Let him eat cake! 'Granddad' the fish celebrates 80 years at aquarium

Oh, Granddad. If your gills could talk.

You traveled all the way from Sydney, Australia to Shedd Aquarium in Chicago back in 1933 so you could dazzle visitors to the “Century of Progress” World’s Fair. Most of the little boys who gawked at you then wore suspenders; the little girls wore dresses with wide collars.

Your wise demeanor and prehistoric appearance have cheered people up through the Great Depression, World War II, the race riots of the 1960s, the Vietnam War and beyond — and on Tuesday, you got a rare tribute: A celebration honoring you as the oldest fish in any zoo or aquarium on the planet.

Yes, Granddad the Australian lungfish has been swimming his way into visitors’ hearts at the Shedd Aquarium for 80 years now. Officials in Chicago and around the world are so excited about his happy, healthy tenure that they issued a formal proclamation about Granddad on Tuesday and surprised him with a visit from the Consul General of Australia, The Honorable Roger Price.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY WORLD'S BIGGEST CROCODILE!

BY ALLISON MEIER / 21 MAY 2013 

On the small teardrop of a landmass called Green Island on the Barrier Reef of Queensland, Australia, the population of crocodiles rivals that of humans. And among the 50 reptilian residents who dwell at the Marineland Melanesia crocodile habitat is a colossus known as Cassius, who holds the hefty title of the world's biggest crocodile. 

This month, the 17-foot-long Cassius celebrated his 110th birthday with a celebration capped by a giant cake of chicken necks, the Herald Sun reported. "He destroyed it in about 30 seconds," Billy Craig, Marineland Melanesia crocodile wrangler, noted to AAP. 

Cassius was caught back in 1984 when he was creating a nuisance by chomping on some motorboats. No one wanted the massive crocodile, so the family-owned Marineland Melanesia took him in. According to his Guiness World Record tribute, he's "thought to be a man-eater," but no evidence is presented. 

He's held the title of biggest crocodile in captivity since 2011, but was briefly dethroned by a proven man-eater: Lolong in the Philippines. Lolong was captured in 2011 after a schoolgirl's head was bitten off and a fisherman was devoured, the Telegraph reported. Yet that scaly behemoth died of an unexplained illness earlier this year, leaving Cassius, who is indeed named for the famed boxer, to again stand victorious.

Read on

Colo the western lowland gorilla celebrates her 56th birthday at Columbus zoo

A gorilla, which was the first to be born in a zoo, has celebrated her 56th birthday.

Colo, from Columbus Zoo in Ohio, decided to mark the occasion by snacking on tomatoes at her sanctuary in the US.

Visitors sang happy birthday to the western lowland gorilla, who was born at the animal park in 1956.

She also received presents, which she managed to open by herself and also feasted on a cake made by her zookeepers.

Continued:  http://metro.co.uk/2012/12/24/colo-the-western-lowland-gorilla-celebrates-her-56th-birthday-at-columbus-zoo-3328905/