Goin' to the zoo zoo zoo, how about you you you (Part 1)

Last week was the official opening of a new exhibit at the B'ham zoo. A rare albino alligator was shipped in from someplace - Florida, I think. Of course, we were there for this unique experience!

Apparently, this is among the world's rarest creatures. If born wild, this animal would likely have been eaten by another alligator or quickly found by a predator. One thing for sure, it is WEIRD! Check it out...



The place was a bit crowded since it was the first day of the exhibit. We did get in early with our zoo family pass. The public had to wait three hours. Membership has its privileges. Aside from the crowds, the gator didn't seem too well acclimated to its new home. He never moved from the pose you see. He will be at the zoo until the end of July, so maybe we can get eye to eye with it later! Hopefully, we can go with visitors!

It's hard to tell from the picture, but it's about six feet long, which makes it the second largest albino gater in the world!
According to a zoo helper, it's estimated value is $60,000!

-----------

We made a day out of it and saw some stuff we hadn't done at the zoo before. For one, the boys had a lesson in digging for dinosaur bones in a huge sandbox. Here you can see us unearthing a T. rex skull!

-------

A nearby exhibit is the alligator research station. Out front is a hand pump which the boys got a kick out of. Also, there's an abandoned logging truck - Eliot decided to drive...

------
Another treat was to touch, fondle, and in other ways cuddle up with some of nature's warmest and most lovable animals - reptiles! We got to handle pythons and gators. Other things were available that we wouldn't go near! Check out Addison touching the alligator. This baby will grow to be a full size gator some day - at the rate of about a foot per year. The skin of this one was a bit unusual, too. I found it interesting to compare the skin with my own. For the first time I had a real-life Pepsi Challenge to judge the veracity of the countless comparisons I have received over the years that I have "alligator skin". Conclusion: Unfortunately, I can't deny the similarity; I think I need to exfoliate and hydrate... Lubriderm, here I come!

------

Sammy always finds a way to make us smile!

TO BE CONTINUED...