This is an unusual post. I went to the Oklahoma City Zoo in 2023 while attending a wedding, however there was a lot of construction going on at the zoo and a couple of exciting animals weren’t on display (specifically the honey badger and Nile lechwe). So I decided I wanted to try to get back to this zoo. A year later, in October again, I made it back. Both the honey badger and Nile lechwe were on display!!
So, let’s get started.
I normally point out the electric scooters in the Visiting the Zoo portion of the website. However, though these are for short-term use, let’s face it they are incredibly cute! I almost rented the rhinoceros.
In 2024, the Oklahoma City Zoo had a number of extra displays. I couldn’t resist getting my photo with wings:
As some of you know from previous posts, zoos often have flamingos as the first display. However, the Oklahoma City Zoo has lemurs.
I believe the ring-tailed and red-ruffed lemurs are the most common lemurs I see at zoos. Their appeal may be that both will be active on warmer days. The ring-tailed lemur was highlighted in the animated movie Madagascar.
The next area is the start of the Africa Savannah area. This was one of the areas under construction in 2023. First up, in 2024, are some female ostriches.
This was followed by African painted dogs. It was pretty warm in 2024 so I was not surprised to see them sleeping. Their area seems reasonably large.
Despite being very social, the African painted dog has never been domesticated.
The spotted hyenas were also in this area but I did not see them. It seems odd to me to have the spotted hyenas and African painted dogs right next to each other, since in the wild they are mortal enemies. As some of you probably know, though hyenas look a bit like dogs, they are more closely related to cats.
Moving on we see one of my favorite big cats, the cheetah.
The cheetah habitat is not very wide but long, so the cheetahs probably have enough room to do some running. An area to run is likely important for cheetahs.
In 2023, the African painted dogs were right next to the cheetahs.
Once again, the natural history of the two species next to each other is interesting to me. Cheetahs, a big cat, runs down its prey in a sprint. While the African painted dog, a type of wild dog, runs down its prey by working together and wearing the prey down to exhaustion. Both methods are successful strategies, with the African wild dogs strategy having a higher success rate.
Having seen them behind glass and fenced in, it can be deceiving how tall both the cheetah and African painted dog are. The African painted dog is only a few inches shorter (as measured at the shoulder) than a wolf. The cheetah can be a few inches taller than a wolf and mountain lion. So though the cheetah and African painted dogs look short from a distance, they are reasonably large predators
Across from the cheetahs is the okapi.
The small okapi may be the calf of the female, the larger one. I know that the ability to view animals is important, but I have often thought more trees and foliage would be nice for this jungle dwelling relative of the giraffe.
In 2023, the ostriches and Addra gazelles were also across from the cheetahs.
The addra gazelle is sometimes called the dama gazelle. These antelopes live deep in the Sahara Desert, and are currently listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Ostriches are doing well in their natural habitat, which is over much of non-jungle Africa, even into the Sahara Desert. Both times at the Oklahoma Zoo I have only seen female ostriches.
In 2023, I went directly into the North America area, since the path down to the rest of the Africa area was closed. However, I continue to look at the Africa area.
First up was wildebeest.
I had been confused by the wildebeest for years. First I thought it was wilderbeast. Then there was the whole wildebeest and gnu being the same animal. More recently I learned there are multiple species of wildebeest. I thought probably several species because I have heard several wildebeest names but in fact there are only two species. The common wildebeest sometimes goes by blue wildebeest or white-bearded wildebeest. The other wildebeest species is the black wildebeest or white-tailed wildebeest. The black wildebeest is only found in South Africa, while the blue (common) wildebeest is found in east and south-central Africa.
The red-flanked duiker was really trying to stay unnoticed. This makes sense because in the wild they are crepuscular, which means they are most active at dusk and dawn. During the middle of the night and day, they tend to stay hidden.
In my last post, of the Kansas City Zoo, I mentioned how large a common eland could get, with males weighing over 1,000 pounds, sometimes nearly a full ton. But the eland looks dwarfed by the giraffes. It is sometimes easy to forget how big giraffes are by weight, since they seem tall and spindly. A male giraffe can reach over a ton and a half, which means they are larger by weight than the American bison!
The male Nile lechwe is a nearly black antelope of Africa. This is an Endangered species found in swampy marsh lands in Sudan. They are uncommon in zoos.
People think of antelopes out on the plains of grasslands, however both the water buck and lechwe (both species) prefer marshy wetlands. However, they also prefer minimal trees.
The last of the Africa area, and headed towards the North America area is the African lion.
The lions were asleep as is often the case. This is true for lions in the wild as well. Usually they spend a lot of time during the day sleeping partially to cool off or not get over heated. Like dogs, lions do not sweat so the only way to cool off is to find shade or cool rock and sleep.
From the African lion we move to the mountain lion of the Americas.
In both 2023 and 2024 the mountain lion was active. Also the mountain lion was very near the glass. In 2024 I met a photographer and we had a lovely chat. She visited the zoo often enough that she knew the mountain lion’s name was Toho. This is because it has a missing toe on one of its front paws. I really enjoy learning things like that. The photographer also made some suggestions on taking photos. Specifically, how I should take photos inside, specifically through the glass of reptiles and amphibians. The funny thing is I can remember the mountain lions name but not the photographers name!
In the wild, mountain lions have an extensive range. They can be found from southeast Alaska and central Canada to the southern tip of South America. In the United States they have been extirpated or nearly so east of the Rocky Mountains.
Right next to the mountain lion their prey animals, specifically elk and white-tailed deer.
In both cases I did not see antlers so I am guessing the elk and white-tailed deer are females. So, an elk is a big deer. However, a male elk is called a bull, not a buck. And, a female elk is called a cow not a doe. Go figure?
The North American elk was thought for years to be very closely related to the European red deer. Actually the elk and red deer are not as closely related, though of the same genus. The elk is more closely related to the less known Thorold’s deer and surprisingly the sika deer.
Moving along there is another predator, the coyote.
Coyotes are a very interesting canine. Despite being highly persecuted throughout their range, except in urban areas, they are doing fairly well. Their range was primarily west (specifically west of the Mississippi River) before colonization of the west. The coyote has expanded beyond their earlier range. They are now found in every state, except Hawaii. I have always thought coyotes look very similar to jackals , however they are fairly closely related to wolves. In fact, hybridization in the wild gray wolves and coyotes is common enough in some areas that there is a group of canines called coywolves in these areas.
Next was an area called the Oklahoma Trails Aviary.
I often get a chuckle when ring-necked pheasants are in with natural species. The ring-necked pheasant was actually imported from Europe. While the ring-necked pheasant of Europe was imported from Asia in about 1000 AD. The first ring-necked pheasants were introduced to Oregon but later that population and captive bred pheasants were released in several states.
The northern bobwhite quail was a very popular game bird in the mid-west and eastern North America. The population of bobwhite quail has been declining recently and are now listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN.
It is surprising to me how often in zoos there is only one turkey vulture. Turkey vultures are very social birds, like most vultures, and at least two would seem a good idea.
Benjamin Franklin wanted the wild turkey to be the national bird. Kind of makes you wonder about Thanksgiving, if that had happened.
Except for the killdeer, turkey vulture and American white ibis, all the birds in this area are or have been game birds, with the trumpeter swan being no longer hunted since the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Across from the Oklahoma Trails Aviary is a small pond and a few other birds.
I think the black necked swan is striking. I like the black and white contrast. White swans are in the northern hemisphere, including Europe and Asia. The black swan is from Australia. So is the black necked swan from Indonesia or Oceania areas? Nope, southern half of South America.
The sandhill crane is sometimes confused with whooping cranes. Whereas the sandhill crane is doing relatively well, the whooping crane is Endangered. I like that the Oklahoma City Zoo has both for people to view.
Next up is a nocturnal barn, which has animals active at night. Zoos will use red lights for zoo-goers so they can see inside. The red light is almost like night. First up, are some owls. Specifically a barn owl and great horned owl.
Some of the differences between the 2023 and 2024 is I was using the suggestions the photographer gave me in 2024.
Barn owls are found on every continent except Antarctica. Barn owls are sometimes called masked owls. They are in a separate taxonomic group from “true” owls, like the great horned owl.
Though in different groups, barn owls and true owls have some similar adaptations. Like all owls have feathers that make them nearly completely silent in flight.
I like the area with the Oklahoma wildlife. Though some of these animals are fairly common in the rural areas, many people who visit a zoo will not get the opportunity to see the wildlife in “their own backyard” so to speak. This brings things home a bit.
Further into the nocturnal barn is the nine-banded armadillo and ring-tailed cat.
The nine-banded armadillo was active on both visits. It was playing in the straw in 2024. On the other hand the ring-tailed cat was hiding during both visits. I got a couple of good photos of a ring-tailed cat at the Little Rock Zoo.
Once again we go outside, and first up are some prairie icons: the American bison with its companion the prairie dog.
The American bison is the largest land animal of North America. A bull male regular reach a ton in weight, females are smaller. There are two recognized subspecies of the American Bison the plains bison and the wood bison. The wood bison tends to be larger than the plains bison. I find it interesting that for tigers and bears zoos usually identify which subspecies, but I do not believe I’ve seen signs identifying which subspecies of bison are displayed.
There is a European bison as well, which is also called a wisent. The bison group is actually different than the buffalo group. Bison are more closely related to domesticate cows. The closest relative of the bison is the yak.
Next are brown bears, I took several photos because the bears were doing different things each time I walked by.
As you might guess, it was much warmer in 2024 than 2023. The bears seemed very content to play and soak in the water. I like the size of this habitat, with lots of room to wander and places to put enrichment.
The Oklahoma City Zoo specifically says these bears are grizzly bears. The grizzly bear is one of several subspecies of brown bear. There are 10 subspecies of brown bears in Eurasia and another 6 subspecies in North America. The brown bear can live along the coast or to elevations of 16,000 feet. Brown bears tend to live in forested areas but can be found on the tundra, alpine meadows and the desolate Gobi Desert. The habitat a bear lives really depends on the subspecies. For example, the bears that live at elevations of up to 16,000 feet are Himalayan brown bear.
After the grizzly bears, is a building called Big Rivers. I thought it would be animals on or in the Missouri or Mississippi Rivers, but it was more general than that. It starts with some rattlesnakes.
I am often amazed by how many different species of rattlesnakes there are. A lot of them look very similar and they are all venomous.
The eastern indigo snake will sometimes eat rattlesnakes. Indigo snakes, like some king snakes, are semi-immune to the rattlesnake venom. The zoo also had the burrowing owl, which is something cute among all the snakes.
Also in the building is a definite river animal, the North American river otter.
I like mustelids (the group of mammals that include weasels, martens, badgers, and otters), so I always enjoy seeing them. I enjoy watching the various kinds of river otters playing in their pools. This looks like a large enough swimming area for the otters to get their exercise. If you look close, you can see some of the bubbles are coming out of the nose, but some are also coming out of their fur. The bubbles out of the fur are due to air escaping between the guard hair and the under-coat.
At the other end of the building, is a window that shows a couple of black bears sleeping.
Later in the day the black bears were out wandering around looking for the enrichment treats the zookeepers left.
Black bears use to be found in all 50 states, except Hawaii. It has been extirpated from most of the plains states.
The North American black bear is unique to North America, and has no real counterpart in Europe. There are sixteen subspecies of black bear in North America. Genetics studies are reassessing these subspecies. There are two I find especially interesting, the glacier bear of southeast Alaska and the Kermode bear of coastal British Columbia. The glacier bear is sometimes called the “blue bear” because of it’s fur color. There are so few and they have been so little studied it is not clear it is a true subspecies. The Kermode bear, or “spirit bear” according to indigenous people, on the other hand is a subspecies. It’s fur is white to creamy-white. People new to the British Columbia area have mistaken them for polar bears.
Outside are some North American birds, first the bald eagle.
I imagine the bald eagle is a rescued bird, that was injured and can’t be released into the wild. I think this because I’ve always seen the eagle on the ground. Also, many bald eagles in zoos are from rescue and rehabilitation facilities.
Where the bald eagle is a conservation success story, the whooping crane is still a work in progress. The whooping crane is listed as Endangered by the IUCN.
The whooping crane is the tallest bird in North America. Likely due to their similar ranges and the low numbers of whooping cranes, the whooping crane has been known to breed with the much more common sandhill crane. This has produced hybrids called “whoophills”. Some of the hybridization was due to whooping crane chicks imprinting on fostering sandhill cranes during early attempts to restore whooping cranes.
Just past the whooping cranes is a pond that has an American alligator, as well as an alligator snapping turtle.
I sometimes feel alligator pools are a bit small. However, alligators in the wild are often ambush predators and so stay in the same place for a while. The common snapping turtles is the same way, an ambush predator. Snapping turtles wait for fish, frogs, or crayfish to get close then snap them up. For the alligator snapping turtle, it extends its prey base to include other turtles and small alligators.
I now head to the great apes area, which first up are western lowland gorillas.
I was very impressed with the size of the gorilla habitat. It seemed to give the gorillas a lot of room to roam.
Though not obvious from the photos, the chimpanzee area was fairly spacious as well. This is good, since in the wild both gorillas and chimpanzees spend a fair amount of time on the ground.
The orangutans, on the other hand, spend much of their time in the trees. So, for orangutans vertical structures are very important for them. The Sumatran orangutan is somewhat smaller than the Bornean orangutan.
All of the great apes are either Endangered or Critically Endangered as listed by the IUCN. I find this interesting since the great apes are some of the most popular exhibits at zoos and they are our closest living relatives.
After the great apes, I head to another very smart animal, the Asian elephant.
This is a very nice exhibit. The exhibit is large and the elephants can roam around the whole area. This was highlighted in a recent issue of “The Connection” which is a magazine published by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
I spent a bit of time watching the elephants walk around and interact with one another. I especially liked the rumbles that elephants make sometimes. They are such interesting animals.
After the Asian elephant I move on to another Asian giant, the greater one-horned rhinoceros.
This armored rhinoceros, is about the same size as the African white rhinoceros (check out the Henry Doorly Omaha Zoo). Both these rhinos are larger than a hippopotamus. When I was growing up, I was taught the three largest living land mammals were the elephant, hippopotamus and the rhinoceros. I guess they were thinking of the African black rhinoceros.
Something I also find interesting about the greater one-horned rhinoceros (sometimes called the Indian rhinoceros), is when they are fighting each other they don’t tend to use their horn but their teeth! They have miniature type tusks.
As you might guess, the Indian rhinoceros isn’t normally reddish. Their color here is due to them rolling around in the red clay mud. Their true color is grayish as can be seen in the photos from the Woodland Park Zoo.
There are some more Asian/Indonesian animals in this area. First a Komodo dragon and red panda.
Both photos were before I learned how to take pictures through glass. The red panda was being very uncooperative.
Also both animals are common in zoos.
Kind of off to the side was a small area with tortoises.
It would be easy to miss these tortoises. This is a shame since both of these tortoise species are Critically Endangered. Remember to check out the small exhibits, they might contain a species you may never see again.
Next my favorite of the very large flightless birds, the cassowary.
Specifically this is the southern double-wattled cassowary. Once again like many animals I learned there was more than one species of cassowary. This is the southern double-wattled cassowary, there is also a northern single-wattled cassowary and the dwarf cassowary. The ladder two species are not found in any zoos outside of Asia and Australia.
Though cassowaries are considered shy birds, when defending territory or their young they can be very aggressive. In fact, for years Guinness Book of World Records labeled the cassowary the most dangerous bird in the world. However , this is probably exaggerated since the cassowary is such a shy bird.
I now go out of the Asia area and head to the big cats, which some are from Asia.
The fishing cat is not often seen in zoos. It is a little bigger than a large house cat and roams wetlands in India.
Several years ago I learned the clouded leopard is the most primitive of wild cats. It is, in fact, the closest living relative to the sabre-toothed cat and sabre-toothed tiger. They also have the longest canine teeth to body size of any living cat species. While near this exhibit in 2023 I had a lovely chat with a zoo-interpreter.
As I’ve mentioned before, zoos often specify which tiger subspecies they have, in this case a Sumatran tiger. The subspecies had been isolated from the mainland tigers for tens of thousands of years or so. It is one of the smallest tiger subspecies.
The serval of Africa has recently become a fairly common exotic animal pet. However, the cross between a serval and a domestic cat (called a Savannah cat) has become even more popular.
Last of the cats in this area is the largest cat of the Americas, the jaguar. Though considered a strictly Latine and South American jungle cat, they are sometimes spotted in the mountains of Arizona and New Mexico.
At this point, I walk to a side area which in both 2023 and 2024 had very few people visiting the area. Looking back this amazes me. You’ll soon learn why. First up is a pair of southern screamers.
I have seen southern screamers at other zoos, however in 2024 I learned first hand why they are called “screamers”. Both of the birds started calling and it not only sounded like a scream, but it was also very loud.
The Patagonian maras look more like small deer or antelope, except for the very rodent face. I have only seen maras at one other zoo that I can recall, however I think they are fairly common in smaller zoos.
The crested porcupine looks very similar to the Cape porcupine. Both types of porcupines are fairly common in zoos. However, if the zoo doesn’t have a sign, I have presumed the porcupine I am looking at was a Cape porcupine. I will need to be more careful in the future.
The last animal down this path are the only ones found in a United States zoo: the raccoon dog.
The raccoon dog, or tanuki, is found in south east Asia. However, it has also been introduced to Europe, where it is considered an invasive species. It is fairly closely related to foxes, and not related to raccoons. They are unique among canines in that they hybernate. Also, like the gray fox the raccoon dog is known to climb trees. What a fasanating creature!!
The Oklahoma City Zoo has a pair of these canines. The second one, which I have not seen, is leucistic (white but not albino). I really hope to get back to the Oklahoma City Zoo and see the leucistic raccoon dog.
So for all the Zoo Folk out there, I would take the extra time to check out the raccoon dog. The only raccoon dogs in the country , WOW!! This is true for other “off to the side” exhibits, as I’ll point out later.
After this wonderful experience I swing by the herpetarium. I have grouped the species, with the first up being venomous snakes.
Despite having rattlesnakes in the “Big Rivers” building, they had several in herpetarium.
There are venomous snakes from around the world displayed. The bushmaster is from South America, the copperhead from North America, and the Gaboon viper is from Africa. The rest of the venomous snakes are from Asia.
I now list the non-venomous snakes, the big snakes (pythons and boas) first.
The large snakes may seem like they are in small habitats, however most of the pythons and boas are ambush predators. They lie in one place for hours or days. Also, once they eat, they rest and digest what they’ve eaten. A large meal will last them a month or more.
I like that they have some snakes that are neither venomous or large. I particularly like the hognose snake. When threatened the hognose snake flattens their front, so they resemble a cobra or the diamond shape head of a rattlesnake. If the threat continues, they roll on their backs and play dead. They even release foul smelling secretions that smell like dead flesh.
Continuing with reptiles, here are the lizards and turtles in the herpetarium.
I have found different species of geckos and skinks are fairly common at zoos. I think the Fijian banded iguana is the most colorful iguana I’ve seen. This is the first time I’ve seen a frilled lizard. When threatened they frill out a piece of skin around their neck so they look larger.
I have seen other leaf turtles and they all have that sharp looking shell. It may not be obvious, but the northern yellow-faced turtle is underwater.
Up next are the few amphibians I got photos of.
The Lake Titicaca frog is an extremely unique amphibian. They live at high elevations, at about 12,500 feet. They are easily the deepest diving frog, diving to 400 feet. Their breathing has been studied extensively since they live completely underwater and breath through their skin. If you are interested in frogs, the Lake Titicaca frog would be a great frog to look into.
I like the spotted newts. They may look very similar but actually live thousands of miles apart.
After the herpetarium, I head over towards the Lee Allan Smith Legacy Hall. In October 2023, the hall was closed. Right next to the hall is where the Oklahoma City Zoo keeps their honey badgers, which were not on display in October 2023. In October 2024, I went straight to the honey badger exhibit upon entering the zoo.
The honey badger was made semi-famous from a YouTube video several years ago. The honey badger was also the mascot of Gru’s old alma mater as seen in the movie Despicable Me 4. Though not as well known, the honey badger had a distinctive role in the movie “The Gods Must Be Crazy 2”.
I have learned a few things about honey badgers over the years, even before the YouTube video . The honey badger has a high tolerance to snake venom and bee stings. Like the American badgers and coyotes, the honey badger will sometimes hunt with jackals. The honey badger will dig and the rodent will try to escape and the jackal will grab it. Other times, the jackal will chase it into a hole, with the honey badger waiting.
The few zoos that keep honey badgers have indicated they are amazing escape artists. The honey badger or ratel as it is sometimes called, is the only non-otter mustelid from Africa held in US zoos. In fact, most Europe and Asia non-otter mustelids are not held in US Zoos.
I now go into the Lee Allan Smith Legacy Hall. When I first walked in, there were some striped grass mice so I thought it was going to be small mammals. I was wrong, there were also reptiles, amphibians and fish.
The striped grass mice were quite active, as were the dwarf mongooses. Though mongoose look similar to weasels, they are not closely related. Weasels are from the canine branch of carnivores and mongooses are from the feline branch.
The Gaboon viper has the largest fangs of any venomous snake. However, their venom isn’t as strong (to people) as some smaller venomous snakes like the cobras.
I think that “uromastyx” would make a great scrabble word. The fantastic leaf-tailed gecko, has the best camouflage of just about any gecko I’ve seen. The other name for the fantastic leaf-tailed gecko is the satanic leaf-taile gecko. I guess they have red eyes!
The puff adder is one of the most common venomous snakes in Africa and is closely related to the common adder which is common throughout Europe and Asia.
The African lungfish is famous for being able to crawl on land and breath air. It can also bury itself in mud and stay alive even though the mud becomes rock hard.
Once again outside, there are some flamingos.
I cut through the Children’s Zoo area where they have some Galapagos giant tortoises.
When I was visiting the zoo in 2023, I was with my wife and in-laws. They had to leave shortly before I headed toward the next exhibit, a small aviary.
Other birds were listed but these are the only ones I got photos of. This is a mix of birds from all over the world.
I have seen the red-crested turaco before, and like other turacos they are quite colorful.
I have seen several types of pheasants in the past, however Edward’s pheasant is Critically Endangered.
I continue down the path, and come across an outdoor aviary. However, most of the birds were being shy.
I have mentioned before that the laughing kookaburra is a fairly common bird in zoos. As I’ve also mentioned, there are several other kookaburras much more colorful.
I think the green-naped pheasant pigeon looks much more like a pheasant than a pigeon.
As mentioned above, when I was visiting the zoo in 2023, I was with my wife and in-laws. As I mentioned with the area with the raccoon dog, this was a less traveled area. The main reason I insisted on continuing was the next exhibit was called “Raptor Ridge”. I am very glad I went to Raptor Ridge. I was expecting eagles but found vultures.
The first of the two mews (a cage for a raptor is called a mew) had the female Andean condor and the two cinereous vultures. I asked a zookeeper if the two cinereous vultures dominated the female Andean condor since the two birds were nearly equal in size. The zookeeper told me it was just the opposite. That the lone female Andean condor dominated the cinereous vultures. I was told she was more aggressive and older.
By itself (mostly) was a male Andean condor.
So as you might guess, I found Raptor Ridge very exciting. The male Andean condor is the largest raptor in the world and the cinereous vulture is the largest Old World (Europe, Asia, and Africa) vulture
I am guessing the male Andean condor was by itself because he would dominate all the others. The Andean condor is my favorite bird with the cinereous vulture coming in second.
What a wonderful zoo. I think the Oklahoma City Zoo is my favorite zoo that I’ve visited since starting the Zoo Folk blog in March 2023. One of the things I like about this zoo is they have some unique animals, like the cinereous vulture, honey badger, Nile lechwe, Barbary striped grass mice, Patagonia mara, and of course, the raccoon dog.
I hope all you Zoo Folk out there enjoyed this tour. What was your favorite animal at the Oklahoma City Zoo? Had you ever heard of a honey badger or raccoon dog before? Had you heard of striped mice? Was your favorite animal displayed at the Oklahoma City Zoo?
I’m interested in your answers so please leave a comment.
So this is the Zoo Guy to all you Zoo Folk, hopefully as the weather warms up you can visit a zoo, maybe the Oklahoma City Zoo, in Oklahoma City.
