Popular Animal Exhibits at the San Diego Zoo
Located in the city of San Diego, the San Diego Zoo is home to more than 12,000 animals from over 650 species. The Zoo is leased from the City of San Diego and sits on a 100-acre site. You can experience a wide variety of animal behavior, including feeding time. Here are a few popular animal exhibits:
Giant panda
The giant panda first made its way to the San Diego Zoo in 1987. The two-year stay was greeted by a lot of fanfare, according to a 1987 article in the San Diego Union-Tribune. That same year, the San Diego Zoo celebrated the arrival of the giant panda with a one-day ticket price of $8.50 for adults, $2.50 for children, and a family pass for two cost $46. A great place to also visit is.
Amur leopards
Visitors can take a rare peek at two new cubs of endangered Amur leopards at the San Diego Zoo. The unnamed cubs are expected to undergo their first veterinary exam this week, when they will be officially confirmed to be male or female. Mother Satka has been venturing out with her newborns daily, and is already teaching them to climb and stalk. The young leopards live in the zoo’s Africa Rocks leopard habitat.
Lion-tailed macaques
The lion-tailed macaques at the San Diego Zoo are highly endangered. Although they are closely related to other monkey species, they are different from one another in several ways. Macaques have similar characteristics, such as a short tail, opposable thumb, and nearly equal limb length. They are also capable of climbing and spend much of their time in arboreal habitats. They also have a wide range of personalities, including shy ones and those with high-pitched vocalizations. This article.
Galapagos tortoises
The Galápagos tortoise is a very large species of tortoise. There are fifteen subspecies of this tortoise, making it the largest species of living tortoises. Some of the modern-day Galápagos tortoises weigh over four hundred and seventeen kilograms. The San Diego Zoo is proud to have this beautiful animal on display.
Platypuses
During your visit to the San Diego Zoo, you can learn more about platypuses by watching a live cam of the creatures. Platypuses are one of the last remaining species of egg-laying mammals on earth. Their smooth, suede-like bill is remarkably flexible and has thousands of sensory receptors. These unique characteristics help the animals navigate their environment and detect food. You can even pet one of these adorable creatures!
Cheetah Run
If you love watching cheetahs, you should not miss the unique and exciting Cheetah Run exhibit at the San Diego Zoo. The cheetahs in this exhibit run across a 330-foot-long track during a brief show each day at 3:30 pm. There are very few ways to see this show up close, however, and it’s worth paying the entrance fee of $12 to get a front-row seat to watch this spectacular show.
Polar bears
Visitors to San Diego Zoo can get a close-up look at polar bears. They can watch them from a large viewing area that follows the water’s level up to the beach. A moveable “Experience Wall” lets visitors come as close as four feet away. The San Diego Zoo’s trained staff can also interact with the bears through glass panels. While bears do not have a specific feeding or exercise routine, they are given a variety of enrichment items that change regularly. Continue reading about San Diego.