The yellow-spotted river turtles are gently placed in the aviary pool.

Yesterday 12 new faces waddled and swam their way into the Rainforest Revealed aviary! These residents included a mix of 10 male and female fulvous whistling ducks and two male yellow-spotted river turtles. The ducks came to us all the way from Sacramento Zoo, and the turtles arrived from Palm Beach Zoo. All 12 animals are full-grown adults.

Yellow-spotted river turtles are native to the Amazon River Basin and can live up to 70 years! The species is vulnerable to extinction due to hunting and habitat loss; however, the indigenous Yekuana people, who eat the turtles’ meat and eggs, are attempting to hunt the turtles sustainably.

The fulvous whistling ducks stayed together as they waddled around their new home for the first time.

Fulvous whistling ducks are found in the shallow wetlands of the Americas, Africa and Asia. Although these cinnamon-colored birds are not threatened by extinction, their populations have declined in the American southwest in recent decades.

Stop by Rainforest Revealed on your next visit to meet our newest residents!