Pygmy Hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis)
Mammals

Pygmy Hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis)

Kingdom of the Wild

Area:
Western Africa, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone.
Status:
Endangered and listed on Appendix II of CITES.
Quick Fact:

The pygmy hippopotamus spends the day in water, and emerges when they are hungry and will feed on fruits, leaves, roots and grasses.

Maneless Zebra (Equus burchelli bohmi)
Mammals

Maneless Zebra (Equus burchelli bohmi)

Kingdom of the Wild

Area:
southern Sudan and southern Ethiopia, south along eastern Africa, as far as Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi, before spreading into most southern African countries.
Status:
Near Threatened
Quick Fact:

Each zebra has a unique stripe pattern that can be recognised by other family members!

Patagonian Sealion (Otaria byronia)
Mammals

Patagonian Sealion (Otaria byronia)

Playa Patagonia

Area:
Coasts of South America
Status:
Least concern
Quick Fact:

Sealions use their fore and hind limbs for “walking” on the land and mainly use their front flippers for swimming.

L’hoest Monkey (Cercopithecus lhoesti)
Mammals

L’hoest Monkey (Cercopithecus lhoesti)

Edge of Africa

Area:
Republic of Congo, Western Uganda
Status:
Vulnerable
Quick Fact:

L'hoest monkeys have a white ruff that frames the face with distinctive deep set orange eyes. Their bodies are black and have long legs which are grizzled with grey. They have a chestnut coloured “saddle” at the base of their back.

Goats and Sheep
Mammals

Goats and Sheep

Colenso Village

Area:
Africa
Status:
Not listed
Quick Fact:

Cameroon sheep have short, fine hair which allows them to keep cool in the African heat. These sheep have tan and black markings.

Pygmy goats are great climbers, browsing on leaves and young branches in the trees.

Boer goats have tan and white markings, and are our biggest species in the walkthrough. Their name is derived from the Afrikaans word ‘boer’, meaning farmer.

The Somali fat-tailed sheep are mostly white in colour, with a black face. This sheep was originally bred for the fat reserves in its tail, which were use in Medieval cooking!

Llama (Lama glama)
Mammals

Llama (Lama glama)

Familiar Friends

Area:
Originated in South America but now widespread throughout the world
Status:
Not listed
Quick Fact:

Llamas are sometimes put in with flocks of sheep because they will scare off any predators.

When a llama is afraid and cornered, it will lay its ears back against its head,
make a clucking noise and spit stomach acid at whatever is scaring it!

 

Fennec Fox (Vulpes zerda)
Mammals

Fennec Fox (Vulpes zerda)

Lion Rock

Area:
Northern Africa
Status:
Least concern
Quick Fact:

A fully grown fennec fox only weighs around 1kg and they are the smallest of all the foxes.

The fennec fox's unusually large ears, which can be up to 15cm long, are an adaptation to help them lose heat in the hot desert and to help locate their prey.

Oxford Sandy & Black Pig (Sus scrofa domesticus)
Mammals

Oxford Sandy & Black Pig (Sus scrofa domesticus)

The Pig Patch

Area:
UK
Status:
Not listed
Quick Fact:

This pig, which is sometimes referred to as the 'Plum Pudding' or 'Oxford Forest Pig', is one of the oldest British pig breeds, having existed for around 200 - 300 years.

They are believed to have originated in the Oxfordshire region, but can now be found all over the UK.

This pig is hardy and particularly suited to living outside, as they are good foragers, and their black and tan markings help to protect them from the sun.

 

Pied Tamarin (Saguinus bicolor)
Mammals

Pied Tamarin (Saguinus bicolor)

Worlds Apart

Area:
South America
Status:
Endangaered
Quick Fact:

These small monkeys have a body length that ranges between 20-28 cm, a tail that measures between 33 and 42 cm and an average weight of 430 grams.

Tamarins are highly social and live in a family-like structure in the tropical forests

Linne’s two toed sloth (choloepus didactylus)
Mammals

Linne’s two toed sloth (choloepus didactylus)

Worlds Apart

Area:
Central and South America
Status:
Least concern
Quick Fact:

Sloths are one of the slowest animals in the world, as their leafy diet doesn't provide much energy!

Sloths spend most of their time hanging upside down in the forest canopy.

Golden-Headed Lion Tamarin ( Leontopithecus chrysolmlas)
Mammals

Golden-Headed Lion Tamarin ( Leontopithecus chrysolmlas)

Rainforest Walkthrough

Area:
Brazil
Status:
Endangaered
Quick Fact:

Golden-headed lion tamarins stick their tongues out at intruders to scare them away.

Coppery Titi Monkey (Callicebus cupreus)
Mammals

Coppery Titi Monkey (Callicebus cupreus)

Rainforest Walkthrough

Area:
Brazil and Peru
Status:
Least concern
Quick Fact:

Coppery Titi monkeys intertwine they're tails when their sleeping.

Southern Tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla)
Mammals

Southern Tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla)

Worlds Apart

Area:
South America
Status:
Least concern
Quick Fact:

Tamanduas are known as "stinkers of the forest" by local people due to the fact the leave scent trails to mark their territory!

Tamanduas have a 40cm long, sticky tongue which is perfect for licking up ants and termites.

Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla)
Mammals

Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla)

Rivers Edge

Area:
Central and South America
Status:
Vulnerable
Quick Fact:

When collecting insects, an anteater's tongue can flick up to 150 times per minute, eating up to 30,000 ants per day!

Anteaters are almost blind, but have a keen sense of smell.

Black and White Ruffed Lemur (Varecia variegata)
Mammals

Black and White Ruffed Lemur (Varecia variegata)

Lost Madagascar

Area:
Madagascar
Status:
Critically endangered
Quick Fact:

In groups, black and white ruffed lemurs produce a chorus of deep, barking, alarm calls, and a wailing howl when defending their territories.

Binturong (Arctictis binturong)
Mammals

Binturong (Arctictis binturong)

Rivers Edge

Area:
South East Asia
Status:
Vulnerable
Quick Fact:

Binturongs mark their territory by leaving a musky substance that smells like popcorn! They are also known as the bear cat and is a member of the civet family.

Gelada Baboon (Theropithecus gelada)
Mammals

Gelada Baboon (Theropithecus gelada)

Gelada Plateau

Area:
Central Etheopia
Status:
Near Threatened
Quick Fact:

The gelada baboons are the last surviving species of grass-grazing primates, spending ,most of their time on the ground and rarely climbing trees.

Kirk’s Dik-Dik (Madoqua Kirkii)
Mammals

Kirk’s Dik-Dik (Madoqua Kirkii)

Edge of Africa

Area:
Eastern Africa
Status:
Least concern
Quick Fact:

The dik-dik is one of the smallest members of the antelope family measuring a maximum of 45cm high.

Blue Duiker (Philantomba monticola)
Mammals

Blue Duiker (Philantomba monticola)

Edge of Africa

Area:
Central, Eastern and Southern Africa
Status:
Least concern
Quick Fact:

The blue duiker gets its name from the bluish hairs on its back. Duiker is a Dutch Afrikaans word, meaning to dive, referring to the duiker’s tendency to dive into dense cover when startled.

Crowned Lemur (Eulemur coronatus)
Mammals

Crowned Lemur (Eulemur coronatus)

Lost Madagascar

Area:
Northern tip of Madagascar
Status:
Endangered
Quick Fact:

These lemurs get their names from the ‘crown’ marking above their eye line. The male lemur is a brown colour with grey underparts and a black crown, while the female is grey with cream underparts and an orange crown.

Barbary Macaques (Macaca sylvanus)
Mammals

Barbary Macaques (Macaca sylvanus)

Out of Africa

Area:
Morocoo, Algeria, Gibraltar
Status:
Endangered
Quick Fact:

Barbary macaques have seat bones and have calluses on their bottoms.

It's not a coincidence that Barbary macaques sleep while sitting upright.

Colombian Black Spider Monkey (Ateles fusciceps rufiventris)
Mammals

Colombian Black Spider Monkey (Ateles fusciceps rufiventris)

Meddelin Monkeys

Area:
South America
Status:
Vulnerable
Quick Fact:

Colombian black spider monkeys are believed to occupy the greatest range of forest habitats of any Colombian spider monkeys.

Rock Hyrax (Procavia capensis)
Mammals

Rock Hyrax (Procavia capensis)

Inca Trail

Area:
Africa and the Middle East
Status:
Least concern
Quick Fact:

They are diurnal and from sunrise can often be seen on rocks, basking in the sun.

Whilst the group is foraging or basking, an adult individual stands guard over the group. If the sentry spots danger, then it gives out an alarm call and the rock hyrax run and hide in the crevices in the rocks.

The rock hyrax resembles a guinea pig with short ears and a tail. Often called the ‘rock rabbit’ or ‘dassie’.

Asian Short-clawed Otter (Aonyx cinereus)
Mammals

Asian Short-clawed Otter (Aonyx cinereus)

Rivers Edge

Area:
South-east Asia through to the Philippines
Status:
Vulnerable
Quick Fact:

Asian short-clawed otters are the smallest of all the species of otters. They use their hands to probe into mud or under rocks to find a tasty meal.

Alpaca (Vicugna pacos)
Mammals

Alpaca (Vicugna pacos)

Familiar Friends

Area:
Worldwide - originated from South America
Status:
Not Listed
Quick Fact:

Alpacas are not wild animals. They were domesticated from their close relatives, the vicunas, by indigenous people of Peru.

Guinea Pig (Cavia porcellus)
Mammals

Guinea Pig (Cavia porcellus)

Guinea Pig Village

Area:
Worldwide - originated from South America
Status:
Not Listed
Quick Fact:

While guinea pigs are not related to pigs they do have similar traits – their “Wheek!Wheek!” sounds for example are like pig squeals. They also have a similar body shape to pigs with a large heads, stubby necks and a round body.  They also love to eat just like their larger namesakes!

Golden Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia)
Mammals

Golden Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia)

Canopy of South America

Area:
South-eastern Brazil
Status:
Endangered
Quick Fact:

When family groups of golden lion tamarins confront one another, they raise their manes and fluff their fur.

Goeldi’s Monkey (Callimico goeldii)
Mammals

Goeldi’s Monkey (Callimico goeldii)

Worlds Apart

Area:
South America
Status:
Vulnerable
Quick Fact:

Goeldi's Monkeys are vertical climbers but have also been reported to leap distances of 4 meters horizontally.

Reticulated Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata)
Mammals

Reticulated Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata)

Kingdom of the Wild

Area:
Northeastern Kenya
Status:
Least concern
Encounter:
12:15 & 14:15
Quick Fact:

With their 45-centimetre prehensile, black tongue the giraffe can eat up to 134 kilograms of leaves a day! We have a group of pure-bred reticulated giraffes, all females.

Don't miss the daily feed times where you can get the unique opportunity to hand feed the giraffes yourself!

Southern White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum)
Mammals

Southern White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum)

Kingdom of the Wild

Area:
South and northeast Africa
Status:
Near Threatened and listed on Apppendix I of CITES
Quick Fact:

The white rhinoceros is the largest of the five rhinoceros’ species and one of the world’s biggest land animals. We have a group of five White Rhinos; three females and two males. Our group of Rhinos are part of the ESB breeding programme

Colchester Zoo's charity, Action for the Wild supports rhino conservation in South Africa raising funds for the equipment need to protect both white and black rhinos.

Aardvark  (Orycteropus afer)
Mammals

Aardvark (Orycteropus afer)

Aardvark Burrow

Area:
Southern Egypt to South Africa
Status:
Least concern
Quick Fact:

The name Aardvark means ‘earth pig’. Their burrow can be over 13 metres long, with many chambers and entrances!

African Elephant (Loxodonta africana)
Mammals

African Elephant (Loxodonta africana)

Elephant Kingdom

Area:
Africa, south of the Sahara Dessert
Status:
Endangered
Quick Fact:

The largest recorded African elephant weighed an impressive ten tonnes! The African elephant’s brain is bigger than that of any other animal, with the skull making up 25% of its body weight.

Bennett’s Wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus)
Mammals

Bennett’s Wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus)

Wallaby Walkabout

Area:
Coastal forests of eastern and southeastern Australia, common in Queensland, northeastern New South Wales and Tasmania
Status:
Least concern
Quick Fact:

Wallabies are best known for hopping; however, they can also crawl and swim!

Our wallabies are very friendly, often stopping to sunbathe on the paths and inspect any passing visitors!

Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)
Mammals

Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)

Chimpanzee Lookout

Area:
Guinea and Ghana in West Africa, across to Tanzania in the east
Status:
Endangered and listed on Appendix I of CITES
Encounter:
13:00 & 15:15
Quick Fact:

The chimpanzee is one of our closet living relatives and is estimated to share 98 percent of our genes!

Eurasian Grey Wolf (Canis lupus lupus)
Mammals

Eurasian Grey Wolf (Canis lupus lupus)

Call of the Wild

Area:
Canada, Eastern Russia, and parts of the US and Europe.
Status:
Least concern and listed on Appendix II of CITES, except for populations from Bhutan, Nepal, India and Pakistan, which are listed on Appendix I.
Quick Fact:

The grey wolf is the largest wild canid, or member of the 'dog' family. Grey wolves are social animals and the ancestor of all domestic dogs. In the wild they live in packs of 5–10 individuals and have a highly organised social structure.

 

 

Lion-Tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus)
Mammals

Lion-Tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus)

Rivers Edge

Area:
The Ghat Mountains of south-west India.
Status:
Endangered
Quick Fact:

The lion-tailed macaque's name comes from its long tail, which has a tassel at the end like that of a lion. They are one of the smallest and most endangered of the macaque species of monkey.

Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx)
Mammals

Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx)

Edge of Africa

Area:
Western Africa including South Cameroon and Gabon
Status:
Vulnerable and listed on Appendix I of CITES.
Quick Fact:

The mandrill is not only the largest monkey in the world, but it is also one of the most distinctive, with their extremely striking face, with a red stripe down the nose and blue flanges framing it.

Our mandrill troop at Colchester Zoo have a very successful breeding record, with offspring born yearly.

 

Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)
Mammals

Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)

Rajang's Forest

Area:
Borneo
Status:
Critically Endangered
Quick Fact:

The word 'orangutan' comes from the Malay words ‘Orang Hutan’ which means ‘Man of the Forest’.

Bornean orangutans were once widespread throughout Southeast Asia, but their expansive range has decreased dramatically due to illegal logging and habitat destruction.

 

Philippine Spotted Deer (Rusa alfredi)
Mammals

Philippine Spotted Deer (Rusa alfredi)

Island Dwellers

Area:
The islands of Negros and Panay in the Philippines
Status:
Endangered
Quick Fact:

The Philippine spotted deer is also known as Visayan spotted deer and it is thought that they are mainly nocturnal, emerging at dusk to look for food.

Pileated Gibbon (Hylobates pileatus)
Mammals

Pileated Gibbon (Hylobates pileatus)

Rivers Edge

Area:
Cambodia, Laos and south-east Thailand
Status:
Endangered
Quick Fact:

Pileated gibbons live in socially-monogamous pairs so the male and a female live together and rear their offspring together.

Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens)
Mammals

Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens)

Rivers Edge

Area:
Himalayas, from Nepal to Assam
Status:
Endangered
Quick Fact:

Our breeding pair of red pandas are housed in an open air enclosure with a number of different platforms and plenty of space for them to climb and explore. The enclosure has plenty of bamboo for our individuals to enjoy, as this makes up 95% of their diet in the wild. Bamboo is highly nutritious and red pandas may spend up to 13 hours foraging for this food source as well as consuming 200,000 bamboo leaves a day.

Red River Hog (Potamochoerus porcus)
Mammals

Red River Hog (Potamochoerus porcus)

Edge of Africa

Area:
West and central sub Saharan Africa to northern South Africa and Madagascar.
Status:
Least concern
Quick Fact:

Instantly recognisable for its bright rufous fur, the red river hog is undoubtedly the most strikingly coloured of all wild pigs

We have a group of red river hogs here at Colchester Zoo. These wild species of pig are also known as bushpigs. They have a bristly coat, which can vary from reddish to greyish-brown, and they have a white mane running down their backs. They also have 2 overgrown teeth which protrude out of their mouths as tusks.

Red-bellied Lemur (Eulemur rubriventer)
Mammals

Red-bellied Lemur (Eulemur rubriventer)

Lost Madagascar

Area:
Eastern Madagascar
Status:
Vulnerable and listed on Appendix I of CITES.
Quick Fact:

Red-bellied lemurs are cathemeral, which means they may be active during the day or night.

Our small group of red-bellied Lemurs can be seen in the Lost Madagascar exhibit, foraging for food and sunbathing!

Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta)
Mammals

Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta)

Lost Madagascar

Area:
South West Madagascar
Status:
Near Threatened and listed on Appendix I of CITES
Quick Fact:

We have a successful breeding group of Ring-tailed Lemurs that are part of an EEP breeding programme.

Male ring-tailed lemurs compete for females via ‘stink fights’, smearing scent on their tails and wafting the smell towards their opponent.

Slender Tailed Meerkat (Suricata suricata)
Mammals

Slender Tailed Meerkat (Suricata suricata)

Suricata Sands

Area:
Southern Africa including Angola, Namibia and South Africa
Status:
Least concern
Quick Fact:

Meerkats communicate by using a variety of calls to signal certain situations such as being lost, alarm calls, pup feeding calls, guarding calls and foraging calls.

Smooth-coated Otter (Lutrogale perspicillata)
Mammals

Smooth-coated Otter (Lutrogale perspicillata)

Otter Creek

Area:
Southern and south-east Asia, India, and China
Status:
Vulnerable and listed on Appendix II of CITES
Quick Fact:

Smooth-coated otters love being in water and use all four paws to ‘doggy paddle’

 

Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta)
Mammals

Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta)

Edge of Africa

Area:
Found throughout sub-Saharan Africa with the exception of the Congo rainforests and the far south
Status:
Least concern
Encounter:
15:00
Quick Fact:

We have had previous successful births with our spotted hyena and hope to be able to help maintain the population of this species within the captive environment.

Malayan Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus)
Mammals

Malayan Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus)

Bears of the Rising Sun

Area:
South-eastern Asia, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo
Status:
Vulnerable and listed on Appendix I of CITES
Quick Fact:

The sun bear, also known as the dog bear or honey bear, after its love of honey, is the smallest of the eight bear species. It is black with a golden crescent marking on its chest which, in ancient Eastern folklore, represents the sun.

Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus)
Mammals

Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus)

Edge of Africa

Area:
Central, eastern and southern Africa, south of the Sahara desert.
Status:
Least concern
Quick Fact:

We have a group of warthogs living within their enclosure at Edge of Africa.

The warthog gets its name from the warts on its face and these warts help to protect the face and eyes from an opponent's tusks when fighting.

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