Animals and Exhibits

Welcome to the Indianapolis Zoo Biomes. What is a biome? A biome is a living habitat for the animals at the Zoo that attempts to replicate their natural habitat as much as possible. Animals are clustered in groups inside exhibits with similar habitats, which become the biomes. At the Zoo, you can visit our four biomes listed below. 

Each of our biomes actively participates in conservation and breeding programs, and many of them have achieved international recognition for their work both with the animals and breeding.

NEW in 2012!

Encounters re-opens with the all-new Flights of Fancy:  A Brilliance of Birds exhibit presented by Citizens Energy Group.  It will open Memorial Day Weekend and features family-friendly, interactive exhibits and amenities - including a new 4D theater!  Click for details.

Temperate and tropical forests of the world are represented in the Forests Biome. Filtered sunlight through a dense tree canopy creates dappled shadows on the path as you enter the Forests Biome. Red pandas observe you from their tree limb perches while tiny little deer called muntjacs scamper underneath.  Across the way, you'll find an incredibly active bunch of Asian small-clawed otters being observed from above by white handed gibbons and rainbow colored pea fowl.  Then there's the all new Tiger Forest exhibit featuring the stunningly beautiful and predatory Amur tigers. Just beyond, you'll find the new Bats presented by ARAB exhibit, then Alaskan brown bears tumbling and frolicking nearby, and an aviary with an American bald eagle and some feathery friends.  This rich ecosystem of Forests brings to home the message in a powerful way that animals and the habitats are inextricably linked.   Photo by Don Reynolds

 In the Oceans exhibit you  have the opportunity to touch real sharks in the country's largest shark touch pool in the Firestone Gallery. Meet the fierce looking green and purplemouth moray eels, and a variety of fascinating fish and invertebrates that call the Oceans home. Also included are three species of penguins, plus the underwater viewing for polar bear, California sea lions, harbor seals, and gray seals. Oceans emphasizes the relationships between animals and people and presents much information about global warming and keeping oceans clean and safe for all. 
Photo by Don Reynolds

Also a part of the watery world at the Zoo, the wonderful Marine Mammals include Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, Pacific walruses, polar bears, harbor seals, California sea lions and gray seals.  The dolphins are featured in daily demonstrations, as well as being observed from inside the world's only underwater dolphin viewing dome.
Photo by Fred Cate.

With one step, visitors leave Indianapolis and arrive in an amazing desert environment. That was the goal of Zoo staff when designing the biome, which opened in 1990. In fact the desert habitat is so authentic, the Zoo is known worldwide for its successful research and breeding of some the rarest desert reptiles. The Indianapolis Zoo was the first zoo in the world to have successfully bred the extremely endangered Grand Cayman blue iguana and the only zoo to successfully breed the rare Jamaican iguana. The attention to detail in the Deserts Biome sets it apart from other desert exhibits across the nation. The 80-foot diameter transparent dome allows the animals to bask in natural sunlight year-round while heating and air conditioning vents hidden in the rocks keep the temperature in the 80s. The Deserts Dome also includes a Zoo visitor favorite exhibit - Meerkats.
Photo by Don Reynolds

A slice of Africa is recreated in Indianapolis in the expansive Plains Biome. As you begin your journey, you see a large vista where a variety of African animals graze, including kudu, zebra, ostriches and vultures.  Around the corner, giraffes pluck leaves from trees, cheetahs race, and elephants interact quietly by a waterhole. East African crowned cranes and Marabou storks rest near a pond that runs under a wooden bridge carving a visitor trail through the plains with exhibits of lions, wild dogs and baboons.   Now open is the new Warthogs exhibit!