First off, before I start this review, I just wanted you to know I was also supposed to be visiting both the Detroit and the Toronto zoo, but both zoo trips got canceled due to having to cancel one trip, and I read the hours wrong for the other (I read the winter hours and I only had time for the afternoon ). So my next review is most likely going to be in march or April and will most likely be the Cincinnati zoo. Anyway, here is my National zoo review. The National zoo is located near Washington D.C. and is located on over 100 acres of property. What is really great about the zoo is that it is free admission, as it is payed for by tax dollars. The zoo has some fantastic exhibits and is one of the best in the country. The bird house was closed, so I was not able to see it. Asia Trails: My personal favorite exhibit neighborhood in the zoo, where you are surrounded by a bamboo forest. It is home to Clouded Leopards, Asia Small Clawed Otters, Red Pandas, Giant pandas, Fishing Cats, Sloth Bears, and Asian Elephants. The Small Clawed Otter, Giant Panda, and Asian Elephant habitats are most definitely the best of their kind, being totally or mostly natural and are quite large in size. And most if not all of the other exhibits in the area are above average exhibits. The Fishing cat exhibit, however, is on the small side. The best part about this was the fact that each exhibit had so many fantastic viewing areas. American Trail: Another decent exhibit area, with a fantastic Sea lion exhibit, which was on the large side for the species and had plenty of viewing areas. The seal exhibit is much smaller and would be much improved with some underwater viewing areas. All the exhibits in this region have multiple viewing areas. The Beaver exhibit is pretty nice with a large size and good viewing areas. The bald eagle, raven, and Gray Wolf exhibits are simply average. Andean Bears and Amazonia: The two Andean Bear habitats are both quite large and attractive habitats, with plenty of room and shade for the bears. Amazonia was one of the coolest areas in the zoo, due to the fact that there is a walkthrough jungle. The amazon river area was a quite nice area with dozens of different species of fish and rays. The tanks were separated by glass, which made it look like one big tank, and for a second, I thought Piranhas were sharing a tank with catfish and Arapaima. After the river area there is another area of tanks with some frogs, salamanders, goliath bird eating tarantulas and more fish. And then, there is the over head jungle on the top floor with dozens of birds, some primates that I couldn't identify, overhead viewings of the fish tanks which made you feel like you were walking above the amazon. In my opinion, it was the coolest area of the zoo. After this was an amphibian research area which had lots of species of salamanders, dart frogs and more. For amphibian lovers, this is quite a cool area. Great cats: Home to Bobcats, Caracal Lynxes, Sumatran Tigers and Lions. The tiger and Lion habitats were both quite large, but they were unattractive and unnatural looking. But at the same time, it is getting the lions and tigers to climb. The lynx and bobcat exhibits were on the small side. The zoo gave fantastic tiger info and skull casts and paw casts if actual size to compare yourself to a Tiger. Lemur Island: Home to Ring tailed Lemurs, Black and white Lemurs, and I believe red fronted lemurs (apologies, I forgot the last ones name ). This is definitely a top three lemur exhibit, and is one of the largest primate exhibits in the entire zoo. Think Tank: An exhibit that for the study for the thinking of animals with a large tunnel system for rats. The area also included allen's swamp monkeys, red tailed monkeys, hermit crabs, and a large area for orangutans, where they can actually interact with you. The orangutans can spray you with mist, and also play tug of war. They can also climb on the O-line to get to their exhibit at the great ape building but sadly, as it was so hot out, the Orangutans were inside. Reptile Discovery Center: This section of the review could go on forever, so I am going to keep it short. This is the best reptile building in the country. Home to a large variety of Crocodilians, Lizards, Snakes, and amphibians. The exhibits are definitely up to standards for reptile exhibits, and most of them (with the exception of the Philippine Crocodile exhibit) are quite large. Great ape Building: A pretty cool designed area, even though the Orangutans have the O-line, the actual exhibits are pretty small. The indoor areas are alright for indoor areas with a bigger space and lots of climbing opportunities. Same goes for the Gorillas. The outdoor Gorilla habitat is on the small side, but it a nice exhibit with a good amount of climbing opportunities for the largest primate. Small mammal house: The small mammal house is home to dozens of species of mammals including sloths, fennec foxes, sand cats, Golden Lion Tamarins, Red Ruffed Lemurs and lots more. All the exhibits are a good sized except for the fennec fox and sand cat habitats. For indoor exhibits, they were quite nice looking. In the back, there are outdoor exhibits for coatis, howler monkeys, and some closed exhibits, plus a habitat for Przewalski's horses, which were average sized. American Bison: Most zoos have an area of exhibits that are pretty bad. For the national zoo, it is the Bison exhibit. Bison need large areas to roam, and they don't even have that. I can't estimate the size, but it is smaller than just one Giant Panda habitat. Also, it isn't even an attractive looking area. Cheetah Conservation Center: Home to Lesser Kudu, Dama Gazelle, Situtanga, Red River hogs, Grevy's Zebra, ground hornbills, maned wolves, vultures, and of course, cheetahs. The cheetahs at the zoo have two habitats that are both quite large and natural, and the cheetahs get a view of the zebras in the exhibit next to them. The maned wolves have the second best habitat with plenty of places to hide, as well as a good sized exhibit. The three other exhibits are all on the small side and are below average exhibits. Out of the zoos I have visited, I would put the National zoo at #3. In North America, I would rank the zoo anywhere between #5 and #15. I hope you enjoyed my review, I appreciate it when people read this stuff even though it is quite long. Also, in case anyone is wondering, I enjoyed my trip to the National zoo.
The zoo is in the city actually. While they're not the biggest, it's two exhibits for (currently) one cat. While I agree, there's really know place to put an underwater viewing area. You're correct. I love the National zoo (what do you think the NZP in my username stands for?) It has a lot of great exhibits. In my opinion the Reptile Discovery Center isn't one of them. I haven't been to many zoos, but i'm sure there's a better reptile building in the USA.
Thank you for the detailed review, I visited in 2008 and enjoyed it, especially Asia Trails even though the elephant area had not yet been renovated. My memory of the bird area is fuzzy but I think the variety of species was good but the exhibits were dated?
I'm going there in November. It's extremely exciting because this will be my first major zoo outside of California. It will also be my first time seeing many rare animals. My process when going to a zoo is looking up the zoo and seeing what animals they have in store for me. Unfortunately, the website is not entirely accurate when it comes to birds. So my question is, what kind of birds can I expect to see in the zoo (I know the bird plateau and bird house are closed).
Rüppell's griffon vulture, Abyssinian ground hornbill, bald eagle, common raven, brown pelican, Harris' hawk (visible behind the scenes), green aracari, ringed teal, sunbittern, roseate spoonbill, silver-beaked tanager, blue-gray tanager, red-crested cardinal, yellow-bellied grosbeak, yellow-rumped cacique, crested oropendola (if they've moved yet), Von der Decken's hornbill, and chicken.
The website is actually pretty accurate (it is missing some species) when it comes to birds. If a species page doesn't list an exhibit than it's either an SCBI or former Bird House species.
Cheetah Conservation Station: Rüppell's griffon vulture and Abyssinian ground hornbill American Trail: Bald eagle, Common raven, Brown pelican, Harris' hawk Small Mammal House: Von der Decken's hornbill Kids Farm: Domestic chicken There's a bunch in Amazonia but I don't know the full list. The one you will certainly see is the roseate spoonbill however.
Is there any other animals not mentioned on the website? A small mammal or a reptile? Maybe an amphibian?
I don't know of any mammals that aren't listed. I'm sure there's probably a reptile/amphibian that isn't listed. A lot of the fish in Amazonia aren't listed either.
I suggest you use this thread to your advantage: Smithsonian National Zoo - Smithsonian National Zoo species list. It is not entirely up-to-date, but for the most part will be correct. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask.
There was definitely a bunch of reptiles and amphibians the only ones I can remember are glass lizards and dart frogs
