San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, Texas



Red-Ruffed Lemur (lemur variegatus rubra) - Madagascar. This is the largest of the Lemurs. The Red-Ruffed Lemur gets it's name from the black hair around the face called a ruff. Their black tail is twice as long as their body. They eat mostly fruit. They live in treetops, making a nest of leaves in a tree hole. They are extremely noisy.

Jaguar (Panthera onca) - Southwestern United States, Mexico to South America. The Jaguar head is large bordering on bulky. They have short, powerful legs. On the lower back are elongated spots that almost form a line. They stay around rivers or water and are excellent swimmers. Their various sounds include meows, roars and grunts. They have a shorter tail than the leopard. The Jaguar scrape tree trunks with their claws to mark territories and .mark borders with urine. They are basically solitary animals.

Black Jaguar

Demoiselle Crane (Anthropoides virgo) - Most of the Demoiselle Cranes migrate, traveling across the Himalayan Mountains. Others migrate over large deserts in the Middle East and Africa. They eat mainly seeds, but will eat insects, lizards and worms. If water is available, they will nest in the desert.

Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) - South America, Caribbean, Africa, Southwestern Europe and Asia. Reaching down its long neck, they filter for food by sucking in water through the bill where shrimp, crabs, tiny worms, insects and plant water are collected on the comb-like filter and caught as the water drains out. The word "flamingo" is taken from the Latin word for "flame" because of the pink color.

Gavial (Gavialis gangeticus) - Gavials' narrow snout help them to move easily through the water where they catch fish, insects and frogs, They can grow up to 22 feet. The razor-sharp teeth help them to hold on to slippery fish.

Double-Wattled Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) - Australia, New Guinea. The Cassowary is a flightless bird that lives in the rain forest among dense, tropical vegetation. There is a horn-like casque used to break through the thick areas. The bill is used for feeding on fallen fruit. The large claw on the outer toe is used in flights.

Sumatran Tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) - Island of Sumatra. The Sumatran Tiger is the smallest surviving subspecies of tiger. The males weigh 200 to 300 lbs.

Crested Porcupine also called the Cape Porcupine (Hystrix cristata) - Central Southern Italy, North Africa and Central Western Africa. The Porcupine is covered in sharp spines called quills, which are modified hairs. These quills can reach a length of 12 to 16 inches. The Porcupine is mostly nocturnal. The main diet is fruits, roots bark and bulbs. When threatened the porcupine erects the quills and makes them vibrate with a rattling sound. They cannot shoot their quills out as some believe. They do charge backward, causing the enemy pain if in contact. The male helps to take care of the young.

Spotted Hyena (Crocua crocuta) - Africa south of the Sahara. They form large packs. The social pack is led by a dominate female,

Red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus) - Australia. The Red Kangaroo is the largest marsupial (pouched mammal) living today. They live in "mobs" of 2 to 10 members. Their hind legs are long and large feet. The tail is long and thick, tapering at the end. There is a black mark on each side of the muzzle. They can jump 4 to 8 feet high and covers 12 to 14 feet on each leap. The Kangaroo warns its group of danger by stamping its foot or thumping its tail. The babies are called "Joeys".


White-Headed Buffalo Weaver (Dinemellia dinemelli) - East Africa. This is the largest of the African Weavers. Several pairs construct and share the nest.

Lion (Panthera leo) - Sub-Saharan Africa, India and Asia. Lions are a very social mammal, living in groups called "Prides". The fur is usually a tawny-yellow, the female being lighter than the male.

Dama Gazelle (Gazella dama ruficollis) - Sudan. This is the largest desert Gazelle. They have short, compact horns, long legs,

Speke's Gazelle (Gazezlla spekei) - Africa. This Gazelle is small with an inflatable nasal region. They are fawn color with a black flank stripe, a white buttocks with a dark margin.

Addax (Addax nasomaculatus) - Africa in the Sahara. There is a white pattern running across the face from the cheeks to the nose. On the forehead there is a black, dense patch of hair. The horns are long and thin making two or three twists. They are about 35 inches long. The Addax can survive for long periods of time without water. Their hooves have a wide base to help them in the desert.

Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber) - North and South America from Venezuela to Southern Brazil. The scarlet plumage is unique among shorebirds and wading birds. They have a narrow, curved bill used for probing into mud and shallow water for frogs, small fish, crabs, mollusks and insects. The partly webbed feet are perfect for wadding. The black wing tips can be seen in flight.

Manchurian Crane (Grus Japonesis) - Breeds in Japan, East Siberia and North China. Winters in Korea, Northeast China and Japan. Also called the Japanese Crane, this is the tallest of the species. Unlike other cranes, the males and females do not look exactly alike. Females have gray areas neck, throat and cheek where the males have black. This crane is hghly admired in the Orient. It is believed that they represent luck, love, loyalty and long life. The crane is found in painting, on dresses and in ceremonies. Displaying birds stand side by side with raised heads, making loud trumpeting calls. A unique dance follows, waving their heads and flapping their wings, leaping in the air. They eat parsley, carrots, water plants, fish and frogs.

Lesser Flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor) - Africa. Flamingos eat, sleep, fly and raise their chicks together. They eat small animals and small plants. The flocks can number in the thousands.

Chilean Flamingos (Phoenicopterus chilensus) - Chile in South America. The Flamingo stirs up plants and tiny animals by lifting its feet up and down in the mud. They wave their beat back and forth to filter the food from the water. Their diet consists of algae, tiny fish, brine shrimp, etc. The food they eat gives them the pink in the feathers.

Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) - East and South Africa. The Black Rhino's lip is more pointed (triangular) and able to grasp than the lip of the White Rhino. Instead of eating grasses, the Black Rhino uses it's lip like a finger to pluck off fruits, leaves, acacia bark, shoots, twigs and bushes. The Rhino has two horns with the larger horn in the front. The Black Rhino has a smaller head and smaller ears set more to the side than the White Rhino. They also do not have a hump at the base of the neck. The Rhino drinks water daily and loves to wallow. The Rhino doesn't have very good eye sight but highly developed senses of smell and hearing.

Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala) - India, Southwest China and parts of Southeast Asia. Painted Stork feed by wading in shallow water. They use their feet to disturb aquatic animals. Their bills are also used, moving it side to side underwater and when something is found, the bill snaps shut quickly around the prey.

Red and Yellow Barbet (Trachyphoneis erythrocephalius) - East Africa. The male usually sits on the eggs.

Grevy's Zebra (Equus grevyi) - South Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan and North Kenya. Grevy's are the largest of the Zebras. The stripe pattern tends to be narrower and extends down to their hooves, the belly is white, the ears are large and furry and the tail has a tuft of long hairs at the tip. The neck is muscular and the body is solid. They have single hooves The Zebra needs water often, so will stay near a watering hole. They are fast runners and will run together in a group, stripes blending together.

Ostrich (Struthio camelus) - Africa from Senegal to Ethioia and south to Tanzania. The Ostrich is the largest bird in the world. The average height is 8 feet. They are flightless but can run up to 40 mph. There are two large toes on each foot.

Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos) - Western North America and Eurasia. The Grizzly Bear has a distinct shoulder hump made up of muscle. The head is broad and large with relatively small ears. The claws on the front feet are very long for digging roots and bulbs. The hairs are tipped with white. They enjoy catching salmon when the salmon go upstream to spawn. They are mostly vegetarian.

Grizzly Bear Wave. The claws are nonretractable. They have a very powerful body. Sometimes the Grizzly will stand on their hind legs when looking for food. However, it is not thought to be an agressive position.

Dalmatian Pelican (white) (Pelecanus crispus) - Breeds in Eurasia from the Adriatic Sea to Central China and winters in Egypt and North India. The distinct white plumage and the black wing tips sets this Pelican apart. They are found in flocks.

Francois's Langur (Trachypithecus francoisi) - Pakistan, India, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Langurs have large stomachs with three different compartment for digesting cellulose which is hard to digest in the leaves they eat. Female Langur will nurse other infants as well as her own.

Reeve'a Muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi) - Southern China. Because of the barklike sounds they make, they are also called "barking deer".

American Black Bear (Ursus americanus) - United States of America, Canada and Mexico. Although called the Black Bear, the color can vary from cinnamon, brown or black. There are some that are almost white in the northwestern part of the states. In autumn the American Black Bear goes into a state of lethargy, but not true hibernation depending on the weather. They are basically vegetarians. They are good climbers, usually in search of bees and honey. Their eyes are small and have rather poor eyesight. This bear has an exceptional sense of smell.

Orinoco Crocodile (Crocodilus intermedius) - In the North in South America probably near the Orinoco River. This crocodile is the largest animal in South America growing over 15 feet long.