Senior Academy: Think you know our planet’s animals? Think again!

Take an hour’s journey with us through seven continents to view 158 species of animals, many of them unfamiliar and exotic. Join us for a quick tour around the world in photographs and sound as you meet the animals who share our planet with us in Senior Academy’s presentation on Wednesday, November 20, 2 p.m. in Foothill. Yes, Joan Sparks returns to the Villages with her heralded collections of images to entertain and amaze us.

Meet the diverse and intriguing animals of Africa—some very well-known to us and others exotic enough to be unfamiliar. For instance—does a caracal or serval call anything to mind? Have you ever seen a white rhino? Probably not as they are incredibly rare.

Then, in South America, discover the currasow and capybara, but also take in a giant otter, or the more familiar iguana or jaguar. And travel to Madagascar to view lemurs and fossas. Plus wallaboos and wallabys; wombats and kookabara native to Australia. Six species of tigers, four species of lynx and several other small cats that you might not even be aware existed. Even the deep sea is not ignored, as Sparks will cover tropical fish and the elegant moon jellyfish. Then there are the species closer to home, too!

So, join Senior Academy and Joan Sparks for a rapid introduction to wildlife that she has photographed over a 10-year period. Sparks is an avid nature photographer who has shown at Filoli, the California Coastal Commission and various other Bay Area organizations. She is published in Birds and Bloom Magazine and several local newspapers, is a past president of several of the local photo clubs and has served on the Silicon Valley Open Studios Board of Directors for several years.

That’s Wednesday, November 20, 2 p.m. in Foothill. To register, go to VillagesSA.org or call Lucy Pousho at 510-406-1582. If you leave a message, please provide your full name and phone number.