Riverbanks Zoo and Garden List Of Species On Exhibit 5/31/19

[geomorph]

This is an attempt to list every species on exhibit at Riverbanks Zoo & Garden in Columbia, South Carolina during my visit on 5-31-19. I am including species for which there is a sign on each exhibit, and using the map going in a roughly clockwise direction from the zoo entrance. The zoo's map and arrangement has few specifically named zones so I will organize it by my own method for the most part. This list may be of more interest to those already familiar with the zoo since I am not arranging the species by animal type. I will post each zone separately for clarity.

Entrance & Exit Area - Pedestrian Bridge Over Traintracks

• geomorph
• 18 Sep 2019

Taken 5/31/19.

Entrance & Exit Area - Gift Shop - Exterior

• geomorph
• 18 Sep 2019

Taken 5/31/19.

Entrance & Exit Area - Ticketing

• geomorph
• 18 Sep 2019
• 1

Taken 5/31/19.

SEA LION LANDING: (1 Exhibit)
This is one of the better exhibits in quality and is located near the zoo's entrance.

Large-sized aquatic yard surrounded by sea shack-themed buildings, a small-sized amphitheater, underwater viewing panels on 3 sides, including an indoor shelter:
California Sea Lion
Harbor Seal

Sea Lion Landing - View from Viewing Amphitheater

• geomorph
• 18 Sep 2019
• 3

Taken 5/31/19. This large single exhibit features California sea lions and harbor seals.

Sea Lion Landing - Overview

• geomorph
• 18 Sep 2019

Taken 5/31/19. This large single exhibit features California sea lions and harbor seals.

Sea Lion Landing - View from Upper Viewing Deck

• geomorph
• 18 Sep 2019

Taken 5/31/19. This large single exhibit features California sea lions and harbor seals.

Sea Lion Landing - Underwater Viewing Room - California Sea Lion

• geomorph
• 18 Sep 2019

Taken 5/31/19. This large single exhibit features California sea lions and harbor seals.

 

[geomorph]

KANGAROO WALKABOUT: (3 Exhibits)
A small Australian area, it has little themeing.

Large-sized fenced yard with visitor walk-through path, titled 'Kangaroo Walkabout':
Red Kangaroo
Red-necked Wallaby
Tammar Wallaby

Medium-sized wood-and-wire aviary:
Laughing Kookaburra
Masked Lapwing

Medium-sized wood-and-wire aviary:
Coconut Lorikeet
Major Mitchell's Cockatoo
Tawny Frogmouth

 

[geomorph]

CONSERVATION OUTPOST: (11 Exhibits)
Visitors enter the long sheltered hallway, enclosed by simulated rockwork and a wood back wall, covered with a dark fabric ceiling to create a shady enclosure for viewing the exhibits.

11 small-to-medium sized simulated rockwork grottoes with mesh or glass viewing panels at the front, each containing 1 species:
Black-footed Cat
Fishing Cat
Golden Lion Tamarin
Golden Lion Tamarin
Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth
Matschie's Tree Kangaroo
Prehensile-tailed Porcupine
Red-ruffed Lemur
Ring-tailed Lemur
Squirrel Monkey
White-faced Saki Monkey

 

[geomorph]

NDOKI FOREST: (7 Exhibits)
The sign that proclaims this area is near the gorilla exhibit but is unclear how many exhibits are considered in this named zone so I am lumping all the nearby African-themed exhibits in the zone.

Large-sized hilly yard with multiple moat viewing areas, a viewing shelter with mesh, and a small building with glass viewing panels titled 'Gorilla Base Camp':
Western Lowland Gorilla

Ndoki Forest - Western Lowland Gorilla Exhibit

• geomorph
• 18 Sep 2019

Taken 5/31/19. Ndoki Forest is the name of the area near the gorilla and former elephant...

Ndoki Forest - Western Lowland Gorilla Exhibit - Gorilla Base Camp Viewing Building

• geomorph
• 18 Sep 2019

Taken 5/31/19. Ndoki Forest is the name of the area near the gorilla and former elephant...

Small-sized rocky-walled dirt yard adjacent to a cluster of African-themed visitor buildings titled 'Watering Hole':
Meerkat

Ndoki Forest - Watering Hole

• geomorph
• 18 Sep 2019

Taken 5/31/19. Ndoki Forest is the name of the area near the gorilla and former elephant...

Ndoki Forest - Meerkat Exhibit

• geomorph
• 18 Sep 2019

Taken 5/31/19. Ndoki Forest is the name of the area near the gorilla and former elephant...

Large-sized dry-moated yard with simulated rocky-walled backdrop and visitor viewing shelter on one end (exhibit is now empty since my visit):
African Elephant

Ndoki Forest - African Elephant Exhibit (now empty after these photos were taken)

• geomorph
• 18 Sep 2019

Taken 5/31/19. Ndoki Forest is the name of the area near the gorilla and former elephant...

Ndoki Forest - African Elephant Exhibit (now empty after these photos were taken)

• geomorph
• 18 Sep 2019

Taken 5/31/19. Ndoki Forest is the name of the area near the gorilla and former elephant...

Medium-sized fenced yard:
Cinereous Vulture
Ruppell's Griffon Vulture

Medium-sized low-fenced yard:
African Spurred Tortoise

Large-sized yard with elevated visitor viewing deck on one side, titled 'Giraffe Overlook':
Reticulated Giraffe

Large-sized fenced yard:
Ostrich
Plains Zebra

 

[geomorph]

EXHIBITS NEAR AQUARIUM AND REPTILE COMPLEX (ARC): (10 Exhibits)
This is my own name for a motley assortment of outdoor habitats clustered near the indoor exhibit building complex described next.

2 medium-sized fenced yards with ponds, containing 1 species each:
Babirusa
Malayan Tapir

2 medium-sized low-fenced yards, each containing:
Galapagos Tortoise

Medium-sized wood-and-wire aviary:
Madagascan Green Pigeon
Red-billed Hornbill
Superb Starling

2 medium-sized low-fenced yards, containing 1 species each:
Burmese Black Mountain Tortoise
Radiated Tortoise

Large-sized fenced yard with pond near 'Tuskers' restaurant:
American Alligator

Tuskers Restaurant

• geomorph
• 18 Sep 2019

Taken 5/31/19. Tuskers is the central indoor restaurant of the zoo and its back outdoor deck...

Tuskers Restaurant

• geomorph
• 18 Sep 2019

Taken 5/31/19. Tuskers is the central indoor restaurant of the zoo and its back outdoor deck...

Medium-sized wood-and-wire aviary:
Blue-billed Curassow
Toco Toucan

Medium-sized wood-and-wire aviary:
King Vulture
Troupial

 

[geomorph]

AQUARIUM AND REPTILE COMPLEX (ARC): (79 Exhibits)
This extensive indoor complex is composed of a one-way visitor path through a series of 6 themed rooms.

ARC - South Carolina - Exhibit Room

• geomorph
• 18 Sep 2019

Taken 5/31/19. The ARC (Aquarium and Reptile Complex) is a building where visitors follow a...

The following 24 exhibits are in a room titled 'South Carolina':

4 small-sized wall terrariums, titled 'Coastal Plain Pinelands', containing 1 species each:
Carolina Pygmy Rattlesnake
Eastern Coral Snake
Scarlet Kingsnake
Two-toed Amphiuma

Medium-sized wall terrarium, titled 'Pine Flatwoods':
Canebrake Rattlesnake
Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
Pine Snake

2 medium-sized wall terrariums, containing 1 species each:
Copperhead
Corn Snake

3 small-sized wall terrariums, titled 'Coastal Wetlands', containing 1 species each:
Broad-striped Dwarf Siren
Eastern Tiger Salamander
Green Treefrog

2 medium-sized wall terrariums with aquatic bottoms, containing 1 species each:
Alligator Snapping Turtle
Eastern Cottonmouth

Medium-sized wall terrarium with pond, titled 'Mountain Brook':
Hellbender
Timber Rattlesnake

3 small-sized wall terrariums, containing 1 species each:
Eastern Milksnake
Gray Treefrog
Red Salamander

3 small-sized wall terrariums, titled 'Piedmont Woods', containing 1 species each:
Eastern Garter Snake
Eastern Kingsnake
Larval Amphibians (unidentified) (mostly an aquarium)

3 small-sized wall terrariums, titled 'Piedmont Waters', containing 1 species each:
Eastern Mud Turtle
Everglades Pygmy Sunfish (mostly an aquarium)
Mole Salamanders (unidentified species)

Medium-sized wall aquarium:
Bowfin
Gulf Coast Spiny Softshell
Longnose Gar
Sunfish (unidentified species)

Medium-sized wall aquarium:
Brown Trout
Rainbow Trout

ARC - The Desert - Exhibit Room

• geomorph
• 18 Sep 2019

Taken 5/31/19. The ARC (Aquarium and Reptile Complex) is a building where visitors follow a...

The following 14 exhibits are in a room titled 'The Desert':

3 medium-sized wall terrariums, containing 1 species each except where noted:
Day Gecko (unidentified species) and Malagasy Leaf-tailed Geckos (unidentified species)
Gila Monster
Spiny-tailed Monitor

3 small-sized wall terrariums, titled 'Sun and Shade', containing 1 species each:
Empty
Madagascar Hissing Cockroach
Sahara Sand Viper

3 medium-sized wall terrariums, containing 1 species each:
Aruba Island Rattlesnake
Black-headed Python
Red Spitting Cobra

Small-sized wall terrarium:
Arizona Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake

4 medium-sized wall terrariums separated from each other by glass, containing 1 species each:
Galapagos Tortoise
Grand Cayman Blue Iguana
Grand Cayman Blue Iguana
Puff Adder

ARC - Tropical Rainforests - Exhibit Room

• geomorph
• 18 Sep 2019

Taken 5/31/19. The ARC (Aquarium and Reptile Complex) is a building where visitors follow a...

The following 7 exhibits are in a glass-enclosed atrium room titled 'Tropical Rainforests':

Large-sized wall terrarium with pond and enclosed wire roof:
Green Anaconda

Medium-sized open-topped wall aquarium:
Red-bellied Piranha

Medium-sized open-topped wall aquarium:
Black Belt Cichlid
Midas Cichlid
Oscar
Pacu (unidentified species)
River Stingray (unidentified species)
Red Hook
Silver Arowana
Thornside Catfish
Triangle Cichlid

Medium-sized open-topped wall aquarium:
Fish (unsigned, unidentified)

Medium-sized open-topped wall aquarium:
Matamata

Medium-sized yard with pond, viewed from 3 large glass panels:
False Gharial
Turtle (unsigned, unidentified)

Medium-sized open-topped wall terrarium with pond:
Dwarf Caiman

ARC - Tropical Gallery - Exhibit Room

• geomorph
• 18 Sep 2019

Taken 5/31/19. The ARC (Aquarium and Reptile Complex) is a building where visitors follow a...

The following 16 exhibits are in a room that is titled 'Tropical Gallery':

13 medium-sized wall terrariums, containing 1 species each except where noted:
Boelen's Python
Bushmaster
Chinese Banded King Cobra
Emerald Tree Boa
Empty
Eyelash Viper
Gaboon Viper and West African Green Mamba
Green Anaconda
King Cobra
Mangshan Pit Viper
Panamanian Golden Frog
Rhinoceros Viper
Vietnamese Long-nosed Snake

3 small-sized wall terrariums, titled 'Survival of the Species', containing 1 species each:
Amazon Horned Frog
Blue Poison Dart Frog
Tomato Frog

ARC - Tropical Reefs - Indo-Pacific Exhibit

• geomorph
• 18 Sep 2019

Taken 5/31/19. The ARC (Aquarium and Reptile Complex) is a building where visitors follow a...

The following 10 exhibits are in a dark room titled 'Tropical Reefs':

Medium-sized wall aquarium, titled 'Atlantic':
Atlantic Blue Tang
Black Bar Soldierfish
Cuban Hogfish
French Grunt
Green Moray
Grey Triggerfish
Lookdown
Porkfish
Sergeant Major
Spadefish
Spanish Hogfish
Striped Burrfish
White-spotted Filefish
Yellow Stingray

Large-sized wall aquarium, titled 'Indo-Pacific', with multiple large viewing windows:
Blacktip Reef Shark
Blue and Gold Fusilier
Convict Tang
Emperor Angelfish
Hi-fin Snapper
Honeycomb Moray Eel
Niger Triggerfish
Raccoon Butterflyfish
Sailfin Tang
Six-bar Angelfish
Yellow Tang

Medium-sized wall aquarium:
Volitans Lionfish
White Spotted Hermit Crab

Medium-sized wall aquarium:
Bubbletip Anemone
Fiji Blue Devil Damselfish
Frogspawn Coral
Green Polyps (unidentified species)
Heniochus Butterflyfish
Leather Toadstool Coral
Lettuce Coral
Longnose Butterflyfish
Plate Coral
Tomato Clownfish
Whisker Coral

Medium-sized wall aquarium:
Green Chromis

Medium-sized wall aquarium:
Square Anthias

Small-sized wall aquarium:
Lined Seahorse
Sea Cucumber (unidentified species)
Splendid Garden Eel
Spotted Garden Eel
Tiger Cowrie

Small-sized wall aquarium:
Blue-stripe Clownfish
Bubble Tip Anemone
Burrowing Urchin
Green Star Polyp

Small-sized wall aquarium:
Upside Down Jellyfish

Small-sized wall aquarium, titled 'Kingman Reef':
Maxima Clam
Southern Giant Clam

ARC - Northern Shores - Leopard Shark and Others Exhibit

• geomorph
• 18 Sep 2019

Taken 5/31/19. The ARC (Aquarium and Reptile Complex) is a building where visitors follow a...

The following 8 exhibits are in a dark room titled 'Northern Shores':

Small-sized wall aquarium:
Bat Star
Plumose Anemone
Sculpin (unidentified species)

Small-sized wall aquarium:
Empty

Medium-sized wall aquarium:
California Sea Cucumber
Fish-eating Anemone
Giant Green Anemone
Purple Sea Urchin

Small-sized wall aquarium:
Empty

Small-sized wall aquarium:
Common Cuttlefish
Pinecone Fish

Medium-sized wall aquarium:
Cabezon
Cortez Angelfish
Horn Shark
Leopard Shark
Pile Perch
Red Irish Lord
Rockfish (unidentified species)
Swell Shark

Medium-sized pedestal aquarium:
Lined Seahorse
Lookdown
Neon Goby
Sheepshead Minnow
Upside Down Jellyfish

Medium-sized round wall aquarium, titled 'Gray's Reef':
Belted Sandfish
Blue Angelfish
Butter Hamlet
Flame Cardinalfish
Jacknife Fish
Spiny Lobster

 

[zoomaniac]

Chinese Banded KING Cobra?? - A new species/subspecies?

 

[geomorph]

Chinese Banded KING Cobra?? - A new species/subspecies?

I just looked at my photo of the identification sign and it simply states Ophiophagus hannah, so I can't say why they gave it a different common name than the standard king cobra.

 

[Chlidonias]

Chinese Banded KING Cobra?? - A new species/subspecies?

I just looked at my photo of the identification sign and it simply states Ophiophagus hannah, so I can't say why they gave it a different common name than the standard king cobra.

Just out of interest, I googled "Chinese Banded King Cobra". Most references are just labels on pinterest photos or comments on hobby sites, so I can't work out if it is just a colour form or if it is supposed to be an actual subspecies/cryptic species.

There was this article from 2013 about a venomous snake display at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum:
Rare Venomous Snakes Mark the Chinese New Year at Nature Museum

The Chinese Banded King Cobra is believed to be the only one of its species in captivity in North America, and is extremely rare even in its native China, according to Celeste Troon, the museum's director of living collections.

"It's fantastic. You just don't get the opportunity to see a snake like this," she said.

The venomous snakes were provided by the Wildlife Discovery Center in Lake Forest, which took in the Chinese Banded King Cobra from a small zoo in Texas a few years back when the snake was on its death bed.

"She was just as sick as any snake I've ever seen," said Rob Carmichael, curator of the Wildlife Discovery Center. He said it took eight months of intensive rehabilitation to get the snake healthy again.


There's actually a photo of the Riverbanks signage in the gallery (by @ThylacineAlive):

 

[geomorph]

BIRD EXHIBITS OUTSIDE THE BIRDHOUSE AT RIVERBANKS: (4 Exhibits)
Several outdoor habitats are spread around the indoor exhibit complex described next, this is my own term for these outliers.

Medium-sized wood-and-wire aviary:
Fairy Bluebird
Nicobar Pigeon
Tawny Frogmouth
Temminck's Tragopan

Medium-sized wood-and-wire aviary:
Chestnut-backed Thrush
Edward's Pheasant

Large-sized low-fenced yard with pond to left of Birdhouse entrance:
American Flamingo
Black-necked Swan

Medium-sized low-fenced yard to right of Birdhouse entrance:
Demoiselle Crane

 

[geomorph]

THE BIRDHOUSE AT RIVERBANKS: (7 Exhibits)
Visitors enter a central skylit lobby of this series of indoor room exhibits with painted wall backdrops.

Large-sized room exhibit with simulated boulders and deep pond with underwater viewing panels, titled 'Penguin Coast':
Gentoo Penguin
King Penguin
Rockhopper Penguin

Birdhouse - Penguin Coast Exhibit

• geomorph
• 18 Sep 2019

Taken 5/31/19. This building has three themed exhibit areas with a total of 7 multi-species...

The following 2 exhibits are in a themed viewing room with simulated tent ceiling titled 'Savanna Camp':

Medium-sized room aviary viewed through harp wire:
Black-necked Stilt
Boat-billed Heron
Curl-crested Aracari
Red-capped Cardinal
Sun Bittern
Troupial
Turquoise Tanager

Medium-sized room aviary viewed through harp wire:
Golden-breasted Starling
Madagascan Green Pigeon
Snowy-headed Robin Chat
Spotted Dikkop

Birdhouse - Savanna Camp - African Birds Exhibit

• geomorph
• 18 Sep 2019

Taken 5/31/19. This building has three themed exhibit areas with a total of 7 multi-species...

The following 4 exhibits are in the right side of the birdhouse titled 'Asian Trek':

Small-sized room aviary viewed through harp wire:
Bali Mynah
Blue-crowned Laughingthrush (unsigned)
Crested Wood Partridge (unsigned)

Medium-sized room aviary viewed through harp wire:
Black-naped Fruit Dove
Blue-crowned Laughingthrush
Cotton Pygmy Goose
Crested Wood Partridge
Fairy Bluebird
Mariana Fruit Dove
Palawan Peacock Pheasant
Red-billed Leiothrix
Red-faced Liocichla
Tawny Frogmouth

Medium-sized room aviary viewed through harp wire:
Bali Mynah (unsigned)
Blue-faced Honeyeater
Chinese Hwamei
Green-naped Pheasant Pigeon
Lesser Green Broadbill
Masked Plover
Victoria Crowned Pigeon
White-rumped Shama Thrush

Medium-sized room aviary viewed through harp wire as well as a simulated tree trunk:
Wreathed Hornbill

Birdhouse - Asian Trek - Wreathed Hornbill Exhibit

• geomorph
• 18 Sep 2019

Taken 5/31/19. This building has three themed exhibit areas with a total of 7 multi-species...

 

[DavidBrown]

Are the elephants gone for good from Riverbanks Zoo, do you know? Or are they building a new exhibit?

What was your opinion of this zoo? The aquarium/herp complex looks interesting.

 

[Kifaru Bwana]

Planning for rhinos is ongoing.

 

[ThylacineAlive]

Chinese Banded KING Cobra?? - A new species/subspecies?

My understanding, from extensive talks with people who are friends with individuals that have studied the various "types" of O. hannah across their range, is that there is almost definitely a species complex here. There are multiple varieties of King Cobra that are all easily defined from one another morphologically and geographically. I'm not sure if any papers on this have actually ever been released. Thus far I've encountered three of such varieties in US zoos: "Chinese-Banded" (rarest afaik), "Black-Necked", and "Golden". Riverbanks keeps another variety in a separate nearby enclosure. It's either a BN or Golden (or both maybe in they have multiple individuals) but I've never been able to see a photo good enough for me to tell the difference. One photo looks more like BN, another looks like Golden (so again, maybe multiple individuals).

Are the elephants gone for good from Riverbanks Zoo, do you know? Or are they building a new exhibit?

What was your opinion of this zoo? The aquarium/herp complex looks interesting.

The elephants went to Atlanta for their new exhibit. Riverbanks will be replacing them if White Rhinoceros I believe.

Personally, I thought the ARC was fantastic. I find Riverbanks to be an underrated zoo, and I was very pleasantly surprise when I visited in March. The Conservation Outpost and old carnivore grottos are really the only darkspots on the zoo and I hope they do something with them soon enough.

~Thylo

 

[zoomaniac]

@Chlidonias, Thylo and geomorph: Thanks for your help and efforts guys. However, I think it is a good idea to wait for official publications of herpetologists and other scientists before recognizing multiple King Cobra Species.

 

[nczoofan]

My understanding, from extensive talks with people who are friends with individuals that have studied the various "types" of O. hannah across their range, is that there is almost definitely a species complex here. There are multiple varieties of King Cobra that are all easily defined from one another morphologically and geographically. I'm not sure if any papers on this have actually ever been released. Thus far I've encountered three of such varieties in US zoos: "Chinese-Banded" (rarest afaik), "Black-Necked", and "Golden". Riverbanks keeps another variety in a separate nearby enclosure. It's either a BN or Golden (or both maybe in they have multiple individuals) but I've never been able to see a photo good enough for me to tell the difference. One photo looks more like BN, another looks like Golden (so again, maybe multiple individuals).



The elephants went to Atlanta for their new exhibit. Riverbanks will be replacing them if White Rhinoceros I believe.

Personally, I thought the ARC was fantastic. I find Riverbanks to be an underrated zoo, and I was very pleasantly surprise when I visited in March. The Conservation Outpost and old carnivore grottos are really the only darkspots on the zoo and I hope they do something with them soon enough.

~Thylo

The elephants were originally slated for Atlanta, but that plan changed after one passed away. Now the other is going to Milwaukee soon.

 

[ThylacineAlive]

@Chlidonias, Thylo and geomorph: Thanks for your help and efforts guys. However, I think it is a good idea to wait for official publications of herpetologists and other scientists before recognizing multiple King Cobra Species.

Agreed, but I didn't say they were recognized, I just said that the evidence I was told about (which comes from herpetologists who study O. hannah) suggests that there are multiple species, or at the least clearly distinct ecotypes. Three of such types are found in US zoos and, of those, the Chinese banded form is the least common.

~Thylo

 

[geomorph]

THE FARMYARD: (11 Exhibits)
This is a fairly standard barnyard complex that the map states as 'All-new Farm Experience'.

Large walk-through fenced yard:
Domestic Chicken
Domestic Duck
Domestic Goat

Barn stall with attached fenced yard:
Alpaca

Barn stall with attached fenced yard:
Royal Palm Turkey

Medium-sized fenced yard:
Domestic Pig

Small-sized low-fenced enclosure in barn:
European Rabbit

6 small-sized wall terrariums in barn, titled 'Nature On The Farm', containing 1 species each:
American Bullfrog
Crayfish
Eastern Box Turtle
Green Tree Frog
Rat Snake
Southern Toad

 

[geomorph]

DISCOVERY CENTER: (4 Exhibits)
The lobby of this education building has several small exhibits.

2 sets of plastic cube-and-tube habitats:
Damaraland Mole Rat

2 sets of plastic cube-and-tube habitats:
Naked Mole Rat

 

[Yi Qi]

Does the zoo still have Koalas?