Trip to Elmvale Zoo

On Friday, Margaret and I took our boys to Elmvale zoo, located just 15 minutes north of Barrie. Elmvale zoo isn't particularly grand in scale, but they care for animals from just about every continent, save Antarctica.

Here are some flamingos busy feeding themselves with their heads upside down:

Flamingos feed upside down because their beaks are shaped to filter food from mud and other non-edibles while their heads are inverted.

In the wild, flamingos typically feed on blue-green algae and shrimp - both are abundant in beta-carotene, which is what gives them their orange color.

Flamingos that live in zoos are typically given food that is mixed with an additive called canthaxanthin - this is the same carotenoid pigment that is used to impart an orange tinge to factory farmed salmon.

Though our boys seemed to enjoy watching every animal we encountered, they were clearly most impressed by a family of giraffes. Here's one that wasn't shy about flexing its gloriously long neck and asking us for some good eats:

Speaking of the giraffe's neck, I was surprised to learn that giraffes only have seven vertebrae in their neck column, the same as us humans.

Here are a few other interesting facts that you may not know about the world's tallest living animal:

• Giraffes can run as fast as 35 miles (56 km) an hour.

• At top speed, they can outrun a horse with ease.

• No two giraffes have the same pattern, but all have larger spots on their bodies than they do on their heads and legs.

Fully developed giraffes are between 14 and 19 feet tall, and weigh between 1,750 and 2,800 pounds. Talk about gentle giants!

Well, a bit off topic from our usually healthy eating and living fare, but hey, who doesn't like learning about other living creatures?