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Welcome to the Year of the Pig, as the Lunar New Year sends the dog to the kennel and embraces the pork.
We don’t often find the animals of the zodiac scampering through our hills or flying above the shoreline, so we thought it would be fun to come up with our own list and invite you to a little scavenger hunt at the Oakland Zoo.
The zoo has all of the animals — or reasonable approximations — so take our list, go to the zoo and see how many zodiac beasts you can find.
You don’t have to be restricted to our choices, but if you find a dragon there, please let us know immediately.
Rat
The rat may be a traditional zodiac animal, but we’re going for the agouti, a member of the rodent family that looks like an over-sized guinea pig. Agoutis, which live in tropical rain forests, are on many creatures’ favorite meal list, so to compensate, agoutis have developed the ability to jump six feet high. They also are very quick and good at hiding. Look for the agouti in the zoo’s Tropical Rainforest area.
Ox
The zoo may not have any oxen, but it has lots of American bison, which are in the same family as the ox. Bison are the largest terrestrial mammals in the Western hemisphere, and while they often move at a leisurely gait, they can reach speeds of 37 mph when they have to. Look for them on the zoo’s California Trail.
Tiger
Tigers are excellent swimmers, climbers and jumpers, but they are endangered in the wild because of hunting and loss of habitat. At the Oakland Zoo, you’ll find them in the Tropical Rainforest area.
Rabbit
The rabbit’s large ears give them excellent hearing and also help them cool off in the heat. They prefer dry areas near sea level and soft, sandy soil for burrowing. Although gardeners may get upset by them, the tunneling and burrowing help the environment by creating habitat for invertebrates and increasing soil fertility. Search for rabbits at Oakland Zoo’s Children’s Zoo.
Dragon
We couldn’t find any dragons at the zoo, but this might be the next best thing — the black-throated monitor lizard. All monitors have powerful bodies, long necks, and strong tails and claws, but the black-throated monitor also has a pink or bluish forked tongue and mottled gray-brown scales with yellowish or white marking. Look for this fierce animal in the African Savanna.
Snake
There are plenty of snakes to choose from, but we focused on the Amazon tree boa, which comes in an assortment of colors — black, gray, brown, green, yellow, orange, red and any combination of those colors. Genetics don’t seem to affect coloration or pattern. The tree boa hunts anytime in the day or night, hanging from its tail and dropping down on unsuspecting prey. As scary as that sounds, search for the Amazon tree boa at the Children’s Zoo.
Horse
This zodiac substitute is a horse of a different color — mainly black and white. The zebra, however, is part of the horse family. Zebras also play an important ecological role in keeping grazing lands healthy. They eat the older growth, clearing the way for new growth, which will feed other wildlife. Search for the zebra at the zoo’s African Savanna.
Goat
Some zodiacs identify this animal as a sheep or ram, but we’re going with pygmy goats, which can be darn cute and delightful, except perhaps, for the males, which tend to have a rank odor coming from their reproductive glands. Look for the zoo’s pygmy goats — or follow your nose — in the Children’s Zoo area.
Monkey
Our zodiac representative for the monkey is the vervet, also known as the green monkey. The green tinge to the vervet’s coat helps camouflage it in the trees, which is important because in the wild, the monkeys are common prey for pythons, eagles, leopards, hyenas and lions. Look for the vervet in the zoo’s African Savanna.
Rooster
The great curassow is substituting for the rooster in our zodiac. It looks something like a barnyard rooster, but with very different coloring. Curassows scratch the ground, much like chickens, and eat large insects and small animals. They can fly, but when threatened, they tend to run. Instead of crowing, the curassow male whistles. Search the Rainforest Aviary for this rooster substitute.
Dog
Wolves aren’t that far removed from dogs, so the beautiful gray wolf is standing in for the zodiac dog. Wolves were hunted out of California decades ago, but a few have recently returned across the northern border with Oregon. Wolves are considered an apex predator, hunting mostly large animals including moose, elk, deer and bison, and supplementing their diets with smaller animals. Look for the wolf on the zoo’s California Trail.
Pig
For 2019’s honoree, the pig, we offer the Guinea forest hog, an impressive smaller swine that is black in color and has upright ears, a hairy coat and a curly tail. The hogs are unique to the United States, and while many of them live on farms, where they are raised for their meat, they are also common as household pets. Look for the Guinea forest hog in the Children’s Zoo.
