Every animal in Wild Valley behaves like its real cousin in the wild. Here are the true facts behind the game: where each animal lives, what it eats, who hunts it, and how it raises its babies.
How the game uses these facts: in Wild Valley one game day is one real year. Animals are pregnant, grow up and grow old at the same pace as in nature, just faster. An elephant is pregnant for almost two game days, and a rabbit for only a few minutes!
🐰Rabbit
- Lives in
- Meadows and grassland edges, in burrows called warrens
- Eats
- Grass, clover, herbs and leaves
- Watch out for
- Foxes, eagles, owls, snakes, wolves
- Life
- Pregnant about 30 days · 3–6 babies (kits), several litters a year · grown up at about 5 months · lives about 2–3 years in the wild
⭐ Baby rabbits are born with no fur and closed eyes. Mom visits the nest only once or twice a day so she does not lead hunters to it.
🐿️Squirrel
- Lives in
- Woods and parks with tall trees
- Eats
- Nuts, seeds, buds, fruit and mushrooms
- Watch out for
- Owls, eagles, hawks, foxes, snakes
- Life
- Pregnant about 40–44 days · 2–4 babies · grown up at about 1 year · lives about 6 years
⭐ Squirrels bury nuts to eat in winter. They forget some of them, and those nuts can grow into new trees.
🦌Deer
- Lives in
- Forests, meadows and forest edges
- Eats
- Grass, leaves, twigs, acorns and fruit
- Watch out for
- Wolves, cougars, tigers, bears (fawns), crocodiles at water
- Life
- Pregnant about 7 months · usually 1–2 fawns · grown up at about 1.5 years · lives about 10–15 years
⭐ Fawns have white spots that help them hide in the sunny, dappled forest. Male deer grow new antlers every year and drop them in late winter.
🦊Red fox
- Lives in
- Meadows, forests, farmland and even towns
- Eats
- Mice, voles, rabbits, birds, eggs, insects, berries and fruit
- Watch out for
- Wolves, eagles (young foxes), lions and other big hunters
- Life
- Pregnant about 52 days · 4–6 kits · grown up at about 10 months · lives about 3–4 years in the wild
⭐ A fox can hear a mouse moving under the snow, then jump high and pounce nose-first to catch it.
🦓Zebra
- Lives in
- African savanna and grassland
- Eats
- Mostly tall, tough grasses
- Watch out for
- Lions, hyenas, crocodiles; cheetahs take young foals
- Life
- Pregnant about 12–13 months · 1 foal · grown up at about 3 years · lives about 25 years
⭐ No two zebras have the same stripes. A foal can stand up within about 20 minutes of being born.
🦒Giraffe
- Lives in
- African savanna with acacia trees
- Eats
- Leaves, especially from thorny acacia trees
- Watch out for
- Lions (mostly calves), crocodiles at water
- Life
- Pregnant about 15 months · 1 calf · grown up at about 5 years · lives about 25 years
⭐ Giraffes are the tallest animals on land. A newborn calf is already about as tall as a grown-up person.
🐘African elephant
- Lives in
- Savanna, forests and river valleys in Africa
- Eats
- Grass, leaves, bark, roots and fruit, about 150 kg of plants a day
- Watch out for
- Adults have almost no enemies; lions may try to take calves
- Life
- Pregnant about 22 months, the longest of any land animal · 1 calf · grown up at about 12 years · lives about 60–70 years
⭐ An elephant family is led by the oldest female, the matriarch. She remembers where to find water in dry years.
🦌Thomson's gazelle
- Lives in
- Open savanna and grassy plains in East Africa
- Eats
- Short grasses, leaves and shoots
- Watch out for
- Cheetahs, lions, hyenas, wild dogs, eagles (fawns)
- Life
- Pregnant about 5.5 months · 1 fawn · grown up at about 1 year · lives about 10–15 years
⭐ When a gazelle sees a hunter, it may bounce high on stiff legs. This "pronking" tells the hunter: I am strong and fast, don’t bother chasing me.
🐗Wild boar
- Lives in
- Forests, wetlands and farmland
- Eats
- Roots, acorns, nuts, mushrooms, worms, eggs and small animals
- Watch out for
- Wolves, tigers, lions, crocodiles
- Life
- Pregnant about 115 days · 4–6 striped piglets · grown up at about 1.5 years · lives about 10 years
⭐ Piglets are born with light stripes that hide them in the leaves. The stripes fade after a few months.
🐻Brown bear
- Lives in
- Forests, mountains and river valleys
- Eats
- Berries, roots, grass, insects, fish such as salmon, and meat
- Watch out for
- Adults have almost no enemies; cubs must watch out for wolves and other bears
- Life
- Cubs are born in a winter den · 1–3 cubs · grown up at about 5 years · lives about 25 years
⭐ Brown bears spend the winter sleeping in a den. They eat huge amounts in autumn to get ready.
🦛Hippopotamus
- Lives in
- Rivers and lakes in Africa
- Eats
- Grass, eaten at night on land
- Watch out for
- Adults have almost no enemies; lions and crocodiles may take calves
- Life
- Pregnant about 8 months · 1 calf · grown up at about 6 years · lives about 40–50 years
⭐ Hippos cannot really swim. They walk and bounce along the bottom and can stay under water for about 5 minutes.
🐒Monkey
- Lives in
- Forests and savanna woodlands
- Eats
- Fruit, leaves, seeds, flowers, insects and sometimes bird eggs
- Watch out for
- Eagles, leopards, snakes, crocodiles
- Life
- Pregnant about 5.5 months · usually 1 baby · grown up at about 4 years · lives about 20 years
⭐ Monkeys live in groups called troops. They groom each other’s fur to stay clean and to stay friends.
🦁Lion
- Lives in
- African savanna and grassland
- Eats
- Zebras, wildebeest, buffalo, antelope, warthogs and more
- Watch out for
- Adults have almost no enemies; cubs can be killed by hyenas or other lions
- Life
- Pregnant about 110 days · 2–4 cubs · grown up at about 3–4 years · lives about 10–14 years in the wild
⭐ Lions are the only cats that live in big family groups called prides. Lionesses do most of the hunting, often as a team.
🐆Cheetah
- Lives in
- Open savanna and grassland in Africa
- Eats
- Gazelles, impalas, hares and young antelope
- Watch out for
- Lions and hyenas steal its food and can kill cubs, so cheetahs stay away from them
- Life
- Pregnant about 93 days · 3–5 cubs · grown up at about 2 years · lives about 10–12 years
⭐ The cheetah is the fastest land animal, reaching about 100 km/h, but only for a short sprint. It cannot roar; it chirps and purrs.
🐯Tiger
- Lives in
- Forests, grasslands and mangrove swamps in Asia
- Eats
- Deer, wild boar and buffalo
- Watch out for
- Adults have almost no enemies; cubs can be killed by other tigers
- Life
- Pregnant about 105 days · 2–4 cubs · grown up at about 3–4 years · lives about 12–15 years
⭐ Tigers are the biggest cats. Unlike most cats, they love water and are strong swimmers.
🐊Nile crocodile
- Lives in
- Rivers, lakes and swamps in Africa
- Eats
- Fish, birds and animals that come to drink, like zebras and antelope
- Watch out for
- Adults have almost no enemies; monitor lizards, birds and fish eat eggs and babies
- Life
- Lays about 40–60 eggs in a nest by the water · eggs hatch after about 90 days · grown up at about 12 years · lives about 45 years or more
⭐ A crocodile mom guards her nest. When the babies call from inside the eggs, she digs them out and gently carries them to the water in her mouth.
🐸Frog
- Lives in
- Ponds, swamps and wet meadows
- Eats
- Insects, worms and spiders caught with a sticky tongue
- Watch out for
- Snakes, herons, egrets, owls, fish, foxes
- Life
- Lays hundreds of eggs in water · tadpoles hatch in about 1–3 weeks · grown up at about 2–3 years · lives about 5–10 years
⭐ A frog starts life as a tadpole with a tail and gills. Little by little it grows legs and lungs and climbs out of the water.
🐍Snake
- Lives in
- Jungles, swamps, grasslands and forests
- Eats
- Frogs, mice, rats, birds and eggs, swallowed whole
- Watch out for
- Eagles, owls, mongooses, big cats, other snakes
- Life
- Many snakes lay eggs that hatch in about 2 months (some give birth to live babies) · grown up at about 2–4 years · lives about 10–20 years
⭐ Snakes smell with their forked tongue. They grow by shedding their whole skin, sometimes in one piece.
🦆Mallard duck
- Lives in
- Lakes, ponds, rivers and marshes
- Eats
- Water plants, seeds, insects and snails, often by tipping tail-up
- Watch out for
- Foxes, eagles, crocodiles, big fish; raccoons, foxes and snakes eat eggs
- Life
- Lays about 8–13 eggs · eggs hatch after about 28 days · grown up at about 1 year · lives about 5 years
⭐ Ducklings can walk and swim only hours after hatching, and they follow their mother everywhere.
🦩Flamingo
- Lives in
- Salty lakes, lagoons and mudflats
- Eats
- Tiny shrimp and algae filtered from the water with an upside-down beak
- Watch out for
- Eagles, jackals, hyenas; gulls and other birds take eggs
- Life
- Lays 1 egg on a mud mound · egg hatches after about 28 days · grown up at about 5 years · lives about 30 years
⭐ Flamingos are pink because of the colours in the shrimp and algae they eat. Chicks are grey at first.
🦅Golden eagle
- Lives in
- Mountains, cliffs and open country
- Eats
- Rabbits, hares, marmots, squirrels, birds, and sometimes snakes and fish
- Watch out for
- Adults have almost no enemies
- Life
- Lays 1–3 eggs in a big stick nest called an eyrie · eggs hatch after about 43 days · grown up at about 4–5 years · lives about 25 years
⭐ An eagle can see a rabbit from more than a kilometre away. Pairs often use the same nest for many years and add sticks each year.
🦉Owl
- Lives in
- Forests, farmland and meadows
- Eats
- Mice, voles, rats, small birds, frogs and insects
- Watch out for
- Eagles and bigger owls
- Life
- Lays 2–4 eggs · eggs hatch after about 30 days · grown up at about 1 year · lives about 10 years
⭐ Soft feathers let owls fly almost silently. They swallow small prey whole and later cough up a pellet of fur and bones.
🐦Egret
- Lives in
- Marshes, rivers and lake shores; cattle egrets follow big grazing animals
- Eats
- Fish, frogs, insects and small animals
- Watch out for
- Crocodiles, eagles; snakes and monkeys raid nests
- Life
- Lays 2–4 eggs · eggs hatch after about 23–26 days · grown up at about 2 years · lives about 15 years
⭐ Cattle egrets walk beside zebras and buffalo and catch the insects the big animals stir up from the grass.
🦜Parrot
- Lives in
- Tropical forests
- Eats
- Fruit, nuts, seeds and flowers
- Watch out for
- Eagles, hawks, snakes; monkeys and snakes raid nests
- Life
- Lays 2–3 eggs in a tree hole · eggs hatch after about 26 days · grown up at about 4 years · many live 30–50 years
⭐ Parrots use one foot like a hand to hold food. Their strong beaks can crack very hard nuts.
🐦Seagull
- Lives in
- Coasts, beaches and harbours
- Eats
- Fish, crabs, worms, eggs and almost anything they find
- Watch out for
- Eagles, foxes; foxes and rats take eggs
- Life
- Lays 2–3 eggs · eggs hatch after about 30 days · grown up at about 4 years · lives about 15 years
⭐ Gulls can drink salty sea water. Special glands above their eyes remove the extra salt.
🐢Sea turtle
- Lives in
- Warm oceans; females come onto sandy beaches to nest
- Eats
- Sea grass, jellyfish, sponges, crabs (depends on the kind of turtle)
- Watch out for
- Sharks eat adults; crabs, foxes, raccoons, birds and fish eat eggs and hatchlings
- Life
- Lays about 100 eggs in the sand · eggs hatch after about 60 days · grown up at about 20–30 years · can live 70 years or more
⭐ The warmth of the sand decides whether the babies are boys or girls. Hatchlings dig out at night and race to the sea.
🦀Crab
- Lives in
- Beaches, rocky shores and shallow sea
- Eats
- Algae, small animals, dead fish; ghost crabs also eat turtle eggs and hatchlings
- Watch out for
- Gulls, herons, fish, octopuses, raccoons
- Life
- Females carry thousands of tiny eggs under their body · lives a few years
⭐ Crabs walk sideways and grow by shedding their whole hard shell, then wait in hiding until the new one hardens.
🐬Dolphin
- Lives in
- Oceans and warm coastal seas
- Eats
- Fish and squid
- Watch out for
- Big sharks and orcas
- Life
- Pregnant about 12 months · 1 calf · grown up at about 7 years · lives about 40 years
⭐ Dolphins breathe air through a blowhole. They find fish by making clicks and listening for the echoes.
🐋Humpback whale
- Lives in
- Oceans all over the world
- Eats
- Krill and small fish, strained through baleen plates
- Watch out for
- Orcas sometimes attack calves
- Life
- Pregnant about 11–12 months · 1 calf · grown up at about 6 years · lives about 50 years
⭐ Male humpbacks sing long, beautiful songs that can travel many kilometres under water.
🐾Marmot
- Lives in
- High mountain meadows
- Eats
- Grass, flowers, seeds and roots
- Watch out for
- Eagles, foxes, wolves, bears
- Life
- Pregnant about 33 days · 2–5 pups · grown up at about 2 years · lives about 13–15 years
⭐ Marmots sleep through the long mountain winter, for up to 8 months. A loud whistle warns the family when an eagle comes.
🐐Mountain goat
- Lives in
- Steep mountain cliffs and rocky slopes
- Eats
- Grass, herbs, moss and shrubs
- Watch out for
- Snow leopards, cougars, wolves; eagles may take kids
- Life
- Pregnant about 6 months · usually 1 kid · grown up at about 2.5 years · lives about 12–15 years
⭐ Their hooves have hard edges and soft, grippy pads, so they can climb cliffs that look impossible.
The numbers are typical values for wild animals from zoo, museum and wildlife-science sources. Real animals vary: a well-fed animal in a zoo often lives much longer than one in the wild, and different kinds of snakes, monkeys or parrots can be very different from each other.