Here are some unusual creatures found in the bird garden.
Ring-tailed Lemurs
Among the primates at the Montecasino Bird Garden (and I don't mean humans) you can find the Ring-tailed Lemurs. Fun fact - the ring tailed lemurs tails are longer than their bodies - These primates can only be found on the island of Madagascar and some neighbouring tiny islands.
They use their hands and feet to move through the trees but do not use their tails like other primates. They spend a lot of time on the ground which is unusual among the species. They are very social animals and can often be found in groups of twenty. Ring-tailed lemurs are known by their long black and white tails.
Ring-tailed lemurs
The green iguana can grow up to 2m long. They are often found near water. Fun fact; Don't be fooled by their clumsy look. They are fast and agile on land and have strong jaws and razor-sharp teeth. Their long tails can be used like a whip to drive off predators.
In water they are submerged whilst swimming with their four legs hanging by their sides and the powerful tail strokes propel them forward. After laying eggs the female offers no parental protection.
When the weather is wet and cold they prefer to stay on the ground to keep warm.
Green Iguana
Then we have the Blue Duiker. Fun fact: they have their own territory which they mark from scent glands under their eyes and from their urine.
They have a blue-gray coat and and very short horns sometimes hidden by a tuft of hair. Single fawns are born weighing a mere 400 grams- they are the smallest antelope in South Africa. The fawns are hidden for the first few weeks and then driven away from parents when sexually mature.
Blue Duiker
The smallest of the antelopes (Definitely not sought after by Father Christmas)
In my next post I'll share some owls and some more birds from the Montecasino Bird Garden