Wingham Wildlife Park | Kent Zoo

East African Giant Land Snail (Achatina fulica)

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:39:36 GMT

Animal facts

Size
This species can reach up to 20cm in length.

Habitat and Distribution
This species is from Eastern Africa, particularly Kenya and Tanzania where it prefers more humid forested areas.

Age
They have been known to live for around 10 years.

Diet
The wild diet of this species contains almost any type of plant matter, fruit or vegetable, but in captivity they are known to eat a vast array of items including dog food, biscuits, bread and more. To extract calcium to help produce their magnificent shells they will often eat sand, bones from carcasses and even concrete.

Groups and Breeding
This is an unusual species where each individual has both male and female reproductive organs. If a mating pair are of different sizes the larger one will act as the female due to the energy which is required to produce the eggs. If on the other hand they are of the same size, both can transfer sperm from one to the other resulting in 2 pregnant snails from a single mating. Self fertilization has also been observed on rare occasions. A single female can lay an average of 200 eggs, with an average of 90% hatching successfully.

Threats
This is a very prolific species which causes more threats to their habitat (and more specifically introduced habitats) than it faces itself.

Interesting fact's
Giant African Land Snails are considered to be one of the 100 most problematic invasive species world wide due to their adaptability, fast growth, prolific breeding and insatiable appetite.

Orange Weaver (Ploceus aurantius)

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:23:59 GMT

Animal facts

Size
This species grows to be around 12.5cm in length.

Habitat and Distribution
This species can be found in much of Africa including, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Liberia, Ghana, Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Uganda, Togo and Angola. Throughout its range it can often be found in grasslands, farm land and forests.

Age
The average lifespan of this bird is 7 years however they can live to be slightly over 10 years old.

Diet
This species feeds primarily on grass seeds.

Groups and Breeding
During the breeding season the males will weave elaborate nests in reed beds, which is how they got their name. The females will use these nests after breeding to lay 3 to 5 eggs which will hatch after an incubation period of 12 to 14 days.

Threats
This bird has a very large range and is common throughout, and as a result they are not considered to be threatened in the wild.

Interesting fact's
These are very social birds which will even live in groups of other Finch species.

Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata)

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 14:29:10 GMT

Animal facts

Size
This is a small species which can reach lengths of up to 10cm.

Habitat and Distribution
Naturally this species occurs in Australia, Indonesia and Timor, however it has also been successful introduced in to Brazil and the United States of America. In these areas it is most commonly found around grassland and farm land

Age
The average lifespan of these birds if 5 to 10 years, however they have been recorded in captivity as living for just over 14 years.

Diet
The majority of their diet is made up of grass seeds and millet sprays.

Groups and Breeding
These birds will pair up at the start of the breeding season and will even produce their nest together. During the building stages the male will often let the female rest in the nest while he sits on top of it. However once she starts to lay eggs the males will generally share the nest with their female during the night. A female will generally lay 2 to 7 eggs which will incubate for around 16 days.

Threats
Even though these birds are still occasionally caught for the pet trade, most captive birds have been bred specifically for this purpose. Due to this and their high wild numbers they are not considered to be threatened in the wild.

Interesting fact's
Females do not have the ability to sing, however males will experiment with sounds during their early development, taking inspiration from their fathers, other nearby males and various sounds in their environment. Through this they will make up their own song, which will be individual to that bird.

Bengalese Finch (Lonchura striata domestica)

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 14:19:35 GMT

Animal facts

Size
The average length of this bird is 12 to 15cm.

Habitat and Distribution
This is a domesticated type of Finch which cannot be found in the wild.

Age
On average these birds will live 4 to 6 years however they have been known to live for up to 8 years.

Diet
Their diet mimics a wild diet of seeds and grains through the consumption of commercial finch or parakeet diets.

Groups and Breeding
These birds are fairly social and females will often share a single nest site (however when males are kept with just other males there can sometimes be aggression between them). A female will lay 4 to 8 eggs and shortly after laying the last one, the 16 day incubation will begin.

Threats
This bird does not exist naturally in the wild and as such is in no need for conservation.

Interesting fact's
The Bengalese Finch is a domesticated form of a Finch known as the White Rumped Mannikin.

Java Sparrow (Padda oryzivora)

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 13:40:51 GMT

Animal facts

Size
These Sparrows are around 17cm in length.

Habitat and Distribution
As the name suggests this is an Indonesian bird which can be found in Java, Bali and Bawean. It can usually be found around open grassland and farm land.

Age
On average these animals live for 7 to 9 years.

Diet
These animals will feed on a variety of seeds and grains.

Groups and Breeding
These birds may lay up to 8 eggs in a nest which will usually be in a tree hollow or somewhere on the outside of buildings. Incubation of these eggs starts just after the last one has been laid, with eggs hatching after just 12 to 15 days.

Threats
These animals are considered vulnerable in the wild due to their decreasing wild population. The main cause of this population decline is collection for the pet trade due to their beautiful appearance.

Interesting fact's
Java Sparrows were introduced in to the USA where they have breeding groups established in Hawaii. The same was tried in India, however they never managed to establish on the mainland, with breeding populations only emerging in parts of Sri Lanka.

Reptile QR

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 16:17:03 GMT

Wingham Wildlife Park is home to the largest reptile house in Kent, and are putting together one of the countries most varied collections. As the name may suggest it houses a variety of reptile species but amongst its inhabitants you can also find a variety of invertebrates and amphibians... All manner of creatures considered by many to be the less cuddly end of the animal kingdoms varied spectrum!

We try to show the range of colours, shapes and sizes which are represented within these animal classes while also showing and attempting to help some of the rarer animals not only in general, but also amongst those which may not be often represented in zoos:

Grays Monitors - The only pair currently in the UK.

Cuban Crocodiles - Critically endangered in the wild and often hybridised in zoos, we are lucky to have 1 pure bred Cuban Crocodile in our collection.

Rhinoceros Iguanas - These animals vulnerable to extinction in the wild are bred at WWP and sometimes you may see some of our babies on display.

Dwarf Crocodiles - These animals are vulnerable to extinction in the wild.

Spiny Hill Turtles - A very shy species which you can often see hidden under their substrate. These turtles are endangered in the wild and as they grow older we hope to breed them at the park.

Make sure you keep your eyes on our Facebook page by clicking here or coming back to the park again in the future to see many more species due to be added!

Get closer than ever with a shadow a reptile keeper experience!

Go behind the scenes in the reptile house and get up-close and personal with some of our scariest inhabitants!

The experience will last for around an hour and will be a guided behind the scenes look at the reptile department at Wingham Wildlife Park. One of our dedicated reptile keepers will show you various animals from the reptile collection including snakes, lizards and tarantulas! As well as being shown around you will have a chance to see the Cuban Crocodile take her feed from the keepers walk way and help feed some of our snakes and lizards (including some of our larger lizards such as Monitors and Tegus).

Please note that you will not have any direct contact with Crocodilians or any of our venomous species during the experience, and that the first 15 minutes of the day will be taken up by a health and safety briefing and introduction to the day.

This experience takes place on a Saturday afternoon from 3:45pm until 5:00pm during the Summer Season (please ask for experience times during the winter season as they may vary).

The experience gives you entry to the park along with 1 hour behind the scenes of the reptile house for £70 per person.

Children (aged 15 or under) must have an adult do the experience with them, and we are able to cater for up to 2 people at a time.

To book this amazing experience:

Ask one of our members of staff at the park

Phone us on 01227 720836

Or Finally use our new online purchase option by clicking the BUY NOW link below. This option will give you a pre-paid voucher which you can book in at a later date, within a year of buying the voucher (on the payment review page please click participants name and enter the name of the person this experience is for):

BUY NOW!

Giant Spiny Stick Insect (Eurycantha Calcarata)

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:32:56 GMT

Animal facts

Size
This species is a fairly bulky stick insect species which reaches lengths of around 6 inches.

Habitat and Distribution
This species can be found in forest areas of Papua New Guinea.

Age
The average lifespan of this species is around 2 years.

Diet
These insects will live around the trees and bushes which it will prefer to feed on. They will eat the leaves of these plants which include Oaks, fruit bushes (such as Raspberry or Blackberry), Ivy, Chestnut and Roses.

Groups and Breeding
After mating the females will go to the ground to lay their eggs. They have an ovipositioner at the rear of their body which allows them to make a small hole in the ground and position her eggs directly in to it. After this she will cover the hole up again, and the young may take as long as 4 to 6 months to hatch.

Threats
This species is not threatened in the wild.

Interesting fact's
Males can be distinguished from females by larger thorns on their hind legs.

Spiny Hill Turtle (Heosemys spinosa)

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:23:04 GMT

Animal facts

Size
Adults reach a shell length of up to around 9 inches.

Habitat and Distribution
This species is found in lowland hill rain forest areas near streams and ponds. In such habitat it can be found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand.

Age
This species likely lives for around 50 years or more.

Diet
The majority of their diet is vegetarian including vegetable matter, leaves, grasses and fruits, however they do sometimes also supplement their diet with animal or insect matter.

Groups and Breeding
These turtles lay relatively large eggs near rivers in shallow nests. Due to the size of these eggs they usually only lay one or two eggs at a time, which hatch after 110 to 145 days. Females may produce up to 3 clutches of eggs per year.

Threats
This species is Endangered in the wild. Part of the reason for this is the rapid deforestation of its natural habitat, especially in Indonesia and Malaysia, but also that it is very commonly caught and sold at markets for food.

Interesting fact's
Due to the sharp points which are made up by the scales along the edge of its shell, this species is also sometimes called the cog wheel turtle.

Stinkpot (Sternotherus odoratus)

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:02:34 GMT

Animal facts

Size
This species rarely grows bigger than 5 inches, and adult have been known to only reach 2 and a half inches in length.

Habitat and Distribution
This is a pond and river turtle which can be found in Canada from Quebec to Ontario and ranging down in the US from Maine through to Florida.

Age
The lifespan of this species has been recorded to be as long as 50 years or more in captivity. Wild lifespans are likely to be similar because they are rarely predated.

Diet
This is a carnivorous species which feeds on prey such as aquatic insects, crayfish, clams and fish.

Groups and Breeding
These turtles will lay 2 to 9 hard shelled eggs along the edge of water bodies either in shallow nests or under river side debris.

Threats
Throughout their range this species fairly common and even though it is still often collected for the pet trade (due to its relatively small size) they are not threatened in the wild.

Interesting fact's
This species is often called the Common Musk Turtle, especially in the pet shop trade. However locally they are often called Stinkpots because the foul musk they are able to excrete when threatened.

Cumberland Slider (Trachemys scripta troostii)

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:48:33 GMT

Animal facts

Size
The males of this turtle have a shell length of around 6 inches while the females can be up to 11 inches long.

Habitat and Distribution
These turtles can be found throughout both the Mississippi and Tennessee river systems.

Age
The average lifespan of these turtles may be up to 40 to 50 years.

Diet
The diet of an adult turtle is generally vegetarian however the younger ones will often eat a diet richer in protein to aid their growth. Such meals may consist of aquatic insects, frog spawn and fish.

Groups and Breeding
When enticing a female to mate with him, the males will flutter their long claws in the face of a female while under the water. if the female is receptive she will sink to the bottom of the water where he will mate with her. Females will lay between 5 and 20 eggs (and she will lay 2 such clutches per year) which are generally laid fairly near the edge of the water body their live in but out of reach of rising water levels. Eggs generally hatch after 50 to 70 days.

Threats
These animals are not threatened in the wild due to common numbers and a high success rate in terms of breeding and hatching.

Interesting fact's
Many pet shops sell turtles of many species as good pets, however most will outgrow the space an average household is able to provide for them. Our turtle collection is made up of just some of the many turtles which are abandoned as a result of this trade.