Detroit Zoo Detroit Zoo Full Species List August 2019

Date of visit: August 16 2019

Species not seen in italics

Polk Penguin Conservation Center
1. Gentoo Penguin, King Penguin

Wildlife Interpretive Gallery
1. Walk-through Butterfly Garden: Smooth-banded Sister, Mexican Sister, Belus Swallowtail, Gold Rim Swallowtail, Red Rim, Grecian Shoemaker, Mexican Shoemaker, Zebra Mosaic, Crimson Patch, Glasswing, Agalla Clearwing, Red Cracker, Starry Night Cracker, Juno Longwing, Mexican Bluewing, Orange Tiger, Gray Cracker, Variable Cracker, Orange Cracker, Blue Wave, Mexican Bluewing, Blue Morpho, White Morpho, Pale Owl, Narrow-banded Owl, Broad-banded Swallowtail, Ruby-spotted Swallowtail, Torquatus Swallowtail, Ruby-spotted Swallowtail, Arcas Cattleheart, Iphidamas Cattleheart, Pink-spotted Cattleheart, Montezuma Cattleheart, Zebra Longwing, Small Postman, Postman, Cyndo Longwing, Sapho Longwing, Hecale Longwing, Doris Longwing, Hewison's Longwing, Scarce Bamboo Page, Large Tiger, Cream-colored Tigerwing, Malachite, Rusty-tipped Page, Disturbed Tigerwing, Purple King Shoemaker, Harmonia Tigerwing, Isabella's Longwing, Julia Longwing, Mexican Longwing, Tiger Leafwing, Marbled Longwing, Scarlet Leafwing, Common Olive Wing, Apricot Sulphur
2. Matilda Wilson Free-flight Aviary: Black-naped Fruit Dove, Jambu Fruit Dove, Gray-capped Emerald Dove, Violet Turaco, Nicobar Pigeon, Blue-bellied Roller, Hooded Pitta, Red-billed Leiothrix, Green Woodhoopoe, African Pygmy Goose, Green Heron, Scarlet Ibis, Boat-billed Heron, Common Bulbul, Oriole Warbler, Speckled Mousebird, Taveta Golden Weaver, Emerald Starling, Spur-winged Lapwing, Black Crake, Silver-beaked Tanager

Cotton Family Wetlands
1. North American River Otter
2. American Beaver

National Amphibian Conservation Center
1. Emperor Spotted Newt, Anatolian Newt
2. Lake Titicaca Frog
3. Emperor Newt, Anderson's Newt, Stout Salamander, Cherry Shrimp
4. Aquatic Caecilian, Red-eyed Tree Frog, Orange-legged Monkey Frog
5. Ozark Hellbender
6. Giant Monkey Frog
7. Green Sunfish
8. Golden Mantella, Bernhart's Mantella, Betsileo's Mantella, Green Mantella, Arboreal Mantella, Splendid Mantella
9. White's Tree Frog, Asian Painted Toad
10. Borneo Eared Frog, Denny's Tree Frog
11. Lemur Leaf Frog, Granular Glass Frog, Panamanian Golden Frog
12. Mountain Chicken
13. Yellow-banded Poison Dart Frog, Golfoducean Poison Dart Frog, Green-and-Black Poison Dart Frog, Blue Poison Dart Frog, Mimic Dart Frog, Dyeing Dart Frog
14. Mexican Giant Tree Frog, Axolotl
15. Japanese Giant Salamander
16. Puerto Rican Crested Toad
17. Narrow-striped Dwarf Siren, Striped Newt
18. Kihansi Spray Toad
19. Wyoming Toad

Holden Reptile Conservation Center
1. Santa Catalina Island Rattlesnake
2. Western Pond Turtle
3. Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake
4. Chinese Alligator
5. Colorado Desert Sidewinder
6. Green Tree Python
7. Timor Python
8. Eastern Box Turtle, Black Rat Snake
9. Aruba Island Rattlesnake
10. West African Gaboon Viper
11. Emerald Tree Boa
12. Central American Bushmaster
13. Reticulated Python
14. Dwarf Caiman, Giant South American River Turtle
15. Black-headed Python
16. Prehensile-tailed Skink
17. San Esteban Island Chuckwalla
18. Shinge-backed Skink
19. Scheltopusik
20. Sonoran Black Iguana, Beaded Lizard
21. Star Tortoise
22. Argentine Snake-necked Turtle, Yellow-spotted Side-necked Turtle, Matamata
23. Egyptian Tortoise, Mastigure Uromastyx, Saharan Spiny-tailed Lizard
24. McCord's Box Turtle
25. Black Iguana
26. Indo-Chinese Spitting Cobra
27. Pancake Tortoise, Giant Plated Lizard
28. Jamaican Boa
29. Fly River Turtle
30. Black-breasted Leaf Turtle
31. Coahulia Box Turtle
32. Water Monitor

Asian Forest
1. Domestic Bactrian Camel, White-lipped Deer, American Elk
2. Red Panda
3. Red Panda
4. Ring-tailed Lemur

Great Apes of Harambee
1. Western Lowland Gorilla, Chimpanzee (rotated)
2. Western Lowland Gorilla, Chimpanzee (rotated)
3. Western Lowland Gorilla
4. Chimpanzee

Arctic Ring of Life
1. Polar Bear
2. Arctic Fox
3. Gray Seal, Harbor Seal

African Grassland
1. Greater Flamingo, Chilean Flamingo, Gray Crowned Crane, Turkey Vulture, White Stork, African Spoonbill
2. Saddle-billed Stork, Common Ostrich, Common Eland
3. African Lion
4. Japanese Macaque
5. Laughing Kookaburra
6. African Rock Python
7. The Hangout: African Straw-colored Fruit Bat, Linnie's Two-toed Sloth
8. White Rhino
9. Grevy's Zebra, Eastern White-bearded Wildebeest
10. Common Warthog
11. Generic Giraffe
12. Aardvark

Australian Outback Adventure
1. Walkabout: Red Kangaroo, Bennett's Wallaby

American Grasslands
1. Grizzly Bear
2. Gray Wolf
3. Black-tailed Prairie Dog
4. Bald Eagle
5. American Bison
6. Wolverine
7. Domestic Horse
8. Domestic Donkey, Domestic Sheep
9. Domestic Donkey, Domestic Sheep
10. Domestic Donkey, Domestic Sheep
11. Domestic Donkey, Domestic Sheep
12. Domestic Chicken
13. Domestic Pig
14. Domestic Pig
15. Domestic Pig
16. Domestic Cow, Domestic Yak
17. Domestic Cow, Domestic Yak
18. Bush Dog
19. Giant Anteater
20. Sandhill Crane, Hooded Vulture, Lappet-faced Vulture, Cinereous Vulture, Eurasian Griffon Vulture
21. Matscie's Tree Kangaroo
22. Greater Rhea, Fallow Deer, African Pink-backed Pelican, Guanaco

Free-roaming
Indian Peafowl

 

This is an interesting collection. I wonder how many visitors get confused by some of the animals.

I don't know if the word 'America' refers to North and South America or just the U.S.A.

 

It refers to both north and south america

 

Are the Bare-faced curassows gone. According to Zooinstititutes their White lipped deer is a hybrid with Bactrian.

 

Yes, gone for a few years - and the deer is indeed a hybrid

 

That's a shame about the deer. What facilities hold pure White-lipped?

 

SDZSP and Rosamund Gifford Zoo.

 

What were your overall thoughts on Detroit? I enjoyed my visit immensely and it’s one of my favourite zoos so I’m interested to hear what others think about it.

 

I liked it very much overall. I loved the Amphibian Conservation Center. I loved the large enclosures, often containing real trees for arboreal animals. The biggest issue I had with the zoo was the immensely disappointing Arctic Ring of Life. Howver, I would say I rank many other zoos above this one. Not because this one was bad, just that other zoos are better.

 

For reference, here is my rank of the major zoos I have visited:

1. Saint Louis Zoo, Columbus Zoo (tie)
2. Minnesota Zoo
3. Toledo Zoo
4. Detroit Zoo, Brookfield Zoo (tie)
5. Milwaukee Zoo

 

They haven’t returned the king brown snake yet?

 

@TZDugong Keep in mind the order of this list changes regularly.

 

Interesting that you have Detroit tied with Brookfield, as while I enjoy Brookfield more than most people, it’s not in the same ballpark as Detroit. I’d also rank Detroit higher than Columbus although I’d need to visit Columbus again to get a full appreciation of the zoo (I visited in winter).

 

I am curious as to why were you disappointed with the Arctic Ring of Life? I know that most Zoochatters praise this exhibit and consider it one of the best in the country. I myself visited Detroit last summer, but unfortunately most of the exhibit (including the underwater tunnel) was closed for repairs at the time of my visit, and I couldn't form an opinion.

 

I didn't see the Polar Bear. The volunteer stationed there said that the Polar Bear is rarely seen. What use is a great exhibit if you never actually see the animal? Detroit has the same issue with the Aardvark exhibit.

 

I see. I did see the polar bears (though much of the exhibit was closed), and I also saw an aardvark very well (went to its exhibit first thing in the morning). In fact, my best ever pictures of aardvark were taken in Detroit

 

The volunteer I talked to said that he goes past the Aardvark exhibit every day and looks for it. He sees it an average of 1 time a year.

 

Then I suppose I was very lucky, because I saw two, both in broad daylight and very active, running around and digging

 

Here are a couple of my photos taken that morning

 

I also saw the Polar Bears when I visited, I visited two years ago and at that time there were 2 Polar Bears, although I’m not sure what the situation is like now. Unfortunately the Aardvark enclosure was under renovation when I renovated, although the exhibit looked excellent.