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Wildlife

Explore the many species of wildlife at the park

The Gnoll Estate Country Park is an incredibly diverse area home to a variety of species of animals, birds, amphibians and insects. Below is some of the wildlife you may be lucky enough to encounter on your visit to the park.

Ducks

Feeding the ducks at the park is a firm favourite with visitors. The most common type of duck found at Gnoll Estate Country Park is the Mallard also known as the dabbling duck.

'Dabblers' are ducks that tip up in order to feed from plants and insects under the water. These ducks will also feed on land. 

There are also swans and geese to be found on the ponds as well as visiting birds such as herons who stop to rest whilst migrating.

Duck food is available to buy from the visitors centre.

Come and see the Cygnets at the Gnoll that hatched over the May bank holiday weekend! 

Pond Life

There are 3 ponds, 1 reservoir and 2 nature reserves in the park. These wet land areas support an incredible variety of life from bugs to fish to reptiles.

Even though some animals only feed on other animals (carnivores) they all depend on plants. This is called a food chain, at the beginning of all chains there is a plant of some kind.

Around the ponds and nature reserves you will find frogs, snakes, lizards and more.

Mini Beasts

Centipedes - can have over 100 legs and are found living under logs and tree bark. They can be carnivorous eating small bugs or can be vegetarian. 

Their back legs are longer then the rest of the legs on their body as they use these to feel their way around. 

Centipedes also have a 'poison claw' on each side of their head to catch and eat their food.

Spiders - are part of the arachnid family, there are many types of spiders across the world, some of them deadly to humans. 

Spiders have 8 legs, 2 body parts and 2 pincers. Spiders are carnivores living on other small bugs. They spin webs to catch their food, and poison their victims with their venom. 

Their venom dissolves their prey's insides into a soup type consistency. This is what the spiders then eat and live on, leaving the outside shell of their prey's body.

Ladybirds - are found throughout the UK, and live in parks, woods, fields and gardens. 

They are part of the beetle family and can be different colours such as red, yellow and orange and can have a number of spots on their bodies. Ladybirds eat aphids which are small bugs that eat garden plants.

There are lots of mini beasts at the Gnoll country park including:

Snakes, Bees, Wasps, dragonflies, butterflies, grasshoppers, and more; visit the woodland trust to find out more information and to download free activity packs on the wildlife of Britain or download one of the wildlife walks available at the Gnoll Estate Country park.         

© Neath Port Talbot Council