San Diego Zoo
From shape shifting witches to bad omens, black cats are often misunderstood on this superstitious day. But even though Mystique looks solid black, melanistic leopards are spotted. #notsoblackcat #Fridaythe13th #melanisticleopard #sandiegozoo π·: Mike Wilson
San Diego Zoo
88 7,836
San Diego Zoo
Sooky, Tharah and Wanneroo (pictured) gave birth to healthy joeys in April, and their precious cargo recently started to peek out of the pouch! If you have all the right koalafications, check out our story for a fun "gender" reveal. π¨π¨π¨ #koalatycontent #mamamarsupials #sandiegozoo #koalafornia
San Diego Zoo
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San Diego Zoo
Tuesdays are made for tapir tongues. π In the wild, tapirs eat a variety of different plants. This diet gives them an important role in the ecology of their forest home: seeds passing through their digestive tract help reseed for a new generation of plants.
Tapirs also serve as biological indicators of the health and vitality of an area: they are the first species to decline when there is human disturbance because of their large size, slow reproductive rate, and sensitivity to their environment. #tapirtuesday #tongueouttuesday #tongueouttapirtuesday #sandiegozoo π· Deric Wagner
San Diego Zoo
72 12,022
San Diego Zoo
β Sweepstakes Alert β From their nose to the bottom of their feet, π₯πππ‘ππππ₯ are covered in hair. The hair on their hooves provides an excellent grip when trekking over frozen landscapes and snow-covered roofs. Donβt forget to save this post for a chance to win our #sdzJungleBells #sweepstakes *by entering you agree to these terms: http://sdzoo.com/SweepsTerms #sandiegozoo
San Diego Zoo
59 13,454
San Diego Zoo
You don't have to slow your scroll for sloth bears. Deemak and Kartick are agile and can outpace your thumbs. π Say hello to the newest residents on Center Street. The nearly 2-year-old sloth bear brothers moved from the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle as part of a recommendation from the Species Survival Plan (SSP). #notasloth #unbearablystrange #slothbearsareback #sandiegozoo
San Diego Zoo
44 5,583
San Diego Zoo
β¨ Penny β¨ for your #Caturday timeline. Smoky gray and blurred black markings on a pale gray/cream-colored background provide the snow leopard with superb camouflage in the mountains. These βspotsβ are arranged in distinct rows and get paler in the winter. It's no wonder snow leopards have been called the ghost cat of the Himalayas. #ghostcat #snowleopard #sandiegozoo π· Penny Hyde
San Diego Zoo
104 14,219
San Diego Zoo
Today, we remember a true shellebrity. Jaws was 62 years old and under veterinary care over the past year for heart failure. Despite initially responding well to medical treatments, he took a turn for the worse and animal care staff made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize him. Jaws, a much-loved resident of our GalΓ‘pagos tortoise habitat, gained fans around the world after his appearance on Animal Planetβs The Zoo: San Diego earlier this year. Please share your condolences with staff, volunteers, members, and guests who remember him and will especially be feeling this loss. #RIP #theZooSD #sandiegozooglobal (2nd π·Keeper Danielle)
San Diego Zoo
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San Diego Zoo
Arctic blast from the past βοΈ #throwback #snowback #coolcats #RIPfrosty #sandiegozoo
San Diego Zoo
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San Diego Zoo
Aisha's umbrella is apesolutely adorable βοΈ #gotyoucovered #primemates #bffs #sandiegozoo π·s Liz Sauer
San Diego Zoo
122 12,053
San Diego Zoo
β Sweepstakes Alert β To celebrate Jungle Bells presented by @calcoastcu, weβre giving away an Inside Look: Twilight Tour for 4 (plus admission) to one random lucky winner.
Hereβs how it works: For the next 4 Mondays weβll be posting a hidden message in our Instagram captions. Be sure to hit SAVE on these #sdzJungleBells posts. The final clue will be posted on Monday 12/23, and youβll have 24 hours to revisit those saved posts and comment with the hidden holiday message. Let the festive fun begin!
Of the 19 populations of polar bears, those living in the southernmost seasonal ice habitats (farthest from π¦ππ‘π§πβπ¦ northern abode) are the most endangered. Longer ice-free seasons push these populations to the limits of their fat reserves and make it harder for individuals to survive. #sandiegozoo #sweepstakes *by entering you agree to these terms: sdzoo.com/SweepsTerms π· Helene Hoffman
San Diego Zoo
36 10,096
San Diego Zoo
Ditch the deals and get black to nature. Our blue-eyed black lemurs (Aykroyd and Belushi) are coal-black now, but they were born with light, orange-blonde fur. Only males turn completely black, which led early researchers to mistakenly surmise that they were two different species. #optoutside #BlackFriday #BlueEyedBlackLemur #sdzooAfricaRocks #sandiegozoo π·Mike Wilson
San Diego Zoo
97 12,896
San Diego Zoo
We're especially grateful for your friendship and ongoing support. β€οΈ Wishing you a safe and happy Thanksgiving. #givingthanks #happythanksgiving #ourappreciationwillnevertapiroff #sandiegozoo π·Marsha Serafin
San Diego Zoo
103 15,098
San Diego Zoo
November's Penguin Progress Report is waddling into your holiday feed, and itβs a juicy one. β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β
π§ Doug is π’π¨π§π¦π§ππ‘πππ‘π. During his "teenager" phase, he was argumentative and pretty nasty, picking fights with other birds just minding their own business. Thankfully, Doug seems to be over his teen angst and is now becoming more friendly with keepers and his feathered friends. β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β
π§ Courtney π‘ππππ¦ ππ π£π₯π’π©ππ ππ‘π§. She was sneaking around behind McKinny's back and left him for Mac, who had a beautiful nest box. A few days later, the males fought over Courtney and the nest box. Mac lost and was forced to look for a new home while Courtney moved into his box with McKinney. But it doesn't end there. While McKinney is in their stolen nest box, Courtney has been seen on the beach flirting and swimming with Mac. She's a two-timer and it's not fair to either of the boys. β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β
Double-tap if you're thankful for #PenguinBeach this holiday season. π§ #PenguinProgressReport #sandiegozoo #moredramathantherealhousewives
San Diego Zoo
110 10,402
San Diego Zoo
The 2nd rhino born following hormone-induced ovulation and artificial insemination is here, and she's adorable. Congrats to Amani and everyone involved in this historic milestone at the @sdzsafaripark. Be sure to follow our sister facility for regular updates. ππ¦ #EndExtinction #sdzsafaripark #tankpuppy #rhinos #Rally4Rhinos #Nola4Ever
San Diego Zoo Safari Park
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San Diego Zoo
Luna's little watermelon made her official debut last week. π Say hello to our 2-week-old tapir baby! This is Luna's 2nd calf sired by Felix. #watermelonseason #ourlovewillnevertapiroff #tapirbaby #sandiegozoo
San Diego Zoo
152 13,211
San Diego Zoo
A bunch of appropriately named birds to brighten up your feed.
1. Fischers lovebirds
2. Blue-eared glossy starling
3. Yellow-crowned bishop
4. Long-tailed paradise whydah
5. Curl-crested aracari
6. Victoria crowned pigeon
7. Fire-tufted barbet
8. Splendid sunbird
9. White-bellied go-away bird
10. Chestnut-breasted malkoha
Do you have a better name for any of these feathered friends? #birdsofafeather #whatsinaname #sandiegozoo π·s: Ian Gill
San Diego Zoo
203 17,372
San Diego Zoo
Charlie the Amur leopard is poised to become America's Next Top Meowdel πΌ #Caturday #FelineFierce #MaleMeowdel #sandiegozoo π·: Ian Gill
San Diego Zoo
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San Diego Zoo
Donβt go ape on one another. Lend a hand, be kind to each other. β€οΈ #WorldKindnessDay #apesolutelyadorable #sandiegozoo π· Liz Sauer
San Diego Zoo
145 15,654
San Diego Zoo
Our tiny survivor has officially completed her first trip around the sun. Ellie and Unkie's surprise baby arrived premature and smaller than most. But thanks to great parenting and our dedicated animal care staff, she's grown into a strong and healthy youngster. Help us wish Sela a happy birthday! π₯³ #birthdaygirl #siamang #sandiegozoo
San Diego Zoo
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San Diego Zoo
Tag someone you wanna bear hug π€ Brown bears start hibernating around this time of year and will stay slumbering for the next 5-6 months. This deep sleep makes up one-third to one-half of their lifetime! The bears' heart rate decreases from 70 to 10 beats per minute, their metabolism slows, and they don't pee or poop all winter long. Would you hit the snooze after such a deep sleep? #bearhug #bearysweetsiblings #snoozenews #sandiegozoo π· Helene Hoffman
San Diego Zoo
114 8,837
San Diego Zoo
Lion around with our mane man, Ernest.
Lions differ from the other members of the large cat genus, ππ’π―π΅π©π¦π³π’ βtigers, leopards, and jaguars. Adult male lions are considerably larger than females and usually have an impressive mane of hair around the neck. The color, size, and abundance of the mane all vary among individuals and with age. The maneβs function is to make the male look more impressive to females and more intimidating to rival males. The lionβs thick mane also protects his neck against raking claws during fights with other males over territory disputes or breeding rights. #caturday #lionaround #bigcatsofinstagram #sandiegozoo #roarsomecontent π·: Mary-Ellen Jordan
San Diego Zoo
80 12,624
San Diego Zoo
Allen! Allen! π£ If you look closely at the hyrax's large incisors, you might notice they resemble tiny tusks. That's because these salty tater tots share an ancestor with the elephant. Hyraxes also have strong molars to grind up vegetation and a three-chambered stomach to help digest their plant-based diet. #parkourpotatoes #rockhyrax #saltytatertots #plantbased #sandiegozoo π· Craig Chaddock
San Diego Zoo
224 12,267
San Diego Zoo
To celebrate #PolarBearWeek make one change to reduce your carbon footprint so the Arctic can thrive for generations to come. Together, we can make a difference. #saveourseaice #riseforclimate #EndExtinction #sandiegozoo π· Helene Hoffman
San Diego Zoo
64 14,585
San Diego Zoo
Ever wondered what happen to Frankenstein's monster? #MonsterMash #HappyHalloween #sandiegozoo
San Diego Zoo
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San Diego Zoo
Creepin' it real with Aloka on this frightful Halloween-eve. Today aye-ayes are protected by law in Madagascar, but many people native to the island consider these unusual lemurs to be omens of bad luck and will often kill them on sight. This, along with habitat destruction, has put the aye-aye on the endangered list. Aloka was born on July 7 and is the second aye-aye born at our facility. #ayeayecaptain #sandiegozoo #endangeredspecies
San Diego Zoo
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San Diego Zoo
Go big or gourd home π #squashgoals #punking #letsgetsmashed #sandiegozoo
San Diego Zoo
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San Diego Zoo
πΌ Trick or treat... ππ¦Ά #smellmyfeet #orangeandthenewblack #festivefriends #trickortreatyoself π·: Helene Hoffman
San Diego Zoo
105 11,717
San Diego Zoo
The October Penguin Progress Report is here! β β β β β β β β β
π§π§ The π’π¨π§π¦π§ππ‘πππ‘π penguins are Austin and Elizabeth. Nest boxes opened last week and while drama has infiltrated the colony, these lovebirds quickly claimed a place and stayed out of the craziness. Austin and Elizabeth are defending their new territory and relieving each other during feeding times. These two are nesting pros. β β β β β β β β β
π§ Moe π‘ππππ¦ ππ π£π₯π’π©ππ ππ‘π§. He broke up with his boyfriend Sam and kicked him out of their nest. Moe only leaves to torment his neighbors and cause a ruckus. He needs to realize that nesting spots are limited and learn to let the rest of the happy penguin pairs live in peace.
#PenguinProgressReport #PenguinBeach #sandiegozoo
San Diego Zoo
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San Diego Zoo
Vegetarians, beware.β οΈ This spooky Halloween feast isn't for the faint of heart. #meetyourmeat #lionstigersbearsohmy #Halloweenfeast #sandiegozoo
San Diego Zoo
86 11,092
San Diego Zoo
A gourdgeous tale of love at first bite π
#fallvibes #psl #deargourdthatwasdelicious #sandiegozoo
San Diego Zoo
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