Previous | Next

Houston Zoo (Visit this link)

Whether you explore little-known natural wonderlands within a days drive of Houston or set out on a week-long safari to the wilds of Africa, you will be treated to a hands-on experience in some of the most beautiful and ecologically diverse places on Earth.

Hear untold stories of wildlife and wild places as relayed by some of the Zoo’s most dynamic and knowledgeable staff members and come home with knowledge and memories that will last a lifetime.

The Houston Zoo is fortunate in having a diverse array of reptile and amphibian species in its collection. Currently the building and its associated facilities (such as the Texas Wetlands and Chinese alligator displays) house over 600 animals representing some 175 different species. Included among these are some of the world’s most venomous snake species (such as the gaboon viper, black mamba and the black forest cobra), some of the largest snakes (the reticulated python, the Burmese python, and the Boelen’s python) and the largest lizards (komodo dragon and crocodile monitors). A favorite animal here at the Zoo is Blanco, one of only fourteen white alligators in existence. Despite his white color, he is not an albino, but exhibits a condition known as leucistic (think of it as a normal colored animal with a giant white spot covering its entire body).

The Houston Zoo’s famed bird collection is one of the largest in the country. Our birds often share exhibits with many of the other animals as well as being housed in exhibits of their own. Entering the front plaza of the Zoo, gregarious sounds of the Zoo’s macaws in the large exhibits directly across the plaza greet you. If you follow their squawks to the right, you will find the Fischer Bird Gardens. Farther down the path the Tropical Bird House displays a variety of beautiful birds in an open aviary. Here you have the opportunity to watch them in flight and hear their calls up close.

Comprising over 23 aquatic habitats over twenty-six thousand gallons of water, the Kipp Aquarium is home to over 100 species of fresh and salt water fish and marine invertebrates (jellyfish, sea stacks, corals, and more). Some of the highlights of a visit to our Aquarium are the 7,000 gallon South American flooded forest, the unique weedy sea dragons, and the colorful but carnivorous piranhas. Pause and watch the beautiful and graceful moon jellyfish as they float in slow motion and see the 4,000 gallon coral reef exhibit where living coral color the rocks in varying hues. Cool and peaceful in the summer, the Kipp Aquarium is one of the Zoo’s most popular exhibits.

Monkeys and lions and tigers and elephants—the Houston Zoo has them all! From Thai the Asian bull elephant to Frodo the pygmy marmoset, the Zoo is home to over 103 species of mammals. Explore the Houston Zoo's Wortham World of Primates, Carnivores, Hoofrun, and Natural Encounters.

The Houston Zoo is fortunate in having a diverse array of reptile and amphibian species in its collection. Currently the building and its associated facilities (such as the Texas Wetlands and Chinese alligator displays) house over 600 animals representing some 175 different species. Included among these are some of the world’s most venomous snake species (such as the gaboon viper, black mamba and the black forest cobra), some of the largest snakes (the reticulated python, the Burmese python, and the Boelen’s python) and the largest lizards (komodo dragon and crocodile monitors). A favorite animal here at the Zoo is Blanco, one of only fourteen white alligators in existence. Despite his white color, he is not an albino, but exhibits a condition known as leucism (think of it as a normal colored animal with a giant white spot covering its entire body).

http://www.houstonzoo.org