Fort Worth Zoo
Encyclopedia
The Fort Worth Zoo is a zoo
in Fort Worth, Texas
, USA
. Founded in 1909 with one lion, two bear cubs, an alligator, a coyote, a peacock and a few rabbits, the Zoo now is home to 5000 native and exotic animals; has been named as a top zoo in the nation by Family Life
magazine, the Los Angeles Times
and USA Today
and one of the top zoos in the South by Southern Living
Reader's Choice Awards; and has been placed in the top 10 zoos in the United States.
The Fort Worth Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
, two bear
cubs, an alligator
, a coyote
, a peacock and a few rabbit
s. From its opening until 1991, the zoo was owned and operated by the City of Fort Worth. Although the city collected money from the community to purchase new animals, the Zoological society (now the Fort Worth Zoological Association) was formed in 1939 to help raise additional funds.
Monkey Island was created in 1937 with funds from the Works Progress Administration
. In 1949 this exhibit became a sea lion pool, and by 1970 it had been converted to house small South American mammals. Storks and cranes called it home in the 1980s, and it was converted again in the early 1990s to house alligators. Now it contains Parrot Paradise.
The Herpetarium was completed in the summer of 1960 and was an indoor exhibit measuring 117 by 55 feet (16.8 m). Boasting the largest exhibit of reptile
s and amphibian
s in the world (with 175 vivaria
and about 200 species), the facility also included a zoo hospital and quarantine room. Features such as refrigerated air, operational skylights, temperature controlled water, switch operated emergency alarms, and state-of-the-art service facilities, made the Herpetarium a marvel of technology for its time. Innovative exhibits such as a display of giant snake
s with curved non-reflective glass (creating the illusion of an open-fronted exhibit) were especially popular attractions. The main public area included five exhibit halls covering various geographic regions and another area that was devoted exclusively to amphibians. There were also special exhibits teaching the identification of native venomous snakes and treatment for snakebite
.
In October 1991 the Fort Worth Zoological Association assumed management of the zoo under a contract with the city. In 1992 the zoo opened the first two of a series of exhibits: World of Primates and Asian Falls. During the rest of the decade, the zoo opened Raptor Canyon, Asian Rhino Ridge, and an education center in 1993, a cheetah exhibit in 1994, Flamingo Bay, a Komodo dragon exhibit, and Insect City in 1995, Meerkat Mounds in 1997, a new veterninary center in 1998, and Thundering Plains (now closed) in 1999.
The first decade of the new millennium saw the opening of Texas Wild! in 2001 to showcase native Texas animals, Parrot Paradise in 2004, Great Barrier Reef in 2005 as part of a renovated Australian Outback exhibit, and the penguin exhibit in 2008. This decade also saw the closing of the original Herpetarium in 2009 to be replaced by the Museum of Living Art in 2010.
Penguins
This indoor exhibit is home to a colony of African black-footed penguins, and includes a beach and an underwater viewing area.
World of Primates
Opened in 1992, World of Primates is a 2.5 acres (1 ha) exhibit that includes both indoor and outdoor habitats. The atrium is a tropical rainforest in which visitors can observe a group of chimpanzees or black-and-white colobus
monkeys, as well as one of the zoos gorilla
groups. Once through the atrium, visitors take a winding boardwalk past other primates including a second gorilla group, orangutan
s, mandrill
s, and white-cheeked gibbons.
Asian Falls
Asian Falls was opened in 1992, and includes the Asian elephant
complex. Once past the elephants, visitors can observe the animals from a boardwalk that gives a bird's-eye view of rhinos
and takes them past other animals including the zoos white tiger
s, Malayan tigers
, and a group of sun bears
, as well as hoofstock that are endemic to Asia including tufted deer
and anoa
.
Raptor Canyon
Raptor canyon is an aviary that opened in 1993 and that is home to crowned eagles
, Andean condor
, a milky eagle owl, harpy eagles, and bateleur eagle
s.
Cheetahs
The Cheetah exhibit was opened in 1994 and is home to the zoos cheetah
s. Two other enclosures in this exhibit are home to bongo
s and warthog
s.
Flamingo Bay
Flamingo bay is home to the 70 or so flamingos at the zoo. The exhibit includes three species of flamingo, including Chilean flamingos
and lesser flamingos
, both of which have been successfully bred in captivity here.
Meerkat Mounds
This exhibit was opened in 1997 and features an entire colony of the extremely social meerkat
s. Visitors can view the meerkats through a plexiglass wall, a bubble window in one of the outer walls, or from a boardwalk which provides a bird's-eye view of the colony.
Australian Outback/Great Barrier Reef
This exhibit has been renovated and now includes the Great Barrier Reef exhibit in addition to being home to the zoos red kangaroos
and wallabies
. The Great Barrier Reef exhibit is a collection of Australian aquatic animals in three tanks containing more than 10000 gal of water. The exhibit includes 500 animals representing 86 species, including clownfish
, blacktip reef shark
s, angelfish, brain coral
s, moray eel
s and sea apple
s.
African Savannah
African Savannah is home to rhinos
, giraffe
s, and ostrich
es, which can be viewed from an elevated boardwalk.
Parrot Paradise
Parrot Paradise was opened on the zoo's upper path between the lions and Raptor Canyon in 2004. It is a free-flight aviary featuring cockatiel
s and parakeet
s.
Texas Wild!
Texas Wild was opened in 2001 to display the many animals that call Texas their home. Texas Hill Country is home to animals in the Texas waterways, and includes a carousel with hand-painted ponies. Texas Town includes a Play Barn and the Texas Hall of Wonders, and prepares visitors for the rest of the exhibit. High Plains and Prairies represents the Panhandle and Northwestern Texas, and is home to swift foxes
, black-footed ferrets
, black-tailed prairie dog
s and burrowing owls
. Pineywoods and Swamps represents East Texas, and includes river otter
s, alligator
s, and black bears. Gulf Coast is home to Southern Texas animals including the aquatic animals and waterfowl of the delta marsh, and includes an aviary that is home to birds including the roseate spoonbill
and white and brown pelican
s. Brush country represents Southern Texas, and includes bobcat
s, coyote
s, mountain lions, jaguar
s, ocelot
s, and coati
, as well as birds of prey such as the Aplomado falcon
, bald eagle
, and Harris hawk
. Mountains and Desert completes the tour in a mine shaft where visitors can see bat
s, dung beetle
s, Texas horned lizard
s, Western diamondback rattlesnake
s, and other animals endemic to the area.
Museum of Living Art (MOLA) (2010)
The Museum of Living Art is a $19 million, 30000 square feet (2,787.1 m²) herpetarium built to replace the original Herpetarium at the zoo. The facility housed more than 5,000 animals representing more than 100 species. Residents include a saltwater crocodile
, a Burmese python
, Fly River turtles, golden lion tamarins
, two-toed sloth
s, yellow spotted climbing toads, a Chinese giant salamander
, and a king cobra
. The zoos Komodo dragon
s will find a new home here with both indoor and outdoor exhibits.
, the sculpture is owned by Fort Worth oilman Lee M. Bass.
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
in Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Founded in 1909 with one lion, two bear cubs, an alligator, a coyote, a peacock and a few rabbits, the Zoo now is home to 5000 native and exotic animals; has been named as a top zoo in the nation by Family Life
Family Life
Family Life is a magazine published by, and primarily for, the Old Order Amish. The publisher is Pathway Publishers of Aylmer, Ontario, Canada. Unlike some Amish publications, Family Life is printed entirely in English rather than Pennsylvania Dutch or German.The magazine was founded in 1968 and is...
magazine, the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
and USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
and one of the top zoos in the South by Southern Living
Southern Living
Southern Living is a widely read lifestyle magazine aimed at readers in the Southern United States featuring recipes, house plans, and information about Southern culture and travel...
Reader's Choice Awards; and has been placed in the top 10 zoos in the United States.
The Fort Worth Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
History
When the Fort Worth zoo opened in 1909, it had one lionLion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
, two bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
cubs, an alligator
Alligator
An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. There are two extant alligator species: the American alligator and the Chinese alligator ....
, a coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
, a peacock and a few rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
s. From its opening until 1991, the zoo was owned and operated by the City of Fort Worth. Although the city collected money from the community to purchase new animals, the Zoological society (now the Fort Worth Zoological Association) was formed in 1939 to help raise additional funds.
Monkey Island was created in 1937 with funds from the Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
. In 1949 this exhibit became a sea lion pool, and by 1970 it had been converted to house small South American mammals. Storks and cranes called it home in the 1980s, and it was converted again in the early 1990s to house alligators. Now it contains Parrot Paradise.
The Herpetarium was completed in the summer of 1960 and was an indoor exhibit measuring 117 by 55 feet (16.8 m). Boasting the largest exhibit of reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
s and amphibian
Amphibian
Amphibians , are a class of vertebrate animals including animals such as toads, frogs, caecilians, and salamanders. They are characterized as non-amniote ectothermic tetrapods...
s in the world (with 175 vivaria
Vivarium
A vivarium is a usually enclosed area for keeping and raising animals or plants for observation or research...
and about 200 species), the facility also included a zoo hospital and quarantine room. Features such as refrigerated air, operational skylights, temperature controlled water, switch operated emergency alarms, and state-of-the-art service facilities, made the Herpetarium a marvel of technology for its time. Innovative exhibits such as a display of giant snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s with curved non-reflective glass (creating the illusion of an open-fronted exhibit) were especially popular attractions. The main public area included five exhibit halls covering various geographic regions and another area that was devoted exclusively to amphibians. There were also special exhibits teaching the identification of native venomous snakes and treatment for snakebite
Snakebite
A snakebite is an injury caused by a bite from a snake, often resulting in puncture wounds inflicted by the animal's fangs and sometimes resulting in envenomation. Although the majority of snake species are non-venomous and typically kill their prey with constriction rather than venom, venomous...
.
In October 1991 the Fort Worth Zoological Association assumed management of the zoo under a contract with the city. In 1992 the zoo opened the first two of a series of exhibits: World of Primates and Asian Falls. During the rest of the decade, the zoo opened Raptor Canyon, Asian Rhino Ridge, and an education center in 1993, a cheetah exhibit in 1994, Flamingo Bay, a Komodo dragon exhibit, and Insect City in 1995, Meerkat Mounds in 1997, a new veterninary center in 1998, and Thundering Plains (now closed) in 1999.
The first decade of the new millennium saw the opening of Texas Wild! in 2001 to showcase native Texas animals, Parrot Paradise in 2004, Great Barrier Reef in 2005 as part of a renovated Australian Outback exhibit, and the penguin exhibit in 2008. This decade also saw the closing of the original Herpetarium in 2009 to be replaced by the Museum of Living Art in 2010.
Main exhibits
Current zoo exhibits include Penguins, World of Primates, Asian Falls, Raptor Canyon, Cheetahs, Flamingo Bay, Meerkat Mounds, Australian Outback, African Savannah, Parrot Paradise, Texas Wild! and the Museum of Living Art (MOLA).Penguins
This indoor exhibit is home to a colony of African black-footed penguins, and includes a beach and an underwater viewing area.
World of Primates
Opened in 1992, World of Primates is a 2.5 acres (1 ha) exhibit that includes both indoor and outdoor habitats. The atrium is a tropical rainforest in which visitors can observe a group of chimpanzees or black-and-white colobus
Black-and-white colobus
Black-and-white colobuses are Old World monkeys of the genus Colobus, native to Africa. They are closely related to the brown colobus monkeys of genus Piliocolobus. The word "colobus" comes from Greek κολοβός kolobós , and is so named because its thumb is a stump.Colobuses are herbivorous, eating...
monkeys, as well as one of the zoos gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
groups. Once through the atrium, visitors take a winding boardwalk past other primates including a second gorilla group, orangutan
Orangutan
Orangutans are the only exclusively Asian genus of extant great ape. The largest living arboreal animals, they have proportionally longer arms than the other, more terrestrial, great apes. They are among the most intelligent primates and use a variety of sophisticated tools, also making sleeping...
s, mandrill
Mandrill
The mandrill is a primate of the Old World monkey family, closely related to the baboons and even more closely to the drill. Both the mandrill and the drill were once classified as baboons in genus Papio, but recent research has determined they should be separated into their own genus, Mandrillus...
s, and white-cheeked gibbons.
Asian Falls
Asian Falls was opened in 1992, and includes the Asian elephant
Asian Elephant
The Asian or Asiatic elephant is the only living species of the genus Elephas and distributed in Southeast Asia from India in the west to Borneo in the east. Three subspecies are recognized — Elephas maximus maximus from Sri Lanka, the Indian elephant or E. m. indicus from mainland Asia, and E. m....
complex. Once past the elephants, visitors can observe the animals from a boardwalk that gives a bird's-eye view of rhinos
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
and takes them past other animals including the zoos white tiger
White tiger
The white tiger is a recessive mutant of the Bengal tiger, which was reported in the wild from time to time in Assam, Bengal, Bihar and especially from the former State of Rewa.-Color comparison:...
s, Malayan tigers
Malayan Tiger
The Malayan tiger is a tiger subspecies that inhabits the southern and central parts of the Malay Peninsula and has been classified as endangered by IUCN in 2008 as the population was estimated at 493 to 1,480 adult individuals in 2003; none of the three subpopulations likely harbors more than 250...
, and a group of sun bears
Sun Bear
The sun bear , sometimes known as the honey bear, is a bear found primarily in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia; North-East India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Southern China, Peninsular Malaysia, and the islands of Sumatra and Borneo.-Description:The sun bear...
, as well as hoofstock that are endemic to Asia including tufted deer
Tufted Deer
The Tufted Deer is a small species of deer characterized by its prominent tuft of black hair on its forehead. It is a close relative of the muntjac, living somewhat further north over a wide area of central China and northeastern Myanmar. Although suffering from overhunting and habitat loss, this...
and anoa
Anoa
Anoa, also known as Dwarf Buffalo and Sapiutan, are a subgenus of Bubalus comprising two species native to Indonesia: the Mountain Anoa and the Lowland Anoa . Both live in undisturbed rainforest, and are essentially miniature water buffalo...
.
Raptor Canyon
Raptor canyon is an aviary that opened in 1993 and that is home to crowned eagles
Crowned Eagle
The Crowned Eagle or Crowned Hawk-eagle , is a very large, powerful, crested bird of prey found in sub-Saharan Africa; in Southern Africa it is restricted to suitable habitat in the eastern areas. It is the only extant member of the genus Stephanoaetus...
, Andean condor
Andean Condor
The Andean Condor is a species of South American bird in the New World vulture family Cathartidae and is the only member of the genus Vultur...
, a milky eagle owl, harpy eagles, and bateleur eagle
Bateleur
The Bateleur is a medium-sized eagle in the bird family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as buzzards, kites and harriers...
s.
Cheetahs
The Cheetah exhibit was opened in 1994 and is home to the zoos cheetah
Cheetah
The cheetah is a large-sized feline inhabiting most of Africa and parts of the Middle East. The cheetah is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx, most notable for modifications in the species' paws...
s. Two other enclosures in this exhibit are home to bongo
Bongo (antelope)
The western or lowland bongo, Tragelaphus eurycerus eurycerus, is a herbivorous, mostly nocturnal forest ungulate and among the largest of the African forest antelope species....
s and warthog
Warthog
The Warthog or Common Warthog is a wild member of the pig family that lives in grassland, savanna, and woodland in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the past it was commonly treated as a subspecies of P...
s.
Flamingo Bay
Flamingo bay is home to the 70 or so flamingos at the zoo. The exhibit includes three species of flamingo, including Chilean flamingos
Chilean Flamingo
The Chilean Flamingo is a large species closely related to Caribbean Flamingo and Greater Flamingo, with which it was sometimes considered conspecific...
and lesser flamingos
Lesser Flamingo
The Lesser Flamingo is a species in the flamingo family of birds that resides in Africa and in southern Asia...
, both of which have been successfully bred in captivity here.
Meerkat Mounds
This exhibit was opened in 1997 and features an entire colony of the extremely social meerkat
Meerkat
The meerkat or suricate, Suricata suricatta, is a small mammal belonging to the mongoose family. Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, in much of the Namib Desert in Namibia and southwestern Angola, and in South Africa. A group of meerkats is called a "mob", "gang" or "clan"...
s. Visitors can view the meerkats through a plexiglass wall, a bubble window in one of the outer walls, or from a boardwalk which provides a bird's-eye view of the colony.
Australian Outback/Great Barrier Reef
This exhibit has been renovated and now includes the Great Barrier Reef exhibit in addition to being home to the zoos red kangaroos
Red Kangaroo
The Red Kangaroo is the largest of all kangaroos, the largest mammal native to Australia, and the largest surviving marsupial. It is found across mainland Australia, avoiding only the more fertile areas in the south, the east coast, and the northern rainforests.-Description:This species is a very...
and wallabies
Wallaby
A wallaby is any of about thirty species of macropod . It is an informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or wallaroo that has not been given some other name.-Overview:...
. The Great Barrier Reef exhibit is a collection of Australian aquatic animals in three tanks containing more than 10000 gal of water. The exhibit includes 500 animals representing 86 species, including clownfish
Clownfish
Clownfish or anemonefish are fishes from the subfamily Amphiprioninae in the family Pomacentridae. Twenty-eight species are recognized, one in the genus Premnas, while the remaining are in the genus Amphiprion. In the wild they all form symbiotic mutualisms with sea anemones...
, blacktip reef shark
Blacktip reef shark
The blacktip reef shark is a species of requiem shark, family Carcharhinidae, easily identified by the prominent black tips on its fins...
s, angelfish, brain coral
Brain coral
Brain coral is a common name given to corals in the family Faviidae so called due to their generally spheroid shape and grooved surface which resembles a brain...
s, moray eel
Moray eel
Moray eels are cosmopolitan eels of the family Muraenidae. The approximately 200 species in 15 genera are almost exclusively marine, but several species are regularly seen in brackish water and a few, for example the freshwater moray can sometimes be found in freshwater...
s and sea apple
Sea apple
Sea apple is a common name for the colorful and somewhat round sea cucumbers of the genera Paracucumaria and Pseudocolochirus, found primarily in Indo-Pacific waters. Sea apples are filter feeders with tentacles, ovate bodies, and tube-like feet. They can release their internal organs or a toxin...
s.
African Savannah
African Savannah is home to rhinos
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
, giraffe
Giraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
s, and ostrich
Ostrich
The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...
es, which can be viewed from an elevated boardwalk.
Parrot Paradise
Parrot Paradise was opened on the zoo's upper path between the lions and Raptor Canyon in 2004. It is a free-flight aviary featuring cockatiel
Cockatiel
The Cockatiel , also known as the Quarrion and the Weiro, is the smallest cockatoo endemic to Australia. They are prized as a household pet and companion parrot throughout the world and are relatively easy to breed...
s and parakeet
Parakeet
Parakeet is a term for any one of a large number of unrelated small to medium sized species of parrot, that generally have long tail feathers...
s.
Texas Wild!
Texas Wild was opened in 2001 to display the many animals that call Texas their home. Texas Hill Country is home to animals in the Texas waterways, and includes a carousel with hand-painted ponies. Texas Town includes a Play Barn and the Texas Hall of Wonders, and prepares visitors for the rest of the exhibit. High Plains and Prairies represents the Panhandle and Northwestern Texas, and is home to swift foxes
Swift Fox
The swift fox is a small light orange-tan fox around the size of a domestic cat found in the western grasslands of North America, such as Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. It also lives in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta in Canada, where it was previously extirpated...
, black-footed ferrets
Black-footed Ferret
The Black-footed Ferret , also known as the American polecat or Prairie Dog Hunter, is a species of Mustelid native to central North America. It is listed as endangered by the IUCN, because of its very small and restricted populations...
, black-tailed prairie dog
Black-tailed Prairie Dog
The black-tailed prairie dog , is a rodent of the family Sciuridae found in the Great Plains of North America from about the USA-Canada border to the USA-Mexico border. Unlike some other prairie dogs, these animals do not truly hibernate. The black-tailed prairie dog can be seen aboveground in...
s and burrowing owls
Burrowing Owl
The Burrowing Owl is a tiny but long-legged owl found throughout open landscapes of North and South America. Burrowing Owls can be found in grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, deserts, or any other open dry area with low vegetation. They nest and roost in burrows, such as those excavated...
. Pineywoods and Swamps represents East Texas, and includes river otter
River otter
River otter may refer to:*River Otter, a river in Devon*European Otter*Japanese River Otter*Neotropical River Otter*North American River Otter, a common animal in North American waterways*Southern River Otter, found in Chile and Argentina...
s, alligator
Alligator
An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. There are two extant alligator species: the American alligator and the Chinese alligator ....
s, and black bears. Gulf Coast is home to Southern Texas animals including the aquatic animals and waterfowl of the delta marsh, and includes an aviary that is home to birds including the roseate spoonbill
Roseate Spoonbill
The Roseate Spoonbill, Platalea ajaja, is a gregarious wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family, Threskiornithidae...
and white and brown pelican
Brown Pelican
The Brown Pelican is the smallest of the eight species of pelican, although it is a large bird in nearly every other regard. It is in length, weighs from and has a wingspan from .-Range and habits:...
s. Brush country represents Southern Texas, and includes bobcat
Bobcat
The bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago . With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States...
s, coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
s, mountain lions, jaguar
Jaguar
The jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico...
s, ocelot
Ocelot
The ocelot , pronounced /ˈɒsəˌlɒt/, also known as the dwarf leopard or McKenney's wildcat is a wild cat distributed over South and Central America and Mexico, but has been reported as far north as Texas and in Trinidad, in the Caribbean...
s, and coati
Coati
Coatis, genera Nasua and Nasuella, also known as the Brazilian aardvark, Mexican tejón, hog-nosed coon, pizotes, crackoons and snookum bears, are members of the raccoon family . They are diurnal mammals native to South America, Central America, and south-western North America...
, as well as birds of prey such as the Aplomado falcon
Aplomado Falcon
The Aplomado Falcon, Falco femoralis, is a medium-sized falcon of the Americas. The species' largest contiguous range is in South America, but not in the deep interior Amazon Basin. It was long known as Falco fusco-coerulescens or Falco fuscocaerulescens, but these names are now believed to refer...
, bald eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
, and Harris hawk
Harris's Hawk
The Harris's Hawk or Harris Hawk formerly known as the Bay-winged Hawk or Dusky Hawk, is a medium-large bird of prey which breeds from the southwestern United States south to Chile and central Argentina...
. Mountains and Desert completes the tour in a mine shaft where visitors can see bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
s, dung beetle
Dung beetle
Dung beetles are beetles that feed partly or exclusively on feces. All of these species belong to the superfamily Scarabaeoidea; most of them to the subfamilies Scarabaeinae and Aphodiinae of the family Scarabaeidae. This beetle can also be referred to as the scarab beetle. As most species of...
s, Texas horned lizard
Texas horned lizard
The Texas horned lizard is one of about 14 North American species of spikey-bodied reptiles called horned lizards. P. cornutum ranges from Colorado and Kansas to northern Mexico , and from southeastern Arizona to Texas. There are also isolated, introduced populations in the Carolinas, Georgia, and...
s, Western diamondback rattlesnake
Crotalus atrox
Crotalus atrox, the "western diamondback rattlesnake", is a venomous rattlesnake species found in the United States and Mexico. It is likely responsible for the majority of snakebite fatalities in northern Mexico and the second greatest number in the USA after C. adamanteus. No subspecies are...
s, and other animals endemic to the area.
Museum of Living Art (MOLA) (2010)
The Museum of Living Art is a $19 million, 30000 square feet (2,787.1 m²) herpetarium built to replace the original Herpetarium at the zoo. The facility housed more than 5,000 animals representing more than 100 species. Residents include a saltwater crocodile
Saltwater Crocodile
The saltwater crocodile, also known as estuarine or Indo-Pacific crocodile, is the largest of all living reptiles...
, a Burmese python
Burmese Python
The Burmese Python is the largest subspecies of the Indian Python and one of the 6 largest snakes in the world, native to a large variation of tropic and subtropic areas of Southern- and Southeast Asia. They are often found near water and are sometimes semi-aquatic, but can also be found in trees...
, Fly River turtles, golden lion tamarins
Golden Lion Tamarin
The golden lion tamarin also known as the golden marmoset, is a small New World monkey of the family Callitrichidae...
, two-toed sloth
Two-toed sloth
Choloepus is a genus of mammals of Central and South America, within the family Megalonychidae consisting of two-toed sloths. There are only two species of Choloepus : Linnaeus's Two-toed Sloth and Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth...
s, yellow spotted climbing toads, a Chinese giant salamander
Chinese giant salamander
The Chinese giant salamander is the largest salamander in the world, reaching a length of 180 cm , although it rarely – if ever – reaches that size today...
, and a king cobra
King Cobra
The king cobra is the world's longest venomous snake, with a length up to 5.6 m . This species, which preys chiefly on other snakes, is found predominantly in forests from India through Southeast Asia to the Philippines and Indonesia...
. The zoos Komodo dragon
Komodo dragon
The Komodo dragon , also known as the Komodo monitor, is a large species of lizard found in the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang and Gili Dasami. A member of the monitor lizard family , it is the largest living species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of in rare cases...
s will find a new home here with both indoor and outdoor exhibits.
Conservation
The Fort Worth Zoo hosts the Turtle Survival Alliance. It was founded in 2001 as an IUCN task group to help stabilize populations of Asian fresh water turtles. It works with countries where endangered species of turtles appear, helping them develop a plan for conserving and sustaining their turtle populations, mostly emphasizing captive breeding and rescue.Art
The zoo features an unusual Texas sized sculpture. A furious 40-foot iguana sculpture named 'Iggy', was lowered by helicopter onto the roof of the animal hospital in June 2010. Created by Austin artist Bob "Daddy-O" WadeBob "Daddy-O" Wade
Bob "Daddy-O" Wade is an artist in Austin, Texas who helped shape the 1970s Texas Cosmic Cowboy counterculture. A retrospective of his work was exhibited at the South Austin Museum of Popular Culture in the fall of 2009...
, the sculpture is owned by Fort Worth oilman Lee M. Bass.