Habitats

More than 1,800 animals call the North Carolina Zoo home. The animals live in habitats representing two regions—Africa and North America—plus a global Desert and a tropical, free-flight Aviary. As the world's largest natural habitat zoo, the animals at the North Carolina Zoo have plenty of room to roam.

Regions

The year 1994 was memorable at the Zoo as it’s when the North America region opened and when three polar bear siblings arrived, creating a statewide buzz. Nikita and Anana are our current polar bear stars and are joined by black bears, grizzly bears, red wolves and hundreds of other animals in this diverse region.

View North American Animals

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Ground was first broken for the Africa region in the spring of 1976, and the grand opening of the original five habitats took place in the summer of 1980. Today, it’s home to a multitude of habitats, including those showcasing chimpanzees, giraffes, gorillas, zebras and, of course, elephants.

View African Animals

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Coming Soon:

The Zoo is thrilled to announce that a new region, Asia, is in development and is scheduled to open for the 2023 season. Asia is expected to include, among other animals, tigers, red pandas and Komodo dragons!

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