Domestic Rabbit

Domestic Rabbit

(Oryctolagus cuniculus)

The Zoo is home to one domestic rabbit as part of our Ambassador Animal collection. 

Animal Facts

Diet

Herbivore. Grasses, leaves, flowers, bark, roots, grains, vegetables, cecotropes, pellets, timothy hay, greens and veggies.

Status in The Wild

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

Domestic rabbit natural habitats include grassland, shrubland, savanna, forest. Their range extends the Iberian Peninsula (including Spain, Portugal, and southwestern France), western France, and the northern Atlas Mountains in Northwest Africa.

Introduced countries: Albania, Algeria, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States.

They prefer mixed habitats of Mediterranean oak savanna or scrub-forest, or areas with around 40% cover for shelter from predators and open areas that support their diet of grasses and cereals. They are also often found in areas with high density of managed farmland. Soft soil is preferred for building warrens and in rockier habitats they will often use scrubs as their shelter.

Degu

Degu

The Zoo is home to three degus in our Ambassador Animal collection. As such they are not kept in public view, but available for various programs, classes, ZooMobiles, birthday parties etc. 

Animal Facts

Diet

Herbivorous. Grasses, leaves, and bark of shrubs and seeds in nature. Rodent chow, greens, vegetables, hay and seeds in conservation care.

Status in The Wild

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

There are no imminent threats to the survival of common degus. However, they are sometimes taken from their natural range for the pet trade.

Spend Spring Break / Cats & Conservation Week at the Zoo – Summer Programming Preview!

Ball Python

Ball Python

(Python regius)

The Zoo’s male ball python was born in 2009 and came to Seneca Park Zoo in 2013. He is a part of the Zoo’s program animal collection.

Animal Facts

Diet

Ball pythons feed primarily on rodents, but will also eat other small mammals and birds. Ball pythons only eat once every few weeks; they can go up to several months with no food.

Status in The Wild

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

The ball python lives in western and central Africa. They can be found in open forests and dry savannas.

Usually they reside in areas near open water where they can cool themselves during hot weather.

Ball pythons are considered threatened in the wild. They are a highly-exploited species and are very important to the pet trade because of their beautiful skin. The ball python mates only every two to three years, so more effort is needed to protect and propagate this species.

Buffalo Weaver

Buffalo Weaver

(Dinemellia dinemelli)

Seneca Park Zoo is home to two white-headed buffalo weavers. They reside in the aviary, which can be found inside the Animals of the Savanna building.

Animal Facts

Diet

Buffalo weavers are omnivorous, foraging for fruits, seeds and invertebrates such as beetles and butterflies.

Status in The Wild

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

The range of buffalo weavers extends throughout eastern Africa, from Tanzania to Somalia.

They prefer savanna and shrubland habitat, using grass and thorny branches to weave elaborate nests in trees. Potential threats for this species are habitat loss and fragmentation.

Burmese Python

Burmese Python

(Python bivittatus)

Seneca Park Zoo is home to two Burmese pythons, both males. Garrett and Caulkins, resides inside the Zoo’s Creatures from the River’s Edge building. They were hatched in 2016 right here at Seneca Park Zoo. Their parents were longtime zoo residents Abby and Mr. Slithers.

Animal Facts

Diet

The Burmese python eats appropriately sized mammals, birds and rodents.

Status in The Wild

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

The jungles and scrublands of Burma, Malasia and Thailand compose the Burmese python’s habitat.

It has been slaughtered to supply the world leather market, as well as for folk medicines and captured for the pet trade. In recent years, extensive captive breeding has lessened the animals threat but unauthorized release of pet Burmese pythons in the Everglades has introduced an invasive species into a fragile environment.

Red-Eared Slider

Red-Eared Slider

(Trachemys scripta elegans)

There are two red-eared sliders at Seneca Park Zoo and they can be found in the Genesee Trail (seasonally).

Animal Facts

Diet

Omnivore. Adults feed on plant and animal matter. They like to eat snails, tadpoles and fish, as well as duckweed and water lilies.

Status in The Wild

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

Red-eared sliders are from the southeastern United States and also live in New York State. They can often be found basking on logs or stumps in or near water.

Humans are the greatest enemy of red-eared sliders. Each year, turtles are harmed; mainly from habitat destruction and pollution.

Reef Tank

Reef Tank

Various Species

Reef Tank Species Fish: Yellow tang (Zebrasoma flavescens); Percula clownfish (Amphiprion percula); Ocellaris clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris); Flame hawkfish; Diamond goby; and Banggai Cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni). Corals (soft and stony): tree leather coral, green leather coral; Kenya tree coral; frilly mushroom coral; star polyp; button mushroom coral; bubble (or grape) coral; hammer coral; candy coral Invertebrates: Rose bulb tip anemone; short-armed brittle star; spiny sea urchin The reef tank is also home to four Pacific cleaner shrimp.

Animal Facts

Diet

The reef tank is fed seven times a week a diet of seaweed, marine fish flakes, small shrimp, etc.

Status in The Wild

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

Coral reefs occur in the waters of more than 100 countries and territories around the world

According to the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN), coral reefs are among the most vulnerable ecosystems on the planet with the world losing about 14% of the total world’s population since 2009.

African Lion

African Lion

(Panthera leo krugeri)

The Zoo is home to three adult African lions that arrived in December 2011 from an animal park outside Pretoria, South Africa. There is one male, Chester, born in September 2010 and two females: Zuri, born in September 2010 and Asha, born in January of 2011.

Animal Facts

Diet

Large ungulates, birds, rodents, fish, ostrich eggs, amphibians and reptiles. Lions also actively scavenge, taking cues from hyenas and vultures.

Status in The Wild

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

African lions are most common in plains or savanna habitat.

African lions are protected under CITES Appendix II. They are part of the Zoo’s Species Survival Plan (SSP) Program. It is believed that during the past two decades, the lion population has declined by nearly 30 percent. Main threats listed by IUCN are indiscriminate killing by humans and prey base depletion. Other problems include habitat loss, agricultural expansion and geographic isolation of different groups.

Seneca Park Zoo closed effective March 14, 2020

Updated April 1, 2020

Effective March 14, 2020, Seneca Park Zoo will be closed to all guests and volunteers. After consulting with Commissioner of Public Health Dr. Michael Mendoza, Monroe County Parks Director Pat Meredith, and Interim Zoo Director David Hamilton, Monroe County Executive Adam Bello took this precautionary action to protect the health and safety of Zoo guests, volunteers, and staff.

While the Zoo is closed, Animal Care staff will remain on the job and continue to provide excellent care to the animals.