Zookeepers at the London Zoo are taking their annual animal census with plans to expand their insect population.
The "stocktake" can last up to a month as employees meticulously count every mammal and invertebrate.
For bug colonies, handlers estimate numbers. The meerkat keepers have it much easier, even if the curious creatures get in the way or steal a pen or two.
And if that job doesn't sound fun enough, consider the folks who manage the aquariums. They'll spend up to four weeks counting 4,700 fish.
Handlers in the tarantula enclosure hope to increase the insect population by breeding Mexican Red-Kneed bird-eating spiders. A month ago, keepers discovered that one of the eight-legged females at the zoo was actually a male. D'oh!
Recent zoo additions include a baby western lowland gorilla, two golden-head lion tamarins, two two-toed sloths (say that three times, fast) and hundreds of tiny baby seahorses.
With animals born and dying each year, the head count is vital for keeping tabs on the zoo's inhabitants. The last inventory found there were more than 16,000 residents of the zoo made up of 726 different species.
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