Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, South Carolina

Description

Riverbanks Zoo and Garden
Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is South Carolina’s largest gated attraction, averaging over one million visitors each year a considerable amount for a zoo serving a region as small as Columbia the Columbia metropolitan area has only 800,000 people. Riverbanks is a four-time winner of the Southeastern Tourism Society’s Shining Example Award as the Southeast’s top tourist attraction and a two-time winner of the SC Parks Recreation and Tourism Governor’s Cup Award as South Carolina’s Leading Attraction.The zoo is home to over 2,000 animals, with collections of mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish. Recent additions to the zoo include exhibits for African elephants, gorillas, and koalas.







Waterfall Junction
Flora, fauna and fun intersect at Waterfall Junction where big kids and little sprouts can explore nature throughout the year or retreat to a cool escape during warmer months. Frolic around and under a 25-foot cascading waterfall and splash zones, unearth a life-size replica of T-Rex, play in giant tree houses, pop in and out of rabbit holes, and more.


Bog Garden
The Bog Garden is the gem of the West Columbia entrance. A welcoming waterfall cascades over a vibrant purple wall onto large granite rocks before flowing into the bog. There you will find a variety of interesting plants including native, carnivorous pitcher plants, aquatic lotus and water lilies.


Arowana
The arowana is a long slender fish with large scales. It is found in the black-water rivers of the Amazon and can grow to over 3 feet long. Its unusual mouth placement gives us a clue as to how this fish feeds.







Koala
Scientific Name: Phascolarctos cinereus: Although bear-like in appearance, koalas are not bears but tree-dwelling marsupials related to the kangaroo and wombat. Marsupials are mammals that carry their young in a pouch. Females give birth to one koala joey at a time. After a short gestation period of 34–36 days, the joey moves into the pouch where it remains for several months. A young joey will continue to stay with the mother after it exits the pouch, clinging to her back for nearly a year or until another joey is born and moves to the pouch.


Lorikeet
The Lorikeets form a unique group of generally very colorful parrots with several distinctive characteristics. The principal difference from other groups of Parrots is their adaptation to a pollen, nectar and fruit diet. Lorikeets aren’t designed to grind seeds; they don’t have the necessary equipment, such as a strong, muscle-lined gizzard. Rather, they are possessed of a very agile, brush-like tongue for collecting nectar and pollen.


Nubian Goat
Nubian goats are preferred because their milk has a higher butterfat content than other dairy goat breeds. Their milk makes delicious yogurt, cheese, butter and ice cream.Nubian goats are the largest of desert breeds. Their ancestry is traceable back to Egyptian and Indian breeds, which were later crossed with Swiss goats.







Harbor Seal
Harbor seals are found across the Northern Hemisphere, living in both the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts of the United States. They stay near the shore of coastal areas around rocky islands, sandy beaches, estuaries and bays.

Visit the full website for complete details,www.riverbanks.org/