Tammar Wallaby, Adelaide Zoo
Tammar Wallaby, Adelaide Zoo
Tammar Wallabies are found in south western Western Australia. They inhabit coastal mallee scrublands and eucalypt woodlands. They tend to stay in dense vegetation during the day and feed mainly at night.They were previously also found in South Australia, but land clearing and introduced pests like foxes and cats are thought to have made them locally extinct in this area.
A feral population was established on a New Zealand island, and in the last decade a large number of these had been repatriated to Monarto Zoo (a part of Adelaide Zoo) and then reintroduced into Yorke Peninsula where they have established breeding populations.
You can read more about this species on the zoo website here.
Tammar Wallaby, Adelaide Zoo
Emu at Adelaide Zoo
Emu at Adelaide Zoo
One of the most recognisable of Australian birds would have to be the Emu, shown in the photos here on this post. These photos were taken recently on a visit to my home zoo in Adelaide, some 50 minutes drive from where I live.
This large bird, standing from 1.5 to 2 metres high, is found over most of mainland Australia. They became extinct on the island of Tasmania in the 19th century. While it ranges over most of mainland Australia, its current distribution can be patchy, especially in closely settled areas and regions of intensive farming. It can still be found in good numbers in pastoral lands, forested areas and national parks. In Western Australia the species is migratory, moving towards coastal areas after breeding. They female lays 5 -12 large, dark green eggs on the ground which the male incubates and then cares for the young for up to a year and a half.
Emu eggs at Adelaide Zoo
Emu at Adelaide Zoo
Flowers at the Adelaide Zoo
Flowers at the Adelaide Zoo
Most people go to the zoo to look at the animals, birds and reptiles. I’m the same, but I must admit I also keep an eye out for plants and flowers which are growing in the grounds of the zoo. Adelaide Zoo is one of the zoos which has made a great effort to landscape the grounds with plenty of plants, especially Australian native species. On this visit I went without my wife, so I took a few photos so that she could see what was there and flowering. You can read about her interest in growing Australian native plants on her site here.
In addition to the Australian plant species at Adelaide Zoo, the gardeners have also planted many exotic plants in the enclosures of non-Australian animals, creating for them as natural an environment as possible given the severe restrictions on space. I think that overall the gardeners have achieved their aim.
The photos featured on this post are along the paths and purely decorative for the human visitors, though the local native birds such as the honeyeaters appreciate their plantings.
Flowers at the Adelaide Zoo
Flowers at the Adelaide Zoo
Oriental small-clawed otters in the Adelaide Zoo
Oriental small-clawed otter, Adelaide Zoo
On several recent visits to Adelaide Zoo I haven’t been able to get a good photo of these otters. They’ve either been sleeping somewhere in their enclosure and out of view, or they’ve been cavorting around in their pool. Either way it has made photography difficult. You get that with nature photography.
The above shot is not ideal, what with their backs to my camera, but they were fast asleep and not moving anywhere in a hurry, so I have to be happy with this photo until my next visit. Hopefully I will get a better shot someday.
I must admit that I don’t know a great deal about otters, and this species in particular. That’s why the information boards such as the one below are so important in the education of the general public visiting zoos (click on the image to enlarge). I’ve also discovered that this is the smallest otter species in the world.
They eat a variety of mussels, snails, crabs and fish; that’s quite an interesting diet.
For more information about the oriental small-clawed otters, go to the Adelaide Zoo website here.
Oriental small-clawed otter, Adelaide Zoo
Hippopotamus at the Adelaide Zoo
Hippopotamus, Adelaide Zoo
I love going to the Adelaide Zoo. It’s only about an hour’s drive from home and being a Life Member I can go any time I have an hour or two free when I am in the city. On one visit last year I managed several good photos of the hippopotamus.On other occasions this animal hasn’t been easy to photograph, especially when it stays under water for an extended period of time.
Hippopotamus, Adelaide Zoo
Hippopotamus, Adelaide Zoo