Just past the marionette theater, you'll see the entrance to the Shakespeare Garden , with 120 of the plant varieties that are mentioned in Shakespeare's plays. A quiet place to get inspiration for that Lit Hum paper or to have a picnic with a friend. Transparent walls in front of the pools allow you to see the graceful swimming motions of the polar bears and penguins. In a giant ant farm, thousands of leaf-cutting ants laboriously cutting bits of leaves and carry them to their nest. There are colobus monkeys in the Tropic Zone and snow monkeys outdoors on an island of their own.
Wildlife art is on exhibit in an indoor gallery.
The zoologists and veterinarians there conduct research on animal behavior, conservation genetics, population biology, ecological analysis, wildlife nutrition, and reproduction of endangered species. A good day to go is Wednesday, when admission fees are voluntary. Get off either at East Tremont or Pelham Parkway. In Coney Island, at the bottom of Brooklyn, you can visit the penguins, seals, otters, walruses, sea turtles, sharks and beluga whales at New York's Aquarium for Wildlife Conservation . Take the D or F train to West 8th Street in Brooklyn.