What’s your zodiac in Wieland Wildlife Home?

We are all familiar with the astrological zodiac signs. While not necessarily based in science, they can shed some light on our personality traits. Whether you agree on them or not is entirely up to you. But in Wieland Wildlife Home, our animals let their personalities shine. See which animal you align with!

Aries: Slash, Florida pine snake

Aries is the leader of the zodiacs. They have an enthusiasm for life and are daring and adventurous. They are energetic and aggressive with a quick to anger nature. They are also just as quick to forgive and forget. Aries are independent and enjoy sharing their fiery personalities with the world. Slash is known for his fiery personality and ability to hiss extremely loud, thanks to a specialized epiglottis in his throat. Once he knows us keepers present no danger, he calms right down. He loves to explore everything around him and is a true trail blazer.

Taurus: Cocoa, Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth

Taurus tends to be more practical, valuing stability and security above all. They can be resistant to change and thus can be stubborn. They enjoy the finer things in life and as such will invest fully into their beliefs. At the end of the day, they are warm and gentle people. Cocoa likes to take life slow and steady, preferring to keep to his routine. He is gentle with everyone he meets and always happy to take any spare grapes you have. He loves to spend his sleeping hours curled up on his favorite shelf.

Gemini: Phoebe, Virginia opossum

Gemini are highly curious and adaptable. They have a unique ability to connect with others. However, they can have two sides to their personalities. One side they show off and the other they tend to keep hidden. Phoebe is quite the curious gal. Every time we work with her, she’s eager to come over and see what is new for the day. Her long whiskers and big eyes often win over the hearts of the guests she meets. Opossums have to ability to play dead if severely frightened, a side Phoebe does not display because of the wonderful care she receives.

Cancer: Sparkle Muffin, Chilean rose hair tarantula

Those represented by Cancer can have a tough exterior but are big softies once you get to know them. They are nurturing with strong family values. Often feeding off the energy of others, they can be moody or temperamental based on the people or situations around them. Sparkle Muffin’s tough exterior only helps to protect her from any would-be predators. Once she knows you are friend and not foe, she settles in to show you how much of a softie she can be. Females of this species will protect their eggs, so Sparkle Muffin is a true homemaker.

Leo: Finnegan, three-banded armadillo

Leos have a really big heart and love to live life to the fullest. Their confidence helps them to stand out from the crowd. They can be generous to those who they deem worthy of their affections. Finnegan has a large personality that he loves to share with anyone who will give him the time. He can easily steal a show when he runs across stage for our wildlife presentations. During exercise time, Finnegan will follow us around the building looking for some good chin scratches.

Virgo: Harriet, screaming hairy armadillo

Those represented by Virgo are very good problem solvers due to their hardworking and intelligent nature. They work very hard toward their goals with great tenacity. They also value consistency and productivity. Harriet is arguably one of the most intelligent and tenacious ambassadors living in Wieland Wildlife Home. She often gets the most difficult foraging enrichment compared to other animals because she will always try her hardest to be successful. She rarely fails in this regard. She is also very smart and motivated when it comes to learning new behaviors.

Libra: Long-tailed chinchillas: Stripe, Gizmo, Walnut

Libras are charismatic and social. They desire close relationships and jump headfirst when they find someone they connect with deeply. Libras prefer to surround themselves in beauty and luxury. They process emotions intellectually but can also be very sensitive. They will do their best to avoid conflict which can make them seem indecisive. Our long-tailed chinchilla siblings are the most social animals in our care. Most mornings, they can be found cuddled together sleeping before breakfast. They also enjoy the company of the keepers.  They are well groomed and pampered with their routine dust baths. Being a prey species, they are sensitive to any funny business in their habitat and can bounce away in the blink of an eye.

Scorpio: Indi, indigo snake

Scorpios are intense, intelligent, and passionate. They can easily charm others using their auras and strong minds to take charge. They can have an “all or nothing” view on the world and tend to be set in their ways. They navigate life like a game to be won and conquered. They can also be secretive and subtle. Indi has an uncanny ability to charm whoever she meets, guests and staff alike. Her deep indigo color clashes with the red on her face and neck giving her a strong fierce aura. She has a tenacity and desire to overcome any obstacles in her path. She often is hiding under mulch, only poking her head out for a quick view of her surroundings.

Sagittarius: Lesser Madagascar hedgehog tenrecs, Lance and Tiako

Sagittarians enjoy adventure and exploration above everything. They hunger for everything that life has to offer them. They rarely stay in one place, with an impulsive and restless nature. They were born to be free and this energy can bring them a natural form of luck. Lance and Tiako are quick little movers, often exploring every inch of their homes. Tenrecs in the wild are arboreal and spend their nights optimistically searching for their next insect meal. Their defensive spines make any would be predators think twice.

Capricorn: European rabbits, Aria and Diesel

Capricorns are ambitious, reserved, and patient. They value strong relationships and a domestic life. Their desire a strong life foundation which can make them very hard workers. Their sense of practicality makes them less emotional than others. Aria and Diesel have a strong relationship after living together since birth. They create a “domestic” life by working together to dig their burrows. This species is also the origin for all domestic rabbits in the world.

Aquarius: Prehensile-tailed skinks, Nonda and Solomon

Aquarians are intelligent and social. They are open to exploring new things in the world around them but hold fast to their core beliefs. They like to show themselves as unique and eccentric, differing from the rest of the world. Nonda and Solomon are very different from the rest of the skinks of the world. They have a prehistoric look about them and are the most protective parents of any other lizard in the world. These skinks will care for and protect their young, along with other individuals of their species, for up to a year after hatching. This rare phenomenon in the reptile world shows how unique and social they are.

Pisces: Gopher tortoises, Fina and Thor

Pisces are often called old souls. They often put others before themselves with their compassionate and sensitive nature. They make great friends and enjoy a strong social life with many different people. They can tune into energy that other people miss. Fina and Thor are the old souls of Wieland. Their true age is unknown but they first called Zoo Atlanta home in 1979 and 1983 respectively. Gopher tortoise burrows are used by over 300 species, making them social hotspots. These 300 species also rely on the tortoises to tune into the energy of the forest and signal when the coast is clear after a forest fire.

Zodiac descriptions taken from Thomas, Kyle. “Your Guide to All 12 Zodiac Signs: Dates, Symbols, Compatibility.” New York Post, New York Post, 12 Nov. 2021, https://nypost.com/article/zodiac-signs-dates-personality-traits/.

(Photo: Melanie S.)

Melanie S.
Keeper I, Ambassador Animals