How close have you ever been to a lion? panther? puma?
I've been to zoos before but depending on the layout of the habitats - it might end up feeling like a sad experience seeing such beautiful creatures caged up. Down in San Diego, they have a beautiful wild experience called the Wild Animal Park. It is probably the BEST experience to see animals in - as-close-to their natural environment as possible. It's wonderful! It's like a safari - but... safer! hehe
This past Saturday I went to a much smaller exhibit called Cat Haven. (Be sure to watch the 3 minute video on this post!) They have aout 25 types of large and small cats - and for being a small exhibit - do a really nice job of providing an educational and entertaining experience for their visitors.
It was a hot day - so, I'd say about half of the cats were tucked away in cool places of their habitats, and/or cat-napping! Fun fact - cats sleep up 20 hours a day! So, I'm not sure why they call it a cat-nap. Sounds like they should call it a sleep marathon! hahaha Can you guess which cat sleeps the longest?? I'll give the answers at the bottom - hehe let's see if you can guess right on all my questions!
I also so two big black cats! What do you think they were?
a. black leopard
b. black panther
c. black jaguar
I bet you have been calling these types of black cats the wrong name all your life! lol but they actually DON'T EXIST! hehe They are beautiful and if you see them in the light - you can see the gorgeous markings - but from a distance they just look pure black. One of them is an AMAZING swimmer and can even hunt in the water. If you see the video - you'll see how really striking they are - but... will you know what they are called???
Near the end of the tour, I visited a pair of kitties - and it was probably my favorite part of the day! I wish it hadn't been so hot, because I would have loved to see these cats do their thing!!! Ok - so... see if you can guess which type of cat I'm talking about. And I'm NOT going to give you the OBVIOUS clues or else you'll guess too quickly!
These cats have:
- a "slinky" for a spine
- "sunglasses" across their face!
- "binoculars" in their eyes!
- have RECENTLY been discovered to HUNT IN GROUPS! (They WERE thought to be singular hunters - but now this recent discovery is showing that when they act together they are much more likely to take down larger prey together!)
- and are OFTEN blamed for hunting on farms when in fact - they are some of the most docile cats and will even come near humans for a cuddle!
ok ok - I'll give you the obvious clue now too... they're the fastest mammal in the world. hehehe you know it now! oh - and they are polka-dotted! lol
When I heard that they were extremely passive creatures - and even come up to humans to snuggle and climb into their laps... I fell in love with them even more! hehee I'm sorry for the antelope that they love to hunt!!! But - you just gotta love these big kitty cats!!!
Speaking of kitty cats - purring! How big is too big to purr?
You probably guessed that lions can't purr. And tigers? Nope, they can't either. The structure of their throats prevent purring -but let's see... how big can a cat get - and still purr?
Think a jaguar can purr?
What about a mountain lion?
Can a cheetah?
Take a guess - can a leopard?
Make your guesses and check the answers at the bottom of the post!
All in all, a super fun, 1 hour- long tour. Interestingly enough, I found out by accident - that Cat Haven will be at our camp in a few weeks, bringing a serval up to the kids for Sci-Con camp! hehehe If I can, I'll be sure to take a walk over to the main campus and get a peek at that kitty WITHOUT a cage separating us! Hopefully I'll get some great pics to share too! ❤️ @samsmith1971 and @bluefinstudios - wanna go see them when you guys come visit me next month??? hehe
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