Jonathan’s Jungle Roadshow News

Today is the 9th birthday of Maurice Moss, my ever-popular and stunningly beautiful New Caledonian mossy prehensile-tailed gecko (or mossy gecko for short, as this full name is quite a mouthful)!! I took this new picture of him just a couple of days ago - he's a very handsome birthday boy indeed. 🦎

Today has been the 18th anniversary of my first ever school visit! Thanks to absolutely everyone who has been involved in booking any of my visits during the last 18 years - I continue to have the best job in the world and have now completed (if you include private party bookings) well over 3000 separate visits! 🐍🦎🦗🕷🦂

In recent weeks I've had lots of nymphs hatch of one of my very favourite stick insect species. This is Eurycantha horrida from Papua New Guinea, sometimes known as the thorny devil stick insect. They start off in life so tiny and cute, then within a few months they are absolutely huge. They're covered in spines and the males in particular have enormous rear legs with huge spines to defend themselves from predators. A very impressive species indeed!

Anyone who has met me on a visit in the last year will know that I absolutely love my giant hooded katydids aka Siliquofera grandis - they're a species I've only been keeping for one year of the 18 since I set up JJR, but they have probably become my favourite insect species in my entire collection! That's why I'm delighted to report that this week I've started having quite a few nymphs (babies) hatch - they're SO tiny compared to the enormous size they reach as adults!! Nymphs weigh less than 0.1g at hatching, whereas adult females can weigh well over 30g - the most amazing part being that they grow to this adult size (more than 300x their hatching weight) in just three months! That's roughly the equivalent of a human baby born at 3kg (7lbs approx.) weighing as much as an adult male polar bear in the same three-month period! It blows my mind and they are truly amazing creatures. 🥰

I would like to say thank you to everyone who suggested a name for my new Kenyan sand boa - there were so many brilliant ideas and I am delighted to confirm that he will henceforth be known as Kamba! Congratulations to Becky Wing-King of my home town of Swindon, who has won a half-price visit from the animals & I to an event of her choice. Kamba is the name of the fifth largest tribe in Kenya and the traditional dress of Kamba women looks quite similar to the colours of this beautiful snake, so it was a great name suggestion. Thanks again to everyone who took part in the competition - there will no doubt be another posted here before too long!

Charlotte, my gorgeous Peruvian purple pink toe tarantula, is 3yrs old today! She's one of my absolute favourite tarantulas and a truly beautiful spider. 🥰 #tarantulasofinstagram #tarantula #tarantulas #pinktoes