Exotic animals at Happy Hollow

Do you know what this animal is?

That is a Capybara. And would you believe it if I said that this creature is a rodent? Well, that is exactly what it is. The Capybara is also the largest rodent on the face of the earth. A board at Happy Hollow Zoo said the Capybara is found in the northeastern parts of South America.

This is what I loved about the Happy Hollow Zoo; they may not have a whole lot of animals like other zoos, but what they have here are some exotic animals. And so a trip to Happy Hollow Park and Zoo is definitely different from going to just about any regular zoo. 

Another animal that I saw for the first time was this:

This is a Fossa. Fossas, I learnt, are found in the forests of Madasgascar. This animal from the far south of the African continent lives on lemurs, insects and birds. It apparently eats snakes too. That must make it a relative of the mangoose, only that the Fossa looks partly like a fox and partly like a member of the cat family.

Talking of the cat family, we also saw this beautiful sight - a simply-beautiful spotted jaguar. What a beauty!

The other animals that get a lot of attention here are the meerkats and the monkeys.

The first time saw a Meerkat was when I visited the Oakland Zoo. (Read Oakland's Little Africa )
These small animals that can stand on their hind legs for a long time look like curious and attentive animals.   If you want to watch a group of Meerkats, Happy Hollow Zoo in San Jose is the place.

Spot the Meerkat

Red Ruffed Monkey

Black and White Ruffed Monkey

Squirrel Monkey

This is not all, dear reader. There's more. Just visit Happy Hollow Park and Zoo and you will see why this is a different kind of zoo. Then there's the park area with a whole lot of rides and there is the barn and petting area which little kids will absolutely love.

I recommend Happy Hollow Park and Zoo once again. :)

You might want to visit: San Jose's Happy Land
Happy Halloween at Happy Hollow