One of the most amazing things you can experience here at Brookfield Zoo is an extremely close-up view of our lion, Makonnen, through the viewing window at The Fragile Kingdom. Here's a secret, though: he is probably relaxing just on the other side of the window because he's laying on a special rock that's been heated from underneath.
 
All throughout the zoo, we've provided many different animals with heated surfaces to give them some extra comfort, especially during cold weather. Adjacent to Makonnen's enclosure, the Amur leopards, Amur tigers, and sloth bears all enjoy "hot rocks," as these carefully disguised surfaces are known. Elsewhere around the zoo, animals as diverse as birds, wolves, and elephant shrews have the chance to perch or curl up near a heated surface.
 
We recently upgraded cold-weather accommodations for our baboons by providing hot rocks in six areas on the south side of Baboon Island and on pathways between the hot rocks and their night quarters.
 
Our reptiles and amphibians (or "herps") are different from mammals and birds because they're ectothermic, which means that they rely on sources of heat and cold outside of their bodies to warm and cool themselves. (That's why they can often be found basking in the sun or searching out shade in the wild.) As is the case with many of our other animals, by using heat sources, we can keep the reptiles and amphibians on exhibit all year round and in view of our guests. Plus, the herps need heat sources to maintain their appetite, shed their skin, and poop regularly.
 
We always keep a close eye on the temperature needs of all of the animals, but hot rocks allow us to provide for the specialized care of certain types of animals. There's not much magic involved: we just use standard technology to circulate heated liquids or to heat electrical coils under a surface. Sometimes we provide heat from lamps overhead.
 
It's tough to keep a coat on a snake or mittens on an elephant shrew, so heated surfaces are the next best thing.

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