construction on penguin exhibit
Off Exhibit: Helping Animals from the Ground Up

Healthy and happy animals start with well designed and carefully maintained facilities. The updating of habitats and guest areas is always being discussed behind-the-scenes at The Maryland Zoo. On this edition of Off Exhibit we talk with Karl Kranz, Executive Vice President for Animal Programs and the Zoo’s Chief Operating Officer. Karl has decades of ...

zoo keeper posing near otter exhibit
Keeper Spotlight – Katie C.

Happy Zookeeper Appreciation Week! Meet Katie, she is a keeper in the Maryland Wilderness and Panamanian Golden Frog exhibits. Read her keeper spotlight below to learn how she became a keeper and what she loves about her job. What kind of animals do you work with or what area? I work in the Maryland Wilderness/Panamanian Golden Frog Area. I take care ...

zoo keeper with elephant
Keeper Spotlight – Valerie S.

Happy Zookeeper Appreciation Week! Today the keeper in our spotlight is Valerie S., she works with the Zoo’s African Elephants. Working with the largest animals at the Zoo is no small task. Check out what Valerie has to say about her experience as a keeper. What kind of animals do you work with or what area? African Elephants. How long have you ...

young giraffe
Wild About Animals!

Be Wild For a Day Did you know that each animal has a special day every year dedicated to just them? Be wild about our animals on their special day and come down to the Zoo to learn all about our conservation efforts and the special care they recieve, not just one day, but every day! Also take part in our special animal related activities, chat with a ...

Junior Photo Safari
Animals in Motion

Photo Topic: Animals in Motion We will observe animals in motion as they display natural behaviors interacting with the items made specially for their adaptations. Participants will explore a diversity of animal movement! Equipment: Please bring your own digital camera with memory card, disposable camera, and/or cell phone to use during the ...

cockroach sitting on palm of hand
Madagascar Hissing Cockroach

Madagascar hissing cockroaches live in the forests of Madagascar, an island nation off the coast of Africa. At the Zoo, they are among the featured Animal Ambassadors introduced to audiences in education programs on and off grounds. Madagascar hissing cockroaches stay hidden beneath leaf litter or in rotting logs during the day and emerge at night to ...

prehensile tailed skink sitting on a branch
Prehensile-tailed Skink

Prehensile-tailed skinks are native only to the Solomon Islands, an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean located northeast of Australia.  They are rainforest animals that live in tall trees. Prehensile-tailed skinks are almost exclusively arboreal, which means that they rarely descend to the ground.  They are well adapted for life in trees. They use their ...

badger in the grass
American Badger

The American badger is a North American mammal whose range extends from southern Canada to Mexico.  It prefers dry and open terrain with little vegetation, including prairies, plains, and dry grasslands. The Maryland Zoo features an American badger among its Animal Ambassadors, which are introduced to audiences in education programs on and off ...

alligator in grass
Chinese Alligator

Chinese alligators are an extremely rare species now found only in a small area of protected reserve along the lower Yangtze River in the Anhui province of China. They were once widely distributed in eastern China throughout the entire Yangtze watershed. The species is adapted to inhabit slow-moving rivers, swamps, and wetlands. These mysterious and ...

be a citizen scientist at the maryland zoo
Nocturnal Animals (Canceled)

This Event HAS BEEN CANCELED We will contact attendees concerning tickets and rescheduling. For questions, please contact public.programs@marylandzoo.org. Help the Maryland Zoo discover nocturnal animals like owls, bats, and even frogs! Together we’ll use our senses to explore the Zoo at night for these animals and more as we gather important ...

people walking into Main Valley
A Walk Through History: The Zoo Reopens Main Valley

BALTIMORE, MD – The Main Valley is the oldest section of the Maryland Zoo where the small, informal zoo at the center of Druid Hill Park began in the mid-19th century.  The Zoo shuttered the Main Valley in 2004 and it has served as a “back of house” service drive for Zoo employees, while the antiquated cages became overgrown with trees and other ...

giving tuesday feast-athon
Giving Tuesday FEAST-athon

Just as for humans, a healthy diet is the basis of a healthy life for all of our animals, from a 5-gram Panamanian golden frog to a 12,000 lb elephant. Each of the animals at the Zoo receives a very specific diet that was specially formulated for their species, their age, and their individual needs. We also take great care to prepare each diet exactly as ...