This week has been a double celebration for some of our most popular and intelligent animals here at the Zoo. Our two sea lions Marvin and Clive share their birthday on the 11th of June! Marvin is turning 17 whilst the huge Clive is becoming 23! Both boys could live up to the age of 30 and live with two other males called Miguel and Merlin as part of our bachelor group. As a birthday treat they received lots of their favourite fish mackerel and sprats! Yum.
The African lion is a very large cat. Lions once roamed throughout southern Europe, Africa and southwest Asia. Today the African lion can only be found in sub-Saharan Africa and a small pocket of Asiatic lions are found in southern India.
The Sumatran tiger is the smallest of the tigers, compared to the Siberian tiger which is the largest. The stripes of the Sumatran tiger are narrower than other tigers and they have larger manes. The males are bigger than the females but they still only reach 2.5m in length. Their small size allows them to travel through the dense Sumatran rainforest with ease.
The hippopotamus, literally translated, means river horse. They spend their days in water as their skin is very susceptible to sun-burning. They are herbivores consuming between 1 and 1.5% of their body weight in vegetation every day!
Humboldt Penguins live in small colonies along the Pacific coastline of Chile and Peru. Like all Penguins, Humboldt’s are flightless marine birds, which have adapted superbly for life in the sea, they have flipper like wings and webbed feet which enable them to “fly” gracefully through the water at speeds of up to 15mph. Penguins feed on small fish such as sardines, mullet and anchovies.
Has anyone ever made a Warthog birthday cake before? Well on the 29th of May we celebrated our male Troy’s 9th birthday in style! Troy is a Common Warthog from Sub-Saharan Africa and he lives in our hog section within Children’s Planet. He has a beautiful long mane on the top of neck and back as well as two curves tusks.
Originally commissioned by King George III in the early 19th century, today the Mansion House at Flamingo Land has been restored to its former glory. Set in 375 acres of parkland estate, it is a fine example of classic Georgian architecture, providing an idyllic backdrop that will make your special day truly unique.
This week is a very exciting time here at Flamingo Land as it’s not only May half term but also ‘Love your zoo week’ which is an annual nationwide event where BIAZA members promote the great work that they do towards education, conservation and research. BIAZA stands for the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums which is the professional body representing the best zoos and aquariums in the UK and Ireland.
The White Rhino can grow as tall as 6.5 feet (2 metres) and 13 feet (4 metres) long. It weighs about 5000 pounds (2300kg).
Clumsy on land, but changing to graceful acrobats once in the ocean, a sea lion in the water is a magnificent sight. Their effortless twists, turns and porpoising through the water easily show why a sea lion is such a good underwater hunter.
Donkeys are smallest member of the horse family and originated in Africa. They descended from the African Wild Ass which is also one of the most endangered animals in the world.
Alpacas are part of the Camelidae family, which includes llamas, guanacos and vicunas from South America, and Bactrian and Dromedary camels from Asia and Africa. Alpacas were domesticated more than 6,000 years ago due to the quality of their fleece.
Warthogs are quite closely related to domestic pigs, but present a much different appearance. As their name suggests, they have a large, flat head which is covered with “warts,” which are actually protective bumps. The hair on their bodies is fairly thin, but have thicker areas on the top of their heads and down the middle of their backs
You can find three different species of zebra in the wild, namely Plains zebra, mountain zebra and Grevy’s zebra. Here at Flamingo Land we have Grant’s zebras, which are a subspecies of Plains zebra, and in fact the smallest one found.
Visayan warty pigs share characteristics typical in wild pigs. They possess medium-sized, barrel-shaped bodies and short legs. They have short necks, longish heads, small eyes, prominent snouts ending in a disk-like nose, and tusks which are upturned lower canines.
Our swamp wallabies are located in our wallaby walkway, however in the wild they are found mostly down the east-coast of Australia from the northernmost areas of Cape York in Queensland, down the entire east coast and around to south-western Victoria.
The mongoose lemur is fairly small with soft bushy fur which is grey in colour with lighter bellies. The females have cream coloured cheeks, young males are born with white cheeks and beard which then turn red as they mature. Both males and females have bright red-orange eyes.
Despite its name, the red panda is not related to the giant panda. It is more closely related to racoons. However, both the red and giant panda are native to China, eat mainly bamboo and have a wrist bone which can be used as a thumb.
Our peafowl are free roaming so they are very easy to spot whilst walking around the zoo. They are very friendly which is why we are able to allow them to wander around the park and not keep them within an enclosure. Peafowl are very vocal animals, particularly in breeding season. They display a selection or various calls to each other ranging from honks to meow-like calls.
Out of the 13 species of otters in the world, the Asian short clawed otter is the smallest, reaching less than a metre in length when fully grown. Native to South East Asian countries, such as India, China, Malaysia and Indonesia, these animals are found in habitats where there is water and land, and thus have a varied omnivorous diet.
