Longleat Safari park first opened its doors in 1966 with just lions on show
welcome to Longleat where i invite you to take a drive though theis splendid Safari Park and wonder at the magnificent animals you will see. First opened in 196, we continue to play a major role in the world programme of the breeding and conservation of endangered species. We opereate under the slogan of Preserving the past and protecting the future'.
Throught the yeats the Thynn family have been recognised as Pioneers, The 6th Marqui of Bath became the first peer to open his house to the public in 1949, and in 1966 opened the park in partnership with showman Jimmy Chipperfield.
First you have to image that there is a safari boat (like in zoo empire)
(all facts taken from the offical guide book of Longleat)
Man-made in the mid 18th century, the Half Mile Lake houses our group of Californian Sea Lions and is probably the largest zoological enclosure of its kind
First up to watch while you are waiting for the safari boat to arrive is the fascinating meerkats.
during the hot summer days these sociable animals can often be seen sunbathing (their favourtie pastime) but you will always see at least one member of the group acting as sentry.
Californaian Sea Lion
Sea lions can close their nostrils and earflaps when submerged in water. they also have a soft palate, which seals the throat area so that they can open their mouths to catch prey underwater.
Our sea lions are fed on a diet of mackeral but will spend most of their day catching the freshwater fish in the lake. They particulary like the eels that are found here.
They are thought to have the most sensitive whikers of the animal kingdom and can dive to a depth of 250m
Common Hippo
The hippo or 'river horse' os ideally suitated to an aquatic life style. the ears, eyes and nostrals are situated high on the head enabling them to function almost totally sumberged.
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