Australia Zoo
Giraffes are the tallest land animal in existence. Males reach heights of 5.5 meters (18 ft) and weigh up to 1900kg. At birth, calves are approx 1.8 meters (6ft) tall and weigh approximately 50-55kg. Giraffes have extremely long necks which they use to reach browse high in the trees. Surprisingly, they have only seven vertebrae in their neck - the same as humans, mice and most other mammals! However, the vertebrae in a giraffe’s neck are far more elongated. (Giraffa camelopardalis) Habitat Giraffes are native to Africa and are reasonably widespread. They are found in open woodlands and savannah habitats. Diet A very long neck allows giraffes to reach all the leaves that the smaller browsing animals cannot. In fact, the only competition giraffes have for food is the elephant which can use its trunk to reach branches, or simply push the tree over! Giraffes are selective browsers feeding mainly from varieties of Acacia and Combretum plant species. From time to time, they are seen eating vines, herbs or even chewing on bones for extra minerals. They spend a whopping 16-20 hours-per-day browsing. Giraffes have a prehensile tongue which they use like fingers by curling it around the leaves to pluck them easily from the branch. Their tongue is very long– growing up to 40cm in length! Communication Giraffes are quiet animals and generally rely on sight as their primary sense. However, they do possess vocal chords which allow them to make a variety of sounds. Adults bellow, grunt and make a whistling noise, while calves bleat and moo. They are also able to communicate with infra-sound; a low frequency sound which is undetectable to humans. http://www.australiazoo.com.au/our-animals/mammals/giraffe
AZ 05 Black & White Ruffled Limur
These cheeky lemurs can be easily recognised by their long black and white-ringed tails. They are very social and live in troops which are lead by the dominant female lemur. Yes that’s right, the girls are the boss of Lemur troops! Troop sizes range from 11 to 17 generally, however numbers into the high 20s have been recorded. They live in multi male, multi female groups centred around related females and their offspring. Habitat Ring-tailed Lemurs live along the south and south western portion of Madagascar. They can be found in a variety of forests such as, rainforests, gallery, deciduous and spiny bush forests. Diet Their diet consists of fruit, leaves, flowers, other plant parts and the occasional insect and small vertebrates. http://www.australiazoo.com.au/our-animals/mammals/lemurs/black-and-white-ruffed-lemur
this image is not for Sale Cheetah are not classed as 'big cats'. Big cats have the ability to roar - cheetahs have instead retained the ability to purr, just like your domestic cat at home. (Acinonyx jubatus) The cheetah has a slender, elongated body supported on tall, thin legs with blunt semi-retractable claws and a flattened rudder-like tail that measures half of the cheetah's head and body length. Black "tear marks" run down the face from the corner of the eyes down to the mouth. It is believed that the "tear marks" aid in hunting by helping to keep the sun out of the eyes. The coat colour is tan with evenly spaced black spots. The coat is coarse and short. Adult body length 112-135cm; tail length 66-84cm; shoulder height 73-90cm; weight 34-65kg. Habitat Cheetahs prefer vast areas of open country, such as grassy plains or savannahs, although they can survive in a variety of different habitats including open woodlands, semi-desert, sandy plains, dense vegetation, and mountainous terrain. Diet Cheetahs are diurnal meaning they are active during the day. Cheetahs usually hunt in the late morning and early evening. They capture their prey by stalking until the prey is within 10-30 metres before initiating the chase. Because cheetahs store heat internally they will only chase over very short distances before they must stop and cool down. Chases usually last around 20 seconds and no longer than 1 minute. About half of all chases are successful. Cheetahs use a bite to the throat in order to suffocate their prey. Their diet consists of Thomson's and Grant's gazelles, springbok, reedbuck, waterbuck, kudu, steenbok, duiker, warthog, hare, game birds, and wildebeest. Because of their relatively small size in comparison to other large predators in Africa, cheetahs commonly lose 10-50% of their kills to lions, hyaenas and leopards. Cheetahs are well adapted to living in arid environments and are not obligate drinkers. They appear to be able to satisfy their moisture requirements from their prey's blood and urine or by eating tsama melons. Breeding Cheetah breed once a year. The female raises the cubs ranging from 2-8 (but usually 3 or 4) herself. They will stay with her for up to two years. Survival Threats The primary threat to the cheetah is loss of habitat due to human settlement and agriculture. Decline in prey, poaching, and indiscriminate trapping and shooting as a livestock predator also threaten the survival of the cheetah throughout its range. As a protected species in Namibia, people are allowed to remove cheetahs only if they pose a threat to livestock or human life. Unfortunately, some farmers will capture cheetahs indiscriminantly, often removing or killing those that have not taken any livestock. In North Africa and Iran, severe depletion of the prey base has brought cheetahs to near extinction. Distribution Once widely distributed throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America, the cheetah can now only be found scattered in various countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and a small population in Iran. The major strongholds of the cheetah are in eastern and southern Africa, primarily Kenya, Tanzania, and Namibia. Only 10,000 cheetahs remain in 25 African countries and a further 100 cheetahs survive in Iran. The largest population of cheetahs occurs in Namibia where 95 percent of wild cheetahs live on commercial farms. http://www.australiazoo.com.au/our-animals/mammals/cheetahs
Tiger fur is usually coloured with black stripes on a orange base and white underbelly. White tigers are rare with dark pink noses and blue eyes. Stripeless tigers have also been recorded but are the rarest to be seen. Tigers have the largest canine teeth of any land carnivores, and they have extremely powerful jaws. Habitat The Bengal tiger is a large, striped cat found in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Burma. It lives in a variety of habitats, including rainforests and dense grasslands. Diet Tigers, as with all animals at the top of the food chain, help balance populations. When a tiger has eaten its portion, the leftovers become food for a an array of other mammals, reptiles and birds. Tigers are meat eaters (carnivores). Their prey includes small to medium sized mammals like badgers, rabbits, boars, deer and wild cattle ranging in size from 25-1000kg. Their hunting method is a slow patient stalk through cover until they are close enough for the final spring. The usual method of killing is to ambush their prey from behind and bite its neck, killing it instantly. Approximately, only one hunt in 20 is successful. The tiger will then drag the kill to a safe place where they will consume it. Tigers can eat as much as 30-40 kilograms of meat in one sitting and can then go for days at a time without eating anything at all. http://www.australiazoo.com.au/our-animals/mammals/tigers/bengal-tiger
Isn't he just beautiful? The blue-and-gold macaw is not a species of bird which is native to the Australian country side. This macaw is very easily recognised by its stunning golden chest, large white cheek patch and a beautiful blue back and tail. One of seven species inhabiting the Amazon Basin, the blue and gold macaw is definitely one of the worlds more stunning parrots. Belonging to the parrot family, the blue-and-gold macaw will quite often be seen in very large flocks, even mixing with a range of other species without any conflict occurring. Each individual macaw has a unique pattern of feathers on the bare patch of skin on its face. This can almost be used as a fingerprint to identify individual birds. Their very long and colourful tail they use as a rudder and a brake when flying through the forest canopy. Habitat Like all of the macaws this particular species can be found inhabiting a vast range of the forests in and around the central northern regions of South America. Diet This particular species is very adept at utilising its rather large beak to break into even the toughest nut, yet it can also delicately remove fruits and berries to eat as well. Bird Size Of the sixteen species of macaws found throughout South America, the blue-and-gold macaw is definitely up there in regards to parrot size. Averaging between 900 and 1200 grams and with a body length of almost two feet, this particular species belongs to one of the most well recognised group of birds any where in the world. http://www.australiazoo.com.au/our-animals/birds/exotic-parrots/blue-and-gold-macaw
This image is not for sale
Family is everything
This image is not for sale Terri Irwin at the Crocoseum https://www.australiazoo.com.au/visit-us/exhibits/the-crocoseum/
