"Survival of the fantastic" involves whatever appeals to the opposite sex, no matter how energy-consuming, attention-drawing, or otherwise negative, in order to pass one's genes to the next generation.

"Survival of the fantastic" involves whatever appeals to the opposite sex, no matter how energy-consuming, attention-drawing, or otherwise negative, in order to pass one's genes to the next generation. This is carried to extremes in several groups of birds, including a group of tiny birds from the forests of Central and South America, called the manakins.

Many of the sixty or so species perform bizarre displays, with surprising sound effects, featuring the brilliant colors and unusual shapes of their feathers. The Dallas World Aquarium's new "Jungle Jewels" was designed to showcase these marvelous birds, and five species can be enjoyed in the exhibit. Except for the Golden-headed manakin, which can be found in several zoos, these are the only specimens which can be seen in North America. The Dallas World Aquarium was able to import them through special permission from the government of Panama.

The Red-capped and Golden-headed manakin males have black bodies and startling white eyes, differing in their respective head colors. (The females of most manakins are difficult to tell apart, being round and grayish-green). These two species have similar displays, where the male lifts his wings and zips back and forth on a twig, moving his feet incredibly fast. Videos of the "Moon Walk" bird are popular web-junk. That species is the Red-capped manakin.

The male Golden-collared manakin performs an entirely different courtship display. While making startling snapping sounds with his wings, he darts around, with the feathers under his beak bunched together like a pointing finger, parallel with his beak.

One male Lance-tailed manakin is not yet in full adult plumage. He has a bright red cap, but he does not have a shiny blue back yet. The males of this species perform their display in teams of two, jumping up and down, side by side, on a branch, while snarling and whistling.

Our male Blue-crowned manakin performs a quieter display, bowing his brilliantly colored head forward while giving a musical trill.

While our manakins have only been at The Dallas World Aquarium a few months, some of these displays are performed fairly often.

Several other small jewel-like birds share this exhibit. These are tanagers, members of a large New World group. The four species seen here are the Golden-crowned chorophonia, the Speckled, Silver-throated and Paradise tanagers. While the male and female chlorophonias are colored differently, the other three share the same brilliant colors in both sexes.

Three larger birds that also live here are:

1. The shiny green and red Black-tailed trogons from South America are relatives of the famous Quetzal.
2. The Wattled jacanas are from South America, but have relatives which occur just over the Mexican border into Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley. These shorebirds have amazingly long toes with which they can walk on floating plants. They also have sharp spurs at the bend of the wing.
3. The earth-toned Chirqui quail doves are found only in the mountains of Panama and Costa Rica. As one would gather from their name, these plump birds spend most of their time on the ground, though they roost on branches at night.

The mission of the worldwide 2008 "Year of the Frog" campaign is to increase awareness of the plight of amphibians. After surviving more than 360 million years, 33-50% of the estimated 6,000 identified species now face extinction in the wild.

The mission of the worldwide 2008 "Year of the Frog" campaign is to increase awareness of the plight of amphibians. After surviving more than 360 million years, 33-50% of the estimated 6,000 identified species now face extinction in the wild. Their disappearance is resulting from change in climate, loss of habitat, introduction of species, pollution, pesticides and over-collecting for food and pet industries.

The word "amphibian" originates from two Greek words, "amphi" meaning "both" and "bios" meaning "life" - thus the term "double life." This may refer to the fact that many live in two places (water and land) or it may indicate the two life stages (larval and adult). Amphibian Ark is a collaborative program set up in 2006 as the ex situ branch of the IUCN Amphibian Specialist Group Conservation. The purpose of Amphibian Ark (AArk) is to develop, promote and guide the short-term management of the ex situ programs in order to assist in the long-term survival of amphibians in the wild for which proper protection is not feasible at the present time.

The Dallas World Aquarium currently houses sixteen species of frogs and toads, with a wide variation in size as well as colors - from the tiny, colorful poison frogs to the large and somewhat drab Marine toad. We are fortunate to have successfully bred several of these species which have been shared with other institutions so they too can better help educate the public during the Year of the Frog! Like the "canary in a coal mine," frogs are considered to be "living barometers" telling us if our air, water and planet are healthy.

For more information about AArk, please visit their web-site (www.amphibianark.org/) and be involved in the Year of the Frog!

Described by an inquisitive e-mail as the "big-headed, yellow-eyed, large-billed, gray crane-like and freaky bird that lives in the waterfall area just past admissions," the Shoebill stork (Balaeniceps rex) is indeed eye catching!

Described by an inquisitive e-mail as the "big-headed, yellow-eyed, large-billed, gray crane-like and freaky bird that lives in the waterfall area just past admissions," the Shoebill stork (Balaeniceps rex) is indeed eye catching! The Shoebill is easily recognized, even without its most distinguishable feature which gives it its common name - a bill that resembles a hook-tipped Dutch clog. The multi-colored bill is wide and thick, measuring 8-12 inches long and 4-5 inches wide.

The stork is entirely gray and the head is rather large in proportion to the body size. They are 3 ½-5 feet tall, have a wingspan approximately 7 ½ feet and weigh an average of 12.3 pounds. Males and females have similar coloration with a small crest or white tufts sticking out from the back of the head. Males are slightly larger than females and have longer bills. The legs, like those of most waders, are skinny and long; feet are not webbed.

The Shoebill spends the majority of its day fishing. With its head down, using binocular vision, the bird will either stand and wait or walk slowly in the shallow water, often surrounded by grasses and papyrus. In the wild, it feeds mainly by ambush, standing motionless for long periods of time before "collapsing" on the prey in a manner unique for a large fish-eating bird.

Sharing the exhibit with the Shoebill are the colorful, smaller Lady Ross's turacos (Musophaga rossae). They are medium-sized birds that typically measure near 20 inches in length (tails are long). Their coloration is unique and remarkable - primarily violet-colored with a distinct reddish crest on the head, highlighted with a bright yellow patch of bare skin under the eyes. Visible mainly when flying, the wing feathers are a bright red.

Two-toed sloths can literally be seen "hanging out" in their second level exhibit near the River waterfall. Former residents, the Owl monkeys, are now living in the multi-level Toucan Heights exhibit. All sloths have three claws on their hindlegs, it is the number of claws on the forelegs that is used in their common names.

Two-toed sloths can literally be seen "hanging out" in their second level exhibit near the River waterfall. Former residents, the Owl monkeys, are now living in the multi-level Toucan Heights exhibit. All sloths have three claws on their hindlegs, it is the number of claws on the forelegs that is used in their common names.

Like their three-toed cousins, the two-toed sloths (Choloepus hoffmanni) were transferred in conjunction with the Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica and MINAE. Larger in size than their relatives, two-toed sloths weigh between 10 - 21 pounds. The head is round and the face is pale with short hair. The mouth has only a slight "smile" under a protruding muzzle-like nose. The ears are rather large and some have dark circles around their eyes. The body is covered with coarse, long and wavy hair that varies in color from blonde to dark brown. The fore and hind legs are almost equal in length.

Two-toed sloths are omnivores; three-toed sloths are herbivores, eating only specific leaves. In the wild, two-toed sloths will eat leaves, buds, flowers, fruit, eggs and fledglings from nests. These nocturnal and arboreal animals are found in Central and South America.

Shortly after opening the Mundo Maya exhibit in 2004, The Dallas World Aquarium added an extra that has become an integral part of our weekends and holidays. Known as "Grupo Pakal," the Mayan Performing Arts proudly celebrates Mayan culture through sacred ceremonies and ancient rituals that integrate festive dance and traditional native music.

Shortly after opening the Mundo Maya exhibit in 2004, The Dallas World Aquarium added an extra that has become an integral part of our weekends and holidays. Known as "Grupo Pakal," the Mayan Performing Arts proudly celebrates Mayan culture through sacred ceremonies and ancient rituals that integrate festive dance and traditional native music.

Live performances exhibit stunning wardrobe and elaborately feathered headdresses, all individually handcrafted works of art. Their fascinating interactive exhibit with revered macaw parrots, a unique cultural and educational experience, is quite inspiring. The versatility of the members often allows for more spontaneous interaction when they frequently entertain guests winding their way up the curved ramp during the busier holidays and summer months. Their performances can normally be seen at 12:15 pm, 1:15 pm, 2:15 pm and 3:15 pm on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

On February 16-18, The Dallas World Aquarium hosted the Tree Kangaroo Species Survival Program 2nd Annual Workshop. Twenty-three delegates represented 20 institutions throughout the United States as well as three persons from Australia and one from Germany.

On February 16-18, The Dallas World Aquarium hosted the Tree Kangaroo Species Survival Program 2nd Annual Workshop. Twenty-three delegates represented 20 institutions throughout the United States as well as three persons from Australia and one from Germany.

The purpose of the workshop was to bring together representatives from various institutions that house this critically endangered species to discuss husbandry, conservation, medical issues and placement of animals for breeding. The Tree Kangaroo Species Survival Plan (SSP) is a leader among the SSP programs due to their focus on conservation in the field and directly correlating it to the display of this flagship species at various zoos.

Participants in the program exchanged ideas and decided on projects that warranted funding. Brainstorming for an upcoming National Geographic program was an interesting portion of the workshop. This program will feature a "critter cam" attached to a Matschie's tree kangaroo. You may already be familiar with previous programs that had cams on sharks, seals and whales, but this will be the first time to attempt recordings with an arboreal species - presenting a host of new challenges. The cam will be attached via harness for one to two days, showing the natural habitat from the perspective of the animal and presents an opportunity to collect a wealth of information that would otherwise be almost impossible to obtain. Dr. Lisa Dabek (Director of Conservation at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, WA) is working in conjunction with National Geographic on this project. Other information concerning her fascinating work on tree kangaroo conservation can be found in the book "Quest for the Tree Kangaroo" which is in the book store and was also featured as Book of the Month is a previous edition of the e-newsletter.

Plans for this meeting were finalized over the past year, but an unexpected bonus to the symposium was the birth in March 2007 of a joey at The Dallas World Aquarium to our pair of tree kangaroos (Reeses and Diego) in their entrance exhibit located near admissions. The joey (named Mattie) has been spending more and more time out of the pouch and is now so large that even when trying to hide in the pouch, a protruding tail, leg or arm can usually be seen.

Matschie's tree kangaroos (Dendrolagus matschiei) are found in Papua New Guinea and are one of ten tree kangaroo species in the world. It is one of the rarest creatures on earth and continues to decrease in number as human encroachment increases. The SSP for this interesting animal is critical in successfully maintaining them in captivity, allowing us to learn about their diet, reproductive habits, behavior, medical issues, and more importantly, increasing awareness of their plight in their native habitat. The Matschie's tree kangaroo is truly an example of our mission at The Dallas World Aquarium - "conservation through education."

"A Chorus of Frogs" by Joni Phelps Hunt is one of the London Town Press Wild Life Books Series written about Animals at Risk. This 48-page book shows and describes a variety of frog species, with 45 photos by noted photographers.

"A Chorus of Frogs" by Joni Phelps Hunt is one of the London Town Press Wild Life Books Series written about Animals at Risk. This 48-page book shows and describes a variety of frog species, with 45 photos by noted photographers.

The informative book takes a look at the characteristics of frogs, their many varieties of communication, life cycles, habitats, predators and their benefits to nature and man.

Children of all ages will learn the difference between frogs and toads and explore the transformation from tadpoles with gills to air-breathing adults. This large format (8 ½ X 11) is easily read; the photos are beautiful and very colorful. This softcover book sells for $7.95 in the Book Store, which does not include the 10% discount for members! Come on in and see what's "hopping."