Little penguin

Little penguin

Bird

Little Penguins are the smallest species of penguin. They are approximately 41 cm (16 inches) in height and they weigh approximately 1 kg (2.25 lbs).

They are colored blue/grey on their head and back and are white in color on their front. Their beak is dark grey and they have silver/grey colored eyes.

They molt once a year at the end of the breeding season and this usually takes place between February and March.

Location	S Australia & New Zealand
Color	Blue/Grey & White
Height	41 cm (16 inches)
Weight	1 Kg (2.25 lbs)
Life Expectancy	7 Yrs (Average)

Asian Elephant

The History of Asian Elephants

For 4,000 years, Asian elephants have been an important part of life for people in Asia. They've carried soldiers into battle, hauled logs, and taken part in religious ceremonies.

But the number of Asian elephants in the world is dwindling, and unless we act now they could soon go extinct. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Animals lists Asian elephants as endangered.

Unfortunately, these pachyderms' populations have decreased by 70 percent due to human-elephant conflict and habitat loss. There are now only 30,000 to 50,000 animals living in 13 Asian countries.

Very few areas in the wild can support elephant populations long-term, and without help the little remaining habitat Asian elephants call home—along with many other species—may disappear within 20 years. In the wild, Asian elephants help keep habitats diverse and full of life. They disperse fruits and their seeds, and create gaps in forest canopy that give small plants the sunlight they need to grow.

Without Asian elephants, biodiversity in Asian forests could significantly decrease and their ecosystems could lose supplies of food and water, as well as medicine-rich plants. About 15,000 Asian elephants live in human care, including in zoos, timber camps, temples, and private camps, as well as other places. That is one-third of all the elephants in the world.

The honey badger

The honey badger

Area: Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East, and India

Habitat: Grasslands, forests, mountains, and deserts

Food: Snakes, scorpions, birds, insects, small mammals, vegetation, and fruits

Size: 29 to 38 inches long, plus 5 to 9 inches for tail

Babies: Usually 1 born at a time. Babies are called cubs.

Have No Fear

The honey badger, also known as a ratel, is a strong, smart, and fierce mammal. Its stocky, flattened body has short, strong legs and claws on the front feet that are perfectly suited for digging.

They are pros at making burrows to sleep in. Also, underground insects and rodents don't stand a chance of escape when a honey badger digs after them! In fact, keepers at the Safari Park even reinforced the area under the home of Benzy, their honey badger animal ambassador, so she wouldn't be able to dig her way out.

The honey badger’s coat is thick and coarse, mostly black, with a wide, grayish-white stripe along its back from head to tail tip. Does that remind you of another animal? That's right, a skunk! And they don't just look like a skunk, they can stink like one, too. When a predator like a lion, leopard, or hyena tries to attack a honey badger, it releases a "stink bomb" that helps keep trouble away.

That two-tone coat covers skin that also helps the animal survive. Not only is its skin tough, it’s loose enough that a honey badger can turn around in it and bite its attacker. And speaking of bites, the honey badger can survive the bites of some very dangerous creatures. They eat scorpions and snakes, and they have an unusually strong immunity to venom. That means that even if the scorpion stings or the snake bites it, the honey badger doesn't die as other animals might.