Explore the diverse animals and plants at the San Diego Zoo, featuring detailed information on various species and their unique characteristics.

San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants. Main menu. Home; Animals. Amphibians; Arthropods; Birds; Fish; Mammals

Mammals are vertebrate animals that are endothermic, have hair on their bodies, and produce milk to feed their babies. Many mammals give birth to live young that are small and helpless. Producing milk to feed them allows them to develop more slowly and spend time with the adults as they grow up, learning the skills they need to survive.

A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant, or other type of organism. The term typically refers to the zone in which the organism lives and where it can find food, shelter, protection and mates for reproduction, utilizing the qualities the species has adapted to survive within ...

At the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, the wild cattle species eat low-starch, high-fiber pellets and Bermuda and Sudan grass hay. They also have access to a salt or trace mineral lick.

Like mammals, birds are endothermic, or warm blooded, but they are the only animals that have feathers. The feathers are made of keratin. Each feather has a stiff, hollow center shaft with hundreds of side branches, called barbs.

Quokkas are often referred to as “the happiest animal in the world” due to their friendly disposition and appearing to “smile” at the camera. But quokkas are not tame animals and do not make good pets!

There are more than 9,300 known species of reptiles. The heaviest is the saltwater crocodile, weighing up to 2,000 pounds (908 kilograms). The smallest is the dwarf gecko, measuring only three-quarters of an inch (16 millimeters).

If you were to make a list of the most recognized wildlife in Africa, the bontebok is not going to make the cut. Chances are, you’ve probably never even heard of this mammal. The bontebok is one of the rarest antelope in South Africa and is characterized by its stylish ring-shaped horns, striking markings on its torso, and distinctive white ...

The San Diego Zoo’s 100 acres are home to a wide variety of extraordinary plants from habitats around the world, many of them rare in botanical collections. The Zoo maintains eight accredited plant collections, along with the thousands of plants that create the wildlife habitats and surround visitors in lush, exotic, and peaceful landscapes.