🎉🎂 Happy 9th Birthday, Dillon! 🎂🎉 Our amazing zookeepers went all out for Dillon the three-banded armadillo's 9th birthday by crafting small, delicious enrichment cakes in the commissary! 🧑🍳✨ These special treats were made with love (and his favorite snacks): mealworms, gelatin, insectivore diet, and a mix of colorful veggies. 🥕🐛 Dillon didn’t keep the fun to himself—he shared his tasty cake with his mate, Tatu! Watch as these two explore and enjoy their festive birthday cakes, celebrating in their own unique way. Wish Dillon a happy birthday in the comments and celebrate the creativity of enrichment! 🥳💕 #ThreeBandedArmadillo #ZooEnrichment #BirthdayCelebration #AnimalCare #HappyBirthdayDillion
🐸 Can you identify the frog or toad calling in this video? 🎶
Join the FrogWatch USA Training Workshops and learn to recognize the calls of this species—and over 20 other native frogs and toads! 🌿
This free workshop is perfect for anyone passionate about wildlife. Become a citizen scientist, enjoy time in nature, and help protect these incredible creatures by learning their unique songs.
📅 Workshop Dates:
🗓 Wednesday, January 22nd
🗓 Monday, January 27th
✨ And yes, it’s completely FREE!
🔗 Register now: https://www.showpass.com/frogwatchusa2025/
Let’s come together for frogs and their songs! 💚🐸
✨ Big steps for a little joey!
Our baby tree kangaroo is growing up fast! 🌟 They’ve been spotted exploring outside mom Adelaide’s pouch, getting curious about the world—and even sneaking bites of her snacks. Adelaide's joey started peeking out of the pouch around six months, but we don't expect the little one to be exploring outside of the pouch for long periods of time until about ten months old, sometime in Feburary, hopefully!
Did you know? Tree kangaroos are excellent climbers, spending most of their time in the treetops. Their strong legs and long tails help them balance as they leap between branches. These nimble acrobats can leap 30 feet from limb to limb and from heights of up to 60 feet—about the same as jumping from a six-story building—without a scratch! 🌳✨ Talk about amazing agility! 💨
📸 Catch a glimpse of this special milestone in the video and come visit us to see the joey’s progress for yourself!
Ever had this happen? 🥒
You hear a word... you see it... and suddenly it’s like, “Wait, is that even a real word anymore?!” 🤔😂
Yeah, us too. "Zucchini zucchini zucchini zucchini zucchini..." 🥒👀
#IsThisWordReal #ZucchiniZone #TeachingZooRandomThoughts #FluentPet #TheyCanTalk #AIC #TalkingAnimals #SantaFeCollegeTeachingZoo #SantaFeCollege #GainesvilleFlorida #AlachuaCounty #Zucchini #RedFootedTortoises
Target training isn’t always a smooth operation—just ask our red-footed tortoise!
🍎🧠 During a training session, a tasty apple snack turned into a hilarious “sticky situation” when a piece got stuck on their beak.
Thankfully, our tortoise didn’t mind the extra challenge and eventually figured it out. Training sessions like this help provide mental stimulation and allow our keepers to monitor the health of our animals. And sometimes, they come with a side of comedy! 🐢❤️
Have your animals ever had a snack mishap? Share your funny stories in the comments!
#RedFootedTortoise #TargetTraining #ZooLife #AnimalEnrichment #TortoiseTales
🎶 Can you recognize the frog or toad calls in this video? 🐸
Join us for FrogWatch USA Training Workshops and learn to identify this vocalization—and over 20 other native frogs and toads! 🌿
If you’re passionate about wildlife and want to make a difference, this free workshop is for you. Discover how to become a citizen scientist, spend time in nature, and contribute to frog conservation by listening to their unique songs.
📅 Choose your date:
🗓 Wednesday, January 22nd
🗓 Monday, January 27th
✨ Best part? It’s FREE!
🔗 Register here: https://www.showpass.com/frogwatchusa2025/
Let’s amplify the voices of frogs and protect their future! 💚🐸
Celebrating 2024: Milestones, Memories, and Moments at the Teaching Zoo 🌍🎉
#YearInReview – Reflecting on a Wild 2024 at the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo 🐾✨ 1/2
As 2024 comes to an end, we’re looking back on a year full of exciting milestones, heartwarming stories, and unforgettable moments with you, our incredible zoo community.
🦘 Welcoming New Life
Last Christmas brought us a delightful surprise—three baby otters! Now a year old, these pups are as big as their parents and as playful as ever. Our Matschie’s tree kangaroo joey also ventured out of mom’s pouch for the first time this year, learning to explore, climb, and sample solid foods.
In another amazing story, our 28-year-old crowned crane Jane found love with a 10-year-old newcomer named Kid, gifted from Disney. In October, this beautiful pair hatched their first chick together, a male named Lazer! Watching Jane and Kid nurture Lazer and teach him to dance has been nothing short of magical.
🦅 River’s Transformation
This year, River, our resident bald eagle, reached a significant milestone—her head turned completely white, symbolizing her full maturity. It’s a striking transformation that underscores her majestic beauty.
🌳 Remembering Our Friends
We said goodbye to several beloved animals this year, including Ecki, our Matschie’s tree kangaroo; Amanda, our yellow-crowned Amazon; and Clark and Endizi, our red-billed hornbills. Their unique personalities and contributions to conservation will never be forgotten.
🐷 A Story of Resilience
When Mac, our Visayan warty pig, fractured his leg, the amazing veterinarians at UF College of Veterinary Medicine stepped in to perform surgery. Thanks to their expertise and the unwavering care from our zookeepers, Mac is well on his way to a full recovery.
💬 What’s your favorite memory at the zoo this year? Share it with us below—we’d love to hear your stories! ⬇️
Time Traveling into the New Year!
🎉 It’s a slang swap for the ages! Gen Z gets jazzy, and Millennials go modern—who’s the real vibe-check champ? 🍸
#RoaringTwentiesReboot #SlangMashup #NewYearsLaughs
Heads up, Zoo-goers!
Our entrance has been temporarily relocated while we make exciting accessibility upgrades! 🚧💚
✨ Here’s what you need to know:
Tickets & Memberships: Purchase inside the gift shop. 🎟️
Noise Alert: Construction can get loud, but we’ve got you covered! Free noise-canceling headphones are available to rent in the gift shop. 🎧
Finding the Entrance: After checking in, exit the gift shop and follow the signs to the white brick bathroom building on your left. 🛑➡️
A zookeeper will greet you there, take your ticket, and let you decide which conservation effort to support with your visit! 🌍💚
Thank you for your patience as we work to make the zoo better for everyone. We can’t wait to see you soon! 🐾
#TeachingZooUpdates #ZooAccessibility #VisitGainesville #SantaFeCollegeTeachingZoo
🎓✨ Happy Graduation Day to our newest animal care professionals! Your journey to protect wildlife and create a brighter future for all species is just beginning. 🌎💚 We can’t wait to see the incredible impact you’ll make for animals everywhere. 🐾 Congratulations, Zooies—go change the world! 🌟🎉
#SantaFeCollegeTeachingZoo #SantaFeCollege #AZA
"Blrrbrbrb" = "ice" in Otter
🧊 Who needs a snow day when you’ve got ice cubes? ❄️ Otters love ice cubes, not just for cooling off but also for playtime and training enrichment! These slippery little treasures are perfect for tossing, crunching, and sliding around. 🦦💎
Providing animals with enrichment, like ice cubes, helps keep their minds and bodies active. It’s just one way we ensure our animals are happy and healthy!
Want to see more otter antics? Visit us and catch our playful friends in action from 9 AM - 3 PM!
#FluentPet #TheyCanTalk #AIC #TalkingAnimals #IceIceBaby
Didn't mean to flip the camera! 😬
Did you know? Galápagos tortoises are masters of slow living! 🐢
With a super slow metabolism, they can survive up to a year without food or water by storing it in their bodies. 💧🍃
When water is available, they’ll drink A LOT to stock up for later! 🌊
At the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo, our tortoises enjoy tasty treats like paper mulberry, apples, squash, leafy greens, and root veggies. 🥬🥕🍏
Fun fact: They don’t have teeth! Instead, they use their bony mouth edges to chomp and mash their food. Once it’s in, it’s gulped down fast! 🦷➡️👅
Tortoises rely on their eyes to find food (not smell), and anything red really catches their attention. ❤️👀
#GalapagosTortoise #SantaFeCollegeTeachingZoo #GainesvilleFlorida #AlachuaCounty #SuperSadViolinMusic #DidntMeanToFlipTheCamera #DramaticSadViolin #Reptiles
