Bugs & Fish
We have some awesome bugs and fish living in the Reptile House! On a visit you can see all of them up close and learn more about them from dedicated signage.
Sun Beetles
These colourful characters originate from tropical Africa. They live on a diet of fruit and nectar as adults. They spend most of their lives as grubs living under the ground and feeding on decomposing plant matter. Once they pupate and change into an adult beetle, they will only live for a few months to reproduce.
Giant African Millipede
Reaching nearly 40 cm in length, this is the largest species of millipede. Contrary to popular belief, they don’t have a thousand legs…more likely to be around 275. Millipedes play a vital role in the rainforest ecosystem as they are detritivores, meaning that they recycle all of the rotting vegetation and leaf litter, turning it back into nutrients for the soil.
Leaf-Cutter Ants
Leaf-Cutter Ants do not eat the leaves they cut, instead, the leaf fragments are used as compost to grow fungus gardens that feed the ants. A Leaf-Cutter Ant colony has lots to do. They are always collecting food, feeding young, growing fungus, defending their colony, and caring for their queen. With so many jobs, it helps to have ants that do certain things. These jobs are called castes.
Butterfly Splitfin
One of the most endangered animals at the farm! These fish are critically endangered according to the IUCN due to habitat loss and pollution. Males are easy to identify as they grow a yellow stripe on the end of their tails.
Aquarium
The aquarium is home to many different types of fish, coral and invertebrates. You may see fish such as Common Clownfish or Yellow Tang.
Coral reefs are crucial to the ocean ecosystem, supporting over 25% of all marine life. Tank invertebrates consume phytoplankton and parasites,
controlling the growth of bacteria and algae within an ecosystem.
Jimmy’s Farm & Wildlife Park News
