A few days ago, my university funded a field trip to the North Carolina Zoo, and since I've never been there before, I just knew I had to take part in it. This zoo is one of the largest zoological establishments in the country by land area, and at an impressive 2,800 acres, traversing though it surely was a workout. I will say though that for a zoo of it's size, it has quite an underwhelming amount of species. With the ongoing construction of the new Asia area and the somewhat recent closure of the aviary, this is an expected drawback but still a disappointment nonetheless. However, with a small handful of rarities, I would say this trip was far from fruitless. It's a pretty decent zoo, and I'll look into visiting it again when the new Asia area's construction concludes.
Now, onto the most important part: the species list.
Date Of Visit: 11/17/24
Species sharing an exhibit will be written on the same line and separated by commas.
And as always...
Red Text: Animal Off-Exhibit/No-Show (will be indicated if confirmed to be off-exhibit)
Blue Text: Present, but missing signage
Regular Text: Animal signed and present on my visit
Green Text: Indicates the start of a new zone
The North Carolina Zoo
North America:
Cypress Swamp:
American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)
Cougar (Puma concolor)
The path beyond the cougar exhibit was blocked off with an "Under Construction" and was closed to the public. Based on the exhibits (which were visible from the path) and previous species lists by other users, this area most likely housed native species of small reptiles and amphibians.
Rocky Coast:
Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) (Off-Exhibit)
North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum)
Horned Puffin (Fratercula corniculata), Thick-Billed Murre (Uria lomvia), *Parakeet Auklet (Aethia psittacula)
Arctic Fox (Vulpes lagopus)
Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)
*This is quite unorthodox for me to mention these sort of things on a species list, but it is important to note that this is the only zoo in the US (if not the world) to still keep this species. Not only that, there is only one lone individual exhibited here, and from what I've heard, there are no plans to acquire more birds once this specimen passes. Come see this species while you still can!
Streamside:
Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis), Bluehead Chub (Nocomis leptocephalus), Creek Chubsucker (Erimyzon oblongus), Greenside Darter (Etheostoma blennioides), Rosyside Dace (Clinostomus funduloides), Spottail Shiner (Notropis hudsonius), Swallowtail Shiner (Notropis procne), Yellowfin Shiner (Notropis lutipinnis)
River Cooter (Pseudemys concinna), Shortnose Sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum), Longnose Gar (Lepisosteus osseus), Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus), Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus), Redear Sunfish (Lepomis microlophus), Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)
North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis)
Barred Owl (Strix varia)
Carolina Pygmy Rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius miliarius)
Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix)
Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus)
Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina)
Corn Snake (Pantherophis guttatus), Eastern Rat Snake (Pantherophis quadrivittatus), Pine Snake (Pituophis melanoleucus)
Eastern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus)
Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus)
Bog Turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii)
Prairie/Prairie Outpost Area:
American Black Bear (Ursus americanus)
American Bison (Bison bison), Elk (Cervus canadensis)
Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis)
Red Wolf (Canis rufus)
Desert:
Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) (Exhibit is separate from the desert dome)
Desert Dome
Free-Flying: White-Winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica), Crested Coua (Coua cristata), Inca Jay (Cyanocorax yncas), Superb Starling (Lamprotornis superbus), Emerald Starling (Lamprotornis iris), Worm-Eating Warbler (Helmitheros vermivorum), Taveta Golden Weaver (Ploceus castaneiceps), Black-Throated Finch (Poephila cincta)
Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum), Mexican Beaded Lizard (Heloderma horridum) (Both off-exhibit)
Pygmy Spiny-tailed Skink (Egernia depressa)
Von der Decken's Hornbill (Tockus deckeni)
Pancake Tortoise (Malacochersus tornieri), Giant Plated Lizard (Matobosaurus validus), Ornate Uromastyx (Uromastyx ornata), Gorongosa Girdled Lizard (Smaug mossambicus)
Desert Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata), Desert Iguana (Dipsosaurus dorsalis), Common Chuckwalla (Sauromalus ater), Baja Blue Rock Lizard (Petrosaurus thalassinus)
Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)
Giant Vinegaroon (Mastigoproctus giganteus)
Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis)
Spiny-Tailed Monitor (Varanus acanthurus), Common Blue-Tonged Skink (Tiliqua scincoides), Hosmer's Skink (Egernia hosmeri)
Colorado River Toad (Incilius alvarius) (Exhibit #1)
Sand Cat (Felis margarita)
Arizona Mountain Kingsnake (Lampropeltis pyromelana)
Desert Blonde Tarantula (Aphonopelma chalcodes) (Signed just as "Tarantula")
Blue Death Feigning Beetle (Asbolus verrucosus)
Night Snake (Hypsiglena torquata)
Banded Knob-Tailed Gecko (Nephrurus wheeleri)
Desert Pupfish (Cyprinodon macularius)
Arizona Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma mavortium)
Colorado River Toad (Incilius alvarius) (Exhibit #2)
Speckled Rattlesnake (Crotalus mitchellii)
Common Vampire Bat (Desmodus rotundus)
Gray Mouse Lemur (Microcebus murinus), Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec (Echinops telfairi)
Brush-Tailed Bettong (Bettongia penicillata)
Sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes)
Kaleidoscope Butterfly Garden:
- Closed for the season
Africa:
Western Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)
Hamadryas Baboon (Papio hamadryas)
Watani Grasslands Reserve:
White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum), Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus), Fringe-Eared Oryx (Oryx beisa callotis), Bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus), Greater Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros), Addra Gazelle (Nanger dama), Thomson's Gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii)
African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana)
Reticulated Giraffe (Giraffa reticulata), Plains Zebra (Equus quagga), Common Ostrich (Struthio camelus)
Red River Hog (Potamochoerus porcus)
Lion (Panthera leo)
Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)
Red Ruffed Lemur (Varecia rubra)
And that about wraps up this species list. It was pretty short compared to the lists I've made for other zoos, but it's been almost a year since an updated one has been posted, so I hope this helped anyone out who needed it.
Total Species: 98
Species Seen: 74 (21 no-shows; 3 confirmed to be off-exhibit)
Now, onto the most important part: the species list.
Date Of Visit: 11/17/24
Species sharing an exhibit will be written on the same line and separated by commas.
And as always...
Red Text: Animal Off-Exhibit/No-Show (will be indicated if confirmed to be off-exhibit)
Blue Text: Present, but missing signage
Regular Text: Animal signed and present on my visit
Green Text: Indicates the start of a new zone
The North Carolina Zoo
North America:
Cypress Swamp:
American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)
Cougar (Puma concolor)
The path beyond the cougar exhibit was blocked off with an "Under Construction" and was closed to the public. Based on the exhibits (which were visible from the path) and previous species lists by other users, this area most likely housed native species of small reptiles and amphibians.
Rocky Coast:
Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) (Off-Exhibit)
North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum)
Horned Puffin (Fratercula corniculata), Thick-Billed Murre (Uria lomvia), *Parakeet Auklet (Aethia psittacula)
Arctic Fox (Vulpes lagopus)
Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)
*This is quite unorthodox for me to mention these sort of things on a species list, but it is important to note that this is the only zoo in the US (if not the world) to still keep this species. Not only that, there is only one lone individual exhibited here, and from what I've heard, there are no plans to acquire more birds once this specimen passes. Come see this species while you still can!
Streamside:
Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis), Bluehead Chub (Nocomis leptocephalus), Creek Chubsucker (Erimyzon oblongus), Greenside Darter (Etheostoma blennioides), Rosyside Dace (Clinostomus funduloides), Spottail Shiner (Notropis hudsonius), Swallowtail Shiner (Notropis procne), Yellowfin Shiner (Notropis lutipinnis)
River Cooter (Pseudemys concinna), Shortnose Sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum), Longnose Gar (Lepisosteus osseus), Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus), Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus), Redear Sunfish (Lepomis microlophus), Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)
North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis)
Barred Owl (Strix varia)
Carolina Pygmy Rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius miliarius)
Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix)
Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus)
Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina)
Corn Snake (Pantherophis guttatus), Eastern Rat Snake (Pantherophis quadrivittatus), Pine Snake (Pituophis melanoleucus)
Eastern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus)
Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus)
Bog Turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii)
Prairie/Prairie Outpost Area:
American Black Bear (Ursus americanus)
American Bison (Bison bison), Elk (Cervus canadensis)
Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis)
Red Wolf (Canis rufus)
Desert:
Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) (Exhibit is separate from the desert dome)
Desert Dome
Free-Flying: White-Winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica), Crested Coua (Coua cristata), Inca Jay (Cyanocorax yncas), Superb Starling (Lamprotornis superbus), Emerald Starling (Lamprotornis iris), Worm-Eating Warbler (Helmitheros vermivorum), Taveta Golden Weaver (Ploceus castaneiceps), Black-Throated Finch (Poephila cincta)
Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum), Mexican Beaded Lizard (Heloderma horridum) (Both off-exhibit)
Pygmy Spiny-tailed Skink (Egernia depressa)
Von der Decken's Hornbill (Tockus deckeni)
Pancake Tortoise (Malacochersus tornieri), Giant Plated Lizard (Matobosaurus validus), Ornate Uromastyx (Uromastyx ornata), Gorongosa Girdled Lizard (Smaug mossambicus)
Desert Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata), Desert Iguana (Dipsosaurus dorsalis), Common Chuckwalla (Sauromalus ater), Baja Blue Rock Lizard (Petrosaurus thalassinus)
Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)
Giant Vinegaroon (Mastigoproctus giganteus)
Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis)
Spiny-Tailed Monitor (Varanus acanthurus), Common Blue-Tonged Skink (Tiliqua scincoides), Hosmer's Skink (Egernia hosmeri)
Colorado River Toad (Incilius alvarius) (Exhibit #1)
Sand Cat (Felis margarita)
Arizona Mountain Kingsnake (Lampropeltis pyromelana)
Desert Blonde Tarantula (Aphonopelma chalcodes) (Signed just as "Tarantula")
Blue Death Feigning Beetle (Asbolus verrucosus)
Night Snake (Hypsiglena torquata)
Banded Knob-Tailed Gecko (Nephrurus wheeleri)
Desert Pupfish (Cyprinodon macularius)
Arizona Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma mavortium)
Colorado River Toad (Incilius alvarius) (Exhibit #2)
Speckled Rattlesnake (Crotalus mitchellii)
Common Vampire Bat (Desmodus rotundus)
Gray Mouse Lemur (Microcebus murinus), Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec (Echinops telfairi)
Brush-Tailed Bettong (Bettongia penicillata)
Sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes)
Kaleidoscope Butterfly Garden:
- Closed for the season
Africa:
Western Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)
Hamadryas Baboon (Papio hamadryas)
Watani Grasslands Reserve:
White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum), Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus), Fringe-Eared Oryx (Oryx beisa callotis), Bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus), Greater Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros), Addra Gazelle (Nanger dama), Thomson's Gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii)
African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana)
Reticulated Giraffe (Giraffa reticulata), Plains Zebra (Equus quagga), Common Ostrich (Struthio camelus)
Red River Hog (Potamochoerus porcus)
Lion (Panthera leo)
Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)
Red Ruffed Lemur (Varecia rubra)
And that about wraps up this species list. It was pretty short compared to the lists I've made for other zoos, but it's been almost a year since an updated one has been posted, so I hope this helped anyone out who needed it.
Total Species: 98
Species Seen: 74 (21 no-shows; 3 confirmed to be off-exhibit)
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