Animals - Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens

Honk, Honk: Meet Webby and Dewey

Trumpeter swans are the largest waterfowl in North America. The name of these iconic swans comes from the deep “trumpet” tones they can make when they forcefully exhale.

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Two white swans with long necks and black bills glide toward each other in a dark pond.

Field Notes: Bats in Florida and Jamaica with Cortney Vargas

Venture into the field with Cortney Vargas as she assists with bat acoustic monitoring program and learns about the challenges facing bats.

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A Ssseriously Close Look at Snake Venom

The Zoo is home to 38 snake species, 27 of which are venomous, like this Durango Rock Rattlesnake. We’re taking a look at why some snakes are venomous and what makes snake venom so powerful. The explanations might surprise you.

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A Durango Rock Rattlesnake basking on a piece of slate.

Celebrate the Year of the Snake

This year’s Lunar New Year celebrations are ushering in the Year of the Snake—fang-tastic news since the Zoo is home to an especially wide variety of vipers, boas, pythons, and more. For a sneak preview of the snakes you’ll see in the Zoo’s LAIR, as well as some fun facts, check out the photos in our gallery. These reptiles are nothing to hiss at!

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A close up of a Bushmaster coiled up in its enclosure.

The Obscure Obscurus

Do you ever lie awake at night pondering the fate of Crotalus willardi obscurus? If so, you have something in common with Byron Wusstig, acting curator of ectotherms at the Los Angeles Zoo. Of course, most readers will never have heard of this little-known reptile, but Wusstig and his colleagues are hoping to change that.

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A rattlesnake with its body coiled and partly covered in dirt

New at the Zoo: Peninsular Pronghorn Update

The Zoo recently welcomed a new male peninsular pronghorn (a.k.a. berrendo) who will take part in a breeding program with the eventual goal of returning the endangered species to the wild.

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Creature Feature: Brush-tailed Bettong

Brush-tailed bettongs are named for a black tuft of fur that extends from their prehensile tails.

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A small grey-brown bettong with a round body and pointy nose rests on its hind legs in dry brush.

Farewell to Kaloa the Jaguar

In early February, we said goodbye to Kaloa the jaguar, a long-time resident of the L.A. Zoo.

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Kaloa the jaguar walks gracefully across some rocks near a pool.

Animal News: Important Santa Catalina Island Rattlesnake Births

The Zoo is proud to announce the birth of six Santa Catalina Island rattlesnakes. Curator of Reptiles, Amphibians, and Fish Ian Recchio calls this a “significant” moment for the Species Survival Plan (SSP) for this critically endangered snake.

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