Popular Zoo Mammals and Their Best Exhibits
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Just like our last post, today's will also be dedicated to a burrowing small mammal from Africa: the Aardvark! These fascinating, unique animals are not exactly common in zoos, but enough zoos house them in enough unique exhibits to warrant a mention here.
The criteria today are almost identical to those for the porcupines:
Photo By: @pachyderm pro
Photo By: @Moebelle
Photo By: @animalman0341
Photo By: @snowleopard
Photo By: @MGolka
Photo By: @Dhole dude
Photo By: @Baldur
Photo By: @GraysonDP
Photo By: @Austin the Sengi
Photo By: @Ituri
Photo By: @Milwaukee Man
Photo By: @Moebelle
Photo By: @Dhole dude
Photo By: @TinoPup
Photo By: @Baldur
The criteria today are almost identical to those for the porcupines:
- Space: Like most other small mammals, aardvark exhibits were historically often too small for their residents. The exhibits featured in this post are all very spacious, and provide more than enough space for these fascinating small mammals.
- Natural Substrate: Aardvarks can dig, and as a burrowing species it is important that zoos allow the animals to display this natural behavior.
- Complexity: It is very important for exhibits of any species to be enriching, with plenty of natural elements and/or other complex components to keep the animals mentally stimulated.
- This exhibit was unfortunately closed when I visited the Detroit Zoo, for I was looking forward for the (admittedly unlikely) chance of seeing an aardvark in what has to be the biggest exhibit out there for one. This massive, outdoor exhibit provides plenty of opportunities for the aardvarks to dig, and is all-in-all by far the best aardvark exhibit in the country, especially due to the large size and amount of natural features:
- Many zoos exhibit aardvarks in indoor exhibits, and one of the best can be found at the Omaha's Henry-Doorly Zoo. While unfortunately lacking digging opportunities (a common problem indoors), this is a sizeable exhibit that is uniquely mixed with galagos:
- Along with Detroit, the country's other excellent outdoor exhibit can be found at the Honolulu Zoo. This exhibit provides plenty of digging opportunities and a lot of space for the resident aardvarks, and truly stands out amongst the nation's aardvark exhibits:
- As far as indoor exhibits providing digging opportunities, the Lincoln Park Zoo is excellent, providing a spacious habitat in the African Journey building. This is a diurnal exhibit, and provides plenty of areas to dig and other naturalistic elements:
- The only zoo I've ever seen an aardvark at is the Bronx Zoo, with a unique mixed species exhibit with scops owls, located inside the zoo's giraffe house. This aardvark exhibit also provides plenty of natural digging opportunities, and is a spacious, indoor nocturnal habitat for the aardvarks. Unfortunately, it's not a very good exhibit to take photos of:
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Does Bronx really mix them with scops owls? If so, that's pretty cool.Just like our last post, today's will also be dedicated to a burrowing small mammal from Africa: the Aardvark! These fascinating, unique animals are not exactly common in zoos, but enough zoos house them in enough unique exhibits to warrant a mention here.
The criteria today are almost identical to those for the porcupines:
The zoos I selected for aardvarks are:
- Space: Like most other small mammals, aardvark exhibits were historically often too small for their residents. The exhibits featured in this post are all very spacious, and provide more than enough space for these fascinating small mammals.
- Natural Substrate: Aardvarks can dig, and as a burrowing species it is important that zoos allow the animals to display this natural behavior.
- Complexity: It is very important for exhibits of any species to be enriching, with plenty of natural elements and/or other complex components to keep the animals mentally stimulated.
- This exhibit was unfortunately closed when I visited the Detroit Zoo, for I was looking forward for the (unlikely) chance of seeing an aardvark in what has to be the biggest exhibit out there for one. This massive, outdoor exhibit provides plenty of opportunities for the aardvarks to dig, and is all-in-all by far the best aardvark exhibit in the country, especially due to the large size and amount of natural features:
Photo By: @pachyderm pro
Photo By: @Moebelle
Photo By: @animalman0341
Photo By: @snowleopard
- Many zoos exhibit aardvarks in indoor exhibits, and one of the best can be found at the Omaha's Henry-Doorly Zoo. While unfortunately lacking digging opportunities (a common problem indoors), this is a sizeable exhibit that is uniquely mixed with galagos:
Photo By: @MGolka
Photo By: @Dhole dude
Photo By: @Baldur
Photo By: @GraysonDP
- Along with Detroit, the country's other excellent outdoor exhibit can be found at the Honolulu Zoo. This exhibit provides plenty of digging opportunities and a lot of space for the resident aardvarks, and truly stands out amongst the nation's aardvark exhibits:
Photo By: @Austin the Sengi
Photo By: @Ituri
- As far as indoor exhibits providing digging opportunities, the Lincoln Park Zoo is excellent, providing a spacious habitat in the African Journey building. This is a diurnal exhibit, and provides plenty of areas to dig and other naturalistic elements:
Photo By: @Milwaukee Man
Photo By: @Moebelle
- The only zoo I've ever seen an aardvark at is the Bronx Zoo, with a unique mixed species exhibit with scops owls, located inside the zoo's giraffe house. This aardvark exhibit also provides plenty of natural digging opportunities, and is a spacious, indoor nocturnal habitat for the aardvarks. Unfortunately, it's not a very good exhibit to take photos of:
Photo By: @Dhole dude
Photo By: @TinoPup
Photo By: @Baldur
This in itself is proof that it is not the best Aardvark exhibit in the country. Merely the best Aardvark enclosure.
Indeed they do- I saw both the Southern white-faced scops owl and aardvark in that exhibit. One of my personal styles of mixed-species exhibits: taking advantage of vertical space by mixing an almost exclusively terrestrial and an almost exclusively arboreal species.
We are going underwater for today's post, looking at the best zoo exhibits for manatees! These large, slow-moving aquatic mammals are not a common sight in zoos (outside of Florida, that is), but there are a few very notable exhibits that I felt warranted a mention. Admittedly, this is one of the species in this thread I know the least about so apologies for the criteria being more vague.
The criteria for this post are:
Photo By: @TinoPup
Photo By: @Captain Callum
Photo By: @Milwaukee Man
Photo By: @Moebelle
Photo By: @Pleistohorse
Photo By: @AndyJ08
Photo By: @AndyJ08
Photo By: @ZooNerd1234
Photo By: @SwampDonkey
Photo By: @Azamat Shackleford
Photo By: @AndyJ08
Photo By: @Moebelle
Photo By: @snowleopard
Photo By: @geomorph
Photo By: @snowleopard
Photo By: @geomorph
Photo By: @TinoPup
Photo By: @Moebelle
Photo By: @Moebelle
Photo By: @Moebelle
The criteria for this post are:
- Space: While the fact that most manatees in zoos are rescues means oftentimes individualized exhibit plans are needed, as a general rule of thumb more space is better, especially for very large animals such as manatees. Manatees tend to live in shallow waters, and near the water surface, so the total area of a pool is more important than how deep it is.
- Social Structure: This is again a difficult one, since rescues bring their own sets of challenges and make acquisition at times difficult, but since manatees are social creatures by nature it is important for facilities to keep more than a single manatee whenever possible.
- Enrichment and Exhibit Complexity: As relatives of elephants and a species with complex communication systems, manatees are rather intelligent creatures, so having more complex exhibits, instead of the typical wide open pools, is beneficial for their welfare.
- While most of the manatee exhibits out there are in Florida, what is likely the country's best can be found in the state of Ohio, at the Columbus Zoo. This is not only a very large exhibit for manatees, but is also rather complex, featuring both a mixed-species element with various fish (including stingrays) and pelicans, as well as varying pool depths. The replicated mangrove swamp in the back is a nice aesthetic touch as well:
- @SwampDonkey was probably wondering when/if Zoo Tampa would make an appearance, and here it is! Another large exhibit for manatees can be found at Zoo Tampa, in a complex exhibit featuring both a complex environment with varying depths as well as a large social structure. This exhibit also features a variety of viewing opportunities, which is a nice touch for visitors:
- Another excellent manatee exhibit in Florida can be found at SeaWorld Orlando. This is another very spacious habitat for manatees, featuring a large social grouping, mixed-species elements, and a complex space with varying depths. Multiple viewing opportunities also enhance the visitor experience in this exhibit:
- There are only three US states where you can find manatees in zoos, the aforementioned Ohio and Florida, along with Texas, where the Dallas World Aquarium houses Antillean manatees. Manatees share this exhibit with a number of large freshwater fish and turtles, and it contains both impressive underwater viewing windows and large overhead viewings, in an exhibit that expertly blends into the greater Rainforest area surrounding it. Yes, DWA is one of the most controversial AZA facilities and do have some less than stellar exhibits, but this is certainly not one of those:
- The last non-Florida holder of manatees is the Cincinnati Zoo, which houses them in a large indoor exhibit with numerous viewing opportunities, including an underwater bubble. This is a complex habitat, featuring rockwork and a number of naturalistic elements, and is another mixed-species exhibit, featuring a few species of gar:
Brayden Delashmutt
Well-Known Member
I do find it quite interesting how many American zoos keep manatees, while they’re not really as common in aquariums. Is there a reason for this?
I love me some manatees! ZooTampa really has a nice setup, and with the eventual remodel it will be even nicer. Personally I prefer Tampa to Columbus here, I have not seen Cincinnati. DWA is cool, a different setup for manatees than the rest. It will be interesting to see how Clearwater turns outWe are going underwater for today's post, looking at the best zoo exhibits for manatees! These large, slow-moving aquatic mammals are not a common sight in zoos (outside of Florida, that is), but there are a few very notable exhibits that I felt warranted a mention. Admittedly, this is one of the species in this thread I know the least about so apologies for the criteria being more vague.
The criteria for this post are:
The five exhibits I chose for manatees are:
- Space: While the fact that most manatees in zoos are rescues means oftentimes individualized exhibit plans are needed, as a general rule of thumb more space is better, especially for very large animals such as manatees. Manatees tend to live in shallow waters, and near the water surface, so the total area of a pool is more important than how deep it is.
- Social Structure: This is again a difficult one, since rescues bring their own sets of challenges and make acquisition at times difficult, but since manatees are social creatures by nature it is important for facilities to keep more than a single manatee whenever possible.
- Enrichment and Exhibit Complexity: As relatives of elephants and a species with complex communication systems, manatees are rather intelligent creatures, so having more complex exhibits, instead of the typical wide open pools, is beneficial for their welfare.
- While most of the manatee exhibits out there are in Florida, what is likely the country's best can be found in the state of Ohio, at the Columbus Zoo. This is not only a very large exhibit for manatees, but is also rather complex, featuring both a mixed-species element with various fish (including stingrays) and pelicans, as well as varying pool depths. The replicated mangrove swamp in the back is a nice aesthetic touch as well:
Photo By: @TinoPup
Photo By: @Captain Callum
Photo By: @Milwaukee Man
Photo By: @Moebelle
- @SwampDonkey was probably wondering when/if Zoo Tampa would make an appearance, and here it is! Another large exhibit for manatees can be found at Zoo Tampa, in a complex exhibit featuring both a complex environment with varying depths as well as a large social structure. This exhibit also features a variety of viewing opportunities, which is a nice touch for visitors:
Photo By: @Pleistohorse
Photo By: @AndyJ08
Photo By: @AndyJ08
Photo By: @ZooNerd1234
- Another excellent manatee exhibit in Florida can be found at SeaWorld Orlando. This is another very spacious habitat for manatees, featuring a large social grouping, mixed-species elements, and a complex space with varying depths. Multiple viewing opportunities also enhance the visitor experience in this exhibit:
Photo By: @SwampDonkey
Photo By: @Azamat Shackleford
Photo By: @AndyJ08
Photo By: @Moebelle
- There are only three US states where you can find manatees in zoos, the aforementioned Ohio and Florida, along with Texas, where the Dallas World Aquarium houses Antillean manatees. Manatees share this exhibit with a number of large freshwater fish and turtles, and it contains both impressive underwater viewing windows and large overhead viewings, in an exhibit that expertly blends into the greater Rainforest area surrounding it. Yes, DWA is one of the most controversial AZA facilities and do have some less than stellar exhibits, but this is certainly not one of those:
Photo By: @snowleopard
Photo By: @geomorph
Photo By: @snowleopard
Photo By: @geomorph
- The last non-Florida holder of manatees is the Cincinnati Zoo, which houses them in a large indoor exhibit with numerous viewing opportunities, including an underwater bubble. This is a complex habitat, featuring rockwork and a number of naturalistic elements, and is another mixed-species exhibit, featuring a few species of gar:
Photo By: @TinoPup
Photo By: @Moebelle
Photo By: @Moebelle
Photo By: @Moebelle
No idea, I wish they were more common in aquariums. The Florida Aquarium had tentative plans at one time, but they did not end up getting into manatees. Seaworld is kind of a big aquarium theme park, Clearwater....but Clearwater is really a rescue place more than a standard aquarium.
Manatee holders are rather geographically constructed to Florida. Outside of FL only three holders exist- one of which (Cincinnati) is a zoo, and the other two have both aquarium and zoo aspects (Dallas World Aquarium is a very unconventional aquarium, while Columbus is mostly zoo with a sizeable aquarium section). Within Florida, I'm not sure what the zoo/aquarium split is, but there are examples of both with manatees.
I believe it is like this. Some other places may have a temp animal, but these have permanent residents. I may have missed someone, but I think these are all the places in Florida with display animals.
Zoo:
Tampa
Jacksonville
Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park
Brevard (building rehab, I am not sure if it is BTS or display)
Rescue Aquarium:
Clearwater (currently BTS/Off site, building on site)
Theme Park:
Seaworld
Epcot
Aquarium:
Mote Marine
Museum:
Bishop Museum of Science and Nature
Does Homosassa have captive manatees? I looked into that place for this post, but I was under the impression they were wild manatees on zoo grounds.
Yes Homosassa has captives and would be easily be my number one pick. They do pen up the captives in winter to allow the wild manatees use of springs but even the pens are decent sized. Also, when the water is high enough they can get nose to nose (a barrier in between) with the resident hippo, Lu
T
They do, personally I still prefer ZooTampa, but it is very natural as it seems they basically penned off part of the river/spring area.
I was going to pick them, but I got confused with the allowing wild manatees use of the spring and thought they only had wild manatees. I'm going to replace Cincinnati with Homosassa Springs, which easily has the most naturalistic manatee exhibit in the country:
We are going underwater for today's post, looking at the best zoo exhibits for manatees! These large, slow-moving aquatic mammals are not a common sight in zoos (outside of Florida, that is), but there are a few very notable exhibits that I felt warranted a mention. Admittedly, this is one of the species in this thread I know the least about so apologies for the criteria being more vague.
The criteria for this post are:
The five exhibits I chose for manatees are:
- Space: While the fact that most manatees in zoos are rescues means oftentimes individualized exhibit plans are needed, as a general rule of thumb more space is better, especially for very large animals such as manatees. Manatees tend to live in shallow waters, and near the water surface, so the total area of a pool is more important than how deep it is.
- Social Structure: This is again a difficult one, since rescues bring their own sets of challenges and make acquisition at times difficult, but since manatees are social creatures by nature it is important for facilities to keep more than a single manatee whenever possible.
- Enrichment and Exhibit Complexity: As relatives of elephants and a species with complex communication systems, manatees are rather intelligent creatures, so having more complex exhibits, instead of the typical wide open pools, is beneficial for their welfare.
- While most of the manatee exhibits out there are in Florida, what is likely the country's best can be found in the state of Ohio, at the Columbus Zoo. This is not only a very large exhibit for manatees, but is also rather complex, featuring both a mixed-species element with various fish (including stingrays) and pelicans, as well as varying pool depths. The replicated mangrove swamp in the back is a nice aesthetic touch as well:
Photo By: @TinoPup
Photo By: @Captain Callum
Photo By: @Milwaukee Man
Photo By: @Moebelle
- @SwampDonkey was probably wondering when/if Zoo Tampa would make an appearance, and here it is! Another large exhibit for manatees can be found at Zoo Tampa, in a complex exhibit featuring both a complex environment with varying depths as well as a large social structure. This exhibit also features a variety of viewing opportunities, which is a nice touch for visitors:
Photo By: @Pleistohorse
Photo By: @AndyJ08
Photo By: @AndyJ08
Photo By: @ZooNerd1234
- Another excellent manatee exhibit in Florida can be found at SeaWorld Orlando. This is another very spacious habitat for manatees, featuring a large social grouping, mixed-species elements, and a complex space with varying depths. Multiple viewing opportunities also enhance the visitor experience in this exhibit:
Photo By: @SwampDonkey
Photo By: @Azamat Shackleford
Photo By: @AndyJ08
Photo By: @Moebelle
- There are only three US states where you can find manatees in zoos, the aforementioned Ohio and Florida, along with Texas, where the Dallas World Aquarium houses Antillean manatees. Manatees share this exhibit with a number of large freshwater fish and turtles, and it contains both impressive underwater viewing windows and large overhead viewings, in an exhibit that expertly blends into the greater Rainforest area surrounding it. Yes, DWA is one of the most controversial AZA facilities and do have some less than stellar exhibits, but this is certainly not one of those:
Photo By: @snowleopard
Photo By: @geomorph
Photo By: @snowleopard
Photo By: @geomorph
- The last non-Florida holder of manatees is the Cincinnati Zoo, which houses them in a large indoor exhibit with numerous viewing opportunities, including an underwater bubble. This is a complex habitat, featuring rockwork and a number of naturalistic elements, and is another mixed-species exhibit, featuring a few species of gar:
Photo By: @TinoPup
Photo By: @Moebelle
Photo By: @Moebelle
Photo By: @Moebelle
You used plural for DWA but they've only had one manatee for at least a decade now. It's a fantastic exhibit but they really should have several in there.
Columbus's is one of my favorite exhibits ever. They have the entire building for just the one exhibit (and gift shop). In addition to the pool and the great theming there's several interactive things for visitors, including a huge touch screen where you can look up past rescues and find out why they were brought to Columbus and where they are now; there's always a docent in there who can point it out and it's a great way to show what the zoo does. There's also a fake boat with a lot of big colorful buttons that kids seem obsessed with. I don't get that one but I've spent a while talking to docents on several visits and that boat always has happy kids at it
Today's post is dedicated to what might very well be my favorite felid species, the clouded leopard! These smallest of the pantherines also have the largest teeth relative to body size. While historically rare in zoos, their population has sky rocketed in recent years. The criteria for this post are extremely similar to those for ocelots:
Photo By: @pachyderm pro
Photo By: @TinoPup
Photo By: @Zooplantman
Photo By: @Coelacanth18
Photo By: @TinoPup
Photo By: @TinoPup
Photo By: @Moebelle
Photo By: @uszoo
Photo By: @Arizona Docent
Photo By: @snowleopard
Photo By: @Ituri
Photo By: @snowleopard
Photo By: @MGolka
Photo By: @MGolka
Photo By: @ThatOneZooGuy
Photo By: @geomorph
Photo By: @Pleistohorse
Photo By: @Pleistohorse
Photo By: @Lucas Lang
Photo By: @ZooNerd1234
With that, there are only ten more animals to be covered in this thread (and I suspect almost anyone could guess the majority of them with little difficulty), followed by four bonus posts of honorable mentions. I cannot believe we've made it so far into this journey through the best mammal exhibits in US zoos!
- Climbing Opportunities: Like most felid species, clouded leopards benefit from the ability to choose between various heights of their exhibit. Even more so than most of the other pantherines, they are adept climbers that will often live primarily arboreal lives. While the type of climbing structure may vary, it is still important to ensure the clouded leopards have adequate climbing opportunities in any style of exhibit, whether that be live trees, rockwork, artificial climbing structures, or a combination of all three.
- Exhibit Size: Smaller carnivores have historically been kept in small exhibits, oftentimes of an inadequate size. While size of an exhibit is not everything, I did prioritize exhibits that are larger when other design factors are equivalent. Given their arboreality, the size component for clouded leopards factors in both ground space and exhibit height.
- Hiding Opportunities: Clouded leopards can be shy animals, like many felids. Exhibits that provide opportunities for the ocelots to hide, while not necessarily ideal for the public, were prioritized since hiding opportunities do improve the welfare of animals involved.
- No zoo has had as much success breeding clouded leopards than the Nashville Zoo, which displays them in a spacious exhibit on the Bamboo Trail. This habitat is filled with various climbing structures for these beautiful cats, and has a lot of depth to allow the clouded leopards retreat from visitor areas:
- One very spacious clouded leopard exhibit with multiple viewing opportunities can be found at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. This large exhibit contains live trees and other climbing opportunities to create a very naturalistic habitat for the clouded leopard residents, and its large size allows plenty of areas for the leopards to hide as well:
- One rather unique, tall habitat for clouded leopards can be found at the Point Defiance Zoo. This tall exhibit may not have the depth or area of others on this list, but more than makes up for that with additional height. This provides the same opportunities for the clouded leopards to retreat from visitors, and is arguably more naturalistic since in the wild these animals live almost entirely arboreal lives:
- While I'd imagine they are overshadowed by their much larger neighbors, the Toyota Elephant Passage at Denver Zoo also contains an impressive habitat for clouded leopards. This exhibit contains plenty of climbing opportunities, albeit on less naturalistic climbing structures than many of the other zoos on this list. It's also a very sizeable exhibit and contains a large pond:
- Few zoos allow these beautiful cats to anchor their own exhibit complex, but that is exactly what is done with the Clouded Leopard Rainforest at Brookfield Zoo. This building, part of the larger Fragile Kingdom complex featuring three carnivore-themed attractions, is anchored by a large and impressive indoor exhibit for clouded leopards. The depth of this exhibit allows the clouded leopards plenty of hiding opportunities, while this exhibit is also filled with a wide variety of climbing opportunities for these cats:
With that, there are only ten more animals to be covered in this thread (and I suspect almost anyone could guess the majority of them with little difficulty), followed by four bonus posts of honorable mentions. I cannot believe we've made it so far into this journey through the best mammal exhibits in US zoos!
One notable exhibit I’ve liked from video by our very own @Moebelle is the clouded leopard exhibit at Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo. The photo below is one from the gallery also by them.Today's post is dedicated to what might very well be my favorite felid species, the clouded leopard! These smallest of the pantherines also have the largest teeth relative to body size. While historically rare in zoos, their population has sky rocketed in recent years. The criteria for this post are extremely similar to those for ocelots:
The five zoos I selected for this post are:
- Climbing Opportunities: Like most felid species, clouded leopards benefit from the ability to choose between various heights of their exhibit. Even more so than most of the other pantherines, they are adept climbers that will often live primarily arboreal lives. While the type of climbing structure may vary, it is still important to ensure the clouded leopards have adequate climbing opportunities in any style of exhibit, whether that be live trees, rockwork, artificial climbing structures, or a combination of all three.
- Exhibit Size: Smaller carnivores have historically been kept in small exhibits, oftentimes of an inadequate size. While size of an exhibit is not everything, I did prioritize exhibits that are larger when other design factors are equivalent. Given their arboreality, the size component for clouded leopards factors in both ground space and exhibit height.
- Hiding Opportunities: Clouded leopards can be shy animals, like many felids. Exhibits that provide opportunities for the ocelots to hide, while not necessarily ideal for the public, were prioritized since hiding opportunities do improve the welfare of animals involved.
- No zoo has had as much success breeding clouded leopards than the Nashville Zoo, which displays them in a spacious exhibit on the Bamboo Trail. This habitat is filled with various climbing structures for these beautiful cats, and has a lot of depth to allow the clouded leopards retreat from visitor areas:
Photo By: @pachyderm pro
Photo By: @TinoPup
Photo By: @Zooplantman
Photo By: @Coelacanth18
- One very spacious clouded leopard exhibit with multiple viewing opportunities can be found at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. This large exhibit contains live trees and other climbing opportunities to create a very naturalistic habitat for the clouded leopard residents, and its large size allows plenty of areas for the leopards to hide as well:
Photo By: @TinoPup
Photo By: @TinoPup
Photo By: @Moebelle
Photo By: @uszoo
- One rather unique, tall habitat for clouded leopards can be found at the Point Defiance Zoo. This tall exhibit may not have the depth or area of others on this list, but more than makes up for that with additional height. This provides the same opportunities for the clouded leopards to retreat from visitors, and is arguably more naturalistic since in the wild these animals live almost entirely arboreal lives:
Photo By: @Arizona Docent
Photo By: @snowleopard
Photo By: @Ituri
Photo By: @snowleopard
- While I'd imagine they are overshadowed by their much larger neighbors, the Toyota Elephant Passage at Denver Zoo also contains an impressive habitat for clouded leopards. This exhibit contains plenty of climbing opportunities, albeit on less naturalistic climbing structures than many of the other zoos on this list. It's also a very sizeable exhibit and contains a large pond:
Photo By: @MGolka
Photo By: @MGolka
Photo By: @ThatOneZooGuy
Photo By: @geomorph
- Few zoos allow these beautiful cats to anchor their own exhibit complex, but that is exactly what is done with the Clouded Leopard Rainforest at Brookfield Zoo. This building, part of the larger Fragile Kingdom complex featuring three carnivore-themed attractions, is anchored by a large and impressive indoor exhibit for clouded leopards. The depth of this exhibit allows the clouded leopards plenty of hiding opportunities, while this exhibit is also filled with a wide variety of climbing opportunities for these cats:
Photo By: @Pleistohorse
Photo By: @Pleistohorse
Photo By: @Lucas Lang
Photo By: @ZooNerd1234
With that, there are only ten more animals to be covered in this thread (and I suspect almost anyone could guess the majority of them with little difficulty), followed by four bonus posts of honorable mentions. I cannot believe we've made it so far into this journey through the best mammal exhibits in US zoos!
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I looked into that exhibit, but felt it lacked the same quantity of climbing opportunities as the five I selected. Still an overall high quality choice, however.
Aardwolf
Well-Known Member
Having seen all five, I would have recommended Fort Wayne over Brookfield - though I will admit, I remember it being lusher and having more climbing opportunities than the picture featured suggests. Perhaps an older photo? I'm afraid I didn't think to take a pic of the exhibit when I was there in October for comparison, though it certainly impressed me.