Get ready for an educational adventure at the Singapore Zoo. Each animal exhibit has many interesting facts about their creature. Every time you go to the zoo, you will learn something new and different. SGTOP10 now brings you the top 10 animal attractions, and the “Do you know”s about them! How many of the facts do you already know?
Giraffe
Do you know that giraffe has the most flexible tongue of all mammals? Its prehensile tongue and upper lip function like a hand to gather leaves. A giraffe can extend its tongue up to a maximum length of 53cm!
Do you know that Male Giraffes establish rank by wrapping or slamming their necks? This is known as necking. Competing males “neck” for 30 minutes or more until one of them is defeated.
Do you know that the coat pattern on every giraffe is different? It is just like our fingerprints. You will never find 2 identical giraffes.
Kangaroo
Do you know that Kangaroos can hop for a long time? The special tendons in their hind legs release more and more energy as they hop along
Do you know that Kangaroo actually means “ I don’t understand” ? When the European explorers first saw kangaroos in Australia, they asked an Aborigine what they were called. He replied “kangaroo’ to mean “I don’t understand” your question. The explorers took “kangaroo” to mean the name of the animals.
Komodo Dragon
Do you know the Komodo dragon can grow up to 3.1 metres long and weigh as much as 166kg?
Do you know that Komodo dragons have a huge appetite ? A 46kg dragon can consume a 41kg wild pig at one go ! A typical human only eats about 3% of its body weight.
Do you know that there are about 50 different strains of bacteria found in the dragon’s saliva? That means that even if a bitten prey escapes, it eventually dies from the bacterial infection from the wound.
Ring Tailed Lemur
Do you know that the Males use their unique tail to attract the females’ attentions?
Do you know that Lemurs are found only in Madagascar?
Orang Utan
Do you know that intelligent animals such as Orang Utans bored easily? The Singapore Zoo keeps them engaged with toys, food puzzles and other enrichment activities.
Do you know that orang utans spend most of their time in trees? The females and young are found in the middle and upper layers of the forest. The males, being much heavier, use the lower layers and larger trees.
Ostrich
Do you know that the Ostrich only has two toes on each foot? Such feet allow them to run as fast as 72km/hour. Having fewer toes reduces the area of contact with the ground, which makes the ostrich the fastest bird on land.
Do you know that the Ostrich is the largest living bird in the world? It belongs to the Ratite family, which means flightless bird.
Polar Bear
Do you know that polar bears are the largest bears? They are also the largest land carnivores. The record weight is 1,002 kg and the record height is 3.5m
Do you know that Polar bears are strong swimmers? They can swim at 10km/hour for 10 hours without stopping
Pygmy Hippo
Do you know that the pygmy hippo can’t swim, and its body is too dense to float? It tiptoes along riverbeds gracefully like an underwater ballerina. To breathe, it uses its hind legs to push itself up above the water’s surface.
Do you know that when hippos yawn, they are showing off their teeth to threaten rivals? But when a male yawns in the presence of a female, it is a sign of “affection” as part of their courtship display.
Do you know that the pygmy hippo is much smaller than the Nile Hippo? It takes about ten pygmy hippos to make one Nile Hippo.
Rhino
Do you know that the horn on a rhino’s nose is just a mass of hair stuck together (also known as a really bad hair day)? It is loosely attached to the skull. When it gets knocked off, a new horn will grow in its place.
Do you know how the Zoo Keepers feed the Rhino ? Check this sgtop10 produced video
White Tiger
Do you know that there are no tigers in Africa? All of them are in Asia and only about 7000 wild tigers are alive today.
Do you know only 1 in 10,000 tigers is white?
Do you know that the white tiger in the Singapore Zoo actually killed a man in November 2008? You can read the archive story about the Singapore Zoo White Tiger Attack.
