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Young snakes eat slugs, earthworms and
crickets.
Adults eat mainly mice but also
occasionally small lizards, birds and their
eggs, frogs.
Deserts and
scrublands in
Southern
Mexico
Up to 12 years
Females lay
between 2 and
15 eggs 30 days
after mating.
These hatch after
approximately 2
months.
Milk snakes share a striking resemblance to coral snakes.
Coral snakes are dangerous - having harmful venom. They have red, yellow
and black stripes. Milk snakes are harmless and have red, black and yellow
stripes (same three colours, different order!). This is known as mimicry. The
similarity in their colouration means most animals will avoid the milk snake
– assuming it is just as dangerous as the coral snake.
Several rhymes can be used to help remember which is which for example:
Red next to black is a friend of Jack.
Red next to yellow is a dangerous fellow.
Primarily fruit and plant material. At
the safari park their diet includes
lettuce, oranges and bananas.
They are considered one of nature’s
dustmen – eating food even when
it’s breaking down and
decomposing.
Native to
Madagascar, they
like to live in logs
and amongst leaf
litter.
Females create a cocoon like case
called an ootheca inside their bodies
to carry round their eggs. They then
give birth to live young (one of the
very few insects to do so) and as
many as 60 at a time.
3 – 5 years in
captivity
Unlike many species of cockroach they are wingless. They are though excellent climbers having “spiky” legs which help provide them with grip
Hissing is used as a defence. By imitating a snake they hope to scare off one
of their main predators – mice. Mice are eaten by snakes.
Their characteristic hissing noise does not come from their mouth but rather
through small holes or spiracles found down the side of their body. Forcing
air out at high pressure creates the sound.
Herbivorous eating a
huge range of
vegetation, crops and
flowers. At the safari
park they enjoy lettuce,
sweetcorn and
mushrooms. They also
need a source of calcium
such as cuttlefish bone
to keep their shell strong
Native to East
Africa. It can
survive in
coastland, forest,
scrubland and
agricultural areas.
These snails are hermaphrodite with each one
having both male and female sex organs. Each
snail can lay up to 1200 eggs per year!
Eggs are white and about the size of a marble.
They hatch after 14 days and each snail is born
complete with a shell.
Usually 5-6 years
but some survive
in captivity for up
to a decade
They like damp conditions and will aestivate for up to 3 years in times of
drought. This is similar to hibernation but is in response to dry conditions
rather than temperature change.
They feed with kind of tongue called a radula. This is covered in rows of
tiny “teeth” which the snail uses to scrape the food.
Slime helps these snails to climb vertically. It also provides protection
when moving over surfaces of different textures.
Leaves! At Knowsley we feed them on bramble. They
also like raspberry and ivy.
Small (approx 8mm) eggs are laid by females in the ground. These hatch
about 6 months later although sometime it can take up to 18 months depending on conditions.
The younger are green in colour and change to brown as they grow older.
Native to
Australasia
They prefer hot
humid forests and
are found amongst
the foliage.
Up to 2 years
Males have enlarged back legs which sport a thick spike on the underside.
This is used when fighting or in defense.
Females have a “spike” at the end of their tail. This is curled to imitate a
scorpion when threatened. They will also wave their front legs around to
appear larger and more intimidating to predators.
They have both hooks and “sucker pads” on their feet to help them climb
and maneuver amongst tree trunks and branches.
Youngsters require a lot of meat in
their diet including locusts, crickets,
worms and cockroaches.
As they mature they switch for a
mainly herbivorous diet
Found in Australia
mainly in dry,
rocky desert
regions or in arid
open woodlands
Females lay up to 24 eggs at a
time in a shallow sandy nest.
They are left unattended and
hatch out between 60 and 80
days later.
5-8 years in the
wild. Up to 12 in
captivity
When threatened they puff out excess skin under their chin whilst sending it
jet black. They also erect the spines found covering their face and body. The
aim is to intimidate a predator with looks alone, as actually their body spikes
are not harmful.
They have long claws which help them to climb on to rocks and branches
and bask in the sun. If it gets too hot the claws help them to dig a hole in the
ground to cool down in.
Males head bob (quickly moving their head up and down as if nodding)
when they need to show dominance over another male or when they are
trying to attract a female.
They eat the leaves of blackberry,
raspberry, oak, rose, hazel and
eucalyptus. In the winter you can
still find fresh blackberry leaves
outside.
This species can
be found in
Eucalyptus
forests in
Australia.
The eggs hatch after 4 to 6 months
when the female is fertilized by a male.
Parthenogenetic eggs, when the female
has not been with a male, hatch after 6
to 12 months.
The
average lifespan for
leaf insects is twelve
months but, in
captivity, they can
live longer.
Macleay’s can grow up to 20cm in length! They are also one of the heaviest
insects on record, weighing more than many birds.
Adult females are big, heavy and do not have large wings, so therefore
cannot fly. The males are long and slender and have very long wings that
reach past the abdomen, which means they are capable of flight.
Like most stick insects this species is docile by nature. It is nocturnal and will
generally only move during the night.
If they are threatened, they stand up on their front and middle legs and then
will curl up their abdomen to mimic a scorpion.
They are covered in thorn like spikes for defence.
They will sway back and forth in the breeze, camouflaging as a dead leaf.
Carnivorous – favouring small insects and
spiders but they will occasionally eat small
mammals or other frogs.
Their teeth are not designed to cutting so
they fit prey into their mouths in one go –
sometimes forcing it in with their hands.
Females lay 150-300 eggs at
a time. Youngsters hatch out
within 28-36 hours.
They are ambush predators.
Native to Australia
and New Guinea
they prefer wet
tropical climates.
They prefer to live in
tree canopies and
access water that
collects in leaves to
keep themselves
moist.
Up to 16 years
in captivity
They have large discs on the ends of their toes which provide grip to
branches.
Females are bigger than males
They are names after the man John White who first discovered them in 1970
Royal Pythons feed on mice or rats appropriate to the
size of their mouth.
After mating, the female retreats to an underground burrow, where she
usually will lay about four to six leathery eggs. While incubating, she curls
her body. Throughout the incubation period, the female does not eat.
After about 90 days, a hatchling -- 14 to 17 inches in length -- splits its shell
and emerges.
Western, Eastern
and Central Africa Savannah is their
natural habitat
20 - 30 years is
average for a wild
Royal Python. In
captivity they can
reach 40 years of age.
Royals are earthy colours like brown, beige and black with gold and white
markings.
According to legend, Cleopatra wore a Ball python as an ornament wound
around her arm, which may have given rise to the snake's name -- the royal
python.
Another name for them is ball snake – this is because when they are
threatened by a predator, they will curl up into a ball and roll away!
They will also hiss to scare the threat away.
They can reach 5 feet in length.
Herbivorous – at the safari park they eat mainly
bramble
Females lay the small (4mm) eggs in the ground. They hatch after a few
months but temperature and humidity can affect this.
Youngsters are called nymphs
Native to forest
areas of the
Philippines
Up to 2 years
The white coloration of the tail of the female is thought to aid camouflage
on tree trunks mimicking pale coloured moss or bird poo!
Males travel by “piggy back” on the back of females
The spike on the end of the female’s tail is called an ovipositor. It helps her to
lay eggs.
Their antennae are longer than their forelegs!