Wildlife in Photography

A killer whale (Orcinus orca) waves to a crowd Saturday during a performance at SeaWorld San Antonio.

Animals are capable of many amazing things. That talent was on full display Saturday when the lady and I took a trip to SeaWorld San Antonio.

For several hours we wandered the park and sat in on a variety of shows. The killer whales were by far our favorite stop. The trainers were engaging and the power and grace of the animals was mesmerizing. Overall, their performance was an A+.

I know that there is a high level of intellect with marine mammals, but I couldn’t help but wonder how they knew such complex instruction from the trainers.

For those who want to check out a mix of animal capability and extreme athleticism by their human counterparts, the Azul show could be your answer.

I won’t give it all away, but there is a lot of intense coordination that occurs during that show.

A begula whale (Delphinapterus leucas) pops up to check out the audience at the Azul show Saturday.

The park itself was clean and inviting. It was a pleasure to casually stroll from place to place.

The lady checks out an African spurred tortoise (Geochelone sulcata) along the path.

Aside from plenty of indigenous birds hanging out, we also spent some time visiting with flamingos and penguins.

I’ve spent a fair amount of time in aquariums and zoos, so I feel as if I have a few points of comparison. The thing I like most about the penguin exhibit in San Antonio is the fact that there is a moving sidewalk in front of the window. This simple feature allows people to check out the animals in an efficient manner and lets everyone get a decent look. I haven’t seen anything like that in other past venues in Virginia or DC.

The aquariums were impressive as well.

If I had to knock anything, I would say that I prefer the shark setups in DC or at the Virginia Marine Science Museum in Virginia Beach. For me, the tank in San Antonio seemed incomplete in appearance which took away slightly for me from the beauty of the sharks. While that’s pretty nit-picky, I trust the readers of this site would prefer honesty.

After a day of great shows, neat exhibits and beautiful weather, we wrapped up our outing by saying hello to the inhabitants of the dolphin exhibit.

Interested in the bottom line? For a great day (and the ability to go back until January) we spent $60 per person plus parking and food.

Learn more about SeaWorld San Antonio.