Tag Archives: Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail

Watch for Okapis – Disney’s Animal Kingdom

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There are so many cool animals to see at Walt Disney World! In Animal Kingdom, between the walking trails, the exhibits, and Kilimanjaro Safaris – the number of birds, reptiles, fish, and mammals guests can see and, more importantly, learn about is amazing. Today I want to share with you some fun facts about one of the cutest and most bashful animals you can find in Animal Kingdom – The Okapi.

Watch for Okapis – Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Okapis are shy. So shy, in fact, that their existence remained nothing but a rumor (like unicorns) until around 1901! They hide from their only predators, leopards and humans, and would live peacefully and very happily alone, but are now considered endangered due to hunting, mining, and deforestation.

Okapis are often called “forest giraffes” and indeed, they are the only living relative of the more popular and well-known giraffe. While giraffes live on the African savanna, okapis spend their lives in the dense rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Both animals have long, dark tongues and love to dine on local vegetation. Both have long necks (although the giraffes’ are much longer) and the males of both species have ossicones (short, skin-covered horns on their foreheads). Also, both species walk the same way – both feet on one side step forward at the same time. Aside from those similarities, okapis have a unique look all their own.

Okapis in the Wild

Okapis live solitary lives and only occasionally graze and play together in small numbers. Their bodies have dark brown fur and their legs are striped like zebras. This allows them to blend in well among the plants of the rain forest. With lighter-colored faces and large ears, okapis are completely adorable! Those dark-colored tongues are 14-18 inches long which means that okapis can lick their own ears and eyelids! Male and female okapis stand about 5 feet tall but the females grow a bit larger (495-770 lbs.) than males (440-660 lbs.). Adult okapis eat between 45 and 60 pounds of vegetation a day! They live between 20 and 30 years.

When a mother okapi gives birth (after a 14-16 month-long pregnancy), she has a single calf that stays in a “nest” on the ground for the first 6-9 weeks. This helps to the baby safe from leopards. The mother okapi communicates with her calf using an infrasonic call (at around 14HZ) which is too low for humans to hear.

Okapis are territorial animals with males having larger home areas than females. Okapis produce a sticky, smelly tar-like substance from scent glands on their feet and use it to mark their territory. When I see an okapi in Animal Kingdom, it’s easy to imagine them happily spending their days munching on leaves, fungi and fruit in the forest.

Okapis in Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Disney is a leader in animal conservation and is recognized by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums for its okapi conservation efforts. In October 2018 Animal Kingdom’s okapis, Zelda and Mandazi, welcomed a baby – helping to boost the world’s okapi population.

If you’re headed to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, be sure to look for okapis on Kilimanjaro Safaris and on the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail. If, like me, you love them and can’t get enough, you can purchase your very own okapi and take it home with you. (I found mine in Mombasa Marketplace.)

What’s your favorite animal at Walt Disney World?

Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Gorilla Falls’ Naked Mole Rats

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Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Gorilla Falls’ Naked Mole Rats

If you trek the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you’ll have the opportunity to visit the Research Centre.  I’ve been there many times and can tell you that a lot of folks walk in, see a bunch of small animal exhibits and cruise right on out the exit.  What?  Lizards, snakes, and tortoises not interesting enough?  I’ll never understand these people. 

If you don’t spend some time looking around the Research Centre, you miss one of the most amazing animals in the whole park!  After you enter the building and turn to the left, on the far wall there’s a glass panel behind which tunnels and burrows can be seen.  Look closer and you’ll spy the subterranean occupants…Naked mole-rats!  Sound disgusting?  Yes, they certainly are…both disgusting and absolutely fascinating at the same time.

Before you declare a loathing for rodents, let me lay down some incredible Naked mole-rat facts I dug up (Ha! See what I did there?!?) on the inter-webs (mostly at the National Zoo website).  If, after my mini-mole-rat presentation, you still feel like they don’t deserve even a tiny bit of your attention, then I’m sad and sorry you don’t find them as unbelievably cool as I do.  Gross and interesting – what’s not to love?

What ARE Naked mole-rats anyway…?

Naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus Glaber) are mammals from eastern Africa who live in colonies led by a queen (like bees).  The queen is the only member of the colony who gives birth.  The other mole-rats take care of the queen, guard the tunnels, and do general food and housekeeping duties. 

Naked mole-rats are herbivores and while they weigh barely mere ounces and are only 3-4 inches long, these unique animals can live more than 30 years. That seems like a crazy long time for such a tiny creature!  They have whiskers but no fur, and their bodies are pink and wrinkly (don’t they sound charming?).  A quarter of a mole-rat’s muscle mass is in its jaws and those jaws hold some awesome teeth!  A Naked mole-rat’s front teeth can operate independently like chopsticks. Their lips close behind their teeth to keep dirt out of their mouths while they’re digging. (Look at that smile!)

Naked mole-rats live out of sight, seemingly mind their own business, eat veggies, and have a very organized society of cooperative togetherness. No, they’re not cute and fluffy, but they are pretty darn amazing just the same.

Have you seen Animal Kingdom’s Naked mole-rats? What did you think about them? If you haven’t stopped by their tunnels for a visit…don’t you want to now?

Animal Kingdom’s Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail – Add it to Your Plans!

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I just realized something…It’s been way too long since I showed some love for the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail in Disney’s Animal Kingdom!  There’s never been a better time to visit this amazing area of the park.  Let me tell you why.

Animal Kingdom’s Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail – Add it to Your Plans!

Since Kilimanjaro Safaris is an absolute must on any visit to Animal Kingdom, think of Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail as an extension of the Safari, but on foot.  It’s super convenient as you’ll find the trail’s entrance close to the Safari’s exit.  While the trail’s many animals might not be viewable at all times, on our most recent visit (January, 2018), we saw some very entertaining sights!

First we stopped for a minute to check on the Colobus Monkeys.  They were relaxing where we had a great view of their awesome hair and curious faces.

Then there was an Okapi who was much closer than the one(s) seen on safari.  She looked so sweet with her beautiful shiny coat, big eyes, and huge ears!  Something about those ears above that cute face make this one of my favorite animals to see.  I was thrilled she was walking around a good bit, but stayed in front of us for quite a while.

Moving on, we went into the research center for a quick peek at the Naked (or, as I say, nekkid) Mole Rats (totally disgusting in the coolest of ways).  We also saw some cuddly looking mice and a few other small animals and insects before we headed out to the aviary.

Not long ago I talked about how, if you give it a few minutes, the aviary is way more interesting than it first appears.  We took a few minutes to watch a pair of Pygmy Geese having a great time in a small pool.  Those Taveta Golden Weavers never disappoint and I watched one, in the early stages of making a new nest, carefully weave in a long piece of grass.  Fascinating!

Next we saw a giant napping hippo in the hippo pool’s underwater viewing window and we watched some Meerkats doing an awful lot of serious zebra-watching.  Those guys are as keyed up as the hippo is relaxed and all if it is so interesting!  But nothing is as great to see right now as what we enjoyed the most…

Gorillas!  Right now, there are two 3-year-old males and their 7-year-old sister/half-sister who completely steal the show!  In the gorilla family area, we watched the little ones wrestling and playing as hard as they could go while Dad kept a watchful eye on the action.  The moms and sister were completely uninterested in getting involved.  In the case of big sister, this seemed to be a huge disappointment to the boys who kept trying to entice her to join the fun.

I could have watched all day.  Those two little ones were absolutely hilarious!  They threw hay on each other, they chased, grappled, fought, and even bit each other!  They seemed tireless and this went on so long, I though surely they must be exhausted.  They made all of us laugh hysterically and I cannot describe here the silliness that ensued when one of them suddenly…well…uhm, pooped in the middle of a wrestling match, much to the surprised fascination of them both.

If you haven’t had the chance to explore the Gorilla Falls trail, I highly recommend you add it to your next visit to Animal Kingdom – you never know just what you’ll find and that makes it all the more exciting!

What’s your favorite part of the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail?  What’s the best thing you’ve seen there?

 

Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Gorilla Falls

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Gorilla at Disney's Animal KingdomIt was Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail for just three months after Animal Kingdom first opened.  Then Gorilla Falls became the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail.  Now, after 18 years, the trail’s name has been changed back to the original. No matter what you call it, this is an awesome place to explore in the Africa section of the park.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Gorilla Falls

I could give you all the reasons there are out there for all the name switching, but none of that matters.  What’s important about this particular trail is that it is fantastic and deserving of a solid slot in your Animal Kingdom (full day!) touring plans. (AND the gorillas are wonderful!)  RM-Pangani-ForestIt seems to me that a lot of people will, if they go on the trail at all, squeeze it in between Kilimanjaro Safaris and whatever’s up next on their FastPass+ schedule.  Rushing through this collection of animals, precisely crafted atmosphere, and information is not advised! You need to allow ample time (I prefer early in the day) to make the most of this opportunity.  The Safari is great, but the trails are where you can take as much time as you like to watch and learn (and photograph!) Animal Kingdom’s animals.Hippos at Disney's Animal Kingdom

What do I love about Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail?  I’m glad you asked!  Like so many other Disney experiences, it’s not one thing alone, but rather the individual parts coming together to make the whole so wonderful!  Underwater hippo viewing, naked mole rats, meerkats, not one, but two separate gorilla viewing areas and so much more!Gorilla-Mother-and-Baby Gorilla at Animal Kingdom WDW RM-Gorilla-and-Baby-in-Grass

Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail is themed around animal conservation and research, so there’s a ton of interesting information all around (animal list, exhibit details and full backstory here).  The research building is packed with details and fun opportunities for further exploration – open drawers, look around, check out the minutiae of the carefully designed Disney details.  Cast Members are always available to answer questions or provide fun facts about the animals along the way.RM-Meerkat-Feast

Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail is a must-see for me every time I visit Animal Kingdom.  What’s your favorite part of this experience?