When in SeaWorld we saw three different shows. The first show was a combination of acrobats and animal tricks. It was called Azul and featured beluga whales and common dolphins (not to be confused with bottle-nosed dolphins, which to me seem to be more common). This show had a lot of people and animals in it, the costumes where interesting and the animals just beautiful. The second show, was a comedy using mostly otters and sea lions, but also a walrus at the end. This one was most actors, but the animals were really cute and well-trained. The best show by far was One Ocean, it was the biggest and most spectacular show. It had many orcas in it, and was just astonishing. The trainers were not a part of the show, they were more like techies in a play, than actors. This show's message was about oneness and how all things on earth are connected. Each of us plays a role and our mistakes can effect the other "family members". I thought that it was a good message, but that the show as a whole seemed preachy and not well delivered.
We also went to the San Antonio Zoo. Being that I am a be fan of zoo, I have been to many, and this was defiantly one of the better zoos. Everything was labeled very well, there were lots so of diversity in species. Often times in zoo's "reptile" house there are other animals lumped in, like frogs, scorpions, and other creepy critters, but this zoo had a separate house for amphibians and reptiles, which I thought was a nice touch. I really loved seeing the okapi because the are such unique and beautiful animals that many people don't even know they exist. In their nocturnal house there was an intern who answered questions about the bats and they had night vision glass to view there animals through--which was very cool. As far as zoos go I give this one an A+ and suggest that even if you are not an animal person if you are ever in San Antonio to visit this outstanding zoo.
I am defiantly more of an animal person than a plant person, so the botanical garden was a little dull to me, plus the ba-zillion degree weather didn't help. But, I did enjoy seeing bromeliads after going a project of them last semester for Plant Diversity Lab. The orchids were also very pretty. The cactus nursery was just a typical plant nursery with rows of plants waiting to be taken home. Dad is like a kid a candy store at plant nurseries, and was about to find several cacti and succulents to take home to humid Monroe.
The final place we went to in San Antonio was the Cave without a Name. This was the third cave I've been too, but the first for Catherine and Camille. The other cave I have visited were all in the Appalachian Mountains and this one was in the Hill of Texas so it was a bit different. I think I appreciate caves more after taking several geology classes. I especially enjoyed the animals that were down in the cave. We saw two types of frogs--leopard frog and another type I'm not familiar with, and there was also a bat, but I don't know what time. It is just really cool to me that anything can live in a dark, stone world.
**Fun Fact: The only mammal where the female is normally taller than the male is the Okapi**
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