Animals at Chester Zoo

Of course, the main attractions at Chester Zoo are the animal exhibits. The zoo cares for more than 7000 animals, representing over 400 different species. Conservation is at the very heart of the zoo, and many of these are threatened - some are even extinct in the wild. See from the list below for more information on animal exhibits.

Amphibians

Amphibians are one of the most endangered groups of animals in the world. 2008 has been declared the Year of the Frog in order to highlight their plight. Chester Zoo will be running a series of events over the year in order to raise awareness of the situation.

Birds

There are approximately 9000 different species of bird in the world, and they are the biggest group of land vertebrates. Over 200 species of bird are on display at Chester Zoo, 45% of which are threatened or near threatened in the wild.

Fish

There are around 25,000 different species of fish known to science, although new species are being discovered at the rate of several hundred a year. Chester Zoo currently has pools with over 100 species of fish, many of which are on the brink of extinction.

Invertebrates

Animals without a backbone, or Invertebrates comprise over 99% of animal species on the planet. Some scientists believe there may well be over 100 million species of invertebrate, and we have only seen the tip of the iceberg.

Mammals

Mammals are characterised by having mammary glands in the female, used for suckling their young. There are nearly 5,000 species of mammals, 60 of which are on display at Chester Zoo. More than 80% of the mammals at the Zoo are threatened or near threatened in the wild, with some such as the Scimitar-horned Oryx now extinct in the wild.

Reptiles

Reptiles have been residents of Earth for over 340 million years - they saw the dinosaurs arrive, and go extinct. There are over 50 species of reptile at Chester Zoo, including the famous Komodo Dragon - the world's largest lizard. The Zoo is also one of only two places in Europe to house the Tautara, a living fossil which lives on a few islands off New Zealand.