Our Education Animals

Did You Know?: The African Crested Porcupine is an excellent swimmer, partially aided by the buoyancy of their hollow quills!

Did you know? Their beaks are powerful enough to crack the hardest nuts and can deliver a nasty bite in self-defense.

Did you know? The Argentine tegu loves honey, and will raid beehives in the wild. Even lizards have a sweet tooth!

Did you know? Their distinct orange eyes are due to them being crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dusk and dawn, unlike other animals that are more active during the day or at night.

Did you know? We call Ringo a cross fox, but in terms of species he's a red fox. A cross fox is a description given to partially melanistic foxes.

Did you know? The New Guinea singing dog is one of the oldest species of canid in the world. They are very vocal howlers which is where the name "singing dog" comes from.

Did you know? A baby porcupine is called a porcupette! They're born with soft quills that begin hardening shortly after birth.

Did you know? The name "millipede" means 1000 feet in Latin, but there are no millipedes with that many. The giant African millipede typically has around 256 legs, but this can vary greatly from one to another.

Many lynx habitats face a significant amount of snow in the Winter, and the lynx have adapted well to this. Their feet are webbed and wide, acting as specialized shoes that distribute their weight effectively. This allows them to hunt in deep snow!

They are the largest freshwater turtle in North America. The alligator snapping turtle is given its common name because of its immensely powerful jaws and distinct ridges on its shell that are similar in appearance to the rough, ridged skin of an alligator!

The pale fox is the 2nd smallest species of canid in the world, and the least studied of all canids. They are native to deserts in Africa, and use their large ears to regulate their body temperature.

The sulcata, or African spurred tortoise is currently ranked as an endangered species. Studies suggest that African spurred tortoises exist in approximately 16.7% of the area where they had previously been found. It is the largest species of tortoise in Africa and is also third-largest species of tortoise in the world.