Our little one had President’s Day off from school and Daddy was able to get the day off as well.  I had no work either because all my clients were at home.  And so it was with great anticipation that we went to visit the Dallas World Aquarium, located in old warehouses in the middle of downtown Dallas.  What they have been transformed into is nothing short of amazing.  One minute you are in an urban North American concrete jungle and the next you are transported seven stories up inside a tropical South American jungle surrounded by a myriad of native plants and animals to that region.  First is the Orinoco rainforest, which has everything from birds in free flight to an unenclosed three-toed sloth hanging out by the bar.  Pygmy marmosets can also be found as well as an anteater.  Winding our way down, we made our way to my personal favorite, El Lobo Del Rio, “The Wolf of the River,” as the the giant otters from South America are known.  They are the largest of the thirteen species found throughout the world, and are a pure delight to watch.  Unfortunately, they are now threatened with extinction largely due to the commercial value of their beautiful pelts.  They were heavily traded in the 19th century and, coupled with their habitat reduction, their numbers have been severely depleted.  Once you make your way down to the first level you may observe from beneath the great waterfall an Antillean manatee munching on Romaine lettuce, as well as huge, Shovel-nosed catfish and Arrau turtles all swimming around to the wonder of visitors.  In the aquarium portion you can see glow in the dark jellyfish that are mesmerizing to watch as well as a Night Reef teeming with Flashlightfish whose eyes glow in dark.  Seadragons resembling seaweed float by on the bottom of another exhibit.  Colorful Caribbean fish swim in and out of coral reefs and, from the cool waters of British Columbia, you can see a Pacific giant octopus, sea anemones, sea stars, sea cucumbers, and urchins.  Next you can step outside and catch the antics of the Cape of Good Hope’s black-footed penguins.  The climate in Dallas is similar to that of their native South Africa.  Returning back inside the journey continues as you enter into the Mundo Maya.  But first you must traverse an incredible clear, wide tunnel where sharks swim all around you and sawfish pass languidly overhead.  At the heart of the exhibit is the Temple of the Jaguar.  It is a multilevel exhibit which allows for the great cat to go outside at will.  There is a Ceiba tree, thought by the Mayans to be the “Tree of Life,” as well as cycads and tree ferns, primitive plant species abundant during the age of dinosaurs; the Mesozoic Era.  Also to be found, standing five feet tall and with a wingspan of eight feet, is the Jabiru stork, among the largest flying birds in the New World.  Sadly, these graceful giants are threatened or endangered throughout their Central and South American range.  The Dallas World Aquarium states part of their mission is “to help instill an appreciation and understanding of our interdependence on the Earth and its fragile ecosystems” and is committed to multiple conservation efforts, with many of the species they house being part of a cooperative breeding program with other zoos in the United States and throughout the world.  Some involve specialized breeding groups which may be reintroduced into their natural habitat.  Loretta Lynch, the 83rd American Attorney General of the United States, said ”We all have a responsibility to protect endangered species, both for their sake and for the sake of our own future generations.”  Zoos are thankfully evolving and some are becoming bastions of protection for both the globe’s flora and fauna.  On this day we were fortunate enough to have traveled the world just by a short car ride, seeing a host of creatures thriving.  We were able to do it all without even leaving the city of Dallas on our tropical staycation.