Dallas aquarium

[ladyjanelly]

Went to the Dallas Aquarium with the family today (Sam and Kendra). So much fun. It was much cooler than I had expected it to be (I've been to Sea World Orlando a lot of times).

The layout was cool--this spiraling path that led up or down, different eco systems on different floors. There's a shark and ray tunnel and a place where you can watch the manatees and huge fresh water fishes from their level.

There was a thing with Mayan dancers where one guy had two parrots on his back and another had this fire thing and the two had an accident and the parrots got pissed at almost lighting on fire and flapped off. One ended up between me and a little girl and I distracted the bird away from the girl. It decided I was safety and grabbed my naked arm with its beak and climbed up onto my wrist. It was kinda flapping so I blocked my face but I let it perch on my arm. The guy came and got it right after that. It left welts but it didn't draw blood. Poor scared birdy.

They had BATS. OMG. So cute. it was a black-lit cage and they'd flap from one end to the other and hang in clusters and groom each other. I could have watched them for hours.

And a three-toed sloth. The world's most mellow critter. I love those guys.

Awesome day. worth the $20/person + $5 parking.

Comments

[elzybub.livejournal.com]

I love it there. I think I have been three times in the past year.

[wendy.livejournal.com]

I LOVE that aquarium! I could watch the penguins all day!

[owzers.livejournal.com]

*is so jellus of you* OMG hon! I love bats - they are the coolest creatures. I've always wanted to hold one or at least see one in person. I get so mad when they're depicted as bad and evil on television and in movies. If we didn't have bats, we'd be overrun with insects. *nods vigorously* Anyway, so glad you had a wonderful time!!

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

I wanted to hold the bats sooo bad. They were little vampire bats and so much cuter than I was even expecting. They look so strong under their soft soft fur. This one couple was grooming and loving on each other. It was so sweet.

Random baby fruit bat video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV_1czPCwwc

[eldercat.livejournal.com]

Yeah I tell all my friends about it, It's an awesome place. It really stopped being an aquarium about 10 years ago when the rainforest became its main attraction.

[rei17.livejournal.com]

Oh, I love bats. *_* So cute ...

[la-julie-jolie.livejournal.com]

Come to Austin, we have millions of bats! :-)

[kynikey.livejournal.com]

Okay, is it just me, but why do they have bats at an aquarium?? lol ;o)

[(Anonymous)]

As I said earlier, it stopped being an aquarium about 10 years ago, when they converted the warehouse next door to the aquarium into a rainforest exhibit. They just didn't change the name.

[frightened.livejournal.com]

Ooh, you're brave. I work with parrots and damn, they have a bite on them. (The guy with them on his back was brave. I'm firmly of the belief that the reason so many pirates are one-eyed is that they kept their parrots on their shoulders. Very bad idea.) There's a little female orange-winged Amazon who nibbles me as a kind of mutual grooming thing, but the others? I've had beak-shaped bruises that lasted for a month!

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

EEp.
Not so much brave as ignorant of how scary they can be? Just I was the one on the other side of the little girl from the parrot and it seemed like having it calm was better for everybody than having it freak out.

Here's pics of the performers.
http://www.dwazoo.com/news.html

[frightened.livejournal.com]

Nah, man, good call. Kids freaking out + animals freaking out = disaster and biting. Still, having seen those beaks and claws up close, I think it was brave :)

Scarlet macaws are gorgeous, very much pirate parrots. We've got a green-winged macaw (similar to scarlet, but a bit bigger and without the yellow patches), a blue-and-yellow macaw, two orange-winged Amazons, a sulphur-crested cockatoo (who's in an old-married-couple with one of the Amazons... it's quite disturbing) and two (lesbian) African greys. They've all got such distinct personalities, I love them to bits. Even the ones that try to eat me.

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

correction: scarlet Macaws.

[motorwill.livejournal.com]

Wow, just last week someone was raving to me about the Dallas Aquarium and how it is so good. I'm definitely going to check it out now.

[adannu.livejournal.com]

Ooo. Next time I'm visiting the parents, I may agitate for a trip out there. I don't know that we went to see the rainforest exhibit like, ever.