On Safari with Taronga Zoo, Dubbo

Standing 4-5 metres high, the giraffe is the tallest mammal on Earth. Known for their long legs, long necks and spotted patterns, giraffes spend most of their days eating leaves. Giraffes are social animals, they live in large groups called herds. A giraffe’s heart is around 60 centimetres long, weighs about 11 kilograms, and its lungs can hold 55 litres of air!

After a 15-months gestation, female giraffes usually give birth to a single baby. The female gives birth while standing up, and the baby giraffe has a 2-metre fall to the ground when born. Within an hour of birth, the baby giraffe can stand up and will grow up to 1cm a day. 

When giraffes walk, they move both legs on one side of their body and then both legs on the other side. However, they run in a similar style to other mammals, swinging their rear legs and front legs in unison. They can reach 55 km/h at full speed but only in brief spurts.

Giraffes do not have horns, they have Ossicones, and both males and females however they lie flat and unattached to the skull at birth. They only fuse to the skull as the Giraffe grows.

The critically endangered Black Rhinoceros is native to eastern and central Africa. Black Rhinos are solitary animals distinguished by their prehensile upper lip, which is used to pluck branches and leaves from shrubs. The Black Rhino has poor vision and relies mostly on its sense of smell to explore its surroundings. It is very protective of its territory, and will stamp in its faeces and then deposit the odour with every step it takes. This lets other animals know that they are in a rhino's home range.

Black Rhinos are the smaller of the two African rhino species. The main difference between a Black Rhino and White Rhino is their upper lip. A Black Rhino has a ‘prehensile’ lip, meaning its upper lip is pointed which is perfect for pulling leaves and grabbing branches.

The number of Black Rhinos in the wild has dramatically reduced in the last decade, to less than 5000 remaining in the wild, predominantly due to poaching. The horn is made from keratin, the same as your hair or fingernails.

Able to open their mouth to a massive 150 degrees, the Hippo has the potential to be aggressive and dangerous. Hippos are very territorial. They have large teeth and tusks which they use to ward off danger. They can open their mouths, rear up or lunge, grunt and chase.

Hippos spend most of their day submerged in rivers and lakes to prevent overheating. In addition, they have an unusual adaptation to stay cool, secreting a red oily liquid from their skin which protects it from drying out and acts as a kind of sun-block. 

Found in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America, Spider Monkeys spend their days high up in the canopy feeding on nuts, fruits, leaves and seeds. Spiders Monkeys hang from trees holding onto branches with their limbs and long prehensile tail giving them a spider like appearance, hence their name. The number of Spider Monkeys in the wild is constantly decreasing due to habitat loss, hunting and illegal pet trade.

Spider Monkeys produce a wide variety of sounds including screeches and barks. When the troupe at Taronga Western Plains Zoo are excited during feeding times they will produce a series of loud screeches to vocalise their excitement.

Spider Monkeys live in groups called troupes. They are diurnal, which means they are active during the day and sleep at night. Spider Monkeys gather in groups of 20 to 30, however they sleep and forage in smaller groups. Females are usually more dominant, outnumbering males 2 to 1.

Spiders monkeys use their long tail as a fifth limb helping them to move through the dense vegetation of the tropical rainforest. Their tail is known as a ‘prehensile tail’ meaning it is able to grip onto branches so they can move easily from branch to branch at high speed.

After around four months, the baby will move from its mother’s stomach onto her back. The baby will remain dependent on her mother until approximately three years of age.

Found in the deserts and grasslands of southwest Africa, Meerkats are extremely social animals living in large groups called mobs. Feeding primarily on insects, they use their large fore claws to scratch and dig to find insects such as termites, crickets and scorpions. Meerkats will spend their day foraging for food, caring for young and guarding their territory. They live in underground burrows which keep the mob safe from predators and protects them from the harsh heat of the African desert.

Each Meerkat mob has a dominant alpha male and alpha female. During the breeding season, the alpha female is the only female allowed to breed and she breeds only with the alpha male. Being social animals, all members of the mob will help to care for the young. This is known as cooperative breeding.

Meerkats use a wide range of vocalisations to warn other members of the mob, show excitement or fear. The "sentry" produces a loud bark to warn others of danger. It's a signal to retreat to the safety of the burrow. A lot of noises are also made at feeding time, like in the audio clip.

When looking out for danger Meerkats stand on a high point with their hind legs and tails forming a tripod for support. Their eyesight is so keen that they can see an eagle when it is only a spot on the horizon. If an alarm call is given by the guards, the whole group dives for cover in the burrow.

As the day warms up Meerkats leave the burrow to hunt. Any small animal is food – insects, spiders and even poisonous scorpions and centipedes, however these last two are caught with caution. Before they can be eaten they must be disarmed by having their poisonous stinger bitten off!

The elephant is the world's largest land animal. Asian Elephants live in the forests and grasslands of Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Indochina and parts of Nepal, Indonesia and Thailand. Female and young Asian Elephants live in a cohesive family group called a herd, led by a matriarch who is usually the oldest or most experienced. Asian Elephants are endangered with the main threat to remaining wild populations being habitat loss and destruction. Poaching is also a major problem.

Elephants have teeth called incisors. In most animals, teeth are produced from the top and bottom of the mouth, however in elephants they develop from the back and push forward. Elephants have 26 teeth and lose their molars six times in their lifetime.

Did you know that some of the vocalisations elephants make are infrasonic, and thus inaudible to humans? Infrasonic communication can occur over several kilometres. Elephants also use a range of other sounds to communicate, from trumpeting ,squeaks and squeals to low rumbles.

Water is an important part of daily life for an Asian Elephant. In the wild elephants swim regularly and can swim. They are large mammals that generate a lot of heat, and can swim to cool off. They also have wrinkles in their skin which help them stay cool for longer, as the wrinkles can hold water!

Taronga Dubbo is home to nine elephants. Elephant Keepers develop close relationships with the elephants over a long time, based on trust and rapport. These relationships enable Keepers to work closely with the Elephants to provide the best level of care, which includes daily baths and treatments.

Located on the African island of Madagascar, Ring-tailed Lemurs are known for their long, fluffy, black and white ringed tails. Resembling a meditation pose, Ring-tailed Lemurs will sun themselves in the early morning with outstretched arms and closed eyes. Spending most of the day on the ground, Ring-tailed Lemurs forage for fruit, leaves and flowers in social groups known as troupes.

In the wild, Ring-tailed Lemurs live in "troupes" - social groups of up to 30 animals. As with most lemur species, the females are in charge! 

Ring-tailed Lemurs are very vocal. Using yaps, clicks, wailing, lurring and many more sounds, they communicate everything from contentment to danger.

Ring-tailed Lemurs are quite difficult to breed as there is only a very small window for Lemurs to fall pregnant. They generally come into season for 24 hours once a year. At birth a baby weighs less than 100 grams and clings to its mother's chest for the first few weeks, before moving to her back.

In breeding season, males compete to win mating rights with females. The decider is a stink fight! Males face off, rubbing their tails with scent from glands on their wrists. They curl their smelly tails over their head and flick them at each other. Usually the toughest, smelliest boy gets the girl!

The Galapagos Tortoise is the world’s largest living tortoise and is native to the islands of the Galapagos archipelago. Fully grown, an adult can weigh up to 300 kilograms and measure 1.2m in length. Galapagos Tortoises are long-lived with a life expectancy in the wild estimated at between 100 and 150 years. Spending on average 16 hours per day resting, the Galapagos tortoise will spend the remainder of the day grazing on grass, leaves, cactus, vines and fruit.

The Galapagos Tortoise has a symbiotic relationship with the Galapagos finch. The finches land on the tortoises and eat insects and bugs off them. The tortoises rise and stand very still to allow the finch to do so. Through this relationship, the finches can rest and find food, and the tortoises get cleaned.

When laying their eggs Galapagos Tortoises dig a 20-25cm nest using their hind legs. Females lay one or two clutches each year of 15-20 eggs. Hatchlings emerge about 3.5 months later. They are about the size of a tennis ball, and will not reach their full size until they are between 20-25 years old.