Creatures of Central Florida: Muscovy Duck

Muscovy Duck

• Invasive Species: Sizable population from escaped domestic animals
• Naturally found in warm climates from South America as far north as parts of Texas
• Non-migratory
• Can mostly be found along waterways in suburban areas

The Walking Dead and Silent Hill Coming to Universal's Halloween Horror Nights

Universal Orlando Resort announced in a press release that one of this year's Halloween Horror Nights mazes will be based on the popular television series The Walking Dead.  For those who don't know, The Walking Dead follows the survivors of a zombie apocalypse as they try to live life among the horrors of the flesh eating undead.  The franchise started as a comic book, is now on its third season as a hit television show, and just recently released a critically acclaimed episodic video game series.

It's obvious that a haunted maze based on such a popular show will attract a lot of attention, but it remains to be seen if this really proves something unique for the event.  Zombies are an increasingly tired horror theme, and have often appeared at previous Halloween Horror Nights.  While the event creators might still come up with something truly unique, this combination seems more like a marketing move than anything.

SeaWorld Announces Arrival of New Baby Manatee

All photos courtesy of SeaWorld's Inside Conservation blog.

SeaWorld Orlando announced yesterday the triumphant arrival of a new baby manatee.  The mother was rescued in June after being discovered with serious injuries from fishing lines.  It was found that she was also pregnant, and last Wednesday she delivered a healthy manatee calf.  This adorable baby is being watched closely with mom behind the scenes, but hopefully we'll get to see the pair on display before they get released back into the wild.

Manatees are one of Florida's greatest treasures, and it's great to see SeaWorld continue to care for this endangered species.  These giant, peaceful creatures have a curious nature and laid back attitude, which unfortunately makes them easy victims of boat propellers and other man made hazards.  SeaWorld and other Florida groups rescue these injured manatees and bring them back to health before releasing them.  These efforts help save these gentle giants, but it also gives us an opportunity to see them up close.

Animal Kingdom Update: New Additions at Kilimanjaro Safaris

Today Nicole and I braved the rain to explore Disney's Animal Kingdom with hopefully lower temperatures and crowd levels.  It worked out well, with low wait times on most attractions, including 2 almost walk-on rides of Kilimanjaro Safaris.

It also proved a good day to visit, because some new additions could be spotted on Klimanjaro's savannah.  Well, there was at least a chance you could see the new babies.  Today was the first day on display for the new baby white rhino.  After the elephant pools, our guide warned us that tours were not allowed to stop in the last section of the ride, as it could frighten the mother and trigger her maternal instincts.  Disney does not want to show the result of an angry white rhino charging a truck filled with tourists.

First Impressions: Disney's Ghosts of Mistwood

When a Facebook notification appeared for a game called Disney's Ghosts of Mistwood, I had to say I was slightly intrigued.  Disney being involved with a social networking game wasn't a surprise, with their Club Penguin franchise still active and other projects like Virtual Magic Kingdom come and gone.  The interesting bit was the setting, a swampy haunted mansion with a ghostly mystery.  I could feel the Haunted Mansion vibrations emanating from this game, and I was definitely sympathetic to them.

Creatures of Central Florida: Green Moray Eel

Green Moray Eel

• Native to Florida: Found in reef areas off the coast
• Spotted in captivity at SeaWorld Orlando
• Also on exhibit at Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo

These bony fish are one of those creatures with a distinctly sinister reputation.  With an appearance somewhere between a fish and a snake, their nasty teeth and vicious look could easily shock any diver or snorkeler who accidentally finds their hiding spot.  Like most animals with a fearsome reputation, Moray Eels are mostly harmless to people, only retaliating in self-defense when they feel provoked.

Review: Agent P's World Showcase Adventure

This month, Disney officially opened the mostly-complete conversion of World Showcase's former Kim Possible interactive attraction.  Now dubbed "Agent P's World Showcase Adventure," the conversion attempts to leverage the much more relevant and popular Phineas and Ferb animated show to refresh the existing attraction.  Although more changes are obviously on the way, the current attraction rather effectively re-purposes existing scenery and props, to the point where the uninformed will probably find no evidence that this is the second version of the experience.

Just like Kim Possible, the experience starts at one of several cast member manned stations near and around the World Showcase lagoon.  The plotline is that you're joining the O.W.C.A. (Organization Without a Cool Acronym) as an intern to help foil the ineffectually evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz, who is doing something ludicrously convoluted in one of 7 countries.  You receive your fancy video communication device, craftily disguised as a low-end Verizon phone, and traverse a World Showcase country following the plot and aiding Agent P, aka Perry the Platypus.  Most of your mission entails finding designated spots and either activating special effects or finding answers to scavenger hunt style questions.