LEGO Zoo #0003: Raven Flight

This week's design started more with the animal than the exhibit.  Johnny Depp's character in the recent film version of The Lone Ranger sported a complete crow as part of his headgear:

Source:  theimproper.com

When LEGO acquired the rights to create playsets for the film, their Tonto minfigure had to have an accurate appearance:

Source:  lego.wikia.com

Thus LEGO gave its users a thoroughly detailed raven model, one of the few LEGO animals accurately scaled to the size of minifigures.  I was inspired to build a flight cage for these birds:

It would pretty difficult to use the closed cage as a playset, so it's designed to be modular.  The front portion containing the perching tree can be rotated on a hinge away from the rock face, and the top of the mountain is a separate unit from the bottom.

The residents of this exhibit are common ravens (Corvus corax).  In addition to possibly being the largest of all songbirds (order Passeriformes), common ravens are the widely distributed of any member of the crow family (Corvidae).  Ravens are highly intelligent and often moody.  They are almost like the bird equivalent of cats.  Here, one looks down on the foolish humans with distain:

A perching tree gives the ravens a vantage point within their enclosure, a good source of mental stimulation.

In the enclosed feeding area, one raven is chowing down on a healthy diet.

Ravens are generalist omnivores, so they require a balanced diet of grains, insects, and meat.  It is preferred to give ravens in captivity the occasional whole prey carcass for some added mental challenge.

Some added scenery gives the exhibit a nice thematic feeling of American wilderness.

As with previous sets, the raven flight has connectors that allow it to be smoothly integrated with other playsets.  Below it is shown connected to the reptile terraria from two weeks ago.  Keep an eye out as new sets are added and the LEGO Zoo expands.

Created with LEGO Digital Designer

LEGO Zoo #0002: Education Stage

This playset started as a small, simple idea:  a zoo educator ("docent" in zoo lingo) standing at a podium in front of guests on benches.  As you will see, it got much, much bigger.

Today docent Andrea is giving an animal presentation at the education stage to a pretty full audience.

 

Right now Andrea is presenting Conor, a sun conure (Aratinga solstitialis) native to South America.  Although they are popular in the pet market, very little is known about sun conure behavior in the wild.  Like most parrots, conures subsist on a diet of fruit, so Andrea has grapes on hand to keep Conor occupied while she talks.

This audience is way more invested in the talk than they would be in real life.  Believe me.

Behind the partition is the backstage area where other presentation animals wait for their turn on stage.

In the birdcage is a white zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata), the result of a genetic mutation that makes this plumage pattern a valuable find among finch breeders.

The stage's roof is layered with palm thatch to add an exotic feeling.

Animals and minifigures:

American bullfrog, zebra finch, sun conure

Andrea, Sean, Michelle, Dylan, Edith, Timmy

 

Created with LEGO Digital Designer

LEGO Zoo #0001: Reptile Terraria

With the help of LEGO's excellent and free LEGO Digital Designer, I've begun working on a line of playsets in which I take great personal enjoyment.  One of the things I've always found sadly lacking from LEGO's lineup is a good and proper zoo playset, so I've decided to remedy the situation.

Let's start small with some of the popular reptiles of North America.

 

 

The aquarium on the left holds a pair of red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans).  This species is found commonly in the southern United States and is notorious as an invasive species due to their popularity as pets.  This popularity can be partially attributed to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, who were supposedly once members of this species.

On the right is a desert terrarium containing a desert kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula splendida).  It is found across the southwestern US and Texas.  Although it shares its habitat with venomous rattlesnakes, the kingsnake is a constrictor and prefers, like boas, to crush its food to death.

I designed this set out of four interlocking parts.  The connectors on each side of each terrarium allow them to be joined to other pieces, and the vegetated top pieces can be switched with other tops of the same size.

You will see these pieces recurring in future sets.  The end goal is to have enough interchangeable pieces that a few sets can be turned into as many customized zoos as you can imagine.  More on that later...

Created with LEGO Digital Designer