Zoo Spotlight: Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium

On a recent mini vacation my family and I took a weekend trip to Omaha, our main interest being to visit the zoo. I have heard from many friends that Omaha has the best zoo and aquarium and it really is! Trip Advisor ranked the Omaha Zoo the #1 zoo in the country. This zoo isn't huge but you will definitely get a days worth of fun! Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo offers numerous indoor and outdoor habitats. 

The first thing you will notice when arriving at the zoo is the huge Desert Dome. The Desert Dome is the world's largest indoor desert and is located under the world's largest glazed geodesic dome. 

The Desert Dome showcases plant and animal life from three deserts around the world: the Namib Desert of southern Africa, the Red Center of Australia and the Sonoran Desert of the southwest United States. Also, the Kingdoms of the Night is located beneath the desert and is the world's largest nocturnal exhibit.

Another great indoor exhibit is the Lied Jungle, which is America's largest indoor rainforest. Inside the exhibit you will feel as if you are in the rainforest, you will hear waterfalls crashing, see gibbons swinging from trees and even cross a rope bridge. The Lied Jungle was my favorite exhibit at the Omaha Zoo because you really feel transported to the jungle

The Berniece Grewcock Butterfly and Insect Pavilion is another fun indoor exhibit. Inside the butterfly house you can carefully walk among the beautiful free flying butterflies in a tropical environment. 

Another favorite of mine was the Suzanne and Walter Scott Aquarium, where you can walk through a tunnel of water as sharks and sea turtle swim above. The aquarium is home to a variety of sea life, from Antarctic penguins to colorful warm water fish! If you are planning a trip to the Omaha Zoo make sure you get there when they open either 9 or 10 a.m. depending on the time of year. Also, I recommend going straight to the aquarium when you get there, after a few hours it will be packed!

Here are a few bonus photos from our trip!

Good Fathers - Sand Grouses

It happens every night. "Can I have a drink of water?" After the bath and the book and the lullaby. "Can I have a drink of water?" Just as I've finished the daily chores and collapsed on the sofa to watch a little baseball. "Can I have a drink of water?" The children are thirsty. Knowing that, at this time of the day, my desire to do any more waiting on them is at low ebb, they call to their father. "Daddy, can I have a drink of water?" My husband, wonderful dad that he is, always complies. So do Sand Grouse fathers.

The Burchell's Sand Grouse lives in and around the Kalahari Desert in Africa. Once thought to be members of the pigeon family they have been genetically linked to wading birds even though they are strictly a land bird. Living in and around a desert makes foraging time consuming and finding water an odyssey. The sand grouse will fly long distances in groups of 100 or more to bath and drink. During mating season the monogamous sand grouse pair will find an indentation in the desert soil in which to lay the eggs. Nesting duties are shared, with the male spending just as much time incubating the eggs as the female. When the chicks hatch they are fairly self-sufficient except when it comes to finding water. Unable to fly, it is up to dad to make sure the brood gets a drink. The male sand grouse has specially adapted belly feathers that can store water. Flying as far as 100 miles each way, the father sand grouse soaks himself, storing close to 20 ml of water. Returning to his chicks, they cluster about him, drinking directly from his feathers.

I'm grateful that my husband is willing to take the 3 sippy cups down the hall and up the stairs for the kiddos. I'm just not sure he'd be as willing if the "Can I have a drink of water?" chore involved gassing up the Volvo for a 3-hour drive.