New Yoohoo & Friends
10th January 2010
Toyporium are excited to say that Aurora have added eight new characters to their Yoohoo & Friends soft toy range and they are available to buy from our online shop now.
Our new Yoohoo friends are: Iberian Lynx, Fairy Penguin, Duckbill Platypus, Barbary Lion, Meerkat v2, Golden Lion Tamarin, Red Fox and Lesser Panda.
Yoohoo & Friends characters have been created by Aurora World and they are based upon real animals from all over the world. Some of them are based on endangered species.
The Iberian Lynx sometimes refered to as Spanish Lynx is considered to be one of the most endangered feline in the world. Spanish Lynx live up to 13 years. They have long tufts on their ears and very long whiskers. They inhabit open forests and thickets. Wild rabbits are their main prey, but they also hunt other small mammals and birds.
Fairy Penguin are also known as Little Penguin, they grow to around 17", males are generally a little larger than females. They are indigo in colour fading to white from chin to belly. Fairy Penguins breed along the entire coastline of New Zealand, the Chatham Islands and Southern Australia.
The Duckbill Platypus is a semi-aquatic animal that is found around eastern Australia and Tasmania. The duckbill Platypus lays eggs rather than gives birth to live young. This animal has feet like an otter, a tail like an otter and a bill like a duck. Until the early 20th century it was hunted for its fur, but it is now protected throughout its range. Although captive breeding programmes have had only limited success and the Platypus is vulnerable to the effects of pollution, it is not under any immediate threat.
The Barbary Lion is extinct in the wild, there are around 40 in captivity in Europe. The former popularity of the Barbary Lion as a zoo animal provides the only hope to ever see it again in the wild in North Africa. In the 19th century and the early 20th century Barbary lions were often kept in hotels and circus menageries. The lions in the Tower of London were transferred to more humane conditions at the London Zoo in 1835, on the orders of the Duke of Wellington. One famous purebred Barbary lion named "Sultan" lived in the London Zoo in 1896.
Meerkats are small mammals and they live in parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana and in South Africa. A group of Meerkats is called a "mob", "Gang" or "Clan". A Meerkat clan can often contain about 20 meerkats some have been known to contain 50 members or more. Meerkats have long slender bodies and grow to around 30 to 35cm. Meerkats use their long tails to balance when they stand upright.
Golden Lion Tamarin monkeys are also known as Golden Marmosets. They are native to Atlantic coastal forests of Brazil and they are an endangered species. Golden Lion Tamarin are a reddish orange to golden brown in color. There hair is longer and darker around the face, forming a mane on top of the head and on the cheeks and throat. They are a squirrel size monkey.
The Red Fox is native to much of North America, North Africa and it was introduced into Australia in the 19th century. Adult Red Foxes range in weight from up to around 7.6kg. Foxes living in Canada and Alaska tend to be larger than foxes in the United Kingdom, which are in turn larger than those inhabiting the Southern United States. The red fox is most commonly a rusty red, with white underbelly, black ear tips and legs, and a bushy tail usually with a distinctive white tip. Although classified as a carnivore, red foxes are omnivorous and are highly opportunistic. They will eat insects, mollusks, earthworms, crayfish, blackberries, apples, plums and other fruit, they also eat mice, voles, rabbits, birds, eggs, amphibians, small reptiles and fish.
The Lesser Panda is slightly larger than a domestic cat, it has reddish-brown fur, a long, shaggy tail, and a waddling gait due to its shorter front legs. It eats mainly bamboo, but is omnivorous and may also eat eggs, birds, insects, and small mammals. It is a solitary animal, mainly active from dusk to dawn, and is largely sedentary during the day. Also known as The Red Panda it is quite adaptable to living in captivity and is common in zoos worldwide. Although it is protected by law in all countries where it lives, its numbers in the wild continue to decline mainly due to habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, and inbreeding depression.
Yoohoo characters appeal to all ages
