Animals

ARMADILLO

Armadillo is a Spanish word meaning 'little armored one' and refers to the bony plates that cover the back, head, legs, and tail of most of these fascinating looking creatures.

RING-TAILED LEMUR

The Ring-Tailed Lemur is an endangered primate native only to Madagascar. They can live for up to 15 years in the wild!

Meet The Lemurs

BACTRIAN CAMEL

These two-humped camels can grow up to 12ft! It's a myth that they store water in their humps - they actually store fat.

MEERKAT

The Meerkat is a small mongoose found in southern Africa. They are known as the Hobbledown guards because of the way they always stand to attention!

Meet The Meerkats

BENNETT’S WALLABY

These springy animals all the way from Tasmania click and chatter to communicate. Get up close and personal in their wonderful walkthrough.

BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOG

The 'dog' part of the prairie dog's name comes from its incredible bark. They live in complex burrow systems, which is why they're always busy digging.

AFRICAN PYGMY GOAT

Bearded goat with excellent climbing skills. Check out their wonderful walkthrough if you want to see them up close!

Be a Junior Zookeeper

MARA

With strong hind legs, the Mara are members of the rodent family and can move extremely fast.

ALPACA

These funny-looking creatures come from the high altitudes of the South American Andes, and often spit up and chew their food over and over again!

Get up Close!

GIANT FLEMISH RABBIT

These cottontail rabbits are gentle giants; they can grow up to 1.3 metres long!

CAPYBARA

These giant rodents are fantastic swimmers, extremely social, and very chilled-out! They are close relatives to the (much smaller) guinea pig.

Feed the Capybaras

PEAFOWL

The females are called 'peahens', while the males are the 'peacocks' - and they're the ones with the glorious fan of fancy feathers.

SHEEP

Woolly-haired sheep that loves to lazily graze.

MINIATURE HORSES

Yes, they're different to ponies! Miniature horses are often smaller, less muscular and stocky, and are more likely to be kept as pets than their working pony counterparts.

PIGS

Though they're very fond of rolling in wet mud to cool off, pigs are actually very clean animals!

NILGAI

Nilgai are the largest Asian antelope, and they can run up to 29mph. Their name literally translates to 'blue cow'.

RHEA

As a species of bird, it may surprise you to learn that Rheas cannot fly. Instead, they run about all helter-skelter, as they cannot move in a straight line!

GUINEA PIG

A common pet and highly social animal, domestic guinea pigs originate in the Andes of South America. Despite the name, they're not actually related to pigs at all.

LILAC BREASTED ROLLER

This beautifully coloured African bird can often be found nesting in natural cavities in trees or termite hills.

WHITE-CHEEKED TURACO

Turacos use their long tails for balance, and can live for 10 - 12 years.

GOELDI'S MONKEYS

This small monkey has shaggy black hair, claw-like nails and a long tail.

GOLDEN-HANDED TAMARINS

These animals are likely named after King Midas from Greek mythology, who could turn objects to gold just by touching them. They are native to South America.

COMMON MARMOSETS

These monkeys have white tufts of hair on the sides of their heads, and their diet mainly consists of sap and gum from trees.

TORTOISE

We have four species of tortoise at Hobbledown: Hermann’s tortoise – Near Threatened; Horsfield’s tortoise – Vulnerable; Leopard tortoise – Least concern; African spurred tortoise (sulcata) – Endangered.

Meet The Tortoises