Newport's "Bizarre and Beautiful"

This past weekend, the Newport Aquarium upgraded its "Bizarre and Beautiful" exhibit of rarely-seen deep-sea creatures. Over a dozen new species have been added, including the electric flame scallop (pictured above) and the Japanese spider crab (pictured below).


The centerpiece of the exhibit, however, remains their famous giant Pacific octopus, which they keep on display in two aquarium tanks which connect by see-through tubes - and the octopus can move from tank to tank by squeezing through them.

Reportedly, the new and improved exhibit also gives children better access by putting some of the tanks closer to the floor at kid-height.

Dinosaurs Alive!

Though I still prefer the old-school simplicity of Cave City's Dinosaur World, I'm looking forward to "Dinosaurs Alive!", the Louisville Zoo's forthcoming exhibit of high-tech animatronic prehistoric beasties.

(But will Kentucky's sizable Creationism contingent get their Archaeopteryx feathers ruffled by it? Read my article about it on Louisville Mojo!)

The Derby Clock Returns

The Louisville Derby Clock, designed by sculptor Barney Bright in an uncharacteristically folk-art style, is returning to life after being in storage since 1993. The Adam Matthews Foundation will be displaying it on the grounds of the Louisville Zoo.


The clock was originally dedicated on River City Mall (later the Galleria, now Fourth Street Live) in 1976. It often malfunctioned and it was moved several times over the following years. Barney Bright's son Jeb has been working on restoring the clock's figurines, which mechanically race around in a circular motion. Among the persons depicted on the clock: Thomas Jefferson, D.W. Griffith, Zachary Taylor, Henry Watterson, and Daniel Boone.

Louisville Zoo's Rare Duck

From a Louisville Zoo press release:

Louisville Zoo recently hatched a Madagascar teal duckling, one of the world’s rarest members of the duck family and a species seriously threatened by extinction. There are only about 2,000 Madagascar teal ducks left in the wild (in Madagascar) and 200 in zoos.

The duckling, named Gerry, was born May 20 and is the first Madagascar teal ever born at the Louisville Zoo.

The egg was found by a keeper while doing daily routine cleaning after the mother had abandoned the egg. It was immediately taken to an incubator in the Zoo’s bird rearing area. The incubation period for a Madagascar teal is 27-28 days. Soon, Louisville Zoo Bird Curator Gary Michael heard the duckling peeping inside the shell. Duplicating what the mother might do in the wild with her beak, Michael rubbed his fingernail on the shell for hours letting the duckling know someone was there. After the duckling worked to try and break out of its shell without success, Michael poked a hole in the shell to assist it.

“Some birds die in the process of trying to break out of their shell,” Michael said. “After hours passed and it did not break out, I stepped in to assist. We couldn’t afford to lose this highly endangered duck. At the Zoo we not only try to replicate the natural world, we work to be better than nature with our unmatched care and husbandry.”

The main factors causing the Madagascar teal to be endangered in the wild are the lost of habitat, degradation of wetlands and hunting.

The duckling is currently off exhibit in a bird rearing area and is eating grain, hard boiled eggs, insects and vitamin supplements three times a day. Michael has also set up mirrors in the duckling’s area to form the visual illusion of other ducklings for socialization and to minimize the imprinting on him and other Zoo keepers.

Henry's Ark Photos

Some new photos at Henry's Ark in Prospect, taken yesterday and the day before.

Kentucky Reptile Zoo

There are several places to check out cool snakes in the Red River Gorge area, but the Kentucky Reptile Zoo is by far the biggest and the best. Animals on exhibit here include cobras, vipers, rattlesnakes, and an 18 foot reticulated python. Not to mention an alligator named Fluffy.

If snakes - serious snakes, scary snakes (like, so venomous that you could drop dead just looking at them) are too intense for you, then this place probably isn't your cup of bourbon. But they do have some really cool turtles and tortoises too. The zoo is at 1275 Natural Bridge Road in Slade.

Seen here is a video from the Kentucky Reptile Zoo's YouTube archives, of Malayan Pit Viper eggs hatching.

Henry's Ark

Henry's Ark, a.k.a. Moncada Farm, is a peculiar little farm with a petting zoo featuring over a hundred animals. There's the usual suspects such as goats, sheep, cattle, swans, ducks, geese and others -- but also extremely exotic selections such as bison, water buffalo, camels, emus, zebras, yak, elk, alpaca, porcupines, capybara, etc. There's a beautiful albino peacock as well.


The project was the dream of the late Henry Wallace, a former correspondent for Time magazine and several other news publications. During Henry's time, the zoo never charged admission and still doesn't. He told the New York Times in 1996:

"Very few people are going to open a place like this and not charge anything for it. It makes no sense. I do it anyway."



Wallace was a civil rights crusader in the 1960s but also supported Fidel Castro, which made him a tad too liberal for many of his neighbors. Henry received many pieces of hate mail in his day, one of which was an actual mailbomb. Nowadays things are much more quiet and peaceful around the farm, however, and it's more popular than ever for those in the know. Although there's no admission, there are several donation collection containers and you are strongly encouraged (by me, I mean) to put some cash in.

Henry's Ark is located at 7801 Rose Island Road in Prospect, KY.