Habitats
The Toyota Children's Ranch and Petting Corral is located just inside Texas Wild!. Guests can get up close to and share space with animals, including goats and sheep and pet many farm/ranch species, such as miniature donkeys, pigs, chickens, snakes and more. This space is just one more opportunity for guests to personally connect with animals and learn more about them.
The African Savanna is the first stage of A Wilder Vision. Sitting on 10 acres of Zoo land, the Savanna allows guests to see giraffes, springbok, ostriches and more in one area. This habitat is surrounded by shaded walkways and an aviary with a variety of bird species for Zoo visitors to discover. A hippo river includes spectacular above-water and underwater viewing. The space also includes an elevated deck for giraffe feeding, restaurants, shaded viewing areas, The Reserve and much more.
Click here to learn more about African Savanna.
Elephant Springs is the second stage of A Wilder Vision. Almost tripling its original size, this space serves as the home to our Asian elephant herd, which includes a three-generation family. The addition of multiple, expanded yards and varied habitats helps to enhance the Zoo’s successful breeding program. These improvements allow the herd numerous enrichment opportunities with multiple pools and yards. Walk through the floating village as elephants swim in the 500,000 gallon pool below. Engage with the elephants by spraying water into the pool and admire the waterfalls cascading down the rocks from the village water tower above.
The greater one-horned rhino makes its home next door to Elephant Springs.
Click here to learn more about Elephant Springs.
No need to travel halfway across the globe in order to view the wonders of Australia’s wildlife. The Fort Worth Zoo brings Australia’s aquatic and terrestrial animal species to guests in its Australian Outback and Great Barrier Reef habitats, located across from the Zoo Creek Cafe.
Australian Outback is home to several species of Australian birds and a group of red kangaroos. The large marsupials spend their days snoozing in the sun and bouncing through their habitat.
Zoo visitors can go to the depths of the Coral Sea at the Fort Worth Zoo's Great Barrier Reef, an aquatic space with three saltwater tanks containing more than 10,000 gallons of water. Australian aquatic wildlife including vibrant fish, eels, corals, small invertebrates and blacktip reef sharks are showcased for a close-up encounter.
We are working hard to improve your Zoo! Flamingo Bay is currently closed and is scheduled to reopen in fall 2022. While the Caribbean flamingos are off exhibit, you can visit the Chilean flamingos, along with the lesser flamingos, across from the Museum of Living Art (MOLA).
Flamingo Bay is home to more than 70 flamingos. This location has two of the world's six flamingo species on display: Caribbean flamingos and Chilean flamingos.
In the spring and summer months, guests may spot flamingo chicks in the yard. The Zoo's bird department has had immense success with its flamingo captive breeding programs. The Fort Worth Zoo is one of a handful of institutions to successfully breed and hatch 4 of the world’s 6 flamingo species and has been the No. 1 Lesser Flamingo captive breeding facility in the world since 2002.
The Fort Worth Zoo’s, Museum of Living Art (MOLA), a premier, award-winning herpetarium, brings guests eye-to-eye with some of the most exotic and endangered species on the planet. Each facet of MOLA is a piece of art — from the life-like, hand-painted murals on the building walls to the 5,000 reptiles, amphibians and more that are living, breathing works of art.
The 30,000-square-foot indoor/outdoor facility houses more than 250 amphibian and reptile species, representing more than 5,700 animals. Upon entering MOLA, guests see North America’s largest saltwater crocodile, measuring more than 15 feet long, in its "oceanfront" habitat. Other crowd-pleasers include the Zoo's 15.5-foot Burmese python, Fly River turtles, yellow-spotted climbing toads and a king cobra, all housed in bright, natural habitats with one-of-a-kind mural and rock work in each habitat. The Zoo's Komodo dragons reside in indoor and outdoor spaces, complete with a dirt bank ideal for digging holes and laying eggs, and a pool that's perfect for basking in the sun.
Open encounter areas encourage discussion and education and allow guests to come face-to-face with exotic reptiles such the Fiji Island iguana or the Puerto Rican crested toad. Complete with educational programming and correlating activities such as backpack tours and keeper chats, MOLA also shares messages of environmental stewardship with guests, students and teachers throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.
The Zoo's Penguins habitat opened in 2008 and has both indoor and outdoor viewing areas available to watch these feathered friends. Though most people think of penguins as cold-weather creatures, African penguins are native to the southwestern coast of Africa. The birds are accustomed to warm temperatures, so the Texas heat feels like home. Guests can walk right up to the glass and watch as the penguins swim in a large pool.
Southern rockhopper penguins can be found in the indoor Penguins habitat. Large panels of Plexiglas give vantage points both above and below water. Watch the penguins waddle across the rocky terrain, or get an underwater view as they gracefully slice through the water.
Raptor Canyon introduces Zoo guests to seven species of raptors. A heavily shaded path winds through the walkway, immersing guests in the birds’ habitats. Each habitat extends high in the trees and, in some cases, overhead. A mesh barrier between guests and the birds facilitates easy viewing.
All the residents of Raptor Canyon are magnificent creatures, and some of them are endangered. Birds in Raptor Canyon include the African crowned eagle, Andean condor, king vulture and harpy eagle.
Did you know that Texas is home to more animal species than any other state in the nation? Texas Wild! celebrates the state we all love and the wildlife that shares the land with us. Opened in 2001, Texas Wild! paints a picture of the Lone Star State by leading visitors through the state's different regional landscapes. By the time guests finish their tour through the space, they can say they've seen Texas in a day!
This location is highly focused on wildlife conservation, educating visitors about what is being done right now to conserve Texas wildlife and steps that need to be taken in the future in order to retain the state's natural beauty. As visitors travel through Texas Wild!, they are challenged to become stewards of the land. The eclipsing message is one of coexistence; that is, finding a way to live peacefully with wildlife in ways that benefit everyone. Beginning July 5, 2022, the Mountains and Desert area of Texas Wild! will be closed for improvements.
The pyramid that pierces the sky at the peak of the World of Primates habitat is the first sight that most people first notice upon entering the Zoo. Inside the space, a huge tree in the center of the aviary stretches to the ceiling. Around the perimeter, black-and-white colobus monkeys leap and play with their white hair flowing behind them. The Zoo's bonobos (an ape species similar to chimpanzees) also have an indoor habitat. Outside, the World of Primates stretches even further, providing habitats for orangutans, mandrills and white-cheeked gibbons. A troop of gorillas lives outside in a lush forest habitat. The bonobos have a large outdoor area as well.
Primates are known for being active and entertaining. The gibbons display impressive speed and artistry as they swing through their jungle-gym-like structure, and the orangutans like to make a toy out of an unlikely item: burlap sacks. Whether guests are inside or outside, there is plenty to see across the 2.5 acres of the World of Primates.