Check out Crococun, on the highway between Cancun and Puerto Morelos (just north of Pto. Morelos), and have a ball on a guided tour learning about exotic animals, only some of which bite!

We've been driving by this place for years and finally stopped to take a peek inside.  What we found was a rambling exhibit of local and exotic animals, very well maintained, with multi-lingual guides who really seemed to know their stuff.  This is a great place to take children and perfectly safe since most of the animals are in large pens and exhibits.  Everything is outside in the lush jungle.  The tour consists of a walk down a winding jungle path as your guide talks about the animals and answers your questions.  Every so often he stops to pick one up to show you something.  Our guide, Daniel, didn't hesitate to hold many of these animals, including our reptilian friend Senor Crocodile (Daniel still had 2 hands and 10 fingers, I checked). 

There were also birds, snakes, wildcats, coati, peccaries, turtles, deer, wild hairless Mayan dogs, monkeys, lizards and I can't remember what else.  I want to stress that this IS a petting zoo, so try not to break into a sweat when Daniel picks up a croc and asks, "Do YOU want to hold him?" };>O  I just said, "No thanks, I only hold females".  Fortunately, he located one and handed it to me so I wasn't disappointed.

A good time is easy to have at Crococun, and they have a snack bar and souvenir stand for mementos (no crocodile luggage).  So if your passing by and you have an hour, stop, you won't regret it.