MoreButlerSnapshots: Nashville Zoo at Grassmere

Who doesn't love the zoo? Finding ourselves in Nashville with a full day to fill we headed over to see what we could learn for the day. Fun, fun day, and an outstanding zoo with an amazing play place!

First we stopped by the Unseen New World. We had fun looking for camouflaged animals. Amazing how many creatures are hidden in our world. Next time we take a walk, I will be better tuned to how many "unseen" creatures are watching us.

Watching the bats feed on fruit was very entertaining. You can't appreciate form this short video clip, how active some of these bats were!

Matthew saw a documentary on this crazy-looking fish called the Indo-Pacific Lionfish. This fish is native to the Pacific Ocean. In its native habitat, the highly-venomous lionfish population is controlled by natural predators. In 1992, the lionfish was introduced to the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida. In the absence of natural predators, the lionfish has thrived. Unfortunately, this has created a drastic decrease in fish native to the area and has threatened commercial fishing. Now scientists are trying to find a way to balance the ecosystem. Just one example of how perfectly balanced the food chain is, and how easily it can be disrupted.


Kangaroo Kickabout was my personal favorite attraction at the zoo because you are surrounded by kangaroos! No cages -- you are in with the famous fighting marsupials. We even spotted a few mama kangaroos with joeys in pouches! They were very entertaining!

I apologize that I cannot turn the video. These guys were putting on a show for the crowd.

Their flamingos are a brilliant shade of orange! But, did you know that flamingos are white or light gray when they are born? Their color appears as they consume their food!