I'm Thinking

I’d like to pretend that that’s true, but honestly, it’s been so hot here lately that all higher functioning has shut down, and I haven’t been able to muster up the mental energy for a single thoughtful or thought-provoking post. It’s supposed to get a little more manageable, weather-wise, though, so while I let my brain recover enough to form complex sentences and ideas, I’ll just leave you with this photo of a greater rhea who looks like it’s far more insightful than I could ever hope to be.

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

Moving towards Greatness

Forgive the recent radio silence... I don't have any excuse, except that it's hot.

I also don't have much of a post for the day, but I do have a photo of this nice balletic pose made by a young, soon-to-be-greater (but never lesser) rhea:

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One Good Shot: Greater Rhea Chick Contemplates the Fleeting Nature of Time and Birdseed

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

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.}

The Greater Rhea Photo Series

The thing I like best about the zoo’s greater rheas (apart from the fact that the zoo has the good taste to exhibit greater, rather than lesser, rheas) is that they’re generally quite interested in people, and they approach their fence, and you, with an amicable curiosity—there’s none of the shyness of the egrets or the menace of the wattled cranes (who stilt their way over to you and glare at you from their orange eyes). Instead, they just seem pleased that you’ve come to visit and given them the opportunity to observe you and your curious behaviors.


Or maybe they just want something to eat.


Just to let you know, I will be out of the country until April 25th, so whatever posts appear (having been scheduled in advance) may be a little light on text, and I certainly won't be able to respond to comments. If you're longing for more Beasts in a Populous City-ness, then take the caption contest, and encourage your friends to do the same! It will provide you with hours of entertainment and distract you from the aching void created by my absence from this website.

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