Largest of the Gibbon species, Siamang Gibbons have a glossy, black shaggy coat, dark hairless face, long fingers and arms which are longer than legs. A Siamang Gibbon’s arms can span a huge 1.5 metres. Siamangs possess an impressive throat sac, which they use for territorial calling. Territorial calls can last 10-15 min and can be heard over a distance of 1.5-2kms.
Siamang Gibbons are territorial and actively defend their home ranges, with territories overlapping with other primate species. It is the only example in the world where 3 non-human apes coexist.

Diet

Omnivorous, consisting of fruits and leaves, Siamang also eat a small amount of insects, bird eggs and small vertebrates.

Social

Siamangs live in small monogamous family groups of up to 8, usually consisting of a dominant breeding pair and their immature offspring. Grooming is one of the most important social activities that cement social bonds.

Endangerment

Habitat loss due to logging, clearing for palm oil plantations and agriculture, poaching and hunting for the illegal pet trade. Also susceptible to zoonotic disease.

Ring Tiled Lemurs ‘sun worship’ which means they face their tummies to the sun and stretch their arms out wide to warm themselves up.

Ring-tailed Lemurs live in groups of 5-25 animals with the females making up a well-ordered hierarchy that dominates over males. Female lemurs remain in the group whilst males join other groups, thus we have a group of males on the islands at Mogo.

Diet

Ring-Tailed Lemurs diet consists mainly of fruit, leaves, flowers, bark, sap and the occasional invertebrate. Due to the fact that the vegetation in forests inhabited by these lemurs is sparse and non-continuous, they are often found traveling on the ground.

Social

Ring-tailed Lemurs live in groups of 5-25 animals with the females making up a well-ordered hierarchy that dominates over males.

Endangerd

Unfortunately Ring-Tailed Lemur populations are rapidly declining in the wild, with around 50% of their natural habitat having been destroyed in the past 35 years. This steep decline in numbers has left them classified as an “Endangered” species on the IUCN red list.
The forests that Ring-Tailed Lemurs prefer are quickly being converted to farmland, overgrazed by livestock, or harvested for charcoal production. Ring-tailed lemurs are also hunted for food in certain areas of their range and are frequently kept as pets.
Fortunately, they are found in several protected areas in southern Madagascar, but the level of protection varies widely in these areas offering only some populations refuge from hunting and habitat loss.

White Rhinos are the most social and largest of the 5 Rhino sub-species. Rhinos live an average of 50 years in captivity. They graze in groups of up to 7. Although calves are weaned from their mother at around 12 months old, they usually stay with their mothers up until about 3 years old.

You may be surprised that Rhinos communicate with each other using their ears, nostrils, posture and complex breathing for communication and expression. These sounds can cary from calf squeaking, to snarling, or wailing by adults.

Natural behavior

White Rhino feed and rest alternately during the day and night, often resting in the hottest part of the day. Males live in small territorial ranges. Female home ranges are larger and may overlap several male territories. Home ranges are scent posted with dung heaps, also known as middens and usually located at territory boundaries. The size of the midden represents the rhino’s status

Description

White Rhino are one of the heaviest land animals in the world. Colouration is yellowish brown to slate grey. They produce 2 horns on their snout, made from keratin which can grow up to 1.8 meters in length. White rhino have a distinct flat broad mouth for grazing. All rhinos have poor eyesight but good hearing and a good sense of smell

Distribution

Southern Africa, with smaller trans located populations found in Kenya, Namibia and Zimbabwe

Diet

Herbivore; grazing mostly on grass

Reproduction

Breeding occurs throughout the year, after courtship and mating which lasts during 1 to 3 weeks. Males use scent to determine when females are approaching estrus. The territorial bull will join the female for up to 20 days until she is ready to mate

Social structure

Mother and calf stay together for long periods, often until the next calf is born, around 3 years. Sexually mature males tend to lead solitary lives

Threats

Habitat loss and poaching, horns for use in traditional Chinese medicine

Our wildlife parks at Hunter and Mogo both home lions. These magnificent creatures are usually tawny or a sand colour, but can also be white due to a receive gene ‘leucism’.

Lions can run at about 55km/h but their prey average around 80km/h. To get around this they must get as close as possible to their dinner without being seen and then explode from hiding, relying on surprise and brute force. Female lions are the original ‘stalkers’.

Diet

Lions are strictly carnivorous, relying on a diet of Buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, roan, sable, springbok, gemsbok, kob, impala, Warthog, waterbuck, haribeest and other animals.

Social and Breeding

Female lions are the stable presence in the pride. They are responsible for cub rearing and most of the hunting, as well as contributing significantly to the defense of the pride.
Females are the active hunters possessing a balance of speed, power, stealth and endurance that the much larger males struggle to match. Males are primarily responsible for patrolling, marking and defending the pride range as well as mating, but it is the female members that keep the pride together and functioning, often surviving several pride takeovers by various coalitions of males.

Gorillas are the largest of the primate family and the closest to Homo Sapiens, sharing 98% of our DNA structure. They live in family groups and are very sociable animals.

There are two main groups of Gorillas, Western and Eastern Gorillas, both with sub species.

Habitat

Primarily found in lowland tropical forest particularly where there is dense ground level herbaceous growth, swap forest with new growth and hot and humid with year round rainfall

Natural behavior

Gorillas are Diurnal; living in home ranges, which may overlap. Sleeping for about 13 hrs over night and resting for several hrs during the day. Generally peaceful, shy and amiable unless threatened, although males will beat chest with fists to intimidate or show strength. Gorillas build day and night nests on the ground using branches and leaves.

Distribution

Southern Sudan and southern Ethiopia, east of the Nile River to southern Angola and northern Namibia and northern South Africa

Diet

Primarily herbivores eating over 200 types of plants, also feeding on flowers, wood, bark, leaves, fruit and fungus.

Reproduction

No fixed breeding season and mating occurs throughout the year. Once born infants are carried by the mother and by 3 months are able to crawl and cling to their mother. Females provide young with transportation, food as well as protection.

Social structure

Gorilla group sizes average 10, called a troop, composed of at least one adult male, several adult females and their offspring. Groups are lead by the dominant male called a silverback. ( silverbacks have grey hair on their backs which develops with sexual maturity at around 11 years of age.) Mature males called ‘blackbacks’ are driven out by silverbacks and form bachelor groups or their own families with lower ranking females.

Threats

Commercial hunting, Habitat destruction, Disease; Ebola virus, illegal mining, adults poached for bush meat leaving orphaned youngsters to be subjected to the illegal pet trade.

Red Pandas are predominantly nocturnal or crepuscular animals. They live in trees, making them arboreal. Territorial, both sexes mark their territory.
Due to a diet naturally poor in nutrients they have extremely slow metabolisms and spend half the day resting.
Red Pandas have reddish brown fur on their backs and heads with a glossy back underside and leg. Their muzzle, cheeks and ear are white. Alternating light and dark rings decorate their tail.
Quick Facts
Gestation: 4 – 5 months
Maturity: 18 months
Lifespan: 8 – 12 years
Predators: snow leopards

Diet

Red Pandas are omnivores. Although their diet consists almost entirely of young bamboo leaves and shoots, they also eat eggs, fruit, roots, birds, rodents, acorns, and insects.

Breeding and Social Structures

Breeding occurs once a year in early winter and mating is performed on the ground. Females line tree hollows or crevices with nesting material. Cubs are born and remain in these nests for the first few months of life. Males have a small or nonexistent role in raising young.

Red Pandas are predominately solitary forming pairs only during breeding, rarely interacting outside mating.
Females spend the first 1-1.5 years with their offspring.

Why are Red Pandas Endangered?

Red Pandas are considered and endangered species.  This may be because of poaching for wild meat, medicine, pelts & pets, and from habitat destruction due to the limber and agricultural industry.

Common Wombats are a short, robust marsupial native to south-east Australia and Tasmania. They can grow to an average length of 90-120cm, and can weigh anywhere from 20-39kgs. They have course brown fur, small slightly pointed ears and a round black nose. The toes on their front feet all face forwards to aid in digging, and the claws on the back toes are long to aid in digging and grooming. Due to their natural digging behaviours, wombats have developed a backward-facing pouch, to avoid dirt flying into it. Common Wombats have a hard, cartilaginous plate in their lower back and rump, which they use for protection against predators. The Common Wombat has a lifespan of 15-20 years in captivity, and 10-15 years in the wild.

Diet

Common Wombats are a herbivorous species, feeding on grass, roots and leaves.

Social organisation and Reproduction

Common Wombats are a solitary animal, coming together only for breeding, which can occur almost any time of year. Usually one joey is born, approximately 30 days after mating occurs. As with all marsupials, Common Wombats are a marsupial, and joeys will develop in the female’s pouch. Common Wombat joeys usually remain in the pouch for the first 8-10 months of development, and then spend the next 10-12 months developing out of the pouch, but remaining with their mother. Joeys will feed on milk from the pouch until the age of 12-15 months, at which time it will feed completely on solid foods.