Exercise: Exploring Inheritance in Python OOP - Building a Zoo

Welcome to the "Build a Zoo" exercise! In this exercise, you'll dive into the world of inheritance in Python's object-oriented programming by creating a variety of animal classes for your zoo. By building a hierarchy of classes and exploring multiple inheritance, you'll learn how to organize and extend code efficiently.

Scenario: Zoo Animals

Imagine you are tasked with creating a zoo management system. Your goal is to build a collection of animal classes that represent different types of animals found in the zoo.

Part 1: Creating the Animal Hierarchy

1.1 Animal Class

Start by creating a base class called Animal. This class should have the following attributes and methods:

• Attributes:

  • name (instance attribute): A string representing the name of the animal.
  • species (instance attribute): A string representing the species of the animal.

• Methods:

  • speak(self) (instance method): A method that returns a string representing the sound the animal makes.

1.2 Mammal Class

Create a class called Mammal that inherits from the Animal class. Add a method give_birth(self) that prints a message indicating that the mammal has given birth.

Part 2: Zoo Animals

2.1 Bird Class

Create a class called Bird that inherits from the Animal class. Add an attribute wingspan (instance attribute) representing the wingspan of the bird in meters.

2.2 Reptile Class

Create a class called Reptile that inherits from the Animal class. Add a method bask_in_sun(self) that prints a message indicating that the reptile is basking in the sun.

2.3 Mammal Subclasses

Create two subclasses of the Mammal class:

2.3.1 Primate Class

Create a class called Primate that inherits from the Mammal class. Add a method climb_trees(self) that prints a message indicating that the primate is climbing trees.

2.3.2 Marsupial Class

Create a class called Marsupial that inherits from the Mammal class. Add a method carry_baby(self) that prints a message indicating that the marsupial is carrying its baby.

Part 3: Zoo Attractions

3.1 Aviary Class

Create a class called Aviary that represents an area in the zoo where birds are kept. This class should have an attribute birds (instance attribute) that stores a list of bird instances.

3.2 ReptileEnclosure Class

Create a class called ReptileEnclosure that represents an area in the zoo where reptiles are kept. This class should have an attribute reptiles (instance attribute) that stores a list of reptile instances.

Conclusion

By building a zoo management system with a hierarchy of animal classes, you've practiced the fundamental concepts of inheritance in Python's object-oriented programming. You've learned how to create classes that share attributes and methods, extend functionalities through inheritance, and organize code for modularity and reusability. This exercise provides you with a hands-on experience that prepares you to apply these concepts to a wide range of programming scenarios. Keep exploring and experimenting to further enhance your understanding of OOP principles. Enjoy building your virtual zoo! 🦁🐻🦒🦉