Please don’t take this the wrong way, because I like Blevins and Rhonda just fine. As a Babooner, I have a fondness for red-bottomed primates that can never be shaken. But on a weekend trip to the Minnesota Zoo to see the Faces of the African Forest exhibit, I encountered a wonderful new monkey.
I like monkeys in general. I know they have their bad monkey moments, can be ferocious and under certain circumstances they like to throw their poo, but these human-like weaknesses make them more interesting. When I look at most monkeys I think “we could be relatives.” Sometimes specific names come to mind.
The Colobus Monkey, however, comes across like Garbo – a movie star with an aloof, above-it-all style, and I had not seen one until yesterday. When my wife Nancy and I first approached the exhibit, it appeared a large black cat with an extravagant white tail was sleeping up against the window. But when this “cat” lifted up its head and turned to look at us, we realized that it was definitely not Puff.
Colobus monkeys have a fringe of long white hair that falls off the shoulders like a cape, so when they swing from branch to branch they look like comic book crusaders coming to the rescue. But really, they’re coming for leaves. These monkeys are treetop dwellers and they eat a lot of leaves. Their stomachs are compartmentalized, like a bovine’s, to help digest all the roughage they take in each day. And because digestion is so much a part of what they do, they have that logy after-meal look that always says it is just about naptime. Rumor has it they fight less than other types of monkeys.
The black-and-white color scheme is a mystery to me. Why would it benefit the colobus to look like this? It seems a little flamboyant for a supposedly laid back creature that lives in a cloud of leafy greens. And the C. Everett Koop beard and the Rod Blagojevich pompadour are features that only a particularly needy animal would sport. Perhaps there is a secret longing to be noticed.
All of these conflicting qualities combine to make the Colobus monkey my new totem animal – an aloof, relaxed, peaceful, attention hungry, caped, vegetarian sky cow.
Which critter in the zoo best describes you?
Trail Baboon 
sloth
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You’re just saying that because its Monday Beth-Anne
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Yup, sloth it is.
Maybe a nice little koala, ever high on eucalyptus.
Hi Aaron, are you back from camp? Decide on which lucky bachelorette it is going to be?
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I’ve never met a real-life koala, but they must smell fabulous from all that eucalyptus.
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Rise and Shine Babooners:
I identify with the animals who pace – I just don’t sit still, and I feel “caged” easily. My favorite at the MN Zoo is the Siberian Tiger, although their space there is large enough that they don’t pace like many animals at other zoos. In zoos with the smaller cages they do pace at times. But I can not tolerate visiting those zoos because the animals appear unhappy and at war with the cage.
I need my space. No bars please.
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I won’t steal Jacque’s line, so I will salute you all with “Daylight in the swamp!” The lumber camps used to blow a bugle and yell that at lumberjacks to get them started on another day of hacking trees. Get up and stick a fork in a tall stack of flapjacks (ignoring the Swedish kid sitting next to you at the table who hasn’t had a shower in at least three months). Rise and shine, for it is daylight in the swamp.
I refuse to say which zoo animal most resembles me. We have this principle in America that says we don’t have to say things that amount to self-incrimination. It is more fun to talk about what zoo critter I’d like to be.
I’m attracted to the idea of being an otter. They have a lot of attitude and seem to have as much fun in the zoo.
Circus elephants have fun, too. But zoo elephants surely get bored with the same old scenery every day, and they have limited social lives in their pens. Of course, it would be cool to be one of those elephants that paints art, but even that would get old after the first 16 years or so.
On the whole, being a killer whale sounds like the best gig available in a zoo (or water park). I’d get to leap about and do tricks, which is surely better for giggles than sitting behind bars all day listening to people make inane comments about whether camels have one hump or two. Killer whales get to interact with pretty trainers in bikinis. And if things get slow I could always soar high in the air and bellywhomp down to see if I can soak all the tourists in the front eight rows. Killer whales always look like they know something you do not know.
Enjoy the day, Baboons.
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I just had a killer whale memory. The first scary movie my little daughter ever saw was Orca, a knock-off of Jaws. She was about five. When humans kill an orca, her mate goes crazy and seeks revenge, rushing about chomping swimmers. As the orca rushed at oblivious humans this ominous music (a rip-off of the Jaws theme) would swell. Molly finally cried out, “Those people, Daddy! They are so stupid! When they hear that music they should get out of the water!”
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like . . . well, love
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the otters
enjoying the moment. enjoying each other,
the thought is still there but the agility to tuck and roll and frolic has been somewhat curtailed by the passing of time and the fractures and poor mending of a shoulder and foot that allow me to function at an acceptable level for a an aging suburbanite home dweller but not too good for an otter in the wild. if the have a hitch in their get along they respond by altering the tuck and roll until it works. i do the same and muddle along the best that i can. i wonder if otters have the wonderful time they always appear to be having. is it really that straightforward?
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A little more trust, Tim. Has an otter ever misled you? I thought not.
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Good Morning to All,
Sloth? Feeling a little slow this morning, Beth-Ann? Sloth would be about right for me as well this morning or maybe an owl. I’m not talking about a wise owl, but more a blerry eyed sleepy owl that is a kind of cranky. I like to go to the zoo, but have mixed feelings about keeping animals in cages. I know that most zoo are now making an effort to provide better holding areas for their residents. Perhaps I should identify with one of the owls that is being held for rehabilitation from an injury and who will soon be released to return to open spaces.
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Greetings! Those colobus monkeys are adorable! The black & white color scheme is a classic look to go along with their glamorous coat. For me, it’s hard to pick out one animal, mainly because I’m indecisive. I’ve always liked the look of black panthers — long, black, sleek, fast with the mysterious and sexy green eyes. Or maybe the pink flamingo — so flamboyant and yet so serene on those stick legs, ready to take flight at a moment’s notice (they do fly, right?). Or maybe the gazelle — gracefully leaping away from danger but still able to relax and graze when the moment allows.
But I guess the real totem animal is the one that shows up at your front door — Sarge the Turtle.
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Haha, a skunk monkey!
I once showed up on a children’s quiz as a skunk (as in Bambi’s “Flower”).
Other days at work I may occasionally take on the guise of a sniper squirrel.
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Haha, a skunk monkey!
I once showed up on a children’s personality quiz-type thing as a skunk (as in Bambi’s “Flower”).
Other times at work I take on the guise of Sniper Squirrel:
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alright its possible to jim again
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Whoops – please redact.
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Am I the only one who lost the stream?
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Clyde, I haven’t noticed any problem, but there might have been one when I was away from my computer.
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Thanks. It was out for about 15 minutes; could not get it by either method. Now it’s back.
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Same here. Maybe it’s a local thing.
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No. I’ve been “LOSING THE STREAM” intermittently all summer. Thus my intermittant participation on the blog. We are in the process of changing providers. Last week we had hardly any stream at all. Now it is weak, but present. I’ve never seen such bad customer service — and I thought the advertising about their bad CS was an exageration! Now I know that they actually underplayed the bad CS.
I nominate Comcast as zoo animal …… SILLY GOOSE.
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Morning–
You’re all very witty this morning. All you wanna be Otters, Whales, sloths, owls and squirrels.
I once had to write on a government report that there was a squirrel stuck in a grain bin, running round and round but not able to jump back up to the open door. And I couldn’t spell ‘Squirrel’. Finally, wrote “critter”….
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funny
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Coati (not coatimundi, i read, which is a misnomer and just the term for a lone, male coati) because i like to say it. and they’re smart and they have that cool tail.
i like your colobus monkeys, Dale – but i don’t think you are attention hungry.
brother Dave is arriving this afternoon from Louisiana for a two week stay. his wife will visit in a week (i don’t think she can stand us as long as two weeks 🙂
hope they can stand the cool!
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but you have no problem with her, are you saint barb?
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Just noticed this, but it tickles me that in the last picture it looks like Colubus Monkey is saying… “Talk to the hand… and foot.”
I think I’m going to have Alison Krauss’s “New Favorite” playing in my head for the rest of the day.
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Maybe an ostrich.
Ostriches hide from predators by lying down on the ground and stretching their legs and necks out flat, so that from a distance they look like a small dark mound of earth. If that doesn’t work, though, they can run at speeds of up to 45 miles per hour.
The head-in-the-sand thing is a myth.
If I couldn’t be an ostrich, maybe some kind of large ruminant herbivore type, like a giraffe. I like to graze.
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Hmm. I guess it depends on my mood. Right now, I’d be up for being a monkey – it would be a grand excuse to fling some poo. I’d like to think I could be a hawk: able to soar high, have amazing vision, and appear elegant and wise.
Mostly, though, I suspect that I am more bear-like. Not necessarily agile, but able to adapt to my environment, forage to maintain my lifestyle, sleep at length, and fierce about protecting my young (or others I adopt as “my cubs”). I’m probably more social than the average bear, though.
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Those colobus monkeys are adorable, Dale. Very cool!
My soul flies free. I’m a hawk, migrating from south to north every year, viewing all of life, an entire country from far above, solitary and searching and going where I choose. I rest in the branch of a tree or on a wire and watch. I fly over fields and forests, lakes and rivers. I’m efficient and self-sufficient. I can see well and far… and I’m very free.
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Nice Krista!
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We had a tree across Hwy 61 from our house on the Superior lake front that was a favorite perch for many species, but mostly gulls and ravens. But one summer the alpha bird of that tree was a golden eagle, which matched your description.
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All though, I can see the value in flinging poo…
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It would be fun to be that inappropriate sometimes!
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If I could be an animal in the zoo,
I would not be anything that goes moo.
And furthermore, nothing that ever makes a roar.
Nothing that goes bark, or flies about in the dark.
A trumpet I do not want to sound—
A squeak, a squawk, a peep, on the ground to pound
Not to stare back at the humans while I digest my rumen.
Not to swing from trees, or pick off some else’s fleas.
Not to slither, or in a cage forever dither.
Not to swim and splash, nothing that rash.
Not to be one of the two-legged sort:
Who cavort free, looking for sport.
Or the ones who sell the tickets,
Not those who tend the thickets.
Not those who feed the primates,
Or take care of the other inmates.
Certainly not a shovel to use
Never to supervise the crews.
No, not to count the money
Or ask the rich to share their honey.
Make me one of the quiet kind,
One who obeys only his own mind
Who the rules of taxonomy confuses.
And only the contemplative amuses.
Not to make a splat, a fuss:
I would be a platypus.
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like very much!
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Well, Clyde, can I also be a platypus, the quiet kind who only obeys his own mind?
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So, then, what does one call a group of platypi?
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Baby is a puggle; no name for female or group.
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Mr. and Mrs. Platypus were my favorites as a kid when Mr. Rogers would go t the Land of Make Believe. I think you’d make a swell Poet Laureate for the Platypi.
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I think Pengra needs an officemate.
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I’d like to think of myself as something really cool like a tiger, a panther, or a wolf. Realistically, I’m probably closer to a peacock. Something dressed up to be larger than life while making a lot of obnoxious noise.
Was at the MN Zoo once and I discovered how A) angry, B) vicious, and C) insane wolverines are. The cute little fella was lying on his back right in front of the glass. He had a piece of wood about 1/2 as long as he was and about as big around as a standard size guardrail. He was lying on his back with his front arms wrapped around this hunk of wood, looking up at us with a look that suggested, “Look what I found? It’s a stick! Isn’t it cool? Wouldn’t you like to play with me and my stick?” He then suddenly, deliberately, violently, and -repeatedly- kicked and shook his little arms up and down. This had the effect of whacking himself in the head repeatedly. He flew into a rage and started snarling and biting at the end of this stick savagely. This went on for a good thirty seconds and then, like a switch was flipped, he went back into ‘cute’ mode. For thirty more seconds. Then he’d whack himself in the head again. This went off and on like clockwork for as long as I stood there. Wolverines = Vicious AND Insane
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I’d bet your nicer than a peacock – or at least way nicer than the ones who live on the grounds at the Schell Brewery. They’re cranky.
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I have two recommendations. One is a fascinating little book by Eugene Lindens about animal intelligence, a book whose title starts: The Orangutan and the Octopus. It is filled with stories of amazing feats of intelligence by animals in captivity, especially by orangutans. Very amusing and instructive. If you read it, you’ll never think about animals in the same way.
You might enjoy this video of a panda zoo escape that seems clever. To me, it looks like a collaboration. One panda distracts the zoo keeper while the other bolts:
http://pogpog.com/v/panda-distracts-zoo-worker-to-escape/
The other recommendation is a claymation film by Nick Parks, the fellow who brought us Wallace and Gromit, called “Creature Comforts.” It is a claymation film about animals in the zoo talking about their lives, with the animals being clay figures and the dialog being actual human discourse caught on tape. It is goofy and hugely funny. An American version of it is good, but not as good.
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For Kitchen Congress: “Abid’s Easy Chili Curry Dish.” This is my favorite dish from this summer. The recipe comes from a fellow who isn’t really a cook, and I’ve tinkered with it a lot. It is a fast, easy, tasty one-dish curry meal.
Ingredients:
1-2 yellow onions, diced
1 double-size can diced tomatoes, with liquid
1 tbsp ground turmeric, 1-2 tbsp ground chili, 1-2 tbsp ground hot ground curry
4-6 average size Yukon Gold potatoes, finely diced
meat from one half grocery store rotisserie chicken
water
2 grocery store packs of fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Directions:
Sauté the onion in hot canola oil in a big skillet until it is soft and translucent. Add tomatoes. Add spices.
(Note: the actual amounts of spices is YOUR call, and it should reflect the freshness of your spices.) Most Americans have stale, flat spices in their kitchens because we don’t understand how quickly spices lose their zip in the pantry. The particular flavor of this dish depends on the combination of curry and chili powders. I like mine hot, and I’ll use more hot curry and chili than I’d put in a recipe for others.
Heat the spices, mixing them with oil and tomato sauce in the skillet while you dice the Yukon Gold potatoes. No need to peel the potatoes. Flake off small chunks of 1/2 of a rotisserie chicken and add it. Now mix the whole thing with enough water to bring the liquid level up over the food. Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat 20-30 minutes, until potatoes are soft.
Adjust liquid level with water again if necessary Cut leafy tops from two bunches of cilantro and chop them fine. A few stems don’t hurt. Push the fresh chopped cilantro into the curry dish and serve. Most people would like salt in this dish, but I’ve omitted it and don’t think it is needed.
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Really wishing I wasn’t reading this while feeling snackish right before bedtime.
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Heron – Egret… stocky body on skinny legs. Love to watch them fly, glide, and eat. When they swallow (I’ve only seen an egret up close) the fur on their long neck stands out straight, and as soon as they’ve finished swallowing lies back down again.
Granddaughters (4 and 7) are here, going to Como Zoo tomorrow, perhaps. Anyone been there recently? Is this a good idea??
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Great idea.
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I have been told my cube buddy that there is a 3-week-old giraffe on view. Apparently at that tender age he’s already 6 feet tall. Plus, the Sparky show is still a classic. (An added bonus or two: the butterfly house and the carousel.)
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Thanks, guys. I ended up turning my ankle on my way out to the car, so they all went on without me. (Sniff.)
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Chinchilla – cute and funny, naturally.
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Just made it back from Canada. I’ll fill in with details tomorrow. It was a great trip.
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welcome back eh
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