Animal Anthem of Taronga Zoo | Secrets of the Zoo Down Under
The Animal Anthem of Taronga Zoo is a captivating symphony of sounds that resonates from dawn till dusk. From the powerful roar of the majestic lions to the chilling bellow of the koalas, the zoo is alive with the sound of creatures from all over the world. In particular, Thunder, a special five-year-old koala, is known for his impressive bellow that can be heard from miles away. The koala bellow is a unique way of communication, used by males to establish territory and search for a female during the breeding season. Even the most mundane sounds, like raking, can set Thunder off and inspire him to bellow. The battle of the bellows between Thunder and other male koalas has not only inspired mating but also inspired sounds in movies like “The Lord of the Rings,” where the orcs were a combination of koala sounds and other animals. If you were out in the bush and heard the powerful bellow of a koala, you would be truly terrified. The Animal Anthem of Taronga Zoo is a true testament to the unique and captivating sounds of the animal kingdom.
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[music playing] – Taronga’s two zoos are, without doubt, amongst the most beautiful in the world. But when you come to visit, chances are the first thing that will captivate you won’t be the sights. It’ll be the unique symphony of sounds. [lion roars] – It’s basically, you know, saying we’re here.
This is our territory. [lion roars] – They’ll hear it all the way over into The Domain. We certainly hear concerts from The Domain. So now they’re going to hear our beautiful lions roaring all the way over there. – From dawn till dusk, the zoo resonates
With a chorus of creatures from all over the world. [seal roars] [monkeys screeching] But one native animal makes a chilling sound that can be heard from miles away. [animal whining] And it’s not an animal that you’d expect. [koala bellowing] – This is Thunder. He’s a very special koala. He’s still quite young.
He’s about five years old, and he’s one of our breeding males. And, you know, Thunder, he gets his name because of his bellow. [thunder bellowing] A koala bellow is a really strong, powerful way that they can communicate. Generally speaking, it’s only the males that will bellow.
And it’s a way that they can establish a territory. And in breeding season, it’s how they will search for a female. [thunder bellowing] It’s very guttural and it’s very, very impressive. It sounds like thunder. [raking scraping] – Even the most mundane sounds can set Thunder off. – Generally, that sound of the raking
Will stimulate him to bellow because it sounds a little bit like another koala. We do have another koala just across the way there, Baxter. And they’ll set each other off because they’re both males, and they’re competing for females in the area. So even if he hears Baxter, it’ll set him off as well.
[rake scraping] [thunder bellowing] – And this battle of the bellows has inspired more than just mating. – I’m pretty sure that the koala vocal has inspired a lot of sounds in movies. Like “The Lord of the Rings,” for example. I know that the orcs was a bit of a combination between koala
And some other animals. [thunder bellowing] I think if you were out in the bush, and you heard that sound, you would be terrified.
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Video “Animal Anthem of Taronga Zoo | Secrets of the Zoo Down Under” was uploaded on 05/30/2021 to Youtube Channel Nat Geo WILD