Tag Archive | Lowery Park Zoo
Nearly Extinct!
A 98% decrease in the population of the gharial, a fish-eating crocodile on the Indian sub-continent, makes this species critically endangered. Once nearly 10,000 of these crocodiles inhabited the quiet murky waters of the rivers in India, Bhutan and Nepal, but are now reduced to about 200 from over-hunting, habitat loss and the construction of dams and […]
Our Closest Living Relative!
Sharing 98% of our DNA, the chimpanzee is a great ape that lives in the dense tropical forests of Africa. Apes are different from monkeys in that they lack the tails that monkeys have, walk upright at times, are bigger and have a larger, more developed brain. Chimpanzees weigh 70 – 130 lbs. when full […]
World’s Tallest Land Mammal
Standing up to 18 feet tall and weighing upwards of 3,000 pounds, the giraffe lives on the African savanna where trees flourish. Giraffes browse on acacia trees (those are the umbrella like trees of the African savanna) and mimosa and apricot trees. The giraffe’s heart is huge. It is 2 feet long and weighs 25 […]
World’s Largest Land Mammal
African elephants stand 11 tall at the shoulders and weight upwards of 13,000 lbs. Their large ears help to radiate heat under the hot sun and flapping their ears is a form of communication of fear and joy with other elephants. Tusks (which are modified teeth) grow on both males and females. Like humans who […]
Angolan Colobus of Africa
These black and white monkeys live in dense rain forests of African Congo River Basin and in eastern Africa in the coastal forests in Kenya and Tanzania. This species eats primarily leaves (and some fruit and flowers). Unlike other monkeys, this species does not have thumbs, an adaptation that enables them to be more efficient […]
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