Happy World Art Day! To celebrate, we asked you to submit your best animal art and you delivered!
Thank you for all of your creative work. Check out our winners below!
Ages 0-5
African Elephant
Artist: Lucy Byrne
Age: 5
Fun Fact: Elephants spray water with their trunks!
Ages 6-10
Flamingo
Artist: Megan Siefert
Age:10
Fun Fact: When flamingos eat, their head is positioned upside down.
Ages 11-16
Red Wolf
Artist: Chloe Frankey
Age: 12
Fun Fact: Red wolves only walk on their tippy toes.
Ages 17-25
Okapi
Artist: Kimberly Griggy
Age: 19
Fun Fact: Okapi are closely related to giraffes and have tongues that are 14-18 inches long, meaning they can lick their eyelids or even their ears! They are also masters at hide and seek, due to their stripes that act as camouflage, and their massive ears help them detect any intruders.
Ages 26-35
A father Okapi inspects his new baby
Artist: Amber Acord
Age: 30
Animal: Okapi
Fun Fact: Okapi were officially discovered in 1901. Before that, local tribes would tell stories about them but there were no confirmed sightings leading to the okapi being called the African unicorn, due to the myth-like legend they had become.
Ages 36-45
Biru
Artist: Tamara Jaeger
Age: 42
Animal: Red Panda
Fun Fact: Like giant pandas, red pandas have a modified wrist bone that acts like a thumb.
Age 46-55
Sea Turtle
Artist: Shannon Elmerick
Age: 48
Fun Fact: Sea turtles start out so small but just know what to do. They know they need to get to the water and know which direction to head towards the ocean. When it’s time for turtles to lay their eggs, they will return to the nest site where they were hatched and the process continues.
Age 55+
Tiger Cub
Name: Kathy Boyle
Age: 68
Fun Fact: Tigers are the largest of the big cats.
Thank you again to everyone who participated in our World Art Day contest! All of your artwork was beautiful!
If you miss seeing your favorite Akron Zoo animals, don't forget to visit us on social media. We will be posting a Lunch and Learn on Facebook at noon each day, where you can hear keeper talks, meet animal ambassadors and even experience live animal trainings! Plus, you can interact with us through chat features. Your questions may even be read on the air!
Our animals miss you and we hope to see you soon!