Budgie Buddies

He’s spiky, with fledgling horns, skin like armor and physique like a Hummer.

No, he’s not a baby dinosaur – but he sure looks like one. He’s Titan, the Zoo’s rhinoceros iguana.

Rhinoceros iguanas (Cyclura cornuta) are native to the islands of Haiti, the Dominican Republic and surrounding West Indies. They’re primarily herbivores, munching on fruit, leaves and flowers, occasionally eating insects and larger prey. Dusky-gray or olive-green, they get their name from the three horny bumps on their snout, plus two large fat pads hanging over their temples like fierce eyebrows.

Adapted to survive the rocky scrub and cactus thickets where they live, their skin is thick and rough, and they have a ridge of sharp spikes running all the way down their spine to the tip of their tail.

Right now Titan is still a juvenile, measuring out at 36 inches. But by the time he’s fully grown at around eight years old, he could top out at four feet long, with those horns looking way more formidable.

Find him in the Discovery Hut, near Budgies.

Barn owls live around farms and fields in the Pacific Northwest and on every other continent except Antarctica. They are nocturnal hunters, catching rodents with powerful feet and sharp talons.
Our barn owl Apollo often goes out with a keeper to meet Zoo visitors. For proper training and handling, Apollo wears special equipment. On each ankle he wears a nylon strap called a jess that the handler holds onto for the bird’s safety. Apollo often rests with one foot tucked under his feathers – when he does this, the jess on the tucked-in foot can sometimes be seen sticking out.

Find Apollo in the Discovery Hut near Budgies.