A guide to who's up and when at the Phoenix Zoo

Nine a.m., and the turtles look mighty spry in their lagoon around the Phoenix Zoo.

See a slideshow of zoo photos

The adults above them? Less so. With eager children in one hand and a Starbucks in the other, they stagger across the entrance bridge in a semi-wakeful stupor. Some of us shine in the morning; some take a little longer.

It’s a lesson to keep in mind, as cool weather brings record numbers out to the zoo.

Yes, it’s kind of a buzz-kill to find the coati chilling in its night house, or a lion sleeping it off behind a shrub. But animals, like people, shine at different times. Knowing who’s up and when can maximize your wildlife experience.   

THE MORNING CREW

First, a disclaimer: You can’t promise good weather for a picnic or winnings at a casino. And you can’t expect your zoo animals to be Disney characters just because you attend.

“It depends on the animal, and the time of day,” the zoo’s Aimee Yamamori says. “You won’t see rhinos foraging all day, although there are times when they do that. When you do get those opportunities, it makes for a more engaging experience.” Most opportunities come in the morning.

“It’s a natural time for them to be active,” John Sills says. It’s just after 9, and Sills, the hoof-stock keeper, watches the zoo’s savannah as giraffes and the mammoth-horned Watusi cattle shake off the cobwebs. In the wild, first light means predators are gone.

At the zoo, it means recess. “We keep the giraffes, the cattle and the ostrich in the barn at night, and put them out just before we open (at 9 a.m.). So it’s a good time to catch them stretching their legs.”

Morning can also mean food, and the animated behaviors preceding it. At the meerkat enclosure, two of the little “Lion King” mammals stand sentry duty while the others wobble stiffly toward the light, like old men looking for coffee. “They love to bask in the sun,” meerkat keeper Heather Vetter says. “They’ll do it even before they eat.” Their South African heritage makes meerkats very heat tolerant — and good viewing through early afternoon. Their big pick-me-up comes around 11 a.m., when Vetter’s rattle on the enclosure door — and the prospect of fresh grub worms — sets them standing like frisky freshmen at the homecoming dance.

At the elephant enclosure, late morning finds keeper Steven Koyle with an audience of flailing trunks.

“Mornings are good because it’s cool,” he says, as 8,000-pound Shena and 8,900-pound Indu rattle treats out of their beer kegs. “Feeding time is also good. We have a feeding at 12:30 p.m., (people) can throw them carrots — these girls love carrots — and a trail guide will talk.” Animals dial back their vigor as the day wears on.

“The exception is overcast days. A day that doesn’t look like a good day to go to the zoo, can be a good day. The heat is less of a factor, and you’ll see some interesting behaviors.”

THE DAY SHIFT

Interesting behaviors don’t stop at noon. But visitors need be more selective. Entrance kiosks and zoo map inserts can help you find who’s up and out. But the trick is to focus more on hot-weather animals, keeper presentations and midday feedings.

“We always have a healthy crowd,” primate keeper Bob Keesecker says. It’s 1 p.m. and warm, but there’s plenty of jostling at the orangutan exhibit — by the humans jockeying to see them. “We’re one of the top attractions, behind the elephants, lions and tigers. Of course, I think we’re No. 1.” Orangutans, rain forest creatures, are hot-weather hardy. They’re less active in the heat, but their family dynamic still makes good theater.

“Kasha, the baby, is 2 now, and pretty independent,” Keesecker says. The hairy orange youngster is a tireless acrobat, climbing ropes, nets and roommates in her multilevel enclosure. “It’s fun to watch her antagonize Duchess (her grandmother), who pretends she doesn’t like her. But later, you’ll catch the two of them playing.”

As the temperature rises, zoos use educational programming to fill the midday gaps.

“Cleo is a blue macaw,” Josh Crabtree says, touring the aisle with a feathered cast member on his hand. “Macaws are very smart, they develop the intelligence of a (human) 3-year-old.” We’re in the new Enchanted Forest Amphitheater, for the 1:30 p.m. showing of “Wild About Animals,” where Crabtree, co-host Danielle Parker and a cast of toad, hornbill, macaw, iguana and boa constrictor show off animal traits and conservation principles. “It’s educational,” he says, “but we also try to make it entertaining.”

But to monkeys, nothing says “entertainment” like raspberry jam on a rope.

“It’s behavioral enrichment,” keeper Amber Rindy says, of the jellied treats that draw the nimble squirrel monkeys out from the shady palm branches and onto the ropes above Monkey Village. “It gives them a chance to forage.” It also provides plenty of midafternoon high jinks as they dangle and swing after treats. “It’s fun to watch,” she says. “And from their side, it’s good people-watching, too.”

Like many of the critters it animates, the cool weather will soon retire.

So seize the morning and cover it all; or seize the afternoon and pick your spots.

But do it before the heat leaves you locked in with “Animal Planet.”

The Phoenix Zoo

When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (hours change after June 1)
Where: 455 N. Galvin Parkway
Cost: $14 adults, $9 seniors 60 and older, $6 for children 3-12
Information: (602) 273-1341 or www.phxzoo.org