Slender-Tailed Meerkat (Suricata suricatta)

Slender-Tailed Meerkat (Suricata suricatta)

Meerkats wake at sunrise and use their flat chests as a solar panel to warm their bodies.

Slender-Tailed Meerkat (Suricata suricatta)

Once warm, they spend most of the day foraging for food. As the sun goes down meerkats return to their burrow and keep warm by sleeping in a group.

Slender-Tailed Meerkat (Suricata suricatta)

Meerkats take turns as a lookout sentry, usually on top of a rock or termite mound. Short cheeps aindicate safety, while sharp barks warn of an approaching predator.

Slender-Tailed Meerkat (Suricata suricatta)

When threatened, meerkats either run for the safety of a burrow, or band together, hissing an djumping as a group in an effort to intimidate the predator.

Slender-Tailed Meerkat (Suricata suricatta)

Silvery Gibbon (Hylobates moloch)

Silvery Gibbon (Hylobates moloch)

Gibbons are apes not monkeys.

Silvery Gibbon (Hylobates moloch)

Their long arms and hands are perfectly adapted to life in the forest canopy.

Silvery Gibbon (Hylobates moloch)

The Silvery Gibbon has already lost 99% of its original rainforest habitat and the pressure on the remaing forest is extreme.

Silvery Gibbon (Hylobates moloch)

Whilst Java's human population is over 120 million, Silvery Gibbons number less then 2000 spread over just a few isolated patches of forest.

Silvery Gibbon (Hylobates moloch)

Silvery Gibbon (Hylobates moloch)

Malleefowl

Malleefowl

Although the Malleefowl is a ground dwelling bird, it will fly short distances to safety if threatened.

Malleefowl

The Malleefowl is one of only 14 mound-building bird species in the world.

Malleefowl

Malleefowl

Red-Collared Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus rubritorquis)

Red-Collared Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus rubritorquis)

The brush-tipped tongue of this noisy and sociable bird is used to harvest nectar and pollen from blossoms.

Red-Collared Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus rubritorquis)

Frill-Necked Lizard

Frill-Necked Lizard

Frill-necked lizards often forage on the ground for insects and small vertebrates, taking to higher ground or a tree when alarmed.

Frill-Necked Lizard

Frill-Necked Lizard

Frill-Necked Lizard

Northern Blue-tongue Skink (Tiliqua scincoides intermedia)

Northern Blue-tongue Skink (Tiliqua scincoides intermedia)


When threatened, these lizards open their mouths and hiss. Their 'blue' tongue is also thought to deter potential predators.

Northern Blue-tongue Skink (Tiliqua scincoides intermedia)

Northern Blue-tongue Skink (Tiliqua scincoides intermedia)

Radiated Tortoise (Geochelone radiata)

Radiated Tortoise (Geochelone radiata)

This species is occaisionally poached from the wild for the illegal pet trade. A bigger threat to their survival is hunting by humans for food.

Radiated Tortoise (Geochelone radiata)

Their meat remains on the menu for tourists in some Malagasy markets.

Radiated Tortoise (Geochelone radiata)

White Rhino (Ceratotherium simum)

White Rhino (Ceratotherium simum)

The elast threatned of the five species, the White Rhino is the second largest land mammal - after the elephant.

White Rhino (Ceratotherium simum)

The name "White" comes from the Dutch word "wijde" meaning wide, which was used to describe the rhino's lips, not the colour of its hide.

White Rhino (Ceratotherium simum)

Conservation efforts have helped the population of White Rhino recover from less then 100 individuals in 1895 to more then 11600 today.

Lion (Panthera lco)

Lion (Panthera lco)

Working together as a group, the lionesses do most of the hunting in the early evening. Individual lionesses seem to have different roles to play as part of the hunt.

Lion (Panthera lco)

It is this combined strength which allows them to be such efficient hunters.

Lion (Panthera lco)

Lion (Panthera lco)

Apostlebird (Struthidea cinerea)

Apostlebird (Struthidea cinerea)

Apostlebirds live in large family groups are thought once to number twelve - hence their name.

Apostlebird (Struthidea cinerea)

Several family members help to construct their perfect mud-bowl nests to raise the two to five chicks.

Apostlebird (Struthidea cinerea)

Sumatran Tiger

Sumatran Tiger

Perth Zoo is part of a global network of organisations working to save tigers and their habitat. Through participating in a regional breeding program an supporting local conservation work in Sumatra, Perth Zoo is helping to save the Sumatran Tiger.

Sumatran Tiger

Perth Zoo has been able to direct thousands of dollars to tiger conservation in Sumatra thanks to the many visitors who contributed toward our tiger exhibit donation box.

Sumatran Tiger

Research, anti-poaching patrols, community education and habitat protection all combat the major threats to tiger survival.

Sumatran Tiger

The hunting prowess and beauty of tigers have elevated them to cultural and religious icon status across their range countries.

Sumatran Tiger

As a top predator of the rainforest, the "lord of the jungle's" survival hinges on the conservation of its natural habitat.

Sumatran Tiger

The conservation of habitat would help to ensure the survival of the multitude of species within the rainforest.

Sumatran Tiger

Estimate of remaining tiger numbers
Siberian Tiger 500
Bengal Tiger 3500
Indochinese Tiger 1500
South China Tiger 30
Sumatran Tiger 500
Total 6030

Bali Tiger Extinct: 1940s
Caspian Tiger Extinct: 1970s
Javan Tiger Extinct: 1980s

Tigers are butchered for their body parts for use in traditional Chinese medicine. This is the major source of Tiger killings.

Unfortunately there are still people who believe that tiger penis is and aphrodisiac, Tiger bone can be used as a tonic, Tiger eyeballs cure convulsions, Tiger brain cures acne & laziness.

Poachers kill Tigers to supply the black market with pelts, bones and organs for eastern medicine. Tiger bone is worth $1000 per kilogram.

Due to the huge population in Asia, much of the natural habitat of the Tiger has been destroyed for timber or agriculture. The remaining habitat is in isolated patches and faces constant pressure from human encroachment.

Perentie (Varanus giganeus)

Perentie (Varanus giganeus)

The Perentie can grow up to 2.5 metres in length, making it the second largest lizard in the world. The largest is the Komodo Dragon found in Indonesia. Perentie are able to stand on their back legs and tail to gain a better view of their surrounding habitat.

Perentie (Varanus giganeus)

They forage for food or wait for small mammals, birds or reptiles to come to them.

Perentie (Varanus giganeus)

Chameleon Dragon

Chameleon Dragon

The Chameleon Dragon is often found perched on fallen trees or low lying vegetation. It is named for its resemblance to the Chameleon but does not share its ability to rapidly change colour.

Chameleon Dragon

Females will descend to the ground between June and September to lay and bury a small clutch of eggs.

Chameleon Dragon

Emperor Tamarin (Saguinis imperator)

Emperor Tamarin (Saguinis imperator)

Emperor Tamarin (Saguinis imperator)

Emperor Tamarin's live in family groups of two to eight individuals. They sometimes form mixed troops with Saddleback Tamarins and help each other detect aerial predators while Saddleback Tamarins look out for danger at ground level.

Emperor Tamarin (Saguinis imperator)

Emperor Tamarin (Saguinis imperator)

Black & White Ruffed Lemur (Varecia variegata)

Black & White Ruffed Lemur (Varecia variegata)

Black & White Ruffed Lemur (Varecia variegata)

Unlike most primates, young Black and White Ruffed Lemurs can not cling to their mothers at birth. The female plucks fur from her rump to line a nest, where the young will remain until they are three weeks old.

Ring-Tailed Lemur (Lemur catta)

Ring-Tailed Lemur (Lemur catta)

Ring-Tailed Lemur (Lemur catta)

Unlike many other primate groups, females are the dominant members of this society.

Ring-Tailed Lemurs have a short breeding season as lemurs are receptive to mating for only 24 hours each year.

Rothchild's Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi)

Rothchild's Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi)

Rothchild's Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi)

The most threatened of the Giraffe subspecies, Rothchild's Giraffes differ by having more buff coloured space between their light brown spots. This breeding group contributes to the worldwide effort to save the from extinction.

Rothchild's Giraffe with Grant's Zebra in background

Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor)

Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor)

Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor)

Little Penguins, also known as fairy or blue penguins are the smallest of all penguins and the only one to be found on Australian mainland.

Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor)

Penguins spend their day at sea fishing. At nightfall they return to the land, parade up the beach to nesting sites under bushes, amongst rocks, limestone caves or burrows in sand dunes.

Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor)

Penguins swimmnig and standing around at the Perth Zoo. It is believed that the penguins were discussing important penguin matters such as 'Trendy rocks where Penguins hang out', 'Is the govenment spending enough on Penguin Health Care (PHC)?' and 'The rising costs of Penguin rock outcrops'.