We’re nearly there, house virtually let, various assets almost sold, house mostly vacated, gear & gadgets mostly purchased. Our flight to Rio is only a fortnight away!
So, in further preparation we thought we’d take a visit to The Living Rainforest, an eco-greenhouse in Hampstead Norreys, just off Junction 13 on the M4. Yes… in the UK. Vastly smaller than the real thing, it was interesting to see some of the animals and plants in their non-native environment for a bit of comparison. A great visit, its £8.75 each for adults & £6.75 for children (family ticket available) for an annual pass. I can’t believe we’ve lived in Reading for four years and only recently found that this place existed!
Taken from their site; “On your visit, look out for free roaming lizards, birds and butterflies – you never know where they will appear next! See some of the world’s most popular foods, from bananas to coffee, cocoa and ginger… as well as plants that have changed the way we live today. Plus… monkeys, a crocodile and much more.”
Azare’s Agoutis: Large Rodents which are related to guinea pigs. They have adapted to forest life with long legs and a more streamlined shape and can climb, swim and jump – as high as 6ft from standstill.03-May-2009 14:01, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.5, 105.0mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 400
Azare’s Agoutis: Agoutis can live up to 20yrs in captivity and are important to the Brazil nut industry. They hide the nuts that often the grow into saplings.03-May-2009 14:01, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.5, 105.0mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 400
Red Billed Toucan: Also known as White Throated Toucans, these birds live high in the canopy and hop from branch to branch in search of food. Toucans have bristly tongues and are very noisy.03-May-2009 14:01, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 6.3, 35.0mm, 0.013 sec, ISO 400
Malagasy Teal: A light brown, wading, duck of which only around 1500 are left in the wild. These are restricted to the coastal mangrove forest of Madagascar.03-May-2009 14:12, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.5, 105.0mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 200
Geoldi’s Monkey: They are highly sociable and use over 40 different calls to communicate.03-May-2009 14:19, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.5, 102.0mm, 0.013 sec, ISO 800
Geoldi’s Monkey: Goeldi’s monkeys generally live in groups of up to 10. At night they snuggle inside a tree-hole with other family members.03-May-2009 14:19, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.5, 105.0mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 800
Crested Wood Partridge: THe partridge burrows into forest debris to make a nest. During incubation the female’s colour makes her easily visible to predators so she covers herself in leaves and dust for camouflage.03-May-2009 14:22, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 3.5, 28.0mm, 0.167 sec, ISO 400
Crested Wood Partridge: They live in tropical lowland forests, using their feet to probe the forest for seeds, fruits, vegetation and insects.03-May-2009 14:22, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 3.5, 28.0mm, 0.1 sec, ISO 400
Red-Eared Terrapins: They can be found in still or slow flowing water, and are active during the day basking in the sun, often by resting on floating objects.03-May-2009 14:26, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 5.0, 65.0mm, 0.013 sec, ISO 800
Red-Eared Terrapins: They are easily recognisable by the red stripe down the side of their head. They are omniverous, consuming whatever is available.03-May-2009 14:26, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 5.6, 105.0mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 800
Home’s Hingeback TOrtoise earns its name from the unique ability to close the back part of its shell to protect its rear legs.03-May-2009 14:28, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.0, 75.0mm, 0.02 sec, ISO 800
Geoffroy’s Side-Necked Turtle: Side-necked turtles withdraw their head and neck sideways into their shell when they are under threat from predators.03-May-2009 14:29, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.0, 28.0mm, 0.02 sec, ISO 800
Geoffroy’s Side-Necked Turtle: Generally found in rivers, lakes, and slow-moving streams, they have a diet of fish, molluscs and aquatic plants.03-May-2009 14:29, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 5.0, 48.0mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 800
Ocellate River Stingray: The Freshwater Stingray is able to sting as soon as it is born. The sting is very painful although only mildly venomous.03-May-2009 14:30, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.5, 105.0mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 800
Suckermouth Catrish: This fish is names because of its sucker-like mouth, which it uses to hold onto surfaces as well as food.03-May-2009 14:30, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.0, 45.0mm, 0.02 sec, ISO 800
Suckermouth Catrish: In the wild they are nocturnal and like to hide in dark places, feeding on aquatic vegetation and small crustaceans.03-May-2009 14:30, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.5, 105.0mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 800
Ocellate River Stingray: These particular stingrays live in lakes, rivers and streams. It is estimated there are around 20 or more species of freshwater stingray living in the Amazon and its tributaries.03-May-2009 14:31, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 5.6, 28.0mm, 0.013 sec, ISO 800
West African Dwarf Crocodile: Grows up to 1.6m and tends to be solitary outside the mating season. Females build a nest mound from rotting vegetation and lay around 10 eggs. Hatchlings emerge after 85-105 days and are guarded by the female. Nobody knows how many exist in the wild but they are threatened with extinction due to hunting and habitat loss.03-May-2009 14:39, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.5, 105.0mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 800
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