A Day of Animal Firsts

(30 May 2008: Edited to add links to pictures)
We went to Zoo Atlanta today. Of course, it's not my first zoo, but it was the first one where I got to see giant pandas. I even saw a cub!

Other firsts:

• My first white peacock. He fanned his tail for me. But he was easy. He fanned for everyone else who walked by.
  
• My first bathing tiger. It was adorable until someone attracted his attention. Then he looked at me, prompting my first realization that tigers eat people. Not so cute after that.
  
• My first yawning naked mole rats (sorry, no pictures of yawning.) Put the tips of your thumb and forefinger together. Now spread them as far apart as you can. It's like that, but with really big teeth.
  
• My first sight of a Monitor Lizard walking upside down, hanging from the mesh roof of its enclosure. He made it all the way across and back before he fell back to earth.
  
• My first tortoise fight (video.) The winner flipped the loser onto his back. After a while, a zoo employee righted him again.
• My first mama gorilla. She carried one baby on her back and kept the other one in line by making him walk between her legs. Literally. Whenever he started to stray, she shoved him back between her legs again.
  
• My first baby warthog. She's only six weeks old.
  
• My first flamingo mating. 'Nuff said (and no pictures of this one, either.)