Zoo Animal Dictionary

Hannover's animals from A - Z

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Animal	origin	size	weight	breeding time	Age
Asian Elephant	Asia	300 cm tall	5000 kg	660 days (22 months)	60 - 80 years	readclose
	The elephant can use its trunk nearly like a hand. It gropes and grips very skillfully with it for leaves and twigs, and it is able to smell and drink with it!					Details
Hippopotamus	Africa	165 cm tall	3200 kg	244 days	50 years	readclose
	Hippos like to wallow in the mud during the day and sometimes doze in the cooling water for hours.					Details
Black rhinoceros	Africa	375 cm long	2000 kg	450 days	40 years	readclose
	The animal has got a pointed upper lip, which it can use as a spearing tool to pick leaves and twigs from thorny bushes without injuring itself.					Details
Giraffe	Africa	600 cm tall	1930 kg	465 days	25 years	readclose
	Their jaw muscles are designed for constant chewing, and the face muscles are weak – so a giraffe always looks rather down in the mouth.					Details
Eland antelope	Africa	160 cm tall	940 kg	280 days	25 years	readclose
	The largest of the antelopes, Eland bulls grow as tall as 1.8 m and as long as 3.4 m from head to tail. Eland antelopes prefer to live in herds to protect themselves from predators.					Details
Old German black and white lowland cattle	Europe	140 cm tall	500 kg	280 days	35 years	readclose
	The Old German black and white lowland cattle on Meyer`s farm are true rarities. There are only about 60 of these breeding worldwide anymore.					Details
Polar bear	Arctic	up to 2.5 m long, up to 1.6 m at the shoulder	500 – 800 kg	approx. 8 months	30 years (in zoos)	readclose
	Polar bears live on the north pole. Their fur protects them well against the cold. And the long, broad feet with their short, fat, bended claws can be uses as "snow shoes" on the ice and as paddles in the water.					Details
Zebra	Africa	240 cm long	315 kg	375 days	28 years	readclose
	The zebras of the steppe like to live in family herds of up to 20 members, consisting of a stallion and several females with their foals.					Details
Antilope	Africa, Asia	160 cm tall	300 kg			readclose
	A total of 12 different antilope species live in Hannover, including Addax, Eland antilopes, Kirk Dik-Diks, Impalas and Gnus.					Details
Tiger	Asia	105 cm tall	280 kg	112 days	25 years	readclose
	The Siberian tiger is the biggest living cat. The striped fur doesn’t only look good but is also excellent camouflage.					Details
Gorilla	Africa	185 cm tall	275 kg	289 days	60 years	readclose
	Gorillas live in fixed groups. A silver-back male leads the group consisting of some adult females and several young animals.					Details
Barbary lion	Africa, Asia	250 cm long	250 kg	100 - 119 days	25 years	readclose
	Lions are hunters of the night. They have got cat's eyes, which means a special coat behind the retina: the tapetum.					Details
Exmoor pony	Europe	130 cm tall	250 kg	336 days	25 years	readclose
	The Exmoor pony is probably descended from ponies brought to England during the Bronze Age by Celtic migrants. Ever since the 11th century, Exmoor ponies have lived semi-wild on Exmoor.					Details
Sea lion	South America	250 cm long	200 kg	365 days	28 years	readclose
	Over millions of years, the sea lion, like other seals, has adapted more and more to life in the sea.					Details
Ostrich	Africa	271 cm tall	156 kg	46 days	40 years	readclose
	Ostriches can hold a speed of 65 km per hour. Even lions or quick leopards haven't got a chance against them.					Details
Llama	South America	125 cm tall	155 kg	368 days	20 years	readclose
	A really powerful troop from South America: Llama, alpaca, vicuna, and guanaco.					Details
American red squirrel	North America	20 cm; plus 12 cm of tail	150-300 grams	38 days	up to 7 years	readclose
	Red squirrels are little celebrities; in their North American homeland they’re one of the best-known animals of all, like our squirrels.					Details
Addax or Mendesantelope	Africa	115 cm tall	135 kg	255 days	20 years	readclose
	Addax or Mendes antelopes are inhabitants of the desert. They have long, curved horns.					Details
Lesser kudu	Africa	112 cm tall	105 kg	240 days	15 years	readclose
	These elegant antelopes have brown fur with long white stripes. The males have long, corkscrew horns.					Details
Orang-utan	Asia	97 cm tall	90 kg	260 days	50 years	readclose
	Unique, unmistakable, and far-reaching is the shout of the male orang-utan. This shout is characterized by a long row of loud roars.					Details