Animals that hunt are called predators. Predators eat other animals, called prey, for food. They are very important for keeping ecosystems healthy because they maintain the balance between plants and the animals that eat the plants, these animals are called herbivores. When predators are removed from an ecosystem, there are too many herbivores and not enough food (plants) to go around. 

On July 29, we will be celebrating International Tiger Day.

There are a lot of predators in the world and at Reid Park Zoo, you can learn about some of the biggest predators out there: lions, jaguars and tigers. But, as big as they are, these predators need our help. 

On July 29, we will be celebrating International Tiger Day. You can celebrate on your own or join us at Reid Park Zoo and learn more about tigers. Here are five interesting facts about tigers to get you started:

• Unlike many other cats, tigers like water and are excellent swimmers

• Tigers can run up to 40-miles-per-hour, but only for short distances

• Tigers can be found on the continent of Asia, especially in grassy or forested habitats

• There are six species (types) of tigers — Amur, Bengal, Malayan, Sumatran, Indochinese and South China. (The tigers at Reid Park are Malayan)

• Scientists believe that there are fewer than 500 Malayan tigers in the wild

To learn more about what you can do to help protect tigers, visit us at: ReidParkZoo.org

Did You Know?

At Reid Park Zoo, you can meet two green tree pythons in the Conservation Learning Center. These Australian snakes are arboreal, meaning they live in trees, have diamond-shaped heads and can grow up to 6 feet long!