Big Cats at St Louis Zoo Missouri USA

 

Cheetah/ Photo by Geoff Sutton 2012
Nikon Coolpix

We have been visiting the St Louis Zoo for about 50 years. It's a fabulous zoo located in beautiful  Forest Park St. Louis, Missouri. I decided to make this page about the Big Cats because they are the favorites of my grandchildren.

Lions are social animals living in groups called prides. They live in the grasslands and savannas of Africa. The male is larger than the female and has a large mane about its head.*

Lion by Geoff Sutton, 2021/Cannon EOS 70D

I took this photo of a cheetah 22 October 2021-- the cropped version is at the top of this post. The cheetah is the fastest land animal with speeds of 80 to 128 kmh (50 to 80 mph). They range in length between 3.6 to 4.9 feet and the adults weight between 20 to 65 kg (44 to 143 pounds). ***

The coluring of the tigers is amazing. And this one is a fitting specimen to represent the Missouri Tigers though I would hope the athletes are more energetic.

Tigers can be found in India, Nepal, Russia and China. They weigh between 220 and 660 pounds and measure 6 to 10 feet in length. They may live as long as 20 years in the wild.

Tiger 10 March 2021/Geoff Sutton

Jaguars are the largest cats in South America. Leopards look similar to Jaguars but one key difference can be found in the "spots." The rosettes on the Jaguar have inner spots but those on Leopards do not. There is a size difference, which may not be obvious in a zoo. Jaguars weigh 36 to 158 kg compared to Leopards, which range from 17 to 90. Here's a useful link panthera.org.

I took all of the photos on this page at the St Louis Zoo using either my Nikon Coolpix camera or my Canon SLR EOS 70D.

As of the date of this post, admission to the St Louis Zoo is free but there is a charge for parking. Free parking can sometimes be found along the side of the roads around Forest Park. 

See more Big Cats

A female lion eyeing a giraffe in Kenya

My YouTube video of a female lion rejecting a male lion Kruger Park South Africa

My YouTube video including a lion in Kenya at Kenya Wildlife

My Tiger video in Ranthambore wildlife park, India 

My lion video from the Smithsonian Zoo

My tiger video from the Smithsonian Zoo

Notes

* Read more about lions at wikipedia.

** Read more about tigers at world wildlife

*** Read more about cheetahs at wikipedia

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Smithsonian's National Zoo

Panda National Zoo / Geoff W. Sutton 2017

The Smithsonian's National Zoo is famous for its Pandas. The zoo is worth a day's visit to enjoy a walk around a beautiful wooded park. People of all ages will find something of interest.































Fees- there is no charge to enter the zoo. There is a fee for some attractions

Food service- there are several places to purchase food and drink. It is expensive compared to nearby restaurants. You can bring in food and drink.

Photography is permitted but the lighting and glass enclosures make some shots difficult.


Parking- limited but available at the park for a fee

Metro- we got off at the Woodley Park metro stop and walked the short distance to the zoo.

Website- you will find helpful information on the web nationalzoo.si.edu


My website Geoffrey W. Sutton

PLACES TO VISIT IN WASHINGTON DC

Here’s a few places to see along with some photos and links to information.

United States Capitol

White House

National Archives

Library of Congress

Supreme Court

National Zoo

U S Botanic Garden

Union Station

Monuments and Memorials

Washington Monument

Lincoln Memorial

WW II Memorial

Vietnam War Memorial

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

Museums

American History

Air and Space Museum

Natural History Museum

Postal Museum

National Art Gallery

National Postal Museum

Holocaust Museum

National Museum of the American Indian

National Museum of African American History and Culture

And here’s my webpage  www.suttong.com

And some books I have published

My Travel Blog

My YouTube Travel Site

Wildlife Safari Ranthambore Tiger Reserve India

There's no doubt that the thrill of seeing a tiger in its natural habitat drives people into the tiger preserve at Ranthambore (see tiger photos and video below). But there's more to the park than tigers.

Visitors enter the gates in approved vehicles, which are open air jeeps or trucks. One of 10 routes are assigned to the drivers and guides.

The landscape affords a variety of beautiful views with hills and valleys, ponds and meadows and a great variety of trees and plants.




A zoom lens is a must - it was difficult to see the Mugger (or Indian) Crocodile, Black-headed Ibis, and Indian Darter (or snakebird) with the naked eye.






Deer are ubiquitous. The park is home to both Spotted Deer








and Sambar deer.





Black-faced monkeys are prevalent.





Rufous Treepies are everywhere.






And of course we saw a tiger who wandered about for nearly half and hour on route 5 in the afternoon. Here's a collage and I will insert a video from my YouTube channel.

Tiger Collage. All photos by Geoff Sutton 2017

This tiger video is a bit shakey because I was atop a truck seat (sometimes moving) and using nearly a max zoom.

Tips
Jeeps are better than the large trucks, which can throw you out of the seat when sitting at the back.
Mornings can be cold in January- wear gloves, hats, warm clothes.
Binoculars may be needed to see some animals and zoom lenses for photos and videos.
Duck to avoid getting hit by branches on some routes.
Allergy/coughing alert - dust is everywhere, especially when stirred up by vehicles.
Afternoons are rumoured to be best for seeing tigers.
Bring toilet tissue and wipes. We stopped once for toileting behind bushes.

Connections

My Website www.suttong.com

Twitter @GeoffWSutton 

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