Today, my fiancee and I took a visit to the old zoo! We've visited the new zoo quite a few times and figured the old one would thus be somewhat inadequate by comparison. However, while browsing the site (the two zoos are owned by the same company, I believe), my attention was purchased with the prospect of seeing a Komodo dragon, as well as various other lizards... andddd a shark!
I was expecting the aquarium to be inferior to the one at Palmiarnia (Palm place) but it was very colorful with a lot of various weird and wonderful fish, as well as the usual suspects, such as the above clownfish.
This big fella is a beautiful fish. I can't remember if it's an angel, damsel or other fish (I'm terrible with all the common fish names). He had a beautiful coral environment and was also quite inquisitive. What more can I say? The vibrant colors just painted a beautiful composition.
I believe this is a trigger fish. I've dived with many of the larger varieties and they can be quite aggressive and territorial, especially during mating season. Who knows why? Maybe they see us as a distraction, something entertaining when they've got nothing better to do and something that must be destroyed when they are searching for a female trigger. While he's not as colorful as some of the other varieties I've seen / dived with, he's still quite graceful and makes for a nice subject.
I did see a [disappointingly small and toothless] shark, but sadly the pictures didn't come out too well because the environment (both in and outside) was very dark and he was moving very quickly. Overall, my impression of the aquarium was very positive. Especially given the cheap ticket prices, I'll definitely be back, if only to take more pictures at the aquarium.
The next section of the zoo I went to was the lizard house - all in the hopes of finding the advertised komodo dragon that I'd been looking forward to a great deal - especially as I'd never seen one before!
The lizard place was [un]surprisingly hot and, given outside was cold (prompting the need for a hoody) it was slightly unpleasant. The tanks were arranged in a very silly way, with lots of irritating plants in front of them. Also, the lighting system used in there (in comparison to the lizard tanks in Palmiarnia) meant that the majority of my shots were ruined because of reflection (no polarizing filter for my new 50mm).
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Despite that, looking at the lizards was very pleasant. I've always had a big fascination with reptiles, and, while I've only ever had the pleasure of owning 1 snake, I have a great appreciation for them. I remember [in the UK] as a younger child, always finding slow worms (small legless lizards that look like a snake but are defined as lizards due to the lack of scales, having external ear openings, and retractable eye-lids), and other small lizards and trying to keep them as pets in large lunchboxes filled with dirt. I would feed them, etc, I mostly ended up releasing them (though a few of them died). I once lost a slow worm in the house after it escaped, only to find it an amazing month later (in a house with 4 cats?) hiding under the carpet, alive and well. Reptiles are amazingly resilient - another quality I love about them. In the picture to the left, the lizard had amazing green coloring, though I chose to keep in line with my other lizard shots and produce it in black and white because the coloring was also echoed in his environment which would distract the eye from what I want it to see (this is also one of the main reasons I shoot mostly in B&W)
This little guy was cool. Hanging out on his branch, occasionally moving his head and flicking his tongue. It almost makes you want to be a lizard (albeit a free one)... no responsibilities and few concerns, besides of natural predators, humans kidnapping them, starvation, extreme weath...never mind,
I really can't stress enough my appreciation of these awesome little things.
... It cannot possibly compare to my admiration of the mighty Komodo dragon. This guy is the epitome of hunting. He's completely bloody lazy! All he needs to do, is get a cheeky bite off and follow his victim for a few days until it eventually dies from the bacterial infection carried by the dragon's saliva, and then tuck in.. Afterwards, he can just chill out in the sun with the knowledge that he's an apex predator with no natural enemies and very few worries other than humans and habitat destruction.
Oh... I did promise a goat, didn't I? OK
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