Soft Thistle Zoo Photography

Soft Thistle Zoo Photography Soft Thistle Photography's photograph's from zoological gardens around the UK.

Out of the 330~ species of marsupial, a whopping 70% are found in Australia and it's surrounding islands, with the rest ...
20/05/2026

Out of the 330~ species of marsupial, a whopping 70% are found in Australia and it's surrounding islands, with the rest in South and Central America.

Only one, the Virginia Opossum, is found outside of the southern hemisphere, in North America.

I know I can only name a handful of marsupials, so I'll have to increase my knowledge for when I'm teaching my daughter about this interesting infraclass of mammals.

Nearly 90% of bird species are monogamous and around 15% are monogamous for life! One of the species that mates for life...
19/05/2026

Nearly 90% of bird species are monogamous and around 15% are monogamous for life! One of the species that mates for life are the beautiful, Victoria Crowned Pigeon.

When a female has picked a male, they'll engage in the pigeon "kiss" where they lock beaks and feed each other. They also share parental responsibility, taking turns incubating the egg and feeding the chick once hatched.

The Yellow Mongoose is one of over 30 species of mongoose, and while not as popular as their Meerkat cousins, they share...
18/05/2026

The Yellow Mongoose is one of over 30 species of mongoose, and while not as popular as their Meerkat cousins, they share a lot of the same characteristics. Living within family groups in burrows, mainly preying on insects but are opportunistic and can bring larger prey back to their burrows for their pups and they have a variety of communication techniques to stay in touch with their group.

Jewel wasps are super pretty, but are mainly known for their parasitic way to reproduce. They'll use a neurotoxin to con...
17/05/2026

Jewel wasps are super pretty, but are mainly known for their parasitic way to reproduce. They'll use a neurotoxin to control cockroaches, forcing them into a burrow where the wasp will then lay an egg in the cockroach. When the larva hatches, it'll then eat the cockroach from the inside out, while it's still alive and will then pupate inside the carcass to complete it's cycle to become an adult wasp.

Its amazing how something so pretty can also be so cruel!

These unusual looking creatures are one of my favourites! The Binturong or Bearcat (though not related to bears or cats!...
17/05/2026

These unusual looking creatures are one of my favourites! The Binturong or Bearcat (though not related to bears or cats!) has so many distinctive features and the more you look at it, the more you see. From it's cute face with tufted ears to the big, bushy, prehensile tail and the most distinctive feature of all - the smell of popcorn!

They are nocturnal animals that play a big role in seed dispersal in their forest habitat in South and SouthEast Asia.

I think we can all agree that Pygmy Hippos are ridiculously cute! Found in the swamps and forests of West Africa, they a...
16/05/2026

I think we can all agree that Pygmy Hippos are ridiculously cute! Found in the swamps and forests of West Africa, they are about a tenth the weight of their larger cousins and are more terrestrial, with longer legs and less webbing on their feet - though you will still find these guys enjoying water.

There are a few places in the UK to see these endangered animals, but my favourite place to see them will always be Edinburgh Zoo.

Some photos from the archives today.I really miss seeing the Village Weavers at Chester Zoo. Watching them make their ne...
16/05/2026

Some photos from the archives today.

I really miss seeing the Village Weavers at Chester Zoo. Watching them make their nests is fascinating, then seeing the females come to nosey so they can pick their mate for the season. Witnessing these behaviours is one of the main reasons I love going to the zoo, as well as watching documentaries.


Hello!I've been quiet on here while getting the hang of motherhood and various health issues. But we still get out to th...
25/10/2025

Hello!

I've been quiet on here while getting the hang of motherhood and various health issues. But we still get out to the zoo as often as we can and we are teaching the little one as much as possible.

Im aiming to get back to posting regularly on here so if you can interact to let me know you see this post, that'll be great! Thank you 💜

Did you know that there are 18 species of Pig?! They are from the family Suidae and include domestic pigs, as well as th...
02/02/2025

Did you know that there are 18 species of Pig?! They are from the family Suidae and include domestic pigs, as well as the 4 species pictured here.

Pigs have some interesting physical characteristics and intriguing behaviours, so next time you see some, stay and watch them for a while and see how they use those snouts for foraging.

Photo 1. Warthog.
Photo 2. Red River Hog
Photo 3. Visayan Warty Pig
Photo 4. Babirusa

This impressive looking primate is the Drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus), they are very closely related to Mandrills and bo...
01/02/2025

This impressive looking primate is the Drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus), they are very closely related to Mandrills and both species are the largest Old World Monkeys.

The males of the species can be twice the weight of the females, and mature males have a pink lip (like the one in the photos here). Despite having those large canines, they are mainly fruigivores, so the large teeth are used to show dominance.

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