Wildlife

Wildlife

Lagos Zoo - Pygmy hippo
Pygmy hippo
William Warby | BY-SA

Located a few kilometres outside of the popular resort town itself is Lagos Zoo. Whilst this is not quite on the scale of the big city zoos it manages to pack in plenty of animals among the beautiful landscaped subtropical gardens. 

All in all there are around 120 species of animal at the zoo. These include a good variety of birds such as toucans, pelicans, flamingos and parrots. There are exotic species including dwarf crocodiles, which complement the pygmy hippos nicely. "Monkey Island" which, as the name suggests, is a small island on which a range of primates roam free. These...

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Zoomarine Algarve
Zoomarine Algarve

Promoting conservation, environmental education and FUN! Zoomarine combines an important message with hands on shows and a huge water park.

Located just a few kilometers from Albufeira, here you can see presentations with the parks animals. The highlight of all these has to be the dolphin show which is along the lines of those at the famous Florida Seaworld. These feature displays of amazing acrobatics and the dolphins showing off their intelligence. Not only can you watch the performance, you can swim with the dolphins, although this does require booking in advance. 

Other...

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Berlangas Island sunset
Ilha da Berlenga sunset
Joel Calheiros

Located around 10 km (6 miles) off the coast of Peniche is the rugged Berlengas Archipelago. This collection of 3 little islands, named Estelas, Farilhões and Berlenga, is virtually uninhabited, well, except for about a million seabirds! Now a nature reserve (Reserva Natural das Berlengas) these islands are home to puffins, seagulls and cormorants and they are very much in charge these days. Not only are the three square kilometres of island protected but so are the surrounding seas which make up a 985 hectare marine reserve.

The main island of the group is Berlenga with its boat...

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Parque Natural - Ria Formosa - Faro
Parque Natural da Ria Formosa
Can Stock Photo Inc

Awarded Natural Park status in 1987, the Ria Formosa is a coastal lagoon protected by a group of sandy barrier islands.  It features marshes, tidal flats, waterways and some excellent sandy beaches and is rich in marine and birdlife. 

Regular boat trips take visitors out to explore Cultura Island with its fishing community, lighthouse and beaches and the uninhabited Barreta Island - known to the locals as the 'desert island'.  These trips provide a wonderful opportunity to escape the crowds and get close up to...

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Sea Life Porto
Sea Life Porto
José Conçalves | BY-SA

Aquarium featuring a variety of underwater environments from freshwater streams to the rugged coastlines, long sandy beaches to deep ocean. Species include sharks, jellyfish and seahorses

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Lisbon Oceanarium
Lisbon Oceanarium
Antonio Sacchetti

The Lisbon Oceanarium is one of the world’s largest aquariums and the largest indoor aquarium in Europe. It is located on a pier at the Parque das Nações, which was the exhibition grounds for the Expo 98. The Lisbon Oceanarium makes a fantastic family day out with thousands of fish, seabirds and mammals to see in one enormous central tank that is the equivalent of four Olympic sized swimming pools.

As well as fish there are a whole host of marine organisms and animals including penguins and seagulls, otters and sharks,...

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Lisbon Zoo entrance
Lisbon Zoo

Founded in 1884 the zoo now contains around 2,000 animals with more than 300 species are represented. Includes the conservation and breeding of endangered species, as well as scientific research, and educational and recreational activities

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