Art That's Not Boring

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS RED RIVER HOGS: Born March 27, 2007These yet-to-be-named newborn triplets are nursing and keeping their first-time mother very busy. Red river hogs are native to the forests of western and central Africa and, like most swine, they have a keen sense of smell and use their snouts to dig for roots and tubers. These piglets have another use for snouts; they butt them together when wrestling each other.Who Knew? Also called bush pigs, the animals are primarily active at night and tend to hide in bushes by day--their stripes help them blend in with the surroundings. ELEPHANT: Born March 11, 2007African elephant Litsemba, which means "the timid one" in SiSwati, gave birth to a male calf in the zoo's Wild Animal Park. Litsemba is one of seven African elephants rescued in August 2003. She was living in a national park in Swaziland, where limited space and droughts threatened the elephants' survival. The zoo hosts elephant shows daily at 1 P.M. and 3 P.M., and has an elephant webcam.Who Knew? African elephants are much bigger than their Asian cousins, and Litsemba's baby can be expected to reach an adult weight of 7 to 8 tons. SUN BEAR: Born September 23, 2006Bulan is one of just two Bornean sun bears born in the U.S. (both at the San Diego Zoo). The littlest of the eight bear species, sun bears have distinctive yellowish marks--suggesting a glowing sun--on their chests.Who Knew? In Malay, the tree-dwelling bears are called basindo nan tenggil ("he who likes to sit high"). The zoo has more fun facts and a video clip on its website. OKAPI: Born September 21, 2006Rarely seen in zoos, okapis have striped zebra-like legs yet velvety brown upper bodies. They're native only to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where they're threatened by deforestation, fighting, and hunting. More than 30 okapis, including this newcomer named Akin Ali, have been delivered at San Diego's Wild Animal Park, which boasts the highest birth rate outside of Africa. Who Knew? Okapis have long tongues like giraffes, their relatives, and use them to clean their eyes and ears. EXPECTING ELEPHANTS: Two African elephants, Umoya and Lungile, are pregnant. The typical gestation term is about 21 months, and the zoo expects them give birth later this year (one in May or June and the other at the end of 2007). DETAILS San Diego Zoo, located within Balboa Park, 2920 Zoo Dr., sandiegozoo.org, 619/231-1515, $34, ages 3-11 $24, children under 3 free. Note that the Wild Animal Park is located off-site in the San Pasqual Valley near Escondido, Calif. A two-park ticket is $60 for adults and $43 for children.

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS GOAT: Born April 1, 2007The brown-and-white newborn named Jasper has been keeping close to his mother, a Nigerian dwarf goat. These herd animals are known for being gentle and small; fully-grown does are only about 16-21 inches tall.Who Knew? Both male and female goats have horns as well as beard-like tufts of hair, called wattles, under their chins. TOADS: Born March 17, 2007A Texas native, the small Houston toad has been dying out rapidly over the past 30 years. Dr. Michael Forstner and students at Texas State University in San Marcos--near the toads' single remaining habitat--recovered some toad-egg strands and brought them to the Houston Zoo. The eggs hatched, and the zoo hopes to breed the toads in capitivity and then release them back into the wild.Who Knew? Houston toads live primarily on land, burrowing into the sand to protect themselves against cold winter weather. ANTELOPE: Born March 8, 2007The 71-pound female calf, who was able to stand up just 15 minutes after birth, is the first giant eland delivered at the Houston Zoo. Elands are one of Africa's most endangered mammals and the largest type of antelope. This baby's mother, Dorothy, weighs 737 pounds at the ripe old age of four.Who Knew? Male antelopes have beautiful twisted horns measuring up to 50 inches and permanently attached (unlike deers antlers, which are shed annually). ELEPHANT: Born October 1, 2006Baby Asian elephant Mac loves splashing around in his pool. He lives with his mother, 15-year-old Shanti, in the elephant exhibit, which the zoo plans to expand to more than three acres over the next few years.Who Knew? Mac's first set of four inside teeth came in at the end of January. In a lifetime, elephants typically go through six sets of teeth. DETAILS Houston Zoo, 1513 N. MacGregor Dr., 713/533-6500, houstonzoo.org, $10, seniors $5.75, ages 2-11 $5, children under 2 free.

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS GOLDEN LION TAMARIN: Born November 8, 2006For more than 30 years, the zoo has been observing and breeding golden lion tamarins and then releasing these small monkeys in Brazil's Atlantic coastal forests (their natural abode). As part of the program, each summer a pair or family of tamarins is let loose to explore the zoo freely; note that they tend to congregate in the trees of Beaver Valley.Who Knew? Tamarins give alarm calls when they feel threatened and have a specific call for when large birds are spotted overhead. When others hear the call, they often dash to the trunks of trees. Find out more here. KIWI: Born February 13, 2006A rare North Island brown kiwi, Manaia is only the second such bird to hatch at the National Zoo in its 116-year history. New Zealand is the birds' homeland, and the chick's name means "guardian of the earth and sky" in Maori (the language of indigenous New Zealanders). The country's ambassador to the United States made a special trip to meet Manaia last May. Visitors from all corners of the globe can get an up close look through the Meet a Kiwi program on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, or through the kiwi cam.Who Knew? Unlike other birds, kiwis have poor eyesight and a great sense of smell. Nostrils near the tip of their long bills allow them to smell their prey--as opposed to seeing it. SLOTH BEAR CUB: Born January 9, 2006The cub Balawat lives with his parents in the Asia Trail near the Fujifilm Giant Panda Habitat. Sloth bears, common in India and Sri Lanka, are nocturnal creatures that make noisy grunting sounds and use their long, curved claws to get at insects. Listen to an audio clip and find out more about these little-known bears here.Who Knew? Cubs spend the first several months underground, and once they emerge from the den, they stay by their mothers for two or three years before venturing off. PANDA CUB: Born July 9, 2005Tai Shan ("peaceful mountain" in Chinese) is the zoo's star attraction: a much-loved, playful giant panda cub, who measured less than 12 inches long when he was born. Thousands of visitors turned out last summer to join in his first birthday celebrations. According to the zoo, only around 1,600 giant pandas survive in the bamboo forests of central China, and the endangered animals have become an international symbol of conservation efforts. You can make a donation to the zoo's efforts, learn more about Tai Shan's family tree, and scope him out on the panda cam by clicking here.Who Knew? The zoo held a contest to determine the cub's name and, after 200,000 votes, dubbed him Tai Shan when he was 100 days old. EXPECTING PANDA: In early April, giant panda Mei Xiang--the mother of Tai Shan--was artificially inseminated in coordination with the San Diego Zoo and its male panda, Gao Gao. Zookeepers are closely tracking Mei Xiang's hormones and posting detailed updates on their Pregnancy Watch page. They estimate that it will be three to six months before a cub is born. DETAILS National Zoo, 3001 Connecticut Ave., NW, 202/633-4800, nationalzoo.si.edu, free.

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS EBONY LANGUR: Born November 25, 2006Langurs are arboreal primates typically spotted in Indonesia. Luckily, this baby is easier to find. She lives in the zoo's JungleWorld--an Asian rain-forest habitat--with her mother, Dashini, and her father, Indra.Who Knew? Female langurs share the infant-rearing duties within their troop, a practice known as allomothering, and forcibly take infants from their mother. RHINO: Born November 16, 2006When the Indian rhino mother, Penny, gave birth, she weighed a whopping 5,020 pounds and delivered this 95-pound female. The baby can be seen from the zoo's Wild Asia Monorail, which is open May through October, weather permitting.Who Knew? The word rhinoceros is rooted in Greek: rhino (nose) and ceros (horn). While the herbivores have excellent hearing, they have weak eyesight and often charge when startled. GIRAFFE: Born October 30, 2006A female baby Rothschild's giraffe named Margaret can be found with her mom at the African Plains amid lions, cheetahs, zebras and African wild dogs. The baby's namesake, Margaret Carter, and her husband, James Walter Carter, were generous supporters of the zoo. Giraffe babies born since the Carter Giraffe House opened in 1982 are named in their memory.Who Knew? Giraffes have a gestation period of 14-15 months and give birth while standing; the calf falls to the ground and, according to the zoo, the drop helps get the newborn's heart going and clear its breathing tubes. LEOPARD CUBS: Born June 7, 2006.Snow leopard Mei Mei's two female cubs, who love jumping and spinning in circles, live in the Himalayan Highlands Habitat. The area mimics the rugged, mountainous territory that these large cats inhabit in their native Central Asia. Who Knew? To help survive among the rocks and snow, the cubs have wide, plush tails for balance and padded foot soles for insulation. DETAILS Bronx Zoo, Bronx River Pkwy. at Fordham Rd., 718/367-1010, bronxzoo.org, $14, ages 2-12 $10, kids under 2 free, admission by donation on Wed.