The main purpose
of these tables is to provide simple data for use by Primary School
pupils. Although care has been taken to make sure that the figures
are accurate, it has been necessary to simplify them in order to make
them user-friendly for younger children. You might find the following
notes helpful.
Name
The
name given is that by which the animal is commonly referred to. Its
scientific name is listed at the top of the page.
Type
of animal
This section simply classifies each animal as mammal, bird, etc. If
you think more detailed classification would be useful, please let
me know.
Where
found
Further details of distribution are found at the top
of the page. For simplicity, only the continent has been given here.
I hope this won't be misleading, giving the impression, for example, that lemurs are found
all over Africa! If an animal ocurrs in more than one continent I
have said so.
Habitat
Only the animal's most typical habitat is given here.
In reality, many variations of this are possible. Some animals (e.g.
raccoons) are happy to live just about anywhere. For more detailed
information see further up the page.
Diet
Animals are categorized as either carnivore, herbivore,
or omnivore. Detailed information about the natural diet of each species
is given further up the page.
Average
length
For mammals, this is the head and body measurement,
excluding the tail length. For birds and reptiles it is the measurement from the
top of the head to the tip of the tail.
Average
weight
Before compiling this table I didn't realise quite
how much variation there can be within animals of the same species.
Sex, social position and food availability can all affect weight drastically.
Most sources give the weight range but I felt that an average would
be more useful here.
Average
no. of young per year
This can vary enormously, but this figure gives a general
guide.
Gestation
/ Egg incubation
The figure given is an average.
Maximum
Lifespan
This figure is based on animals living in captivity.
In the wild, animals generally die younger.
I
hope you find the tables useful. If you have any comments to make,
please get in touch.
Liz
Brunswick (Education Officer)
Phone 897511 (home) 897323 (Wildlife Park)