Riverside Park and Zoo
Encyclopedia
Riverside Park and Zoo is a park and zoo complex along the North Platte River
in Scottsbluff
, Nebraska
, USA.
Riverside Park is Scottsbluff's city park, and has the only zoo in Western Nebraska
. Riverside Park features three lakes with many different camping and recreation areas as well as a riverside trail which runs along the banks of the North Platte River. Riverside Zoo also offers an enriching botanical experience with over 30 garden spots bursting with the blooms of the season.http://www.riversidezoo.com/index.html
The zoo and park is located a half mile west of Nebraska Highway 71.
North Platte River
The North Platte River is a major tributary of the Platte River and is approximately long counting its many curves, It travels about distance. Its course lies in the U.S...
in Scottsbluff
Scottsbluff, Nebraska
Scottsbluff is a city in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 15,039 at the 2010 census. Scottsbluff is the largest city in the Nebraska Panhandle, and the 13th largest city in Nebraska....
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, USA.
Riverside Park is Scottsbluff's city park, and has the only zoo in Western Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. Riverside Park features three lakes with many different camping and recreation areas as well as a riverside trail which runs along the banks of the North Platte River. Riverside Zoo also offers an enriching botanical experience with over 30 garden spots bursting with the blooms of the season.http://www.riversidezoo.com/index.html
Animals
The Riverside Zoo has a unique collection of over 200 animals representing 73 different species, in various exhibits.North American Grasslands
Contains animals once common in the Grasslands of North America:- American BisonAmerican BisonThe American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
(Bison bison) - Mule DeerMule DeerThe mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America. The Mule Deer gets its name from its large mule-like ears. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer...
(Odocoileus hemionus) - Pronghorn Antelope (Antilocapra americana)
- Sandhill CraneSandhill CraneThe Sandhill Crane is a large crane of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. The common name of this bird references habitat like that at the Platte River, on the edge of Nebraska's Sandhills in the American Midwest...
(Grus canadensis)
Slither Inn
The reptile house that has various snakes and lizards from around the world:- Western hog-nosed snake (Heterodon nasicus)
- Leopard GeckoLeopard geckoThe leopard gecko is a nocturnal ground-dwelling lizard naturally found in the deserts of southern Central Asia, and throughout Pakistan, to the northwestern parts of India. Unlike most geckos, leopard geckos possess movable eyelids...
(Eublepharis macularius) - Carpet PythonCarpet pythonMorelia spilota is a large snake of the Pythonidae family found in Australia, Indonesia and New Guinea. There are 6 subspecies listed by ITIS, commonly referred to as Carpet and Diamond pythons.-Description:...
- Bearded Dragon
- Blue-tongued lizardBlue-tongued lizardBlue tongue lizard redirects here. For the aboriginal Australian myth, see Bluetongue Lizard .Blue-tongued skinks comprise the Australasian genus, Tiliqua, which contains some of the largest members of the skink family . They are commonly called blue-tongued lizards or simply blue-tongues in...
Raptor Row
Contains a collection of various raptors:- Bald EagleBald EagleThe 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...
(Haliaeetus leucocephalus) - Turkey VultureTurkey VultureThe Turkey Vulture is a bird found throughout most of the Americas. It is also known in some North American regions as the Turkey Buzzard , and in some areas of the Caribbean as the John Crow or Carrion Crow...
{Cathartes aura) - Great Horned OwlGreat Horned OwlThe Great Horned Owl, , also known as the Tiger Owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an adaptable bird with a vast range and is the most widely distributed true owl in the Americas.-Description:...
(Cathartes aura) - Swainson's Hawk Swainson's HawkThe Swainson's Hawk , is a large buteo hawk of the Falconiformes, sometimes separated in the Accipitriformes like its relatives. This species was named after William Swainson, a British naturalist...
(Buteo swainsoni)
Aviary
A walk through aviary containing birds from around the world:- Black-crowned Night HeronBlack-crowned Night HeronThe Black-crowned Night Heron commonly abbreviated to just Night Heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, except in the coldest regions and Australasia .-Description:Adults are...
(Nycticorax nycticorax) - Yellow-crowned Night HeronYellow-crowned Night HeronThe Yellow-crowned Night Heron , also called the American Night Heron or squawk, is a fairly small heron, similar in appearance to the Black-crowned Night Heron...
(Nycticorax violaceus) - Waldrapp Ibis (Geronticus eremita)
- Speckled PigeonSpeckled PigeonThe Speckled Pigeon or Rock Pigeon is a pigeon which is a resident breeding bird in much of Africa south of the Sahara. It is a common and widespread species in open habitats over a good deal of its range, although there are sizeable gaps in its distribution.This species builds a large stick nest...
(Columba guinea) - Chukar Partridge (Alectoris chukar)
- Mandarin DuckMandarin DuckThe Mandarin Duck , or just Mandarin, is a medium-sized perching duck, closely related to the North American Wood Duck. It is 41–49 cm long with a 65–75 cm wingspan.-Description:...
(Aix galericulata)
Rainforest Discovery Center
An area dedicated to some of the smaller animals of the rainforest:- Emperor TamarinEmperor TamarinThe Emperor Tamarin is a tamarin allegedly named for its resemblance to the German emperor Wilhelm II. It lives in the southwest Amazon Basin, in east Peru, north Bolivia and in the west Brazilian states of Acre and Amazonas....
(Saguinus imperator) - Golden-headed Lion TamarinGolden-headed Lion TamarinThe golden-headed lion tamarin is a lion tamarin endemic to Brazil. It is found only in the lowland and premontane tropical forest fragments in the state of Bahia, and therefore is considered to be an endangered species. It lives at heights of . Its preferred habitat is within mature forest, but...
(Leontopithecus chrysomelas) - Guira Cuckoo (Guira guira)
- Green Tree PythonGreen Tree PythonMorelia viridis, the green tree python, is a species of python found in New Guinea, islands in Indonesia, and Cape York Peninsula in Australia.-Description:Adults average in length, with a maximum length of about 7 feet...
(Morelia viridis) - Chilean rose hair tarantula (Grammostola rosea)
- Green AracariGreen AracariThe Green Aracari, Pteroglossus viridis, is a toucan, a near-passerine bird found in the lowland forests of northeastern South America , in the northeast Amazon Basin, the Guianas and the eastern Orinoco River drainage of Venezuela. At 30-40 cm...
(Pteroglossus viridis) - Amazon parrotAmazon parrotAmazon parrot is the common name for a parrot of the genus Amazona. These are medium-size parrots native to the New World ranging from South America to Mexico and the Caribbean....
- Prehensile-tailed porcupinePrehensile-tailed porcupineThe prehensile-tailed porcupines or Coendous are a group of arboreal porcupine found in Central and South America. They are closely related to the other Neotropical tree porcupines and these three are sometimes treated as subgenera of Coendou instead of distinct genera.-Characteristics:Among the...
Chimpanzee Building
Home of the areas chimpanzee and other unique creatures:- American AlligatorAmerican AlligatorThe American alligator , sometimes referred to colloquially as a gator, is a reptile endemic only to the Southeastern United States. It is one of the two living species of alligator, in the genus Alligator, within the family Alligatoridae...
(Alligator mississippiensis) - Naked Mole RatNaked Mole RatThe naked mole rat , also known as the sand puppy or desert mole rat, is a burrowing rodent native to parts of East Africa and the only species currently classified in the genus Heterocephalus...
(Heterocephalus glaber) - MeerkatMeerkatThe 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"...
(Suricata suricatta) - Red-eared sliderRed-eared sliderThe red-eared slider is a semiaquatic turtle belonging to the family Emydidae. It is a subspecies of pond slider. It is the most popular pet turtle in the United States and also popular in the rest of the world...
(Trachemys scripta elegans) - North African crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata)
- ChimpanzeeChimpanzeeChimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
Cat Complex
Home to various big cats:- Bengal TigerBengal TigerThe Bengal tiger is a tiger subspecies native to the Indian subcontinent that in 2010 has been classified as endangered by IUCN...
(Panthera tigris tigris) - Mountain Lion (Puma concolor)
- Black Leopard (Panthera pardus)
- LionLionThe 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...
(Panthera leo)
African Veldt
Contains just a few of the many African hoofstock:- WaterbuckWaterbuckThe Waterbuck is a large antelope found widely in Sub-Saharan Africa.Waterbuck stand at the shoulder. Males weigh and females . Their coats are reddish brown in colour and become progressively darker with age; they have a white 'bib' under their throats and white on their rumps...
(Kobus ellipsiprymnus) - ZebraZebraZebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds...
Children's Zoo
A child friendly area that contains many animals children love:- DonkeyDonkeyThe donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
{Equus asinus) - EmuEmuThe Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. It is the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. There are three subspecies of Emus in Australia...
(Dromaius novaehollandiae) - Pot-bellied pigPot-bellied pigThe pot-bellied pig is a breed of domesticated pig originating in Vietnam.-Description:Considerably smaller than standard American or European farm pigs, most adult pot-bellied pigs are about the size of a medium- or large-breed dog, though their bodies are denser at 8 to 136 kg...
- GoatGoatThe domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
- LlamaLlamaThe llama is a South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since pre-Hispanic times....
Miscellaneous Exhibits
There are other animals that are not included in any of the aforementioned exhibits:- Red PandaRed PandaThe red panda , is a small arboreal mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It is the only species of the genus Ailurus. Slightly larger than a domestic cat, it has reddish-brown fur, a long, shaggy tail, and a waddling gait due to its shorter front legs...
{Ailurus fulgens) - BinturongBinturongThe Binturong , also known as the Asian Bearcat, the Palawan Bearcat, or simply the Bearcat, is a species of the family Viverridae, which includes the civets and genets. It is the only member of its genus...
(Arctictis binturong) - Swift FoxSwift FoxThe 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...
(Vulpes velox) - King VultureKing VultureThe King Vulture is a large bird found in Central and South America. It is a member of the New World vulture family Cathartidae. This vulture lives predominantly in tropical lowland forests stretching from southern Mexico to northern Argentina, though some believe that William Bartram's Painted...
(Sarcorhamphus papa) - Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus)
- Wattled CraneWattled CraneThe Wattled Crane, Bugeranus carunculatus is a large bird found in Africa south of the Sahara Desert. It is monotypical for its genus.At a height of up to , it is the largest crane in Africa and is the second tallest species of crane, after the Sarus Crane. The wingspan is , the length is...
(Bugeranus carunculatus) - MooseMooseThe moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
(Alces alces) - Swinhoe Pheasant (Ithaginis swinhoii)
- MuntjacMuntjacMuntjac, also known as Barking Deer and Mastreani Deer, are small deer of the genus Muntiacus. Muntjac are the oldest known deer, appearing 15–35 million years ago, with remains found in Miocene deposits in France, Germany and Poland....
Conservation
The Riverside Zoo is actively involved in the Survival Species Program for various species of imperiled wildlife on display. The Riverside Zoo is also actively cooperating with the International Recovery and Management Committee for Golden Headed Lion Tamarin. The zoo is currently home to a breeding pair of Lion Tamarins and their first offspring has been put into trusteeship of the Brazilian government.http://www.riversidezoo.com/zoosite/miscpages/conservation.htmlThe zoo and park is located a half mile west of Nebraska Highway 71.