Animals

The aardvark is specialized to eat ants and termites.

A solitary and nocturnal member of the hyena family, the aardwolf specializes in feeding on termites.

Unlike other cats, lions live in social groups called prides that consist of a handful of related females and their young and a coalition of two to three males.

For African painted dogs, also known as wild dogs, cooperation is the name of the game and survival is the aim.

Penguins can’t fly in the air. Underwater, it’s a different story.

Though it is the smallest raptor in Africa, the African pygmy falcon is a powerful predator.

Although few alligator gars approach the record size of 10 feet and 300 pounds, they are still among the largest freshwater fish in North America.

The alligator snapping turtle is the largest freshwater turtle in the world

Like llamas, alpacas are related to camels.

Most reptiles pay no attention to their offspring, but alligators are truly tender mothers.

The American burying beetle makes a living out of eating the dead.

The American crocodile population plummeted during the mid-1900s due to unregulated hunting for its hide.

Among the largest flying birds in the world, the Andean condor relies on its huge wings—the largest wing area of any bird—and strong winds to stay aloft.

Colobus monkeys are adapted for a life in the trees.

Protected by other predators' instinctive unwillingness to prey on them, Anthony's poison dart frog boldly hunts small insects during the day without fear.

The Apalachicola kingsnake is a subspecies of the common kingsnake.

The armadillo lizard’s back is covered in hard scales.

The Aruba Island rattlesnake is one of the rarest rattlesnakes in the world.

From trunk to toe, Asia’s largest land mammal displays some amazing adaptations to life as a forest-dwelling herbivore.

The puffin is built for diving and swimming underwater with small, sturdy wings and webbed feet

Like a woodpecker, the aye-aye is a percussion forager.

The azureus cichlid is a plankton-feeder from Lake Malawi in Africa.

Among the largest whipspiders in the world, little is known of the Baja Whipspider’s natural history.

All of the bald eagles at the Cincinnati Zoo were rescued.

One of the most beautiful birds in the world, with its striking snow white feathers, lacy head crest, and blue eye patch, the Bali myna is also one of the rarest.

The barn owl is a farmer’s best friend. By hunting mice and other small mammals, which it can catch in total darkness, the owl helps control the population of these pint-sized grain thieves.

Perched in a tree, the barred owl scans the forest floor for small creatures.

Bat caves are home to more than bats.

Emerging at dusk from an underground den, the bat-eared fox prowls for prey.

Also known as the binturong, the bearcat is agile like a cat in the canopy and less adept on ground, walking flat-footed like a bear.

The colobus monkey spends most of its time feeding in the canopy and rarely comes down to the ground.

Living in extended family groups, howler monkeys spend most of the day feasting on leaves in the treetops.

The black rat snake is the largest snake in Ohio, reaching lengths up to eight feet.

Traveling alone, a black rhino brandishes the two horns on its head at an intruder.

Growing no longer than four inches, the black-breasted leaf turtle is one of the world’s smallest turtles.

One of the smallest wild cats, the black-footed cat rests during the day among the bushes or in a burrow abandoned by an aardvark or porcupine.

Macaws are brilliantly-colored, neotropical parrots.

When threatened, the blue death feigning beetle rolls over on its back and plays dead.

Scientists describe newly discovered species of monitors still today.

Pairs or small family groups of laughing thrushes forage along the ground for fruits, berries, and insects.

Motmots are easily distinguished from other birds by their tail feathers.

Blue-gray tanagers were named for their two-toned coloration: gray or light blue on their head and chest, deepening to a brighter blue coloration along their wings and tail.

The blue-throated macaw was once thought to be extinct.

Roosting in the trees during the day, the boat-billed heron comes down at dusk to hunt.

Also called the pygmy chimp, the bonobo is slightly smaller than the common chimpanzee.

Spending most of its time in the canopy, the Brazilian porcupine is an expert climber.

With a legspan reaching 10 inches or more, the Brazilian salmon pink birdeater is one of the largest tarantulas.

This large tarantula is found in the Amazon Basin. It actively hunts out prey, pouncing on it to inflict a venomous bite.

This potentially dangerous spider is in fact quite shy (a real recluse) and normally bites humans only when accidentally trapped against the skin.

Gibbons are known for a specialized form of swinging locomotion called brachiation.

The buff-crested bustard is named for a crest of feathers along the back of the male’s neck that are erected when displaying.

Due to its large size—it’s the fourth largest tortoise in the world—and slow nature, the Burmese brown mountain tortoise is a relatively easy target for hunters.

One of the largest snakes in the world, the Burmese python can grow up to 25 feet long and get as thick as a telephone pole.

The Cape Barron goose is primarily terrestrial, spending very little time in the water.

Contrary to popular belief, a porcupine cannot shoot its spines and quills.

This bizarre arachnid is only distantly related to true spiders.

The cheetah plays an important role as a predator on the African savannah.

A full-grown Chinese alligator is only about half as big as its cousin, the American alligator.

Mainly active during the day, it often enters into a metabolic pause, remaining completely still and unresponsive for hours at a time.

The chuckwalla is a diurnal lizard that emerges from its rocky shelter to bask in the sun and forage for leaves and fruit during the day.

A powerful and robust build, short legs, large feet, and a long tail allow the clouded leopard to expertly navigate the forest canopy.

Cooters are sun-loving freshwater turtles that spend much of day basking on logs at the edges of ponds, lakes, and rivers in the Southeastern United States.

A large sea duck, the common eider dives up to 60 feet deep to pluck clams, crabs and other animals off the sea floor.

The sifaka is a large lemur built for a specialized type of locomotion called vertical clinging and leaping.

Although the corn snake is primarily terrestrial, it can climb trees, rocks, and even buildings, with ease.

Historically, the cougar ranged throughout the Americas.

The crested coua is a type of cuckoo bird.

Crested guineafowl stick close together in flocks for safety.

While in it's larval stage, the grub spends several months underground consuming broken-down leaf litter and recycling nutrients back into the soil. 

The desert rainworm, a type of millipede, spends most of its life underground.

The white-spotted pattern of the domino roach is thought to be a form of defensive mimicry.

The dragon-headed katydid is a type of bush cricket, so named for its huge mandibles that are used to eat a variety of fruits and other insects.

The Dumeril’s boa’s black and brown coloring enables it to hide among the leaf litter on the forest floor.

An unwary snake or other predator that tries to eat a poison dart frog will become very sick, paralyzed or even die from the ingestion of an alkaloid-based poison secreted through the frog’s skin.

One of the largest forest antelopes, the shy and reclusive bongo wears a reddish coat with white stripes for camouflage.

The largest rattlesnake in the world and largest venomous snake in North America, the eastern diamondback rattlesnake seeks shelter in mammal and gopher tortoise burrows and uprooted trees.

The Eastern lubber grasshopper is well-known in Florida and nearby states for its size, color, and large gatherings.

In spite of their small size, screech owls are exceptional night hunters using their keen sense of hearing to pinpoint prey in the dark.

Scarab beetles like the emerald beetle play an important role in many natural communities.

At rest during the day, the emerald tree boa drapes in coils across a tree branch.

A young emperor scorpion kills its prey with venom injected through the sharp sting at the tip of its ‘tail.’

With wings that can span up to six feet, the Eurasian eagle owl is one of the largest owls in the world.

The smallest fox, the fennec fox has the largest ears relative to body size of any canid, reaching lengths of up to six inches.

Less than six inches long, this aquatic amphibian feeds on insects and other invertebrates in slow-moving or still waters.

As its name implies, the favored prey of the fishing cat is fish.

Also called the sea cow, the manatee is the only herbivorous mammal specially designed to live its entire life in the water.

The Florida pine snake is one of the largest eastern snakes in North America

Australia’s rarest waterfowl, the Freckled Duck breeds in swamps in inland Australia.

With few natural predators and competitors for food, the Galápagos tortoise grew over time into the largest turtle in the world.

Bushbabies spend the day resting in a tree hole or among the vines, hiding from snakes.

This elongate arthropod moves slowly, thus, cannot make a quick escape.

The giant fruit bat roosts in large colonies, up to 1,000 individuals, during the day.

Is this insect a walking stick? Take a closer look at the hind legs—they’re modified for jumping. It actually is a stick-like grasshopper!

In this sexually dimorphic species, the female is green or yellow and leaf-shaped, while the male is brown and looks like a dead curled leaf.

The giant walking stick is one of the longest walking sticks.

This insect breathes at the surface or from an air bubble held under its wings when submerged, somewhat like a tiny SCUBA diver.

One of only a few venomous lizards in the world, the Gila monster uses its venom more as a defense than for subduing the small prey it eats.

Up to three inches long, the female Florida orb web spider is five or six times larger than the male.

Golden-breasted starlings exhibit cooperative breeding, where group members assist with nest-building and feeding the young.

A greater flamingo wades into shallow water on its long legs.

The greater siren is a primative salamander that reaches lengths of more than three feet.

The green and black dart frog is one of more than 100 species of poison dart frogs.

A member of the iguana family, the green basilisk lizard spends most of its time in the trees and is never far from water.

Specialized for an arboreal lifestyle, the green tree monitor’s slender body and long claws enable it to lie along slim tree branches without slipping.

The golden crown of feathers atop the Grey crowned crane’s head is not the only thing that distinguishes it from other cranes.

The brown tree snake hit the jackpot when it found its way onto the island of Guam – flightless, ground-nesting birds with no defenses against a snake.

The hamerkop is named for how the shape of its heavy bill and large head crest resembles a hammer.

The hellbender is the largest fully aquatic salamander in the United States.

The Helmeted Curassow was named for the large casque on its head, which resembles a helmet.

Henkel's leaf-tailed gecko is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is found in Madagascar.

Hippos can open their mouths about three times wider than people can.

The Madagascar hissing cockroach, also known as the hissing cockroach or simply hisser, is one of the largest species of cockroach

Puffins are built for diving and swimming underwater with small, sturdy wings and webbed feet.

The hyacinth macaw’s strong, hooked beak is designed for cracking open nuts, a favorite of which is the oil palm nut.

Inca Tern is a near threatened species of bird found on the coast and coastal islands of Chile and Peru.

A striking shell pattern of yellow-striped stars helps the Indian star tortoise camouflage within dry grassy patches.

Like a water pistol, a spitting cobra defends itself by shooting venom at an enemy’s eyes through a small hole in its bottom fangs.

Kangaroos live in social groups called mobs.

The Zoo cares for the largest group of kea – a highly intelligent mountain parrot from New Zealand – in North America and is committed to the conservation of this species.

The king cobra is the largest venomous snake in the world.

The second largest penguin, the king penguin spends most of its time at sea.

The Komodo dragon is the top predator on the Indonesian islands it inhabits.

Turacos rarely come down from the forest canopy.

With a wingspan up to nine feet wide, the lappet-faced vulture is the largest vulture in Africa.

Excellent binocular vision enables the genet to accurately judge distances, an important skill for leaping and pouncing.

The kookaburra is nicknamed the Bushman’s clock for its alarming calls at dawn.

A forager’s jaws vibrate a thousand times a second to shear off pieces of a leaf.

Adult males, called bulls, generally live a solitary life, whereas females live in small groups.

Also called fairy penguins, the little blue penguin’s feathers have a dark blue tinge.

A llama’s upper lip is split in half. The two sides press together to hold grass still while the llama cuts it with its teeth.

Growing up to five inches long, this omnivorous turtle is found in muddy-bottomed lakes, ponds, and streams in the southeastern United States.

To keep itself from becoming prey, the gar is protected by hard, diamond-shaped scales.

The gecko’s toe pads are specially designed for gripping so that it can climb vertical surfaces.

Magellanic penguins wear the typical black and white tuxedo pattern, which is an adaptation called counter-shading.

Males are larger than females and bear forked horns used in shoving matches with other males to protect their claim to food or a mate.

It is also the only water bird that often forms a mating trio, one male with two females.

When the conditions are right and plenty of food is available, they breed.

Other than females with their young, tigers are solitary and come together only to mate.

Breathing through feater-like gills, it feeds on and hides among aquatic plants to protect itself from fish, birds, and other predators.

The giraffe’s six foot long neck contains just seven bones, the same number as other mammals, including you.

The Zoo is helping the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reestablish masked bobwhite quail populations in Arizona.

The lapwing aggressively defends its nest during breeding season, dive bombing intruders or acting as if it has a broken wing to lure intruders away.

Once a fish is within reach, the turtle thrusts its head forward, opens its mouth as wide as possible and sucks in the fish like a vacuum.

While the rest of the mob scurries about rustling up grub, they take turns standing tall on a rock, termite mound or tree, looking out for danger.

Unlike the big, bad wolf in stories like Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs, wolves are actually shy and avoid people.

Keep an eye out for our three mini-Juliana pigs-Magnolia, Thatcher and Cinder-as they walk around the Zoo with their trainers.

The little mosquitofish has a big job – keeping the mosquito population down by feeding on its aquatic larval and pupal stages.

Before sunrise, male Mueller's gibbons sing a solo song lasting up to 40 minutes to advertise their presence.

Digging tunnels, gnawing roots, and defending against intruders are all functions of the naked mole-rat’s enormous incisors.

The colorful Nicobar pigeon has such a strong, hooked bill that it can crack open nuts that would require a hammer for a human.

Despite its miniature size, a female goat can produce two quarts of sweet milk a day.

An otter can hold its breath underwater for eight minutes.

A ground-dwelling snake, it is difficult to spot amongst a blanket of fallen leaves so step carefully!

The future of this tiny tortoise is jeopardized by habitat destruction and overcollection for the pet trade.

Also called Anglo-Nubian, these goats are larger than most domestic goats, but they are the most affectionate and calm.

The foot-long tongue also allows the okapi to lick and clean its own eyelids and ears.

The orchid mantid is a praying mantis named for its resemblance to an orchid flower

The ornate horned frog has pointy folds of skin above its eyes rather than actual horns.

It can deliver a powerful kick, if a predator gets too close.

Its pale grey coat affords the Pallas's cat cover, blending in with the surrounding rocks.

At the sign of danger, the pancake tortoise runs for shelter among the rocks rather than withdrawing into its shell like other tortoises.

Map turtles are named for the detailed map-like designs on their shells.

Central AmericaCockroaches are a very misunderstood group of insects; out of over 4,000 species fewer than 20 are considered human pests.

When threatened, the firestick secretes a stinky and irritating body fluid.

Pied imperial pigeons travel in flocks at dusk and dawn and are migratory birds.

Using their wings as paddles and their feet as rudders, they dive more than 150 feet deep to the sea bottom.

The large skin pouch that hangs from the pelican’s bill sweeps up more than a gallon of water, along with a fish or two, at a time.

As distinctive as a fingerprint, every zebra has a unique pattern of stripes.

Scientists are studying the frog’s toxins in search of potential medical uses.

The potto is so quiet and stealthy that it is sometimes referred to as the “softly-softly”.

Now extinct, the Passenger Pigeon was once the most abundant bird in North America, and perhaps the world, more than five billion passenger pigeons were flying free in the early 1800s.

Monitors do not drop and regrow their tails as do some other lizards.

Sporting a striking star-shaped pattern of yellow streaks on its high-domed shell, the radiated tortoise is considered one of the world’s most beautiful tortoises.

All members of a small family group of red and yellow barbets help feed and raise the young.

Red pandas spend up to 13 hours a day foraging for bamboo, eating only the youngest, most tender leaves.

Using their strong snouts and sharp tusks to bulldoze through the leaf litter and soil, they dig up a dinner of roots, bulbs, other plants and small animals.

This bird's large feet allow it to walk on floating vegetation as it feeds in wet areas

Cranes mate for life, and the pair stay together year round.

Assassin bugs are known as ambush predators.

This tarantula feeds on insects, small lizards and rodents.

Seriemas are known for their loud calls, which can be heard over a mile away.

The rhinoceros hornbill is named for the rhino horn-shaped casque on its beak, which may be used in fighting, to amplify its calls, for courtship displays, or just to knock down fruit for eating.

While most katydids are herbivores, the rhinoceros katydid feeds on animals as well as plants with the help of a large, mighty jaw.

The lemur’s tail can grow up to two feet long, which is longer than the rest of the body.

An expert climber, the ringtail can climb down trees headfirst by rotating its hind feet 180 degrees.

A ruddy shelduck pair nests in a tree hollow, among stone piles, or in an abandoned burrow.

Rüppell's griffon vulture is considered to be the highest-flying bird, with confirmed evidence of a flight at an altitude of 11,300 m (37,000 ft) above sea level.

They quickly strike to grasp or impale fish with its sharp bill

Unlike many other finches, they are not migratory.

Covered with hair, its footpads are insulated from the hot sand.

To afford greater protection against predators, the scarlet ibis gathers in large breeding colonies and roosts high up in the trees close to water.

Long hairs that stick out between the sections of its armor distinguish the screaming hairy armadillo from other armadillos.

Servals have been known to jump as high as 3.6 m (12 ft) to catch birds in mid air.

Often mistaken for a snake, the sheltopusik is actually a large, legless lizard.

The largest of all gibbons, the siamang is also the loudest as its musical calls can be heard through dense rainforest foliage up to two miles away.

Tooth-like serrations on its bill are made for grasping a slippery, struggling fish.

Up to three feet long, the snow leopard's tail helps it to maintain balance while navigating steep and rocky slopes.

Decorated with dark splotches and stripes, its golden coat camouflages with the foliage and hides the hunter from its prey.

Many snake species, including the Southern copperhead, den up in the winter to avoid the cold temperatures.

Working with scientists in Chile, the Zoo is tracking rockhopper penguins to find out where they travel once they leave their nesting sites.

A single tamandua can eat up to 9,000 ants in a single day!

The Steller's sea eagle is one of the largest eagles in the world.

Male striped love beetles have forked horns they use in shoving matches for food or combat for females.

The only truly arboreal ape, the orangutan is also the largest tree-dwelling animal.

In flight, the sunbittern has been said to resemble a giant butterfly.

This beetle is streamlined, has powerful oar-like hind legs for propulsion, and steers with its short forelegs

Though it resembles an owl, the tawny frogmouth belongs to an order of insect-eating, nocturnal birds that includes nightjars and nighthawks.

This variegated yellow-trimmed beetle often feeds in groups, and perhaps then does look like a fleet of taxicabs jockeying for position

Foraging bullet ants lay down chemical trails to lead nestmates to food.

The only living parrot that once ranged in the United States, the thick-billed parrot is dependent on highland pine-oak forests for food and nesting

This stick insect is heavily armored, sports sharp body spines, and during the day clusters in groups for protection from predators.

Like all rattlesnakes, the timber rattlesnake kills its prey by striking and injecting it with venom through a pair of fangs.

Zebra finches learn their complex, signature song from their parents in the first 80 days after hatching.

Rather than breathing air like humans do, the Titicaca water frog absorbs oxygen from the water through its baggy skin.

A male and female, known as the cob and pen respectively, mate for life and share in raising the young.

With its strong jaws and two rows of razor-sharp teeth, the amphiuma catches and eats other salamanders, frogs, crayfish and other small, aquatic creatures.

With such a slow metabolism, it can take up to a month for a sloth to digest a meal.

Vampire bats rarely attack humans, preferring to feed on livestock and wild mammals such as tapirs and deer.

Verreaux’s eagle owl, also known as a milky eagle owl is the largest owl in Africa.

Nearly the size of a turkey, the Victoria crowned pigeon is the largest of all living pigeons.

During the breeding season, the tuft of hair on the boar’s head grows into an impressive head-to-tail mane.

Using a long tube, or siphon, as a snorkel to access air, the water scorpion sits on the bottom of a pond and waits for prey to come by.

Its long mid and hind legs spread body weight over a large area and are coated with tiny air-trapping hairs providing pontoon-like floatation.

Camouflaged, the Gaboon viper buries itself among the leaves on the forest floor and waits for prey to come close before striking.

Gorillas walk on the knuckles of their hands and the soles of their feet.

White Ibises stand out in the crowd with their reddish-pink legs and bills. Unlike larger herons who stalk their prey.

As bird feathers go, those of the cormorant are unusual in that they allow moisture to penetrate.

Usually seen in pairs or small flocks, white-cheeked bulbuls are medium-sized songbirds named for their prominent white cheek patches.

The white-eyed assassin bug is an ambush predator of small insects.

The males are all black except for the white fur around their faces while the females are overall brown.

Gibbons have leather-like soles on their feet and an opposable big toe that help it grasp and walk upright on branches.

White-headed buffalo weavers were named for their elaborate nests, which often have multiple compartments and tunnels, that they “weave” together using thorny branches.

Its long moaning coo, also uncharacteristic of a pigeon, carries a long distance through the forest.

Strong claws on the tips of its webbed feet help it grip tree bark.

Researchers are studying poison dart frog toxins as a possible source of human medicine.

The yellow rat snake is non-venomous.

This brightly patterned beetle really does have a yellow underside. It is a strong flyer, widespread and commonly observed in nature, much like our native June beetle in the United States.

African yellow-billed ducks are typically nocturnal foragers, feeding at dusk and after dark.

The symphony of sounds emanated from a colony is truly remarkable, complete with fluting notes, cackles, clucks and wheezes.

Its colorful pattern warns potential predators, such as birds and small mammals, that it can quickly release a noxious, eye and nose-burning chemical deterrent.