The Jungle Island VIP Land Animal Monkey Tour in South Florida

By John McNamara

So what about the animals, what makes these creatures so unique and worth seeing, lets start with the Orangutan. The word orangutan derives from the ancient malay and Indonesian words orang meaning "person" and hutan meaning "forest", or forest person. Orangutans are the most arboreal of the great apes, spending nearly all of their time in the trees. Every night they fashion nests, in which they sleep, from branches and foliage. They are more solitary than the other apes, with males and females generally coming together only to mate. Mothers stay with their babies until the offspring reach an age of six or seven years. There is significant physical aesthetical differences between females and males, females can grow to around 4 ft 2 in or 127 centimeters and weigh around 100 lbs or 45 kg, while flanged adult males can reach 5 ft 9 in or 175 centimeters in height and weigh over 260 lbs or 118 kg. The arms of an orangutan are twice as long as their legs. Their fingers and toes are curved, allowing them to better grip onto branches. Unlike gorillas and chimpanzees, orangutans are not true knuckle-walkers, and walk on the ground by shuffling on their palms with their fingers curved inwards.

Jungle Island in Miami VIP Activities - All Types of Tours with Animals

Another fascinating animal to consider is the lemur. The term "lemur" is derived from the Latin word lemures meaning "spirits of the night" or "ghosts". This likely refers to their large, reflective eyes and the wailing cries emitted by them. Exclusively indigenous to Madagascar, so are extremely rare species to witness anywhere else. Lemurs are generally omnivores, eating a variety of fruits, flowers and leaves (and sometimes nectar) as well as insects, spiders and small vertebrates. The remainder of the lemurs, the lemuroids is primarily herbivores, although some species supplement their diet with insects. One last and very interesting fact about the lemurs is that socially they exist in a Matriarchal society, which basically means, it is female dominant.

One animal you would never expect to find in the sunny shores of south Florida is the loveable penguin, Penguins are superbly adapted to an aquatic life. Their vestigial wings have become flippers, useless for flight in the air. In the water, however, penguins are astonishingly agile. Within the smooth plumage a layer of air is preserved, ensuring buoyancy. The air layer also helps insulate the birds in cold waters. On land, penguins use their tails and wings to maintain balance for their upright stance. All penguins have camouflage – that is, they have a white underside and a dark (mostly black) upper side. A predator looking up from has difficulty distinguishing between a white penguin belly and the reflective water surface. The dark plumage on their backs camouflages them from above. Penguins either waddle on their feet or slide on their bellies across the snow, a movement called "tobogganing", which conserves energy while moving quickly. They also jump with both feet together if they want to move more quickly or cross steep or rocky terrain. All in all there is an endless wealth of information about the penguin, including the many different types species, breeding habits, anomalies and feeding techniques that they utilize in the field.

Some other types of birds offered here are the Macaws. Macaws eat nuts, seeds, fruit, and sometimes insects. They also gnaw and chew on various objects. They show a large amount of intelligence in their behavior and require constant intellectual stimulation to satisfy their innate curiosity. They often learn tricks easily. Macaws have been said to live for up to 100 years; however, an average of 50 years is probably more accurate. The larger macaws may live up to 65 years. They are monogamous and mate for life. In captivity unmated macaws will bond primarily with one person – their keeper, and can often be quite affectionate and cuddly. Pet macaws thrive on frequent interaction and attention from their owners, and a lack of this can lead to their mental and physical suffering. Other sub-bondings also take place and most macaws that are subjected to non-aggressive behavior will trust most humans, and can be handled even by strangers if someone familiar is also alongside. The Mcaws at dolphin world have been given a lot of attention, and care so they are very friendly towards humans, making the experience that much more enjoyable.

Finally we come to the end of the exhibit with the last category, reptiles, and most notably the majestic iguana and the King of snakes, the Python. The word Iguana originates from the Spanish word Taino or Iwana. The Iguana has a row of spines running down their back to their tail, and a third eye on their head, This eye is known as the parietal eye, which looks just like a pale scale on the top of their head. Behind their neck are small scales, which resemble spikes, known as tuberculate scales. They also have a large round scale on their cheek known as a subtympanic shield. Iguanas also have excellent vision and are able to see shapes, shadows, color and movement at long distances. Iguanas use their eyes to navigate through crowded forests, as well as for finding food. They also use visual signals to communicate with members of the same species. They respond to visual stimulus of colors such as orange and yellow as food substances. Next the python, Adults range in size from 0.5 to 10 meters (1.5 to 33 feet) in length. The Pythonidae are distinguished from the family Boidae (boas) by the fact that they have teeth on the premaxilla: a small bone at the very front and center of the upper jaw. These organs enable the snakes to detect objects that are hotter than the surrounding environment, and enable hunting to take place in total darkness, such as inside caves. Now for probably the most interesting part, Pythons and for that matter snakes in general are not hostile towards humans, unless consistently provoked or while defending their eggs. Although Pythons can be dangerous, cases of pythons attacking or killing humans are extremely rare.

In the end, there is no amount of information here that can be given to begin to really accurately articulate the simple majesty of the Land Animal tour, fortunately you don’t have to read about it, you can experience it for yourself, but be warned, the longer you wait the more risk you are at to miss this experience of Swimming with the Dolphins and the VIP Tour. Book now with one of our agents, cause here at Dolphin world, the experience awaits you. To book a VIP / Dolphin Tour, just click this link to get the latest prices and requirements.