The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is located just north of Columbus Ohio, and in 2009 was named the number one zoo in the United States by the USA Travel Guide, and again in 2012 by Besties Readers Choice! The zoo has more than 9,000 animals from almost 800 species, and is visited by 2.3 million people every year!
The zoo is divided into several different regions, each containing animals from different places around the world.
North America is the largest area, and includes:
- A songbird aviary with more than 40 species
- Timber Wolves
- Beavers
- Wolverine
- American Bison
- Bald Eagle
- Grizzly Bear
- Prairie Dog
- Moose
- Bobcat
- A great deal more…
Polar Frontier is a newer area, built as an extension to the North American exhibit, and contains Polar Bear, Brown Bear, and Arctic Fox.
Pachyderms is home to Black Rhinoceros and Asian Elephants. Besides the outdoor exhibit, the zoo also has the second largest indoor habitat in the world!
Asia Quest blends the exhibits together with the scenery, to give everything a more lifelike feel. The animals on display include:
- Reticulated Python
- Little Golden-Mantled Flying Fox Bats
- Red Panda
- African Lion
- Water Monitor
- Cranes, both Red-Crowned and White-Naped
- Tufted Deer
- Amur Tiger
- Malaya Sun Bear
- A Pheasant Aviary, which includes Reeves’s Pheasant, Swinhoe’s Pheasant, and the beautiful Golden Pheasant
- Reeves’s Muntjac
- Silvery Lutung
- Many more!
Shores houses the Columbus Zoo’s aquariums, but also exhibits animals such as the American Flamingo, Alligators, and Humboldt Penguins. The Shores region is divided into different sections. The Manatee Coast is a habitat for the endangered West Indian Manatee, and one of only two Manatee exhibits outside of Florida. Discovery Reef holds Sharks, Stingrays, Sea Turtles, several types of fish, and even Coral! The Reptile Habitat is a large collection containing turtles, tortoises, and numerous species of snakes, from the Jamaican Boa, to the King Cobra. Some of the other animals on display in the Shores region include:
- Roti Island Snake-Necked Turtle
- Burmese Python
- Pine Snake
- Timber Rattlesnake
- Gila Monster
- Solomon Islands Skink
- Poison Dart Frog
- Panamanian Golden Frog
- Clownfish
- Zebra Shark
African Forest contains all of the animals you’d expect. Gorilla, Leopard, Mandrill, Okapi, and an aviary of Parrots and other birds, but also includes some perhaps lesser-known animals, like the Black Duiker, Bonobo, and Red River Hog.
Voyage to Australia and the Islands displays many creatures such as are found only in Australia, New Zealand, and the surrounding islands. As is common with most of the regions at the Columbus Zoo, there is a flight aviary, with this one containing more than twenty species. Some of the key animals on display in the zoo’s Australia region include:
- Eastern Grey Kangaroo
- Red Kangaroo
- Matschie’s Tree-Kangaroo
- North Island Brown Kiwi
- Prevost’s Squirrel
- Feathertail Glider (the world’s smallest gliding possum)
- Tiger Quoll
- Short-Nosed Fruit Bat
- Koala
- Woylie
- Rainbow Lorikeet
- Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo
- Black Swan
- Komodo Dragon
- Siamang
- Lar Gibbon
Besides all of the animal exhibits at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, there is also a restored 1914 carousel, with 52 hand carved horses, and two chariots. The Zoo also owns the Zoombezi Bay waterpark, and Jungle Jack’s Landing amusement park, both of which border the zoo. With everything that there is to do, you may very well want to plan on spending a couple of days taking it all in!
The Columbus Zoo is open every day of the year except for Thanksgiving & Christmas. The hours of operation change with the seasons though, so you should check here for updated times when planning your trip. A list of admission prices and tickets can be found at ColumbusZoo.org. Directions, Maps of the zoo, and other information can be found by clicking the links on the left side of their website.
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