London Zoo Measures All (14,000) Residents Very Tall and Really Small

Every year the London Zoo takes on the Herculean task of weighing every one of its 14,000 residents. The zookeepers look like they’re having a blast.

In fact the many animals are weighed and measured throughout the year, but the Annual Weigh In is a fixed date that helps the zoo ensure its data is up-to-date and accurate. Each measurement is added to the Zoological Information Management System, a database they share with zoos all over the world to compare vital information on thousands of threatened species.

“Having this data helps to ensure that every animal we care for is healthy, eating well, and growing at the rate they should,” Angela Ryan, the head of zoological operations, said in a statement. “We record the vital statistics of every animal at the zoo — from the tallest giraffe to the tiniest tadpole.”

That tallest giraffe (her name is Maggie) is also the zoo’s heaviest beast, tipping the scales at more than 1,600 pounds. At the smaller end of the menagerie are leaf cutter ants, which weigh a paltry five milligrams each. (The little guys aren’t measured individually; estimates are made based on the weight of an entire colony.)

“A growing waistline can help us to detect and monitor pregnancies,” says Ryan, “which is vitally important as many of the species we care for are threatened in the wild and part of international conservation breeding programs. London Zoo coordinates the global programme for Sumatran tigers, for example.”

Speaking of which, it must be a bitch to weigh and measure a Sumatran tiger. The big cats can be persuaded to climb aboard a big scale, but how do you measure its full length? Answer: rub a bit of curry powder atop a tree fitted with a ruler and watch him climb.

For a quick peek at the London Zoo’s Annual Weigh In see here.

Photo credit: London Zoo