Zooper Kids - Winter 2023

HAVE YOU HEARD? African Wild Dogs make a “chirping“ sound

DID YOU KNOW? Servals have the largest ears of any cat

I’m a Leadbeater’s Possum. Learn all about the animals at Werribee Open Range Zoo with me!

DID YOU KNOW? Leopard Tortoises can live to be 100 years old

1 WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE MALE LION THAT LIVES ON THE AFRICAN RIVER TRAIL?

Hippos

Hippo Beach Café

Hippo Beach & Water Play

2 I AM THE FASTEST MAMMAL IN THE WORLD AND YOU CAN FIND ME THE TRAIL. WHO AM I?

Crazy About Cats Meeting Point

Cat Maze

Cheetah

Gorillas

Bush Babies

Adventure Trail

3 WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE DESERT IN AFRICA WHERE MEERKATS LIVE IN THE WILD?

Zebras Rhinos

4 WHAT IS A GROUP OF WESTERN LOWLAND GORILLAS CALLED?

Camels

Safari Station

Bison

Ostriches

Mongolian Wild Horse

Giraffe Meerkats

To find out more about the Junior Safari Bus: Click here

Antelopes

KNOW YOUR FLAGS

The animals on the trail come from lots of different countries across Africa. Can you match the African country to its national flag?

BOTSWANA

ETHIOPIA

KENYA

SOUTH AFRICA

TANZANIA

5 WHICH ANIMAL ON THE TRAIL IS ALSO KNOWN AS THE ‘RIVER HORSE’?

Answers on page 17

A.

A.

A.

A.

A.

MAKE YOUR OWN ANTELOPE HORNS

Pretend to be an antelope by galloping around!

1

Cut out a long thin strip of craft paper and punch two holes in either end. This will become a headband.

2

With the remaining craft paper, draw two antelope horns and cut them out.

3

Line up to three craft sticks together along the length of each horn and tape down.

4

Tape both horns to the headband.

5

Finally, add a split pin to each end of the headband and loop a rubber band around each pin.

insect keeper How to be an

Melbourne Zoo Insect Keeper Rohan is helping to save a very special animal: the Lord Howe Island Stick Insect, sometimes also called the ‘Tree Lobster’.

PUT NEW PLANTS OUT

Lord Howe Island Stick Insects like to eat a lot of plants. Each day, Rohan puts lots of new plants in the greenhouses for the insects to munch and climb on. The plants are all grown by the Melbourne Zoo nursery team, so they are very fresh and healthy. Rohan puts the plants in different spots each time. This gives the insects some variety and a new challenge to enjoy working out each day.

Have you watched the Octonauts episode on the Lord Howe Island Stick Insect?

SHARE THE STORY

GET AN EARLY START

Rohan is an early bird. He arrives at Melbourne Zoo at 6am to start his work. Keeping the insect habitats clean is very important, so Rohan cleans all the areas every morning.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Lord Howe Island Stick Insect was thought to be extinct for 80 years.

DO A MONTHLY COUNT

Every month Rohan counts all the Lord Howe Stick Insects in his care. This helps the team to keep track of how many insects are in the space. To do this, he looks at all the insects in each habitat, making sure to check inside nest boxes and under branches and leaves to find any that are hiding.

TAKE CARE OF EGGS

To breed the insects, Rohan collects insect eggs from the habitats and buries them in sand, just like the insects do in the wild. He keeps the eggs at the perfect temperature, then waits for them to hatch a fresh batch of tiny, green stick insects. As they grow into adults, the insects get much bigger and turn black.

The Lord Howe Island Stick Insect is very rare. There aren’t many left in the wild. A part of Rohan’s job is visiting schools to talk to children about the insect. He’s even written a children’s book called Phasmid to share the amazing story of the Lord Howe Island Stick Insect. You can buy the book at the Zoo Shop.

COLOUR-ME-IN WILDLIFE DETECTION DOG SQUAD

Kip and Finn are very important members of the Zoos Victoria Wildlife Detection Dog Squad. These clever pooches help scientists to find native animals in the wild, so they can monitor their health and behaviour.

The Detection Dog Squad has been trained to find lots of different species, like the Critically Endangered Baw Baw Frog.

Check out our super cute plush toy and hand puppet pooches in the Zoo Shop: Click here

RAINBOW SMOOTHIE BOWL

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Smoothie mix:

200g frozen mixed berries

1 banana

250ml milk

Peel the banana and add to the blender along with the frozen berries

Green kiwi fruit

Red strawberries

Add your favourite rainbow coloured toppings!

Orange mandarins

Blue blueberries

SAFARI SNACK

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

A ripe pear

Toothpicks

Green grapes

White mini marshmallows

Liquorice

Remember to always ask an adult for help when using a knife.

1

Using a sharp knife, carefully cut a pear in half and cut a green grape in half.

2

Push two toothpicks into the front underside of the pear where the teeth will go. Then thread a mini marshmallow through the toothpick to form the teeth.

3

Push two toothpicks into the front of the pear to make nostrils. Then thread through the grape halves to make the nostrils.

4

Push two toothpicks into each side of the top back of the pear. Then thread through two whole grapes on each side to make the ears.

5

Squash two mini marshmallows down onto the top to make the eyes. Then place a tiny bit of liquorice on top of the marshmallows to complete the eyes.

BIRD WORD is the

How much do you know about birds? Test your knowledge with this game of elimination. Simply cross out the birds described in each of the clues below. When you get to the end, there will be one bird left. What is it?

To find the answer, cross out:

1 All nocturnal birds

2 All flightless birds

3 All parrots

4 All waterbirds

Answer:

PLAINS-WANDERER

BUDGERIGAR BARN OWL

RAINBOW LORIKEET

CASSOWARY

SPOT THE DANGERS

From seals to waterbirds, Melbourne Zoo’s Marine Response Unit helps rescue and treat sick and injured marine mammals. Once the animals have been treated by the vets, they are released back to the wild. There are 5 things that can harm marine animals in the picture below. Can you spot them all?

Native Wildflower

SEED BOMBS STEPS

If it’s wet and cold, you might not want to spend much time outside in your garden. Winter is the perfect time to make some native wildflower seed bombs instead! Seed bombs can be stored for up to a year, so make some now to sow later on.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED 1

Put the half clay and half soil (or compost) in a mixing bowl, then add the seeds and some water so that it feels a bit moist.

Native wildlife seeds, like billy buttons, everlasting daisies, blue lace flowers or native wisteria

Dry the bombs on some paper set on a sunny, airy spot, like a windowsill. Turn the seed bombs every day or so to make sure they dry evenly.

Now it’s time to get dirty! Mix together with your hands until the mixture feels like dough.

WATER QUIZ

Water is really important because we need it to drink, clean, cook, grow plants and keep the environment healthy. Saving water is something we can all do every day, by having shorter showers and turning off taps when we’re not using them.

1

A running tap uses how much water in one minute?

A) 2 litres

B) 10 litres

C) 12 litres

D) 16 litres

How many litres of water does the average person in Melbourne use at home each day?

55 litres

71 litres

159 litres

Once the seed bombs are totally dry, package them up in some brown paper and string to give to your neighbours and friends.

Don’t forget to wear a mask while using potting mix

How much do you know about water?

Take this quiz to test your knowledge!

5 What is the name of the creek that flows through Healesville Sanctuary?

A) Badger Creek

B) Beaver Creek

C) Wombat Creek

D) Pookila Creek

6

225 litres

How much of the water used at Melbourne Zoo is recycled at the Zoo?

10%

25% 30% more than 50%

Werribee’s Western Treatment Plant produces how many litres of recycled water each year?

90 million litres

40 billion litres

75 billion litres

99 billion litres

7 8

How much of the earth’s surface is covered in water?

A) 30%

B) 50%

C) 60%

D) 80%

Starting with M and ending with H, which word describes what gardeners put on the soil to save water?

A) Mash

B) Marsh

C) Mosh

D) Mulch

What is the chemical formula for water?

A) H2O

B) WWW

C) W02

D) Hlx

Answers on page 17

We love gettingpicturesyour and letters.

8 A O)2(H

7 D (Mulch)

6 D (80%)

5 A (Badger Creek)

3 D (more than 50%)

2 C (159 litres)

4 B (40 billion litres)

1 D (16 litres)

g(p 15)

WATER QUIZ

face mask, fishing line

Balloon, drinking straw, plastic bag,

g(p 13)

SPOT THE DANGERS

Regent Honeyeater

g(p 12)

BIRD IS THE WORD

Tanzania

South Africa

Ethiopia

Kenya

Botswana

5 Hippopotamus

4 A troop

3 Kalahari Desert (Botswana, Namibia and South Africa)

2 Cheetah

1 Sheru

sg(p 2–3)

TRAIL ADVENTURE

Make your own PAPER BAGplatypus

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Brown craft paper or cardboard

Brown paper lunch bag

Black marker

Googly eyes

Scrap paper or newspaper

Glue

6

Glue the bill with the two nostrils and tail at each ends of the top of the paper bag.

DON’T FORGET TO GIVE YOUR PLATYPUS A NAME!

Fold all four corners of the paper

3

Fill the bag with scrunched up spare paper or newspaper.

7

Glue the feet on the bottom of the paper bag.

5

Cut out the bill, tail and all four feet from the brown cardboard or craft paper.

8

Want to learn more about our platypus friends? Visit the World of the Platypus at Healesville Sanctuary:

19

bag under.