f you are an animal lover and would like to have your own zoo then get your wish fulfilled by having a virtual zoo of your own at Switcheroo Zoo or Switch Zoo (http://switchzoo.com).

What is unique about this site is that it allows you to make new animals by switching the different parts of different animals! Imagine an elephant having a monkey’s head! Well, there are 142 species in Switch Zoo to choose from and start your own zoo. The site also features animal games, music performed using animal voices, a reference section for information about all of the animals in Switch Zoo, lesson plans, and poetry, stories and artwork created by students and visitors.

The menu on the left tells about how to play Switch Zoo and there is a site map there too. To play, you must have Flash Player 7 or greater installed in your computer. On top of the home page are the three main activity options of the site: ‘Make and Play’, ‘Watch and Listen’ and ‘Teach and Learn’.

To create your own animal, there are nine primary animals to choose from and the animal you choose will be kept in the environment suitable for it. So your zoo will not only have different animals but different habitats too. But before starting you can click on the Guided Tour: Make New Animals, to be guided as you make the animal of your choice.

There are educational games and activities that tell you a lot about the animal kingdom while you are having fun. Build an Online Habitat is an educational game where you have to choose animals and match them to the environment best suited for them.

Feeding Time at Switcheroo Zoo tests your knowledge of animals’ diets while in Scavengers Hunt you have to spot scavengers and non-scavengers from groups of animals.

My favourite section in the site is Catch the Moment where you can try your hand at wildlife photography. You get a jungle scene and you need to look out for animals in their natural habitat, focus your camera (the mouse that is) and snap the shot before they disappear.

There just is so much to do and learn in this site that it will turn even those who are scared of cats into great animal lovers. — Rehan Jalal