Koala sits on a branch looking at camera.

Wildlife

Explore the wildlife you will encounter on a visit to the San Diego Zoo.

Amur Leopard

Amur leopards love climbing, exploring, and playing with new things, and have a keen appreciation for scents.

Anaconda

A member of the boa family, South America’s green anaconda is the heaviest snake in the world.

Australian Wonders

You'll find quite a few botanical wonders from Down Under by the koalas and our other Australian and New Zealand animals.

Babirusa

Sometimes called the "pig deer" because of adult males' unusual tusks, babirusas live in wetlands and swamps within the rainforests of Indonesia's islands of Sulawesi, Togian, Sula, and Buru.

Bee-eater

The aptly named bee-eater bird is a skilled hunter, capable of catching a bee in flight, then heading to a tree branch to stun it and remove the stinger before eating it.

Black-headed Weaver

Male black-headed weavers build intricate hanging nests from strips of leaves, in hopes of attracting a female.

Bonobo

Bonobos are quite possibly the most intelligent primates on Earth (other than us, of course!)—and the San Diego Zoo was one of the first zoos to bring attention to these highly endangered primates.

Bromeliads

There are about 2,000 species of bromeliads, a rainforest plant—all of which are native to the Americas except one African species. Most bromeliads collect a pool of water in their centers and flower above the cup.

California Condor

When they fly, California condors are a sight to behold. Their huge wings catch thermal air currents that rise up as the sun heats the ground—and with those wings, they can stay aloft for hours.

Camel

Camels can travel as fast as horses, but can also endure legendary periods of time without food or water.

Capybara

Meet the capybara, the largest rodent in the world.

Cheetah

Cheetahs are the world's fastest land animal—capable of reaching speeds up to 70 miles per hour!

Chinese Alligator

From nose to tail, belly to back, hard scales protect this petite alligator. Even their eyelids have bony plates under the skin!

Clouded Leopard

Named for its cloud-like spots, the clouded leopard is a unique genus of cat and not just a type of leopard.

Dung Beetle

Dung beetles come in a variety of colors, from dull and glossy black to metallic green and red. Ancient Egyptians thought very highly of the dung beetle, also known as the scarab.

Elephant

African elephants have very large ears that are shaped like the continent of Africa, while Asian elephants have smaller ears. 

Fern Canyon

Follow the steps that lead down into Fern Canyon, a peaceful rainforest refuge that's perfect for a meandering stroll.

Fossa

Found only on the forested island habitat of Madagascar, fossas may look a little like both cats and dogs, but they are actually more closely related to the mongoose.

Galápagos Tortoise

Several of our Galápagos tortoises have been with us since 1928, making them the oldest residents in the Zoo. We estimate their age to be well over 100. 

Gelada

Found only in the mountains of Ethiopia, geladas are considered the most terrestrial primate species, and they are the only primate with a diet made up mostly of grasses.

Gingers

This family includes gingers, bananas, birds of paradise, heliconia, and cannas.

Giraffe

Giraffes are distinguished by their coat patterns, and by where they live in Africa. At the Zoo's Urban Jungle, you can see Masai giraffes.

Gorilla Tropics® and Scripps Aviary

The Zoo's horticultural treasures are very important for our gorillas' health and contentment. The lush vegetation of Gorilla Tropics, combined with a variety of browse to snack on and play with, has led to a healthy family life for our gorilla troop.

Grizzly Bear

Brown bears in interior North America are known as grizzly bears, because their brown fur is tipped with white or tan; the word grizzly means sprinkled or streaked with gray.

Hamadryas Baboon

Hamadryas baboons can scale sheer cliff faces to reach their favorite craggy ledges—and there is constant activity as they vocalize, groom each other, bound into trees, and chase each other around.

Harpy Eagle

The harpy eagle is legendary, although few people have seen one in the wild. Fortunately, you can view one here at the Zoo!

Hawaiian Native Plant Garden

At this habitat showcasing Hawaiian plants, you'll discover the many treasures that exist in the flora of the Hawaiian Islands.

Hippo

With their eyes, ears, and nostrils on the top of the head, hippos can hear, see, and breathe while most of their body is underwater.

Jaguar

Jaguars are built for life in the tropical rainforest, with muscular limbs and large paws to climb trees, pad along the forest floor, and even swim in rivers and streams.

King Cobra

The largest venomous snake in the world, the king cobra has special muscles and ribs in its neck that spread out to form a "hood" when it feels threatened.

Klipspringer

Standing less than 2 feet tall at the shoulder, klipspringers can jump 10 to 15 feet straight up in the air!

Koala

The San Diego Zoo has the largest koala colony—as well as the most successful koala breeding program—outside of Australia.

Komodo Dragon

There are over 3,000 lizard species, but the Komodo dragon wins the prize for being the largest living lizard in the world!

Laughing Kookaburra

Known as the bushman’s alarm clock, a laughing kookaburra vocalizes in its family group at dawn and dusk—with a loud call that sounds like a variety of trills, chortles, belly laughs, and hoots.

Lemur

Found in only one area on Earth—Madagascar and the nearby Comoro Islands—lemurs are considered the world’s most endangered group of mammals.

Lion

Lions are famous for their sonorous roar but have other forms of communication as well, mostly used to mark territory. They spread their scent by rubbing their muzzle on tufts of grass or shrubs, and they rake the earth with their hind paws.

Mang Mountain Viper

Mang Mountain pit vipers are strikingly beautiful snakes with green scales to help them blend into their bamboo habitat.

Meerkat

Meerkats live in underground burrows in a group—up to 30 individuals—called a gang or a mob, and they spend much of their time grooming and playing together to keep the family as a tight unit.

Monkey

San Diego Zoo guests can encounter some of the most rare and endangered monkeys on Earth in the Zoo’s Lost Forest.

Mountain Lion

Mountain lions are the stealthiest of cats, hunting prey two to three times their own size.

Penguin

Capable of reaching speeds of 15 miles per hour when swimming after prey (schooling fish, like sardines and anchovies), penguins also have staying power—they can remain underwater for more than two minutes!

Polar Bear

Polar bears are right at home at the San Diego Zoo's Conrad Prebys Polar Bear Plunge, where every day is an Arctic summer day.

Pygmy Hippopotamus

At first glance, the pygmy hippo looks like a mini version of its larger relative, the river or common hippopotamus. But the pygmy hippo is much less aquatic than its cousin.

Rattlesnake

That famous rattle at the end of a rattlesnake’s tail is made of interlocking rings, or segments of keratin—the same material our fingernails are made of.

Red Panda

The red panda’s reddish coat and white face mask offer camouflage among the red moss and white lichen that cover the trees of its bamboo forest home.

Reptile Mesa

Reptile Mesa has all kinds of exotic-looking plants (including, appropriately, dragon trees!) from all kinds of exotic locations.

Rhinoceros

Rhinos may look tough, but their skin is actually quite sensitive. That's why they like to wallow in mud—it puts a layer between their skin and the sun, and insects.

Serval

Long limbs give servals the ability to leap nine feet—straight up—to catch birds in midair, or reach deep into a rodent burrow to pull out prey.

Snow Leopard

Snow leopards live in Asia at very high elevations, where there are steep cliffs. The wild goats and sheep they prey on are quite nimble at leaping from rock to rock—and so are snow leopards!

Sun Bear

Sun bears, named for the golden crescent on their chest, are extremely agile tree climbers and make excellent use of their habitat's climbing structures.

Sun Bear Forest®

With its cascading waterfalls, bubbling streams, thousands of exotic plants, and Indochinese animals, Sun Bear Forest® may be the closest you'll come to experiencing a southeast Asian rainforest in Southern California.

Takin

Gold-colored takins seem to have the horns of a wildebeest, the nose of a moose, and the body of a bison! But takins are related to sheep and wild goats.

Tapir

Most closely related to horses and rhinos, tapirs have a nose and upper lip combined into a flexible snout like an elephant’s trunk, which they use to reach and pull plant material into their mouth.

Tasmanian Devil

When a group of Tasmanian devils feeds together, harsh screeching and spine-chilling screams can often be heard—which may have led to their unusual name.

Terrace Lagoon

There's almost always something blooming among the Terrace Lagoon's beautiful collection of bamboo, Asian pines, and flowering trees and shrubs.

Tiger Trail

A simulation of a tropical Asian rainforest, Tiger Trail features plants watered with a custom, high-tech misting system that has allowed them to grow to the point where you may truly feel like you're walking into a jungle.

Turtle and Terrapin

Turtles spend most of their life in the water; terrapins spend time both on land and in water, but always live near water, along rivers, ponds, and lakes.

Two-toed Sloth

At the Zoo, guests can occasionally see our two-toed sloth wildlife ambassadors making special appearances. 

Vervet Monkey

These vocal and clever monkeys communicate with calls as well as body language. 

Zebra

The endangered Grevy's zebra is the largest of the three zebra species. It can weigh almost 1,000 pounds.

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