Scrub Up for Dinner

Life in the scrub-lands is a constant search for food.

The world's warm deserts take up a tiny part of the earth's surface, in five very special regions. During the dry, baking hot summers, you can hear crickets rubbing their legs together and the air smells sweet with the oils of many plants and shrubs. Winter is fairly cool and there is enough rain to support more plantlife than the hotter deserts of the world.

Hermanns Tortoise

Found - Mediterranean scrub-desert

Threats - Vulnerable species due to booming pet trade

At the Zoo - Our group is breeding successfully every year

Did you know? - They hibernate in winter and lay their eggs in May / June.

Carpet Python

Found - South West Australia, around scrub and rock outcrops

At the Zoo - Can be found if you look carefully in their specially built enclosure. Check out the bushes and trees

Did you know? - They can grow up to 4 metres long and lay up to 50 eggs.

How Can You Help?

* Don't support the illegal trade in pets

Quick Facts !

* Annual rainfall - 250 - 750 mm

* Temperature - Up to 30 degrees C in summer, 10 degrees C in winter

* Total area of planet covered - 1%

* Area lost in last 5000 years - 6.9%

* World importance - Barrier to encroaching deserts

* Threats - Urbanisation, the pet trade, hunting, farming and tourism

* Amazing fact - Some of the world's favourite herbs and spices come from these parts.