Ricki Van Gough

Ricki the Rockhopper Penguin is now a famous artist. He lives at Riverbanks Zoo. You can buy his artwork here!
Wow, not bad!!

Could Tapirs be coming to Riverbanks Zoo?

I heard that since Monte the Hippo died at Riverbanks, they probably won't get another hippo. But I have recently learned they are looking for tapirs for that exhibit. Here's a picture of a tapir:

I think getting tapirs would be great. They haven't been at Riverbanks for ten years. And hardly anyone has seen a tapir. Click here for some interesting facts about tapirs.

There are four species of tapirs. All are endangered. They are pig-like in shape, but related to rhinos. They have little trunks called a probiscus.

I've seen tapirs at San Francisco Zoo, Animal Kingdom, and National Zoo. I really hope they do get tapirs.

My Tribute to Montgomery

I was sad to learn that Montgomery the Hippo died last week. Here is some video I took of him over the past few years.



Montgomery was born at the Memphis Zoo in 1972 but had been at Riverbanks since 1974. Most of the time when I saw him he was under the water. So it was always a nice surprise when he was out of the water.

Looking at this video you would never know hippos are the most dangerous animals in Africa. They've killed more humans than any other animal in Africa. They have been known to drown lions or bite crocodiles in half. Its skin in mostly bullet proof. But Montgomery wasn't born in the wild and was taken good care of.

Check out Montgomery's teeth. Did you know George Washington's false teeth were made from hippo ivory? (And walrus ivory).

Hippos were once thought to be related to pigs. But they are more closely related to whales.

It won't be the same without Monty. I hope Riverbanks will get some new hippos soon.

I'm back...and so is the Bali Mynah, Black-footed Cat

Sorry I haven't done a posting in a while. OK, make that a long while. I've been busy visiting zoos and seeing wildlife. I'll tell you about it soon.

You know the Bali Mynah, one of the rarest birds on earth? Well, one was eaten by a wild snake at the Riverbanks Zoo one time. I was looking at animal x-rays during a zoo tour, and it said that a wild snake ate a Bali Mynah. Wow. This was simply shocking to me. But Riverbanks has done a lot to help conservation efforts of the Bali Mynah.

Another conservation effort at Riverbanks is for the black-footed cat. A black-footed kitten was born in March. It's native to South Africa, and it is the smallest cat species in the wild.

Riverbanks is helping endangered animals. I'll do postings more regularly this Summer. Thanks for visiting. Bye.

Aquarium-Reptile Complex at Riverbanks Zoo

Here are a few of the animals at the Aquarium Reptile Complex at Riverbanks Zoo. It was built in 1989 and has many rare and endangered species.

Watch my video-- check out the diver in the Pacific Coral Reef tank. See the false gharial crocodile's sharp teeth. And the Moon Jellies are amazing. And look at the Shortnose Sturgeon. They are native to South Carolina and are endangered.

Invasion of the Naked Mole Rats

Riverbanks Zoo has a dozen new residents. Twelve naked mole rats from the Roger Williams Zoo in Rhode Island. I've seen Naked Mole Rats at the National Zoo in Washington before, and they were running fast through the tunnels in the small mammal house.

These are very strange looking rodent-mammals that are found in the sub-Sahara of Africa (that's the part of Africa that's south of the Sahara Desert).


Mole Rats have been made popular bythe show Kim Possible. That's on Disney Channel. Click here to watch a video of the Naked Mole Rat Rap.

And guess what? Nature is doing a program tonight all about ugly animals like the naked mole rat. Watch a video here.

Naked Mole Rats are very famous now! Stop by Riverbanks and check out them out. Let me know what you think-- cute or funny looking?

Koala Knockabout

I was trekking through the jungles of Australia when I came face to face with a koala, an emerald tree boa, and a wallaby. I got it all on video-- watch it here...

OK, actually it was at the Koala Knockabout exhibit at Riverbanks Zoo. This exhibit teaches many things about Australian animals. There are also fish and lorikeets at the exhibit.

Some say koalas could be extinct in the wild in a decade if we don't do more to save them. I'd like to see one in he wild someday. And is that a cool snake, or what?

Congratulations to Satch Krantz!

Palmer "Satch" Krantz is the boss at Riverbanks Zoo, and I just found out he was made the chairman of the whole AZA!!! That's Association of Zoos and Aquariums. All the best zoos and aquariums in the country are members of the AZA. It was founded in 1924. In South Carolina, Riverbanks Zoo is a member. So is the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston.

Satch gave me a tour of the entire zoo when I was four-- behind the scenes, the vet's offices, the aquarium tanks...


...and inside the elephant house. I was the first kid to see Tumpy, the new elephant.

Here is a message I got from Satch the other day to help me celebrate my 50th blog:

Let me first congratulate you on the 50^th blog posting on mossyanimals. Believe it or not, we have been following your wonderful blog for the past year or so, since it always contains such interesting and informative postings about Riverbanks Zoo. I am not at all surprised that you have had 40,000 hits.

Riverbanks is proud to be counted among your five favorite zoos. This is particularly noteworthy given your incredible knowledge about zoos and wildlife. The other four zoos on your “top 5” list are wonderful facilities. I am personally fond of the NC State Zoo and the Bronx Zoo.

I am delighted that you are still considering a career in zoos. I know you will find this a highly rewarding experience and look forward to having you join our profession. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to assist you in this exciting endeavor.

Again, congratulations. Keep on posting!

Satch Krantz
Executive Director
Riverbanks Zoo and Garden

Welcome to My 50th Post!

Today I'm celebrating my 50th post with

one of my favorite subjects: zoos!!!

I've been to some really nice zoos. The first zoo I ever went to was the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. My favorite animals were the elephants and the cheetahs.

Next, I went to a smaller zoo, the Natural Bridge Zoo. They had lots of farm animals and llamas and alpacas roaming around. But truthfully, the habitats could have been better.

Next, I went to the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk Virginia. I remember the elephant demonstration the most.

Riverbanks Zoo is the zoo I live closest to, and the one I've been to the most. I have some videos of it posted on this blog. I've met the director and top zookeeper, Satch Krantz, who has worked there since the opening in 1974. He's done a great job adding new animals and exhibits. We're lucky to have Riverbanks in South Carolina. Everyone should visit it and join.

Recently I visited the North Carolina Zoo. It was very huge, and I like the buffalo and the chimps. They are getting ready to open"Watani," a huge new elephant and rhino exhibit.

And while I was on a trip to New York City, we stopped at the Central Park Zoo. It was small, but it had red pandas, and it was in a really cool setting surrounded by tall buildings.

Zoos are great. They are fun to visit. They teach us about nature and animals and help save endangered animals. Help me celebrate my 50th post by going to the zoo. What zoos have you been to?

If I Ran the Zoo

Zoos have been around since ancient Egypt in 1500 BC. I really like zoos because they protect threatened and endangered species. And they give you a chance to see many different animals from all over the world.

Zoos also help scientists study animals up close. And when people see the animals at the zoo, they can't help but care more about them. And if they care about them, they'll do more to help save the animals.

Here's some video from my recent trip to Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, South Carolina.


What zoos have you been to? What are your favorite animals?

Hello up there! It's feeding time!

Feeding the giraffes at Riverbanks Zoo is a very interesting experience. This video is from a few weeks ago. It's very exciting when the giraffe walks over to get the food. It's so big, but it's so gentle.


When its tongue grabs the food, it feels very sticky. Their slimy saliva protects them from thorns or twigs they might eat. Their tongues are almost 18 inches long and dark purple. They need their long necks and long tongues to reach leaves high up in the trees.

Giraffes are found in the savanna of Africa, and can grow up to 18 feet tall. They are related to the Okapi. I've seen pictures of its relatives during the Ice Age, like this one, and they look like deer or elk.


They can run almost 30 mph, and have a deadly kick if they need to. Uganda Giraffes are endangered, but most species of giraffes aren't endangered right now. But if habitat loss continues, they will be.

Lemurs of Madagascar

Lemurs are fun animals to watch. How much do you know about them? Lemurs live only on the island of Madagascar. That's off the coast of Africa. They eat primarily fruit and nuts. They are hunted by fossa, but their real threat is habitat loss.

Lemurs are primates in a family called prosimians, which include bush babies and slow lorises. Several species of the lemur are endangered due to the habitat loss and hunting. The most endangered of the lemurs would be the aye aye.

We have ring-tailed lemurs and red-ruffed lemurs at Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC. I've posted a short video I took of them recently.

It's good to know that people are working to save the lemur. Check out this site, the Madagascar Fauna Group. And here's another interesting video about Madagascar with "nearly headless Nick."

My tiger encounter

This isn't something you get to do every day...bottle feed a rare Golden Tabby Tiger!!!

I was very excited to hold a real tiger at Preservation Station at Myrtle Beach this week. My eyes grew wide when I saw them bringing the tiger out. I've seen tigers on TV and in zoos, but this was the first time I got to hold one.

Here I am holding the tiger with my sister. It is also kown as a Golden Bengal, and there are only about 24 of this kind of tiger left in the world.

A tiger's fur feels soft, but rough at the same time. It was amazing to look into its light green eyes. The only sound it made was slurping on its bottle. The whole thing only lasted a minute or two, but it was cool.

I love tigers. At Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia they have Siberian tigers. They are also endangered with only about 500 left in the world. Learn more about how to help save the tiger.

Riverbanks Helps Endangered Koalas

I wrote about koalas in an earlier post. They are not bears, remember? They are marsupials, and they sleep 18 hours a day! And unfortunately they are very endangered. At the Riverbanks Zoo, they are trying to save the koala. South Carolina has a special friendship with Queensland Australia where koalas come from. This is where our koalas Lottie and Killarney come from.



Why don't you visit the koalas at Riverbanks Zoo? If you can't go, you might be able to see them on this webcam. Now you should do something to help nature and wildlife. What will you do to help?

Meerkats and gorillas and grizzly bears, oh my!

Have you ever heard of the Riverbanks Zoo? I've mentioned it in some of my postings.

When I first visited five years ago, I thought it was a really good zoo. There have been lots of changes since then. The polar bear is gone, and that's probably good since it's so hot in South Carolina, and he's at a colder place now. And the rhino is gone too. But Riverbanks keeps getting better, with the grizzly bears, the koala, the gorillas, the elephants and the bird house.

I once had a private tour of the elephant house from zoo director Palmer Satch Krantz II, and met Tumpy the Elephant. And I also met a diver as he dove into the fish tank.

I like the way the grizzlies walk around. The meerkats always seem hard at work. I like to see the hippo come up for air.

You can see animals at Riverbanks you might never get a chance to see. It's educational. And when people see them, I think they'll like animals more, and feel like they want to save them. Why do you like zoos?

Koalas Future in Doubt

Have you ever seen or heard of a koala? They may go extinct within a decade!
But it doesn't mean they will. We can save them and help them stay alive for generations and generations.
We have koalas at the Riverbanks Zoo here in Columbia. Koalas are not bears. They are actually marsupials, related to the kangaroo. They live n Australia.


You can help save the koala by taking care of the earth and environment in your town. And tell people it's important. And stop by and see them at the zoo. Tell them Mossy sent you! How could let anything happen to the koala? Tell me what you think by clicking "comment."

Happy Earth Day

Earth Day is a special day when we think about the earth. But every day should be Earth Day.

Many people litter and waste energy. You might think it's just Ok to litter or waste energy, but it harms the environment and hurts wildlife.

There are so many things you can do. Don't drive so much-- walk or ride your bike. Recycle (organizing the recycling is one of my chores). And take some time to enjoy nature and outside!

If you want to celebrate, go to Party for the Planet at the South Carolina Aquarium or the Riverbanks Zoo. Maybe we'll see you there!