Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Displaying Native Fauna at its Best | Review of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

Please note that this review is from a visit in early May, so some of this may be a bit out of date.

Review of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

https://www.desertmuseum.org

Labor Day 1952 saw the grand opening of this fascinating attraction located outside of Tucson, Arizona. It was originally the brain child of an individual who wished to connect the wonders of the Sonoran Desert with the Tucson community. At first, the establishment consisted of animals and plants from within and around the region, but soon went on to include minerals and other educational components to truly round out the Sonoran experience. Lately, the facility has gained recognition in local conservation efforts (such as for Mexican gray wolf and thick-billed parrot) and its innovative exhibit design. The collection today sits at about 4,900 individual animals, making up 242 species.

Interestingly, to me, the Desert Museum shared some similarities to Wisconsin’s Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary. Both display native animal species, utilize the natural landscape to its advantage, and have a strong sense of conservation and preservation of local ecosystems. However, there are some notable elements that help the Arizona attraction stand out amongst many others. The concept of ASDM, bringing to life a little-known environment, from its natural resources, to the fauna that inhabit it, to the scorching vistas of rock and sand, is fully embraced and executed brilliantly. It’s honestly hard to talk about it, as I feel putting into words just may not do much justice – but, I’ll do my best!

Animal Exhibit Complexes​

Mountain Woodland – Most of the Museum’s largest species are found on this trail, which appears to wind around high cliffs and in and out of shrubbery. Up first is a very nice habitat for a cougar, easily one of the best I’ve seen. Not only is it open-topped, a rare sight in the zoo world, but it is very well laid out. A solid balance of rock and foliage, it’s steep for the cats, fairly large, and a refreshing water moat below equate to a great start to the complex. Next door is a good-sized American black bear exhibit (none to be seen) that interestingly reminds me of an older bear grotto. There is a lot of rock present, a pool, and what appeared to be not as much natural substrate. On the other hand, one has to remember that this is supposed to represent the Sonoran; in that regard, this exhibit succeeds. Additionally, there are a couple trees present, a mister to keep cool, and the rocky terraces do give the bears a nice variety of terrain to navigate. Coues white-tailed deer (a first for me) are found across the path in a narrow enclosure that is well-vegetated and provides some awesome views close up. Lastly, Mexican gray wolves (off-display at the time of my visit) also have a narrow exhibit with some large trees that gave a good amount of shade. There were also a few empty exhibits scattered around this trail as well; by the looks of it, they appeared to be aviaries. What previously resided in these?

Desert Grassland – Most of this complex consists of an open-air building, with a few surrounding exhibits on the trail before/afterwards. Starting with the building, half of it is taken up by a fascinating display of the prairie dog town life, complete with signs and artificial tunnels. The other half is a series of animal exhibits that are quite large and well-detailed for their occupants. Some of the species include prairie rattlesnake, Mojave rattlesnake, harvesting ant, long-nosed snake, and grasshopper mouse. The rest of the trail includes a huge prairie dog habitat with equally huge windows to watch the ever-popular rodents, a desert box turtle exhibit, a nice burrowing owl habitat with no owls in sight, and a marsh area for great blue herons (this appeared to be closed due to construction, along with a small portion of the building).

Desert Loop Trail – Bringing up Bay Beach again, there’s an exhibit complex there called Wildlife Habi-Trek. There are a few larger animal habitats scattered along a trail that winds through the forest, plus a cluster of smaller species set within an enclosed area. I bring this up because I’d consider this to be the ASDM equivalent of that complex. And, just like with that Wisconsin facility, this is the strongest that the attraction has to offer. Coyotes and javelinas are this trail’s main features, and they are showcased beautifully, with a huge amount of space that is essentially a fenced-in slice of the arid landscape. In the case of the latter species, I was particularly impressed by how immersive it was; how a couple bridges pass over the enclosure, and the winding design makes it look as if it never ends. Another highlight is the pioneer usage of “invisinet,” a nearly invisible mesh-like barrier that practically blends into its surroundings. The coyotes seem as if they could wander off into the hills! The main trail also features a mixed-species lizard habitat that, believe it or not, was my favorite part of the complex. Eastern collared lizards and chuckwallas share a rocky habitat filled with desert plants and cacti surrounded by a glass wall. It's an absolutely superb display, and it’s not often one sees small reptiles such as these out and about, fully exposed to the elements.

Near the starting point of the complex, “Life on the Rocks” was added in 2007. All sorts of amphibians, reptiles, invertebrates, and even the occasional small mammal or bird are seen in an array of exhibits. A few are large displays of ecosystems, whether it is a slice of wetlands for many types of frogs; a scrubland area for roadrunners, jackrabbit (neither of which I saw), and reptiles; or even an open habitat dotted with bushes for hog-nosed skunk, antelope squirrel, and tortoise (none of which were spotted). Apart from that trio of superb habitats, along with an aviary for elf owl (didn’t see), the rest of the enclosures are predominantly terrariums innovatively set into the surrounding rocks. Some such as gila monster and snakes are situated beneath the above-mentioned exhibits, as if they are burrowing underneath. Others involve peeking through the rocks in order to see tiny denizens such as spiders or even California leaf-nosed bat. The most unique of these can oddly enough be found beneath the rocks. Specifically, a couple terrariums for scorpions are seen by taking a rock cover, and opening it to reveal the animal inside – almost as if one would while exploring a backyard or hiking! It’s truly great to see unique displays such as this once in a while. Thanks to its innovative presentation and diverse group of species, this is overall one of the strongest exhibit complexes I’ve come across.

Cat Canyon – This is a circle of four different grotto-like exhibits. Admittedly, there may not seem to be a lot to these enclosures on first glance. However, the more I think about it, all of them are almost like a miniature version of the cougar habitat; they all feature high rocky walls, a blend of vegetation and rock to navigate, and the many opportunities to gain some height. The ground area is not particularly large, but the layout of these exhibits sometimes makes it a bit difficult to gage/see the entirety of the space, plus the additional exhibit features help make up for this. Species on display include gray fox (didn’t see), ocelot, bobcat, and a fourth exhibit that was empty.

Riparian Corridor – A predominantly aquatic-based complex. The first species encountered is the desert bighorn sheep. The two ewes I saw resided in a mountainous area that is quite nice with tons of boulders and cliffs to bound up and down on. One sheep was on one of the top ledges, making for some great photo opportunities! Moving along, a pair of aquatic mammals are on each side of the path. One exhibit is home to a beaver, sharing the large pool with a variety of fish; the other contained a river otter, complete with a steep land area to go with the deep pool. Both mammals can also be seen via underwater viewing, including a beaver dam window. Nearby are a series of fish tanks that are average in size and detail; the species include beautiful shiner, gila topminnow, longfin dace, and bonytail chub. One last thing I’d like to point out is that there is a huge, heavily vegetated habitat across from the otters and beavers that is currently empty. Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t this for coatis? If so, it’s a real shame as it appears it would be a fantastic display.

Birds of the Sonoran Desert – This is a large, excellent aviary with a wide variety of native birds. To enter, one must briefly go through a dark hallway, with only shimmers of sunlight shining through from above. Upon leaving the tiles of bird species found on the walls, along with a lit-up sign for the aviary, a dense scrubland-like habitat comes into view. I was surprised by how well shaded it was, with towering trees to go along with the low bushes and cacti that typically dot this landscape. There is even a nice stream trickling through near the start of the trail. With a wide array of feathered residents (I remember seeing quails, white-winged dove, and hooded oriole just to name a few) to try and find, all in a nicely designed and naturalistic enclosure, bird lovers will likely have a field day in this area.

Life Underground – If I had to pick an exhibit complex that was the least successful, I’d probably go with this one. I really like the idea behind it, showcasing some animals that tend to spend their lives/burrow under the surface, all while actually traversing underground in a dimly lit hallway. However, in execution, there are some improvements that could be made. Most of the burrow exhibits are rather basic in presentation, mainly consisting of a narrow, rocky passageway with a bit of substrate. Some of them are also fairly tiny for their occupants; while the ones for rodents and invertebrates work fine, others like the ringtail would benefit from more space. Lastly, the hallway that guests walk down is an ordinary hall without much of an immersive edge aside from the dim lighting. This actually would’ve been great to include in the Cave area near the front of the facility, or incorporate some of those design elements into here as well. Partial species list is: ringtail (didn’t see), kangaroo rat (another first), white-throated wood rat, desert millipedes, and a few snake species.

Hummingbird Aviary – Coupled with the larger aviary mentioned earlier, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is surprisingly strong in displaying birds. This, in my opinion, is the stronger of the two aviaries mainly due to its unique dedication to hummingbirds. It’s enclosed in a circular brick structure, fronted by a wooded wall that looks really nice, standing out from its surroundings. Going into the aviary, like the previous one, there is a trail loop that goes around a good amount of vegetation. This time around, it’s lusher and packed with large flowers. As these are right next to the path, this allows for excellent opportunities to watch the hummingbirds in their nectar-eating glory. It’s quite a peaceful setting that serves a nice finale before heading back towards the entrance plaza. I had a great time slowly walking amongst the foliage, with the little birds (Rofous, broad-tailed, Costa’s, broad-billed, black-chinned, and Anna’s species are found here) buzzing all around me.

Warden Aquarium – This is one of two animal areas that make up the entrance plaza. Although smaller than most aquariums found in zoos, this 2013 development is a pleasant break from the heat. The main theme of this complex is “Rivers to the Sea;” so one experiences marine wildlife starting with freshwater environments such as the Colorado River, leading the way to saltwater regions and ecosystems like the Gulf of California and Cabo Palmo Coral Reef. Although fairly basic in presentation, the tanks themselves are well-done, for they are a good size for each occupant and decent in terms of naturalism. A number of them are also pretty unique in presenting a certain behavior or environmental factor. For example, in the saltwater area, there’s a tank that is dimly lit as a nocturnal display. As a result, the anemones give off a beautiful fluorescent glow, while the bigscale soldierfish and others dart around in behaviors one usually doesn’t see. Like the Cave area, this complex also does a good job in its signage; while the animals are showcased via electronics, the conservation and biome facts are prominently featured in large and colorful displays. There are even a few models of sea creatures like the hammerhead shark and vaquitas. Some of the species list includes: bonytail chub (another first), eels (garden, starry, and jewel), hi-hat, Mexican lookdown, barred flagtail, Pacific seahorse, horn sharks (including a couple mermaid’s purse eggs that were in separate plastic cases for protection), longnose hawkfish, yellow longnose butterflyfish, Cortez angelfish, sonoyta pupfish, Colorado pikeminnow, and razorback sucker.

Reptile, Invertebrate, and Amphibian Hall – Across from the Warden Aquarium on the other side of the entry plaza is a pair of hallways for herps and invertebrates. Reptiles occupy the first hallway in terrariums that are overall decent in both naturalism and size, and feature animals such as Central American boa, many types of rattlesnake (like twin spotted, western diamondback, Mojave, great basin, and Baja California), milk snake, chuckwalla, gila monster, and Madrean alligator lizard (another first). The second is the more successful of the two halls in my opinion, and is home to both invertebrates (Sonoran giant centipede, water scorpion, giant water bug, black widow, and several scorpions just to name a few) and amphibians (just a few examples being tiger salamander, Colorado river toad, and Mexican leaf frog). Once again, the terrariums are nice in both quality and space, but what gives this hall the edge is the educational signage. Some focus on the invertebrates, specifically going into what makes up an arthropod, while others go into detail regarding the lives of amphibians and their conservation value.

Other Exhibits – There are two different reptile exhibits around the establishment that aren’t a part of any specific complex. First, there’s a lizard habitat seen right before paying admission that, to be honest, I had no idea was even there until I walked out of the gates! A dozen species of lizard can be found in a large, circular habitat that contains a large tree, dousing the rocks and bushes below in shade. I didn’t locate any lizards, but it was a delightful discovery and finish to my visit. The lizards on display are common chuckwalla, greater earless lizard, lesser earless lizard, zebra-tailed lizard, desert iguana, regal horned lizard, Clark spiny lizard, desert spiny lizard, side-blotched lizard, lined tree lizard, western whiptail, and Sonoran spotted whiptail. The second is a mid-sized desert tortoise pen situated just outside Birds of the Sonoran Desert.

NOTE – Although I did pass by it, I did not check out Stingray Touch, a pool where guests can feed and touch cownose rays.

Visitor Experiences​

The one thing that most visitors will notice and mention right away with ASDM is the setting. The establishment is nestled right in the middle of the wilds of the magnificent Sonoran Desert; in fact, one has to drive through a steep valley of cacti and past several large bushes before coming upon the entrance to the parking lot. The entry plaza, a large, nice, and open area for guests to brace themselves for the long and hot adventure, looks out over most of the property. As one continues further down the path, the landscape seems to slope down, creating an effective and immersive backdrop. Even most of the structures around the grounds appear to blend in with their surroundings well. Some are built with artificial yet highly realistic rockwork like the Life Underground complex or the “Earth Sciences Center” cave area; others are more modern looking such as the restaurants and art galleries, yet have a design that doesn’t look too out of place or incorporates natural features such as stone walls; finally, several smaller buildings such as the entry gate are a pleasant blend of wood and tan concrete – almost reminiscent to the traditional adobe homes. The grounds, as stated before, are essentially a slice of the Sonoran; this means one will be treading across mostly dirt pathways, past towering Saguaros, pushing aside yellow palo verdes, or even admiring flowers such as marigolds and ocotillos. The majority of the pathway is laid out in a loop, so fortunately one can properly pace themselves in the scorching heat without having to backtrack all that much.

Though the amenities and additional attractions for guests are a bit more limited in comparison to most zoos, there is still a nice variety on offer – plus a few unique areas that stand out in comparison. In terms of guest services, food and drinks are served at a coffee bar in the entrance area; “Ironwood Terraces” restaurant is a short walk from the large aviary and offers some nice views of the surrounding foliage; and the “Cottonwood” café is found near the Riparian Corridor. Gift shops can also be visited near the first two areas as well. With other attractions, the latest addition would be the “Packrat Playhouse,” which opened in the mid or late 2010’s. It’s an indoor, air-conditioned playroom for children right next to the “Life on the Rocks” area in the Desert Loop Trail. I didn’t see it for myself, but from what I’ve seen in pictures it looks quite unique. Lastly, there are a few small garden loops dedicated to the most notable types of desert plants or highlighting the importance of pollinators to the region and its flora.

As the attraction is called the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, there are, of course, a few major museum components. The most notable of these is the “Earth Sciences Cave,” which begins with an amazing walk through a recreation of a dark cave. Stalactites, stalagmites, cave pools, a cramped off-shoot trail, and more are encountered as one tries to feel their way through the darkness – it strongly reminded me of Omaha’s Kingdoms of the Night. Throughout the cave walk, there are several bits and pieces explaining about the life of bats and what kinds of fossils of prehistoric animals were found here. Speaking of which, the next section is a round room that features a timeline of how the Sonoran naturally formed over the course of millions of years. It was astonishing to think and learn that just a few hundred thousand years ago, the desert we know and admire today was in its infancy! A final room showcases a wide variety of minerals that were unearthed in the surrounding areas, before heading outside to discover the final prehistoric display. A stone wall prominently shows off the skeleton of the Sonorasaurus, a sauropod that was first described in the 1990’s. Guests can even try their hands at digging up fossils in a sandy dig pit. It may not feature any live animals (though I think incorporating the Life Underground animals would be an awesome idea), but the history behind this section is truly an amazing experience for those interested in history – or dino geeks like me! Beyond that, there is the “Ironwood Gallery,” which contains a number of art displays, and the “Education Building & Library,” but I didn’t venture into either of these.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: I didn’t think I would ever mention tiny lizards being a part of this section in any of my reviews! However, while I was on the Desert Loop Trail, there was a highly active chuckwalla scampering along the rocks and shrubs of its superb enclosure. Meanwhile, atop a large rock formation, there stood a collared lizard surveying the land as if it ruled it all. The chuckwalla soon proceeded to climb the collared’s throne, and, after a brief stare down, took over the rocks. Although the event starred just a couple small lizards, it is events like this that can unexpectedly make a certain exhibit quite memorable.

Overall: I would probably say this is the strongest zoological facility I’ve come across in Arizona thus far. It is true that missing out on a number of species (as one could tell by the number of “didn’t sees”) was a pity; however, it doesn’t demerit the overall level of success the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum achieves. By capitalizing on its core concept, adding in overall great quality exhibitry, using the beautiful desert landscape in its favor, and going and beyond its educational value in a fascinating way, this is likely one of the epidemies of an authentic zoo experience. Despite only displaying animals (and plants and other objects for that matter) from the surrounding Sonoran Desert, I’d definitely recommend making the drive down to Tucson. It’s one of those places that one may leave with a sense of awe or surprise that they may not have expected, something that can be hard to pull off, and that’s the true magic of ASDM.

Regarding the future of the attraction, I’ve heard a few different ideas floating around such as American crocodiles, relocating a few larger species, and the constantly mentioned jaguar habitat. However, it doesn’t seem like anything has been confirmed yet.

 

Thank you for this excellent detailed review! I visited in 1990 and would love to go back!

 

This was a joy to read....thanks so much!

 

If I remember correctly there used to be an aviary of thick-billed parrots in this zone.

 

Thanks for all the replies!

@DavidBrown That’s a real shame, as not only is it a species I don’t think I’ve seen before, but also this was one animal that ASDM has worked with quite a bit. Pity they don’t have them anymore.