Fun Facts about some of the animals at the Pretoria Zoo

Posted in Nature & Outdoors | Tourism | Tourist Attractions

Lions

Lions are the second largest big cat species in the world (behind tigers).

The average male lion weighs around 180 kg, while the average female lion weighs around 130 kg.

The heaviest lion on record weighed an amazing 375 kg.

Lionesses

Lionesses hunt, protect and nurture and do so while serving (not in a slave way, now, but in the helper sense of the word) the alpha lion of the pride.

So the lioness – as part of her duties in the pride – hunts and brings food to the lion, protects him from attackers and other prey, and warns him of impending attack.

Emus

Emus are the second largest bird in the world. What’s first? Why the ostrich of course!

They can grow up to 2m tall. They can live between ten and twenty years in the wild.

They are covered in soft fluffy feathers.

They have two sets of eyelids, one for blinking and the other for keeping the dust out!

White Tigers

Why are white tigers so rare?

They’re simply tigers that are born with white fur. White fur is a very rare genetic mutation. It occurs in the wild possibly in as few as 1 in 10,000 wild tiger births.

Normal tiger behavior in the wild prevents the kind of inbreeding that would be necessary to produce white cubs.

Springboks

Why do Springboks jump?

A good means of rapid escape or jumping over obstructions.

However, this cannot be true in Thomson’s gazelles because these prey animals do not stot when a predator is less than approximately 40 m away.

An anti-ambush behavior; animals living in tall grass may leap into the air to detect potential predators.

Zebras

Zebras are part of the equidae family along with horse and donkeys.

Every zebra has a unique pattern of black and white stripes.

There are a number of different theories which attempt to explain zebras unique stripes with most relating to camouflage.

Rhinoceros

Rhinoceroses are herbivores (plant eaters).

Rhinoceroses have thick, protective skin.

Relative to their large body size, rhinoceroses have small brains.

Rhinoceroses horns are made from a protein called keratin, the same substance that fingernails and hair are made of.

The name rhinoceros means ‘nose horn’ and is often shortened to rhino.

All five species of rhinoceros can grow to weigh over 1000 kg.

White rhino can weigh over 3500 kg.

White rhinoceroses are generally considered the second largest land mammal (after the elephant).

Chimpanzees

Chimpanzees are omnivores which mean that they eat both plants and animals.

They like to eat fruit, insects, eggs and meat.

Chimpanzees thumb is in opposition with other fingers which means that their thumb is not in the same line with other four fingers (just like in human hands).

Hippopotamuses

Hippos are considered the second largest land animal on Earth. Males measure around 3.5 m long and 1.5 m tall, and can weigh up 3,200 kg.

To stay cool in the blistering African heat, hippos spend most of their day in rivers and lakes. Their eyes, nose and ears are located on the top of their head, which means they can see and breathe whilst submerged in the water. What’s more, these super-cool creatures sweat an oily red liquid which helps protect their skin from drying out – and acts as a sunblock, too! Cool, huh?

Hippos are most active at night, when they forage for food. They are herbivores, and eat mostly grass – and boy do they eat grass! In just one night, they can guzzle down up to 35 kg of their favourite grub!

In the wild hippos live for around 40 years. In captivity, they tend to live longer and may reach up to 50 years old.

Giant Plated Lizard

The Giant Plated Lizard, Matobosaurus validus, favours rocky outcrops where the live in small colonies.

They are omnivores and are one of our larger lizard species.

They occur in the warmer bushveld areas in southern Africa.

Chris de Beer – Curator: Reptile Park

Ostriches

The common ostrich, or simply ostrich, is a species of large flightless bird native to Africa. It is one of two extant species of ostriches, the only living members of the genus Struthio in the ratite order of birds.

Speed: 70 km/h (Maximum, Adult, Running)

Gemsbok

The gemsbok, gemsbuck or South African oryx is a large antelope in the genus Oryx.

It is native to the arid regions of Southern Africa, such as the Kalahari Desert.

Some authorities formerly included the East African oryx as a subspecies.

African Elephants

African elephants are elephants of the genus Loxodonta. The genus consists of two extant species: the African bush elephant, L. africana, and the smaller African forest elephant, L. cyclotis. Loxodonta is one of two existing genera of the family Elephantidae.

Lifespan: African bush elephant: 60 – 70 years, African forest elephant: 60 – 70 years

Did you know: For the African elephants, tusks are present in both males and females, and are around the same length in both sexes, reaching up to 3 m (10 ft), but those of males tend to be thicker.

Giraffes

The giraffe is a genus of African even-toed ungulate mammals, the tallest living terrestrial animals and the largest ruminants. The genus currently consists of one species, Giraffa camelopardalis, the type species. Seven other species are extinct, prehistoric species known from fossils.

Did you know: Giraffes feed mainly from acacia and commiphora (myrrh) trees.

Gazelle

The dama gazelle, addra gazelle, or mhorr gazelle is a species of gazelle. It lives in Africa in the Sahara desert and the Sahel. This critically endangered species has disappeared from most of its former range due to overhunting and habitat loss, and natural populations only remain in Chad, Mali, and Niger.

Did you know: It browses on various desert shrubs and acacias, and it eats rough desert grasses in times of drought.

Sable Antelope

The sable antelope is an antelope which inhabits wooded savannah in East Africa south of Kenya, and in Southern Africa, with a population in Angola.

Did you know: Sable antelope are most active during the early morning and late afternoon.

Vultures

The Cape griffon or Cape vulture, also known as Kolbe’s vulture, is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae. It is endemic to southern Africa, and is found mainly in South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana and in some parts of northern Namibia.

Did you know: The Cape vulture occurs in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

Tapir

A tapir is a large, herbivorous mammal, similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile nose trunk. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia.