Other Animals in our Safari Park
Tortoise
Kangaroos
Kangaroos are large marsupials that are found only in Australia. They are identified by their muscular tails, strong back legs, large feet, short fur and long, pointed ears. Like all marsupials, a sub-type of mammal, females have pouches that contain mammary glands, where their young live until they are old enough to emerge.
Kangaroos are in the Macropodidae family, which also includes tree-kangaroos, wallabies, wallaroos, quokkas and pademelons. When people think of kangaroos, the four species that typically come to mind are in the genus Macropus: the antilopine kangaroo, the red kangaroo, the western gray kangaroo and the eastern gray kangaroo. They are sometimes referred to as the "great kangaroos" because these species are much larger than other kangaroos. ** This information provided by livescience.com |
Alligators
The largest alligator ever recorded in Florida was 17 feet 5 inches long (5.3 meters). The largest alligator ever recorded measured 19 feet 2 inches (5.8 meters) and was found in Louisiana.
The growth rate of alligators varies with food availability and temperature. At the northern limits of its range, or when food is scarce, alligators grow slowly. In Louisiana, where food is abundant, young alligators can grow about one foot (30 centimeters) per year with the greatest growth in the first year. On land alligators can lumber along dragging their tails, or they can walk on their toes with heels of the hind feet and most of the tail well off the ground. Using this "high walk" alligators can run up to 30 miles per hour (38 kph) for short distances! |