San Diego Zoo animals that steal the spotlight

The endangered pygmy hippopotamus looks like a smaller version of its larger cousin, the common hippopotamus. These predominantly-nocturnal animals like to roam around their outdoor enclosure at night. They live peacefully alongside their neighbours, the Wolf’s monkeys, off Treetops Way in Lost Forest.

These mysterious animals, originally residents of the rain forests in Southeast Asia, have a stocky build and cloud-like spots on them. They are a rarely-seen genus of cats and have canines that are the same size as tigers, in spite of their smaller body size. Clouded leopards are currently a threatened species.

Bonobos are among the most intelligent primates in the world. These highly endangered animals are very social and they have never been observed killing another member of their own species. Among the San Diego Zoo animals, Bonobos hold a special place because the zoo was one of the first of its kind to include them in its exhibits.

The San Diego Zoo is home to a colony of African penguins, whose natural habitat is the shorelines of southern Africa. The adorable creatures can traverse both land and sea, and their black-and-white coloring is an adaptive feature designed to evade predators. African penguins are an endangered species and they live in the Africa Rocks section of the zoo.

The Elephant Odyssey section of the zoo has strikingly smart and social elephants. At the Elephant Care Center, they even participate in their own health checks! These giants eat around 330 pounds of food in one day, which mainly consists of grasses, trees, leaves, shrubs, and other kinds of vegetation.

Originally residents of China’s bamboo forests, red pandas have traditionally been associated with the giant pandas but are now representatives of their own genetic family, Ailuridae. These endangered bamboo-munching animals have red and white fur, which helps disguise them among the red moss and white lichen of their natural habitat.

Hamadryas Baboons are highly active animals that belong to the Old World monkey family. They were sacred to the ancient Egyptian civilization and are thus also called 'sacred baboons'. These omnivorous baboons usually live in arid and rocky regions, therefore they are great at climbing and exploring sheer cliffs for food and shelter.

The two-toed sloths are not part of the usual San Diego Zoo animal crew, but make special appearances now and then as animal ambassadors. These sloths are usually found in the forests of South America and have curved claws growing 3 to 4 inches long. They eat leaves, stems, buds, and some fruit of low nutritional value and are thus low on energy.

Amur leopards have a rich sense of scent, so their caregivers at the zoo add touches of spicy oils like cinnamon, spearmint, and lavender to their hay and climbing platforms. They love climbing, exploring, and playing but also love sleeping equally. These stealthy and graceful animals are endangered and are found in the Africa Rocks and Asian Passage sections.

Vervet monkeys are highly social animals with a strong sense of community. They often play with their young, groom each other, and sunbathe together. They are extremely smart creatures who are very expressive, both vocally and using body language. They have a very distinctive alarm call when faced with predators such as leopards, eagles, pythons, and baboons.

These elegant beings are thought to be the most terrestrial primate species and are found in the mountains of Ethiopia. Geladas have a distinct patch of bare, pink skin on their neck and chest area in the shape of an hourglass. In spite of their relative smallness when compared to the males, the females are the commanding force in a unit of Geladas.

Chinese alligators are a critically endangered species that can be seen at the Discovery Outpost section of the San Diego Zoo. Because of their petite size, these crocodiles look almost cute and cartoon-like. However, they have hard, protective scales covering almost all of their body and sharp claws on their front feet that they use for burrowing.

The polar bears reside at the Conrad Prebys Polar Bear Plunge, in the farthest corner of the San Diego Zoo but they are massively popular with visitors. These bears are native to the Arctic and usually feed on a steady diet of seals, walruses, beluga whales and other aquatic animals. They can live both on ice and land, depending on the season.

The South American green anacondas belong to the boa family of snakes and are great swimmers. They love the water and often use it to hunt their prey as their nostrils and eyes are on top of their head. Unfortunately, humans are their biggest adversary mainly because of their valuable skin. These San Diego Zoo animals reside at the Reptile House.

The mighty Galápagos tortoises are the oldest residents of the San Diego Zoo and some of them are more than a century old! These gentle giants love flowers and therefore are very attracted to bright colours. They can stay alive without food and water for up to a year because of their ability to store them in their bodies.