Riverbanks Zoo and Garden Riverbanks Zoo & Gardens Species List - September 2025

Mr. Bobcat

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Riverbanks Zoo & Gardens – Located In Columbia, SC

Species List As Of August 30, 2025

The zoo opened in 1974 and is located on a 170-acre site. They are accredited members of the Association Of Zoos & Aquariums. Their web site claims they have over 3000 animals. The zoo is lushly landscaped with mostly concrete pathways and a few boardwalks. It is considered a mid-sized zoo and has a good variety of species on display. They are planning a major expansion in the coming years across the river where the botanical gardens are located.

Because I am a member of this zoo, I go often, and I will try to update this list with any changes during the year.

For any unsigned animals, I tried my best to try to figure out what are the actual species. At the aquarium I shot mostly videos of each tank instead of photos, this way it is sometimes easier to figure out any unsigned occupants.

Sea Lion Landing

California Sea Lion
Previously Also Held A Harbor Seal (Moved To Another Zoo- Early 2025)

Front Grotto Exhibits
Otter Crossing

North American River Otter

Grizzley Bear

Hamadryas Baboon

African Lion

Sumatran Tiger (Previously Held An Amur Tiger (Passed Away-March 2025))

Aquarium and Reptile Conservation Center
Outdoor Exhibits

Burmese Black Mountain Tortoise

Radiated Tortoise

Galapagos Giant Tortoise

Indoor Exhibits
First Room (Temperate Forests)

Eastern Cottonmouth

Alligator Snapping Turtle
Shiners

Corn Snake
Southern Copperhead
Timber Rattlesnake

Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
Canebrake Rattlesnake
Eastern Glass Lizard
Northern Pine Snake

First Room (Tropical Forests)
Black Tree Monitor

Green Tree Monitor

Bushmaster
Golden Poison Dart Frog (Signed As Poison Dart Frog)
Blue Poison Dart Frog (Signed As Poison Dart Frog)
Splash-back Poison Dart Frog (Signed As Poison Dart Frog)
Emerald Tree Boa

Blue Tree Monitor

Eyelash Viper

Green Anaconda
Bleeding Heart Tetra (Unsigned)
Rummy-Nose Tetra (Unsigned)
Tinfoil Barb (Unsigned)
Spotted Raphael Catfish (Unsigned)
Cory Catfish (Unsigned)

Desert Room
Flight Aviary

Burrowing Owl
Thick-Billed Parrot
White-Winged Dove

Open Topped Glass Exhibits
Juvenile Giant Galapagos Tortoise

Grand Cayman Blue Iguana

Spiny-Tailed Agamid (Uromastyx) Lizard

Enclosed Glass Exhibits
Red Rattlesnake
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

Frilled Lizard
Blue-Tongued Skink
Bearded Dragon
Kimberly Rock Monitor

Common Chuckwalla
Gila Monster

Black-Headed Python

Spiny-Tailed Monitor

Second Room (Tropical Forests)
Aruba Island Rattlesnake

Mangshan Mountain Pit Viper

Gaboon Viper
West African Green Mamba

Boelen’s Python

Rhinoceros Viper

Ocellated Mountain Viper (Wagner’s Viper)

European Long-Nosed Viper

King Cobra

Green And Black Poison Dart Frog

Yellow-Banded Poison Dart Frog

Ornate Horned Frog

Strawberry Poison Dart Frog

Tomato Frog

Panamanian Golden Frog
Vietnamese Mossy Frog

The Aquarium
According to the zoo, any signed animals are the regular species for each tank.
Any other animals are “fillers”, as it was explained to me. So they may be rotated between exhibited tanks or from tanks behind the scenes.

Mangrove Tank (Located At The Aquarium Entrance)

Chocolate Chip Sea Star
Harlequin Bass (Unsigned)
Chalk Bass
Yellow Stingray
Tulip Snail
Sea Urchin Species (Unsigned)
Spotted Goatfish (Unsigned)
Bristle-Tail Filefish (Unsigned)

Coral Reef Gallery
Tank 1

Longspine Squirrelfish
Lookdown
Porkfish
Atlantic Spadefish
Redtoothed Triggerfish
Gray Triggerfish (Signed But Not Seen)
Green Moray Eel
Yellow Stingray (Signed But Not Seen)
French Angelfish (Unsigned)
Blue Chromis (Unsigned)
Cuban (Spotfin) Hogfish (Unsigned)
Atlantic Blue Tang (Unsigned)
Scrawled Boxfish (Unsigned)
Crown Squirrelfish (Unsigned)
Bengal Sergeant Major (Unsigned)
Rock Beauty (Unsigned)
Redcoat Squirrelfish (Unsigned)
Blue Striped Grunt (Unsigned)

Tank 2
Lantern Bass (Signed But Not Seen)
Brown Chromis
Barred Hamlet
Indigo Hamlet
Slippery Dick Wrasse (Unsigned)

Tank 3
Kole Tang (Signed But Not Seen)
Longnose Butterflyfish
Whisker Coral
Frogspawn Coral

Tank 4
Lyretail Anthias
Green Chromis
Pajama Cardinalfish
Y-Bar Shrimp Goby
Rock Beauty (Unsigned)
Keyhole Angelfish (Unsigned)
Yellowtail (Purple) Tang (Unsigned)
Three-Stripe Damselfish (Unsigned)

Tank 5
Red Lionfish

Tank 6
Spotted Garden Eel
Threadfin Cardinalfish
Purple Filefish (Unsigned)

Tank 7
Ocellaris Clownfish
Bubble Anemone
Black Clownfish (Unsigned)
Bi-Color Angelfish (Unsigned)
Keyhole Angelfish (Unsigned)
Cintron Goby (Unsigned)
Purple Tang (Unsigned)
Goldbelly Damselfish (Unsigned)

Tank 8
Longspine Urchin
Engineer Goby
Branching Stony Coral
Banggai Cardinalfish
Flame Angelfish (Unsigned)
Six-Line Wrasse (Unsigned)
Black Bar Chromis (Unsigned)

Large Central Coral Reef Tank
Porkfish
Atlantic Spadefish
Longspine Squirrelfish
Green Sea Turtle
Lookdown
Yellow And Blueback Fusilier
Orbicular Batfish
Blue And Gold Highfin Snapper
Barred Flagtail
Yellowface Angelfish (Signed But Not Seen)
Stripey
Mono (Diamondfish)
Sailfin Tang
Clown Triggerfish
White-Spotted Bamboo Shark
Redtoothed Triggerfish
Yellow Tang
Honeycomb Moray Eel
Longnose Butterflyfish
Bignose Unicornfish (Signed But Not Seen)
Orange Shoulder Surgeonfish
Scribbled Angelfish
Rock Beauty (Unsigned)
Pyramid Butterflyfish (Unsigned)
Regal Blue (Palette) Tang (Unsigned)
French Angelfish (Unsigned)
Yellowtail (Purple) Tang (Unsigned)
Picasso (Lagoon) Triggerfish (Unsigned)
Black Wedged Butterflyfish (Unsigned)
Threadfin Butterflyfish (Unsigned)
Raccoon Butterflyfish (Unsigned)
Redtail Butterflyfish (Unsigned)
Sohal Tang (Unsigned)
Bicolored Foxface (Unsigned)
Golden Rabbitfish (Unsigned)
Blue Ring Angelfish (Unsigned)
Emperor Angelfish (Unsigned)
Goldrim (White Cheek) Surgeonfish (Unsigned)
Yellowfin Surgeonfish (Unsigned)
Sixbar Angelfish (Unsigned)
Orangespine Unicornfish (Unsigned)
Two-Barred Rabbitfish (Unsigned)
Blacknosed Butterflyfish (Barberfish) (Unsigned)
Panther Grouper (Unsigned)
Coral Grouper (Unsigned)
Humphead Bannerfish (Unsigned)
Narrow-Lined Puffer (Unsigned)
Double-Saddle Butterflyfish (Unsigned)
Rocky Shore Gallery

Tank 9
Japanese Spider Crab

Tank 10
Salfin Sculpin
Plumose Anemone
Batstar
Grunt Sculpin
Painted Greenling (Unsigned)

Tank 11

Pot-Bellied Seahorse
Red Sea Urchin
Ornate Cowfish

Tank 12
Japanese Pineapplefish
Plumose Anemone (Unsigned)
Strawberry Anemone

Tank 13
Cortez Angelfish
Horn Shark
Swellshark
Leopard Shark
Unknown Fish Species (Unsigned)

Tank 14
Giant Pacific Octopus (recently passed away, but are planning to find a replacement)
Plumose Anemone (Unsigned)
Unknown Anemone Species (Unsigned)

Tank 15
Moon Jelly

Coral Breeding Lab Just Outside Aquarium Exhibits
Assorted Coral Species

Exhibits By The Conservation Lab
Species Are Often Rotated In These Exhibits

Bumble Bee Walking Toad

Madagascar Hissing Cockroach

Neon Day Gecko (Unsigned)

Juvenile Giant Leaf-Tailed Gecko

Henkels’ Leaf-Tailed Gecko
Standing’s Day Gecko

Whip Scorpion (Unsigned)

Green Banana Cockroach

Various Tadpoles

Domino Cockroach
Death’s Head Cockroach

White-Eyed Giant Leaf-Tailed Gecko
Giant Day Gecko

Giant Leaf-Tailed Gecko

Puerto Rican Crested Toad

Green Mantella
Spearpoint Leaf-Tailed Gecko (Signed But Not Seen)

The Birdhouse
Outdoor Exhibits Located At The Building’s Entrance

Swan Goose

Flamingo Beach
American Flamingo

Indoor Exhibits
Penguin Coast (Large Glass Fronted Exhibit)

Gentoo Penguin
King Penguin
Southern Rockhopper Penguin

Asian Trek
Tropical Asia Aviaries (Net Fronted Exhibits)

Blue-Billed Curassow

Blue-Crowned Laughingthrush
Masked Lapwing
Chinese Hwamei
Asian Fairy Bluebird
White-Rumped Shama
Victoria Crowned Pigeon
Lesser Green Broadbill

White-Rumped Shama
Chestnut-Backed Thrush
Scarlet-Faced Liocichla
Indian Pygmy Goose
Asian Fairy Bluebird
Green-Naped Pheasant Pigeon

Black-Naped Fruit Dove
Crested Wood Partridge

African Aviary (Net Fronted Exhibit)
African Green Pigeon
Golden-Breasted Starling
Emerald Starling
Spotted Dikkop
Snowy-Crowned Robin Chat

South American Aviary (Net Fronted Exhibit)
Black-Necked Stilt
Red-Capped Cardinal
Sunbittern
Turquoise Tanager
Venezuelan Troupial

Koala Knockabout & Near By Exhibits
Koala (Indoor & Outdoor Exhibits)

Stand Alone Terrarium Inside The Building
Green Tree Python

Walk Through Flight Aviary For Feeding
Coconut Lorikeet
Rainbow Lorikeet

Komodo Crossing Exhibits
Komodo Dragon (Indoor & Outdoor Exhibits)

Row Of Terrarium Exhibits Embedded In The Outside Wall Of The Building
Green Tree Python

Black Tree Monitor

Cayman Island Blue Iguana

Two Island Exhibits Linked By A Rope Bridge
Siamang

Asia Aviary (Located Across From The Siamang Exhibit)
Two Outdoor Flight Aviaries Attached To Central Night House

Blue-Crowned Laughingthrush
Chestnut-Backed Thrush
Edward’s Pheasant

White-Rumped Shama
Asian Fairy Bluebird
Chinese Hwamei
Temminck’s Tragopan
Tawny Frogmouth

Riverbanks Farm
(Nothing Was Signed. I Asked A Keeper For The List)

Alpaca
Nigerian Dwarf Goat
La Mancha Goat
Saanan Goat
Nubian Goat
Muscovy Duck
Vietnamese Pot-Bellied Pig
Narragansett Turkey (Passed Away In March 2025)

Exhibit Near Tusker’s Restaurant
American Alligator

South America Aviary
Two Outdoor Aviaries Attached To Central Night House Near The Birdhouse

Toco Toucan

King Vulture
Troupial

Africa
African Savanna

Common Ostrich
Plains Zebra

Reticulated Giraffe

African Spurred Tortoise

Empty Exhibit (Previously Held A Babirusa (Moved To Another Facility))

Cinereous Vulture

Southern White Rhinoceros

Slender-Tailed Meerkat

Ndoki Forest
Western Lowland Gorilla

African Aviaries
Two Outdoor Aviaries Attached To Central Night House Near The Giraffe Exhibit

Eurasian Eagle Owl

Red-Billed Hornbill
Hamerkop
Bruce’s Green Pigeon
Red-Crested Turaco
Violet-Backed Starling
Superb Starling

Conservation Outpost
Covered Row Of Glass Or Net Fronted Exhibits Of Various Sizes

White-Faced Saki Monkey
Hoffman’s Two-Toed Sloth

Geoffroy’s Marmoset

Bolivian Gray Titi Monkey

Sand Cat

Golden Lion Tamarin

Black-Footed Cat

Red Ruffed Lemur

Ring-Tailed Lemur

Common Squirrel Monkey

Fishing Cat

Empty Exhibit (Being Renovated)

Kangaroo Walkabout (Walk Through Exhibit)
Red Kangaroo
Bennett’s Wallaby
Tammar Wallaby

Australian Aviaries
Two Outdoor Aviaries Attached To Central Night House Located Across From The Kangaroo Walkabout Exhibit

Laughing Kookaburra
Masked Lapwing
Pied Imperial Pigeon

Tawny Frogmouth
Rainbow Lorikeet
Masked Lapwing
Laughing Kookaburra

Totals
Mammals – 34
Birds – 49
Reptiles – 51
Amphibians – 13
Fish – 107
Invertebrates – 5
Marine Invertebrates - 15
 
Oh? It’s been a few months since ai visited but there’s some interesting changes here. Sand cat is an exciting addition! Which exhibit was it in within the outpost?

Absolute shame about the last babirusa moving out. I knew it was a matter of time, but they’ve always been one of my favorite species to watch in the zoo. That leaves either one large or two moderate sized exhibits completely open - the possibilities are really exciting.

Didn’t the zoo get another harbor seal recently? Like within the past two months?
 
I listed the Conservation Outpost Exhibits in order as I remember them. But I'll confirm it on my next visit.
I was told they hoped to aquire another Harbor Seal in the future, but they added a third Sea Lion recently.
I will attempt to find out if there is any plans for the old Babirusa Exhibits.
 
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