Escape from the winter chill in the exotic landscapes of the African Savanna, Pacific Islands, Tropical Rainforests and Central and South America all in McNeil Avian Center!

Did you know...The genus name of the king cobra, Ophiophagus, literally means snake (ophio) eating (phagus).

Did you know...Bald eagles are able to tuck their wings and dive from above at incredible speeds. Some eagles can approach around 200 miles per hour in an attack on prey.

What's your caption for Lucha the jaguar cub? Share with us!

Did you know...Our squirrel monkeys are named after hurricanes because of their tendency to destroy everything in their path?

Did you know that skinks are shy and secretive and seldom stray far from their shelter?

The Zoo's male alligator snapping turtle may be as much as 100 years old!

Did you know...Hippos have enlarged incisors and long, curved lower canines that grow continuously throughout the animal's life.

Did you know...The Red panda is also known as the Firefox.

Did you know...Research shows that lionesses prefer males with dark manes and other male lions will avoid rivals with darker, longer manes

Did you know...Giant otters will eat pirahnas, caiman and anacondas in the wild as part of their diet.

Did you know...Pigeons are one of the few groups of birds that drink by sucking water up into their bills rather than scooping water up and tilting their heads back, the common method for most birds.

Mhorr gazelles display a "pronking" or pogo stick-like movement in which they bounce along in a stiff-legged gait.

Do you think snakes are spooky Halloween critters? Visit the black-tailed rattlesnake in the Zoo's Reptile and Amphibian House!

Did you know...The pygmy marmoset is the smallest of all monkeys and one of the smallest of all primates.

Did you know...The wings of the Humboldt penguin have evolved into flippers that propel them through the water.

Did you know...the name slow loris refers to their deliberate movements that are very much like a chameleon.

Visit the Zoo's meercats in the Small Mammal House!

Did you know...A joey is born after a 40 day gestation period. It will remain in his mother’s pouch for about six months.

Did you know...lion tamarins differ from other marmosets and tamarins in having long, narrows hands and long fingers.

Did you know...Mandarin ducks are one of the "perching" ducks and spend much of their time in trees.

Baby Leo, the white-handed gibbon, was born April 7, 2011.

Lucha, the jaguar cub born on June 3rd, ventured outside for the first time today!

Check out the Goeldi's monkeys at the Zoo in Treetop Trail!

Did you know...A tree shrew mom spends less than 25 minutes total with her young during the first 4 weeks of their lives.

Did you know...southern white rhinoceroses may look tough and indestructible, but their skin is actually quite sensitive, especially to sunburn and biting insects. Wallowing in the mud can be quite soothing.

One of the many peacock at the Philadelphia Zoo flaunts his vibrant feathers!

Baby Batu was born on October 2nd, 2009 to Sugi and Tua. See this family in action in PECO Primate Reserve!

Baby Leo, the white-handed gibbon, born on April 7th, 2011 to first-time parents, Mercury and Phoenice.

Did you know...mummified crocodiles and crocodile eggs have been discovered in Egyptian tombs?

Black-tailed prairie dogs communicate through not only a multitude of vocalizations, but through visual cues such as posting (standing on their hind legs), tail flagging, greetings, and through olfactory cues from marking their coteries.

Did you know jaguars are the largest cats in the Western Hemisphere, and the third largest overall. Only lions and tigers are bigger.