bunch of bamboo before reaching a clearing where aviaries have housed emerald starlings and other species. A thatched-roof gift shop and a food stand are located in a plaza near by. Immediately to the right is the red river hog exhibit, which also houses De Brazza's monkey, Allen's swamp monkey, the red-tailed monkey and the spotted-necked otter. The plaza leads to a bridge flanked by the red river hog exhibit on one side and an exhibit that only the small monkeys and otters can access on the other. Across the bridge is a creek where the otters can swim, with viewing both above and below the water's surface. Afterwards, the path joins the rest of the zoo. Elephant Odyssey This exhibit opened on May 23, 2009, on the site of the former Hoof and Horn Mesa area, and was met with mixed reviews. The main feature of the exhibit is the elephant habitat—more than three times the size of the zoo's former elephant exhibit Elephant Mesa (now the "Urban Jungle" exhibit area). Currently a herd of five, the herd includes three females and two twin brothers. It consists of a blended herd of three African bush elephants named Shaba, two new juveniles from the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and Reid Park Zoo named Tsandizkle and Inhlonipho, and two Asian elephants named Devi and Mary. Elephant Odyssey also features a glimpse of the past, with the Fossil Portal and life-size statues of ancient creatures of Southern California next to exhibits of their modern-day counterparts. The ancient life represented include the Columbian mammoth, the saber-toothed cat, the American lion, the Daggett's eagle, a Merriam's teratorn, the dwarf pronghorn, the dire wolf, the short-faced bear and the Jefferson's ground sloth. Elephant Odyssey's other animal exhibits include lions, jaguars, Baird's tapirs, capybaras, pronghorns, Linnaeus's two-toed sloths, Kirk's dik-diks, secretary birds, black-billed magpies, dung beetles, three species of rattlesnakes, desert tarantulas, toads, newts, frogs, dromedary camels, horses, burros, guanacos, llamas, western pond turtles, common ravens and California condors. The zoo's formerly extensive ungulate collection was significantly reduced with the demolition of Horn and Hoof Mesa. The Fossil Portal is an artificial tar pit that periodically drains to reveal man-made Pleistocene-era bones. The path turns a corner and opens up at the Mammoth Passage Plaza, with exhibits for jaguars and lions which has a lion exhibit to the left which houses a lion named Ernest