The earth is wonderful, people in different regions, not only have different thinking and language, but also have different looks and characteristics, and animals also have this regional difference. Australia is located in the southern hemisphere, and with its special geographical location and tropical climate, it has bred many exotic animals that are not found on other continents, such as koalas, kangaroos and tasmans.
Australia has one of the world's rarest reptile zoos, located on the central coast north of Sydney, about 50 kilometres from the city centre. Founded in 1948 by Australia's first naturalist, Eric Worrell, the zoo is known as one of Australia's most attractive attractions and attracts countless tourists from home and abroad every year.
That day, when we went to the Hunter Valley, we stopped by to visit the reptile zoo. In fact, this zoo is not entirely reptiles, but also some birds and other mammals. The area of the whole park is not large, but there are still many animals in captivity, with more than 200 kinds of animals and more than 800 animals. These include reptiles such as crocodiles, turtles, lizards (lizards, commodos, iguanas), geckos, snakes (pythons, pythons); arachnids such as tarantulas, funnel web spiders, cockroaches, cancer crab spiders, Amazonian bird-eating spiders, rat spiders, red-backed spiders, etc.; as well as Australian national treasures such as koalas, platypus, kangaroos, tasmans, tasmaniflors, koalas, dingoes, possums, possums and rabbit-eared possums. Some of these animals are deadly creatures such as crocodiles, snakes, and venomous spiders. If you visit the zoo on weekends, you can also enjoy performances of reptiles, koalas, tasmanian devils and spiders, including the daily squeeze of the deadly funnel web spider. Its venom can be used to make life-saving anti-snake toxins. It also uses the venom of a deadly venomous snake to make anti-snake toxins.
Interestingly, at the zoo, visitors can play with koalas, feed kangaroos and watch tasmanian devils fight up close, a close encounter with Australia's most famous animal that is rare in other zoos.
In a small garden to the left of the gate, Elvis, known as the largest crocodile in New South Wales, --- crawls by the pool, basking in the sun, motionless, closing his eyes. On the other side of the park, there is also a large crocodile hall, which is a pond of about 2,000 square meters, and the pond is covered with weeds in the woods, and dozens of crocodiles of large and small sizes lurk in the pond, some slowly swimming on the surface of the water, some climbing to the land by the pond to bask in the sun, and several climbing into the forest to try to find some prey.
There are many arachnids in the zoo, and these spiders are fed for the purpose of collecting their venom in addition to ornamentation, to produce anti-snake toxins and treat those who are bitten by snakes or spiders. Among them, the funnel-web spider is the most poisonous spider in Australia, and many people have been poisoned to death. In 1980, the anti-venom serum of this spider venom was successfully developed. Since then, the reptile zoo has saved at least 300 lives as a basic anti-venom production site.
I approached the turtle orchard and saw a sign that read "Galapagos Giant Tortoise" (Galapagos tortoise). Many tourists stand by the fence and watch the movement of a tortoise. This turtle is large, more than 1 meter long, with a large head, a long neck, yellow to bluish-black dorsal carapace, limbs and head and tail, and loose skin. It carries a bony brown dorsal carapace with symmetrical scales on the top of the head, a shorter skull, and no scales that meet the parietal bone. The dorsal ventral nail is firmly connected to the bone slit through the nail bridge. The cylindrical limbs are stout, with five claws on the front legs and four claws on the hind legs. It was moving slowly, raising its neck to look around, retracting its head and sniffing the ground, its soothing body movements and lazy demeanor showing a bit of nobility and elegance. It was the first time I had seen a turtle of this size!
The Galapagos tortoise is the largest surviving tortoise, found only in the Galapagos Islands of South America. Adult tortoises weigh up to 320 kg and have an estimated lifespan of up to 200 years, making it one of the longest-lived species in the animal kingdom. Harriet, a specimen preserved at Australia Zoo, is the oldest known Galapagos tortoise, estimated to be over 170 years old when it died in 2006. Galapagos tortoises generally live on large, wet islands and lower altitudes, but are also adaptable to higher altitudes because they can withstand cooler climates and cloudy weather.
The reptile zoo also has some Australian specialty animals, such as tasmanian devils, kangaroos and so on.
The Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is Australia's national treasure of rare and endangered wildlife. Its distinctive howling and grumpy temper are well known. When we visited Tasmania that year, we heard that the early inhabitants of the area heard the screams of tasmanian devils in the distance at night and were terrified. For this reason, the locals call it the "Tasmanian Devil".
At the crawling zoo, as I approached the Tasmanian devil's house, a Tasmanian devil had just awoken from its slumber and slowly approached my camera.
It is about 600 mm long, short and stout, with a short head and tail, tentacles on the face and the top of the head, black hair, small eyes and a large mouth, a white hair band on the front of the body, white patches on the throat and buttocks, a light pink snout, a red ear pinnacles, and a delicate and cute appearance.
According to zoologists, there have been thylacines and thylacines on the Australian continent, the former extinct 600 years ago, and the latter extinct in 1936. Since then, tasmanian devils have become the largest surviving marsupials, with a maximum weight of up to 12 kg. It loves carrion (dead animals), and its strong jaws and sharp teeth can gnaw on the bones and internal organs of an entire animal carcass.
Studies have confirmed that the Tasmanian devil's ability to bite is the highest in the animal world, but it is shy and gentle, and if it does not compete for or protect its food, it emits a creepy roar, like the cry of a demon, so it is misunderstood. Tasmanian devils are found in Tasmania for at least 600 years. They can run at a top speed of 13 km/h. Tasmanian devils live for about 6 years, while those raised live longer.
All zoos in Australia have kangaroo, a native endemic animal that is closer to humans. The zoo is no exception. I saw a kangaroo walking around in the empty ping, and there were many people watching and taking pictures, and I walked over.
I saw that this kangaroo body hair was russet brown, and the plush was very comfortable to touch. The body is about 150 cm long, the head is small, the forehead is wide, the chin is small, the eyes are on both sides of the face, and the large, bright eyes are studded with black pearl-like eyeballs. There are black whisker marks on both sides of the nostrils. The ears are long, and there are some white fluffs on the chakra bones of the ears. The forelimbs are short, the hind limbs are strong and powerful, often forelimbs are lifted, used to grab food, and the hind limbs sit on the ground to jump instead of running. Its tail is thick and long, full of muscles, propped up on the ground like a stick, and with two hind feet, it becomes a tripod, a support organ for perching and a balancer for jumping. From a distance, it looked like a very large rat.
I took out my food and prepared to feed it, and it immediately approached me. I grabbed a handful of food, its tongue sticking into the palm of my hand, the tip of its tongue licking and rolling in the palm of my hand, tickling with a hot feeling, and quickly finished eating the food. Then, looking at me, he traced the food bag in my hand, and ate it. This food is specially provided by the zoo and is especially loved by kangaroos. Wherever I raised my hand holding the food bag, its long lips followed. It may be that this food has a special smell, and it smells and does not want to give up. It's so cute!
Kangaroos are native to mainland Australia and parts of Papua New Guinea. Among them, some species are unique to Australia, are famous mammals in Australia, occupy a very important ecological position in Australia, and are regarded as the symbol of the Australian nation. On the coat of arms of Australia, there is the image of the wallaby.
Adult kangaroos can reach a height of up to 2.6 meters and weigh about 80 kilograms. If it is going to hold an animal games, the kangaroo can win at least three championships: it can jump to run, jump up to 4 meters, can get the high jump championship; it can jump as far as 13 meters, can take the long jump championship; its hind legs are strong and powerful, it is a good leg for playing football, and it can be rated as the best football player.
Everywhere I go, I love visiting the zoo. First, I naturally love animals; second, Australia's characteristic animals are not easy to see in other places and can open my eyes; third, I can understand some animal knowledge.
The creatures of the earth, including animals and plants, are human companions in the process of evolution, and they are all neighbors and good friends of human beings. We should love, cherish and protect them. The decline of species is definitely not a good thing for human beings, but will only pose an increasingly serious threat to human survival.