Trips to the zoo are always fun and educational. We always get to learn something new from every visit. Let us bring you on a brief tour of what we went through. Here we go !
Last week, Xav and myself had an opportunity to go on a preview of the Land of Giants Trail at Singapore Zoo.
And it was such a precious moment where we actually got the real Jungle Nymph also known as Heteropteryx dilatata, on us, it was about probably slightly less than half of my arm's length. It cleverly camouflaged itself as a piece of leaf should you be able to spot it on a potted plant.
Invertebrates make up 95 per cent of all animal species in the world, and there are probably millions of them invisible to the naked eye living in each home—yet they are rarely noticed.
While they may be small and nondescript, invertebrates have a giant impact on ecosystems, and most would collapse without them. Their abundance makes them good meals for other animals, they are pollinators of plants, recyclers of organic materials back into the earth, and many contribute as predators that control pest populations. By showcasing their amazing adaptations in a macro way, this seasonal outdoor exhibit, coupled with real life encounters of the pint-sized creatures, aims to bring across the essential roles that invertebrates play in the ecosystem.
“Invertebrates are really the giants of the ecosystem—they have amazing adaptations for communication, defence and reproduction, which have enabled them to be incredible survivors. We hope that both the larger-than-life installations and interaction sessions with the little beasts will spark greater interest in the fascinating miniature world of invertebrates, and inspire conservation efforts aimed at these often-overlooked creatures.”
Ms May Lok, Director of Education, Wildlife Reserves Singapore
 |
| Bombardier Beetle |
This is quite special ! Guess it's name ?! The real Orchid Mantis, needed me to be more observant to spot it. It was not pink like the installation. But it did not look like an insect at all at the first glance.
 |
| Orchid Mantis |
Its legs look just like the pretty orchids ! You can have a real encounter with the Orchid Mantis too at Fragile Forest Discovery Outpost this coming holiday season. The keepers are waiting to introduce guests to a plethora of invertebrates like Jungle Nymph, Orchid Mantis and Madagascan Hissing Cockroach.
This giant fever also spills over to the River Safari, which celebrates the majestic river-dwelling giants in its collection.
Some of the species in focus are the giant freshwater stingray and giant chinese salamanders. We were in time to watch the divers in action during feeding time!
Xav said that the giant chinese salamanders were like sloth but infact they were even lazier than sloths ! It took quite a few attempts for the keeper before the salamander decided to "vacumm" the little white mice into its mouth.
We hoped onto the Amazon River Quest as well if you managed to catch us on our live IG stories. The adorable Capybara - the world's largest rodent, were among the few we spotted on the trail.
Land of Giants
Activity: Step into the Land of Giants and find yourself surrounded by 60 larger-than-life vertebrates. Spot the Orchid Mantis, net-casting spider and follow the ant trail for different activity pit-stops.
Venue: Heliconia Valley
Dates: 18 November - 31 December 2017 (Daily)
Time: 8.30am to 6pm
 |
| Weaver Ants building their nest |
Bug Explorer Trail
Activity: Be a bug explorer ! Set off on an adventure and get to know the amazing abilities of insects. Complete the trail sheet to receive a set of Magic Goggles to spot invertebrate masters of disguise.
Venue: Singapore Zoo Entrance
Dates: 18 November - 31 December 2017 (Daily)
Time: 8.30am to 6pm
Bug Buffet Sensory Booth
Activity: Engage all your senses and discover the fascinating world of invertebrates. Stare bug-eyed at a giant millipede or try your hand at sorting stick insect eggs from their poo!
Venue: Pavilion next to Rainforest Kidzworld
Dates: 18 November - 31 December 2017 and Christmas (Daily)
Time: 10am to 4pm
Invertebrate Macro Photography Display
Activity: If you are curious how an insect looks up-close. This activity allows you to spend time and admire these tiny beasts and be amazed by the intricate details you would otherwise overlooked.
Venue: Pavilion next to Rainforest Kidzworld
Dates: 18 November - 31 December 2017 and Christmas (Daily)
Time: 8.30am to 6pm
Little Giant Puppetry Show
Activity: Sit back and enjoy the puppetry performance starring some of the favourite invertebrates.
Venue: Pavilion next to Rainforest Kidzworld
Dates: Weekends between 18 November - 31 December 2017 and Christmas
Time: 12pm | 3pm
Giants Mascot Meet & Greet
Activity: Meet Dung Beetle and Lime Butterfly Mascot for a photo opportunity.
Venue: Entrance Plaza
Dates: Weekends between 18 November - 31 December 2017
Time: 10am | 12pm | 3pm
Crafty Crawly
Activity: Get your creativity going with this insect craft activity and create your very own finger puppet, clay fridge magnet and creepy crawler.
Venue: Rainforest Courtyard
Dates: Weekends between 18 November - 31 December 2017 and Christmas
Time: 8.30am to 6pm
Little Beast Encounters
Sticky Situation Competition
Spineless Wonders Behind-the-Scenes Tour
The fun continues at River Safari ! Check these out:
River Giants Explorer Trails
River Talk: Giants' Encounters
Get close up with one of the largest flying birds and the world's largest rodent in this animal presentation.
Venue: Boat Plaza
Dates : 18 November - 31 December 2017 (Daily)
Time: 11.30am | 3.15pm
Bring Home A River Giant
Activity: Get crafty ! Personalize your favourite river giant and bring them home as mementoes!
Venue: Boat Plaza
Canola Mascot Meet and Greet
River Tales
Enrichment and Feeding sessions
Seriously, with this string of activities going on right up to the end of 2017. I guarantee you, one day is not going to be enough, we will be back! Thank you Wildlife Reserves for having us that morning and special thanks to The "Perfect" Father.
Little Beast Encounters
Activity: Meet a different invertebrate during each mystery encounter ! It could be a forest cockroach, stick insect or even a tarantula.
Venue: Fragile Forest Discovery Outpost
Dates: Weekends between 18 November - 31 December 2017 and Christmas
Sticky Situation Competition
Activity: Guess the number of stick insects in a tank and stand a chance to win a behind-the-scenes tour at Fragile Forest.
Venue: Pavilion next to Rainforest Kidzworld
Dates: Weekends between 18 November - 31 December 2017 and Christmas
Time: 10am to 4pm
Activity: This activity allows you to have an intimate encounter with the invertebrates at Fragile Forest! Through hands-on activities,, this behind-the-scenes experience will help you appreciate these unsung heroes of our ecosystem.
Venue: Fragile Forest
Dates: 25 November & 2 December 2017 @ 10am | 26 November & 3 December 2017, 1 pm
Cost: $18 per person
Capacity: 30 pax per tour
Click HERE to sign up.
The fun continues at River Safari ! Check these out:
River Giants Explorer Trails
Activity: Embark on a self guided tour and discover the river giants ! Complete the trail sheet and be rewarded with a chance to win exclusive prizes.
Venue: River Safari Entrance
Dates: 18 November - 31 December 2017 (Daily)
Time: 10am to 6pm
River Talk: Giants' Encounters
Get close up with one of the largest flying birds and the world's largest rodent in this animal presentation.
Venue: Boat Plaza
Dates : 18 November - 31 December 2017 (Daily)
Time: 11.30am | 3.15pm
Bring Home A River Giant
Activity: Get crafty ! Personalize your favourite river giant and bring them home as mementoes!
Venue: Boat Plaza
Dates: Weekends between 18 November - 31 December 2017
Time: 10am to 4pm
Canola Mascot Meet and Greet
Activity: Meet the adorable Canola, the manatee mascot and strike a pose for a snapshot !
Venue: River Safari Entrance
Dates: Weekends between 18 November - 31 December 2017
Time: 10am | 4.30pm
River Tales
Activity: A fun storytelling performance about River Giants as the characters come alive from a gigaantic storybook.
Venue: Boat Plaza
Dates: Weekends between 18 November - 31 December 2017
Time: 12.30pm | 2pm
Enrichment and Feeding sessions
Activity: Be intrigued by the interesting behaviour and feeding habits of these super-sized river-dwelling inhabitants.
Venue: Giant Freshwater Stingray
Dates: Weekends between 18 November - 31 December 2017
Time: 10.45 am
 |
| Giant Freshwatwer Stingray (Photo credit: Wildlife Reserves Singapore) |
Venue: Giant Salamander
Dates: Weekends between 18 November - 31 December 2017
Time: 2.30pm
Venue: Manatee Exhibit
Dates: Weekends between 18 November - 31 December 2017
Time: 5.30pm
Seriously, with this string of activities going on right up to the end of 2017. I guarantee you, one day is not going to be enough, we will be back! Thank you Wildlife Reserves for having us that morning and special thanks to The "Perfect" Father.
For more information on the Land of Giants, visit http://www.zoo.com.sg/events-promos/land-of-giants.html . You can also visit their social media pages for updates:
ABOUT WILDLIFE RESERVES SINGAPORE
Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) is dedicated to the management of world-leading zoological institutions—Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari, River Safari and Singapore Zoo—that aim to inspire people to value and conserve biodiversity by providing meaningful and memorable wildlife experiences.
A self-funded organisation, WRS focuses on protecting biodiversity in Singapore and Southeast Asia through collaborations with like-minded partners, organisations and institutions. Each year, the four attractions welcome 4.6 million visitors.
Mandai Park Holdings (MPH), the driving force behind the rejuvenation of Mandai into an integrated wildlife and nature heritage space, is the holding company of WRS and oversees its business and strategic development.
A self-funded organisation, WRS focuses on protecting biodiversity in Singapore and Southeast Asia through collaborations with like-minded partners, organisations and institutions. Each year, the four attractions welcome 4.6 million visitors.
Mandai Park Holdings (MPH), the driving force behind the rejuvenation of Mandai into an integrated wildlife and nature heritage space, is the holding company of WRS and oversees its business and strategic development.
Thank you for reading and if you would like to stay tune for future updates, do follow me on :
Disclaimer: We were invited to attend the media preview, no monetary compensation is involved and all opinions are of my own.
3 comments:
Ahhh so cute!!! I love animals and I’m glad this zoo seems to be a good one that provides a good habitat for the animals. 🦓 🦒 🐅
I went to the Night Safari and it was awesome.
These are awesome photos and great description. 🙂
Wonderful post. Thanks for such detailed information.
Thanks for your post on Singapore tourist attractions. Your post inspired me to check Singapore flyer price and it offered me most enthralling experience to my family and friends to spend the vacation in the most beautiful place in the world.
This is a great insight into the Google Knowledge Graph. Thanks for this information. Search engines are becoming smarter day by day and the Knowledge Graph is one of the tools, contributing to it.
Post a Comment