Predators Come In All Sizes

Nearing the end of the exhibit, you think you've experienced all of the Serengeti's predators when you realize there is still more to see. Farther along the U-shaped pathway, behind a small partition, lies a slithering predator — an enormous African rock python. This reptile can eat animals as large as small antelope, pigs, jackals and baboons. You imagine encountering the powerful snake near a watering hole as it waits to ambush its prey — and you're relieved that there is glass separating you from it.

You move on, and a colorful bird catches your eye as it swoops down to land on a nearby branch. It's a red-billed hornbill, foraging for food among the grasses. It's a fascinating sight with its long eyelashes, stubby legs and amazing curved beak. You read about its bizarre nesting activities: The male uses food, droppings and mud to seal the female inside a tree, providing her with her meals through a tiny hole for eight weeks while she sits on her nest.

As you step closer to get a better look at the hornbill, you notice a small animal darting for the undergrowth. An exhibit sign helps identify the speedy creature — it's a dwarf mongoose, the same animal you saw running in the acrylic tunnels that crisscross the caracal exhibit. You're surprised to find that the dwarf mongoose and the red-billed hornbill live in harmony, just as they would in the wild. The mongoose scurrying at the bottom of the habitat is Africa's smallest carnivore, and one of its toughest. You learn that these social hunters can be quite aggressive and that their very survival is dependent upon how well they work together to weather the hardships of the African plains.