhaps it’s the lack of teeth? Or maybe the overall fuzziness? The vegetarianism? The wide-set eyes? I leave it to your judgment.

{A note: I do write all text and take all pictures. Please do not reproduce either without my permission.}