Habitats

Our Semi-Arid Grasslands habitat is modelled on the iconic dry inlands of Australia.

Although appearing completely lifeless, with little sign of water the Semi-Arid Grasslands habitat is an extraordinary landscape where many animals surprisingly are able to thrive in this harsh desert environment.

Regardless of how barren this environment may look there are an abundance of animals that live successfully within this location, managing to adapt to these surroundings with the help of some amazing characteristics.

Water is extremely important for life and this environment provides very little water, and as a result there tends to be minimal amounts of food. Many marsupials are able to thrive here, regardless of minimal water, as they have a lower metabolic rate and hence require less food than placental mammals, such as cats and dogs.

Getting rid of excess heat can be a problem in this environment, especially for a large mammal like the Red Kangaroo, which does not pant or sweat. For this reason, Red Kangaroos have large, veiny ears for cooling down their blood, but will also lick their forearms to take advantage of the cooling effects of evaporation.

Controlling birth patterns is another way of surviving the harsh climate. When times are particularly hard, Red Kangaroos are able to keep an embryo in suspended animation until the next good rain. In good times, when rain is plentiful and there is plenty of green vegetation, a female may have 2 joeys of different ages, one in the pouch and one at foot, to make up for lost time. Even more fascinating is that, while nursing them, each nipple will produce a different type of milk, with the appropriate fat content for the developmental stage of each joey.

Welcome to the Semi-Arid habitat!