Riverbanks Zoo, Columbia, South Carolina


Riverbanks Zoo is in Columbia, South Carolina on the banks of the Saluda River.

Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta) - Africa on deserts and savannas. They are also called "laughing" hyenas because of their calls that sound like laughing. Their eyes are large, the ears are round and their tail is short with a black, bushy tip. The muzzle is black much like a dogs. Their black spots fad to brown and lighter as they age. The front legs are longer than the back legs as the back slopes down. Hyenas hunt in packs, making them powerful hunters being able to bring down large animals. The Spotted Hyena is the largest of the Hyena species and live in clans. The Female is larger than the male. The cubs are born black, but change after three or four months.

Lion (Panthera leo) - Africa and South Asia, These two Female Lioness seem to be posing. Their coat is a tawny yellow to brown - Ochre. The mane of the male lion is thick and varies in color, sometimes being almost black. The female is usually a lighter color. Both the male and female will roar. The roaring can be heard a mile or more away. Usually the female will give birth to two or three cubs which will stay with her for around 18 months. After the first three months of mother's milk, the cubs will also eat meat along with milk until six months when their diet is mostly meat.

Siberian Tiger (Panthera Tigris Altaica), more correctly named Amur Tigers since they inhabit the eastern area of Russia in the birch forests of Amur-Ussuri region of Primorski and Khabarouski Krais where vegetation is thick. They also are in Northern Korea and China. They are the largest tigers in the world.

Siberian Tiger are about 12 feet long and can weigh 700 pounds.

Simangs have the loudest call of all Gibbon Species. They have an inflated throat pouch that acts like a resonating chamber. The calls mark off their territory and lets others know to stay away. LOUD is correct. You could hear this Simang all over the zoo.

These Wisteria Flowers were growing here at the Riverbanks Zoo as well as all over South Carolina. They were beautiful.

Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus adustus) - Australia in parts of Queensland New South Wales and Victoria. Most Marsupials are found in Australia but some marsupials are found in South America. The Koala eats Eucalyptus leaves mostly, but need to be supplimented, since there isn't as much nutrition in the leaves. In the wild they sleep 20 hours because of lack of energy.

Wallaby (Macropus parma) - Eastern Australia. Wallaby mothers have pouches. When the babies are born, they are no bigger than a lima bean. They crawl to the pouch where they are protected and can get milk to grow. This young wallaby was races around a rock just before the mother motioned for the joey to come to her, where it crawled into the pouch, maybe threatened by the other Wallaby.


Two Wallaby Joeys getting ready to box and wrestle. It's all in the learning play.

Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus) - Southern Australia, East Indonesia, New Guinea, S.W. Pacific Islands. They are vividly colored with green, bluish- purple, reds and yellow usually under their wing. They can be very noisy, as the flock chatters away as they feed on flowering trees.

Diana Monkey (Cercopithecus diana diana) - West Africa: Ivory Coast, Liberia, Ghana and Sierra Leone. Diana Monkeys live only in the highest levels of the treetops where fruit is plentiful and they are undisturbed. The Diana Monkey is a member of a diverse group called Guenons. Other members of this group are Mona Monkey and De Brazza's Monkey.

Lion (Panthera leo) - Sub-Saharan Africa and India. The Lion will hunt at night, but will also hunt in the day when the weather is cooler. Both the male and the female will roar and on a still night the male roar can be heard about five miles away. The Pride varies in size, but usually has 4 females and two adult males and their cubs.

King of the Lions. The lion has a powerfully built body with strong legs and a long tail, with a dark tuft of hair at the tip, as shown here. The male is larger than the female. The lions spend 20 hours resting until the hunt.

Hamadryas Baboon (Papio hamadryas) - Upper Egypt, The Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia and the Southern Arabian Peninsula. These Baboons were sacred in ancient Egypt, often portrayed on temples and monuments.

Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos) - Worldwide in the Northern Hemisphere.

California Sea Lions - They have a thick 3 to 4 inch layer of fat or blubber that keeps them warm while at sea.

Lion-Tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus) - Southern India and Western Ghatts.

Matschie's Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei) - Mountainous rain forests of Central and Eastern New Guinea. Tree Kangaroos can leap over 30 feet from tree to tree.

Crocodile Monitor (Varanus salvadori) - Southern Coast of New Guinea. Elongated toes and rubbery pads on their feet help them to climb trees. Their long tail can be used as an anchor while climbing or as a whip to help defend themselves.

African Elephants (Loxodonta africana) - Africa. Elephants are never far from water as they travel for food. They need to drink every day and they will bath in the waterholes. The female only gives birth every four years.

Cardinal at the Zoo

Black0necked Swan

Meerkat - African Desert. Sticking together protects the Meerkats. They do everything as a family with each having a task. Some are guards to sound alarms if predators approach. Others hunt for their food. There are always the babysitters to watch the Meerkat pups. Meerkats dig elaborate burrows with tunnels and sleeping chambers. One burrow has as many as 15 entrances.

Gorilla A Gorilla's life is usually peaceful in the wild. There is one female alpha who dominates over the others. Adolescent gorillas, called blackbacks, usually leave the family when they reach maturity. Young Gorillas stay with their mother for two years. They learn at this time important skills to help them mature. The Silverback, named for their silver-gray saddle of fur on their backs, are definitely the leaders. He leads them to good eating areas and protects them from intruders. When a male Gorilla spreads his arms, they measure about 8 feet across.

Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus) - Mediterranean to the far east. They have strong Talons and a sharp beak.

Abyssinian Ground Hornbill (Bucorvus abyssinicus) - Africa: Gambia to Kenya. Although capable to flight, Ground Hornbills rarely fly. They would rather walk or run fast to get away from danger.

Their patterns are distinct like fingerprints are to us. Usually the Giraffe eats the leaves from the tops of trees, very seldom eating off the ground.

The length of a giraffe's neck is only matched by the length of the giraffe's legs. The neck has a short, thick mane. By far, the Giraffe is the tallest animal.

Plains Zebra (Equus burchelli) - East Africa in grasslands and dry savanna. Ostrich (Struthio camelus) - Central Africa. Ostrich do not bury their heads in the sand. Ostriches are too heavy to fly, but can run up to 40 miles per hour.

Female Ostrich checking things out.

American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) - Some differences between the Alligator and the Croc: Only the top set of teeth can be seen in an Alligator. They have wide, flat heads with broad, rounded mouth. On the crocodile both set of teeth are visible. There heads are triangular and their snouts are narrow.

Galapagos Giant Tortoise (Geochelone nigra porteri) - The Galapagos Islands. These giants can live over 100 years old. The shell looks heavy but is actually quite light.

At the Aquarium the diver was feeding the many varieties of fish.

Caribbean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber ruber) - Northern South America, the Caribbean. The nest mound of mud keeps the egg high and dry.

Rockhopper Penguins (Eudyptes chrysocome) - Southern Ocean area. These are one of the smaller penguins, but have animated and aggressive personalities.

Gentoo Penguin (Pygoscelis papua) - Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Kerguelen Islands. The Gentoo Penguin is considered to be the fastest underwater swimmer of all birds going as fast as 20 miles per hour. Gentoo comes from the Portuguese word for "gentile". All Penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere. (Not at the North Pole).

Copperhead (Agkistrodon corntortrix) - South Carolina and other parts of the United States.