Author Topic: Waterhaven Zoo and Aquatic Center (Read 19094 times)

kiwibuddy · « **Reply #100 on:** October 28, 2006, 07:10:41 PM »

Those are awesome pictures Nique!

And may I ask, do you have a powerful graphics card? Because all of the graphics in the pics look very shiny and sparkly. :calvin: :hobbes: (Sweet! Calvin and Hobbes! :laughing: )

alloy61 · « **Reply #101 on:** October 29, 2006, 01:06:39 AM »

Lovely Pics Nique, it all looks so clean and modern, (like a zoo in the near distant future lol)

Alicia · « **Reply #102 on:** October 29, 2006, 01:59:58 AM »

awsome pics nique! especially the seaturtles

mikaboshi · « **Reply #103 on:** October 29, 2006, 02:04:48 AM »

Nique your zoo is AMAZING!! Alloy is right, it does almost look futuristic. Awesome job as always!!

Nique · « **Reply #104 on:** October 29, 2006, 04:52:34 AM »

Thanks everyone! :

: I'm glad you're enjoying these - I'm having so much fun playing in the water with these gorgeous creatures!

@ Kiwi - no, I'm afraid since I play on my laptop - I don't have a great video card - it's ok - but hubby is the one with the maxed out gaming machine! :laughing:

Ok, now, to honor a few requests.... since most of them were from the Arctic - I decided to try my hand at a very large Arctic exhibit...

Welcome to the Arctic Adventure!

First up, we have a picture taken from underwater of a beautiful Beluga - one of my favorite animals.

A Walrus and a Penguin meeting at the Ice Flow - maybe this is their version of the office water cooler?

Again, taken from underwater: an Orca

Here you'll see a Walrus crossing just in front of the ice cave where on of our Polar Bears was just waking after taking a little nap.

The underwater canyon looking back towards the animals.

A closeup of the male Norwhal

Seaside: the Polar Bears, walrus, and Penguins decide to enjoy the gorgeous day and spend some time out basking in the sun.

The male Polar Bear surveying his kingdom

Again, underwater, a pair of Orca and a lone Beluga
resting under the shelter.

A shot from overhead

Copito · « **Reply #105 on:** October 29, 2006, 05:27:10 AM »

Good job, you are a nice zoo creator!!

dinomaster30 · « **Reply #106 on:** October 29, 2006, 05:35:48 AM »

can you do a whale shark lake? anyway, nice pics! and i see youve discovered the magic floating platform!LOL!

world · « **Reply #107 on:** November 01, 2006, 03:49:28 PM »

That Aquatic Center is absolutely Incredible!!!:woot:

Sk8er at the Disco · « **Reply #108 on:** November 03, 2006, 05:06:40 AM »

i love oyur zoos there gorgeous

Budgielover101 · « **Reply #109 on:** November 03, 2006, 05:13:21 AM »

Wow I love the Arctic Adventure! Its so pretty! How do you get your terrain landscaped so perfectly? lol, I especially like that underwater canyon shot, nice work!

mikaboshi · « **Reply #110 on:** November 03, 2006, 05:30:08 AM »

Nique I LOVE the way you've sculpted this landscape! Wonderfully done as always! Very impressive - and I think that yes, it must be the office water cooler, or maybe the walrus is just upset that the penguins always hog the ice floe :

:

kiwibuddy · « **Reply #111 on:** November 03, 2006, 08:09:06 AM »

The graphics! They burn my eyes! :pinch: I need sunglasses! :beach: That's a totally awesome artic exhibit! I like how the landscape underwater is so pretty. :original:

Nique · « **Reply #112 on:** November 03, 2006, 08:39:52 AM »

:blushing: Thanks everyone! Trust me, these aren't the maxed out graphics - oohhhh... how I wish

but the pictures did turn out nice. Right now I'm working on the Whale Shark Lake that was requested and hopefully, I'll have those up a little later.

Nique · « **Reply #113 on:** November 03, 2006, 12:31:10 PM »

Ok, I now have pictures from Whale Shark Lake....this 'zoo' was a bit different from others that I've done because instead of the animals being penned in - it's the people who are. Very limited access (though truly I didn't even open this one - just popped in some maintenance people to take care of the filters and such and a couple keepers to help out)

First, an overhead shot. This shows a sunken observation area that I built into the side of the lake.

Here's one taken from standing at the observation area.

A shot taken while swimming among the Whale Sharks (shows the observation area to the right)

A close up of one pair.

Super close up

About this time, I decided to build a secondary area with White Sharks and Gobblin Sharks.

A pair of White Sharks

Great news! A new baby Whale Shark!

Mom and Baby swimming together

There has been a lot of talk about how large the Whale Sharks grow, and I decided I'd see how big they get... well, I've only gotten to Jan of year 2 - and at that point there is no noticable difference in size. I have a feeling it will be one of those ...BAM... then it's huge! lol We'll see.... once that happens, I'll post pictures again.

Here is the final shot of the day... I was trying to get a picture from underneath a White Shark but I missed - but I loved the shot anyway... lol

eye_of_the_tiger · « **Reply #114 on:** November 03, 2006, 12:43:34 PM »

wow,:surprise: those are gorgeous!!! oh, and pretty pretty please post pics of the whale sharks once theyve grown, ive wanted to see them for so long.

alloy61 · « **Reply #115 on:** November 03, 2006, 12:51:38 PM »

Great pictures Nique! That last sunset is gorgeous - makes me really look forward to getting MM2

HorseGal · « **Reply #116 on:** November 03, 2006, 01:06:54 PM »

Beautiful, amazing, a nice piece of work! Your zoos are well designed! I like the Artic Habitat.

Crookshankz227 · « **Reply #117 on:** November 04, 2006, 02:13:17 AM »

The sharks look really beautiful!~ The baby is so cute!!!

Iwuvmyparakeetz · « **Reply #118 on:** November 04, 2006, 05:50:25 AM »

I love the whale sharks! Keep up the good work!

sheltiefan · « **Reply #119 on:** November 04, 2006, 09:40:48 AM »

Those pics are gorgeous Nique:wub:. I've had MM2 for a week now and I'm still not nearly as good as you at underwater photography.

Nique · « **Reply #120 on:** December 06, 2006, 05:39:41 PM »

Wow... I'm sorry guys... I've been so busy designing that I had no idea it has been so long since I just played... tomorrow? I'm going to play!

and I'll get some new pictures up...

Panda King · « **Reply #121 on:** December 06, 2006, 06:00:13 PM »

I can't wait! I just realized something!

YOU are the builder of NAZARA! I remember when you first joined! I like your zoos alot!

Nique · « **Reply #122 on:** December 07, 2006, 10:45:41 AM »

Thanks Panda King! (wow... I hadn't thought of NAZRRA in a while! lol)

As promised, here we go.....

_____________________________

Following China's lead, the Asa Zoological Park, just outside the outskirts of Hiroshima, has decided to ban virtually all commercial animal shows.

"We should change our thinking from the use of animals for commercial purpose to their real protection," Xiong Chengpei, head of the Shanghai zoo, was quoted as saying by the Oriental Morning Post.

Shall we visit to see the difference it has made in the animals' lives?

You notice the difference in the zoo immediately when you enter. Before, as soon as you walked through the gates, there were rows of ticket booths offering everything from your standard animal trick show to animal rides. Now, you're greeted with local flora and just in front of you are the paths leading up to the mezzanine area. There you will find the Oishii restaurant, bathrooms, and of course places to sit and rest and just enjoy the moment. Another change, though small, is the introduction of the headset kiosks. Each headset contains information on the animals, their natural environment, as well as their conservation status.

As we get ready to head back down to the Temperate Trails, if you look over the mezzanine on your right, you can see right in to the Red Panda exhibit. We'll see more of that later. Come along...

Wild One · « **Reply #123 on:** December 07, 2006, 12:28:47 PM »

Cool! I like your sense of zoo building! It looks really good overall.

Nique · « **Reply #124 on:** December 07, 2006, 07:46:06 PM »

As we walk under the archway, you can see down the length of the Barbary Ape exhibit on your left. Here we are at the obervation area, please step on up and have a look! Barbary Apes are found in the wild in Morocco and Algeria. They inhabit the plains and mountains and can be found up to altitudes of 200m. In the mountains, they live in forest clearings and sparse undergrowth. A colony of Barbary Apes can also be found on Gibraltar.

Right now, we have 2 males and 2 females, with one pregnant. Females may mate with several males and it is difficult to establish paternity so the reason for this bonding is not known. One theory is that it makes males more popular with the mothers and therefore more likely to be chosen as a future mate, hence ensuring the survival of their line. Look! There is one watching us - watching him! I bet he thinks we're crazy! lol

What is unusual among Barbary Apes is that males play an active role in nursing the young and form strong bonds with baby Barbary Apes and with each other. Adult males begin to look after the young when they are a few days old. They may pick up the babies, carry them around, groom them and play with them. Males also show their babies to other males and the monkeys make chattering noises and hug each other. In other species, this would be considered threatening but among Barbary Apes this is a declaration of friendship. Here is one resting after playing with his toy - soon, he'll have a little one to play with!

Our next stop: Red Pandas

News:

Author Topic: Waterhaven Zoo and Aquatic Center (Read 19094 times)