The cooler months of winter are great times to explore the desert.   If you are overdue for a desert hike, next time you head outside be sure to watch for the different species of cacti living in our area.  Did you know that the Chihuahuan Desert is considered the epicenter of cacti diversity with 318…

Since March and the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic we have shared on our El Paso Zoo Conservation Education blog over 125 stories featuring our animals at the Zoo and local wildlife and plant life.   We have also highlighted our conservation projects and have encouraged people to take actions in their personal lives.  Every…

.. Note: The El Paso Zoo is collaborating with the Austin Zoo and others in Texas who want to help return the wolf to the wilderness of Texas. For more information about El Paso Zoo efforts click here. by Hope Carr Hello! My name is Hope Carr and I am the Education Manager at Austin…

Animals at the El Paso Zoo represent major habitats around the world including the Chihuahuan Desert ecoregion surrounding the City of El Paso, the Pacific Ocean (at the World of the California Sea Lion Exhibit), tropical rainforests in Central and South America, rainforests in Southeast Asia, the Sahara Desert in North Africa and the African…

At the El Paso Zoo most of our North American animals are from the southwest US and northern Mexico with a major focus on wildlife from the El Paso region and the northern Chihuahuan Desert.  Up until the end of the last Ice Age there was a time when many other animals like extinct giant…

The El Paso-Trans Pecos Audubon Society is encouraging everyone to take a few minutes and get involved in supporting restoration efforts at Rio Bosque Wetlands Park. Many are busy with the holidays, but for the first time in a long time our community has a chance to support Rio Bosque Wetlands Park with the click…

Few people living in El Paso realize that our desert and mountains are inhabited by troglodytes.  We find them in our backyards, in the Franklin Mountains and beyond.  Troglodytes are members of the New World family of birds called the Troglodytidae, or the wren family.  The name Troglodytidae comes from troglodyte, which means ‘cave-dweller’. Wrens have the tendency…

Hoffmann’s Two-toed Sloth Choloepus hoffmanni Least Concern Size: Adults range from 21 to 28 inches in head-body length, and weigh from 4.6 to 19.8 pounds.  Habitat:  Tropical and cloud forests of Central and South America. At the El Paso Zoo: South American Pavilion Sloths are slow moving rainforest mammals with a prehistoric yet comical looking appearance.  Because they…

Hooded CraneGrus monacha Vulnerable:  6,000 – 15,000 in the wild, numbers increasing Size: Adults are 3.2 feet tall and weigh about 7.5 to 8.5 pounds. They have a wing span of about 6.2 feet. Habitat: Freshwater marshes, wet grasslands, coastal tidal flats and farmland. At the El Paso Zoo: Across from the tiger exhibit in…

Greater Malayan chevrotain Tragulus napu Least Concern: decreasing in the wild Size: 10-29 inches, 11-17 pounds Habitat: Forests of Southeast Asia At the Zoo: In the Asia Forest below the walkway The greater Malayan chevrotain, also known as the greater mouse-deer, is one of the smallest ungulates or hoofed animal species. Instead of having horns…

Meet Sherlock and Watson We often blog about Burrowing Owls largely because they are a high profile animal in El Paso often impacted by urban sprawl.   When a new housing or business area is built these owls often get displaced when their habitat is destroyed by bulldozers clearing off the natural layer of desert…

If you like birds and seeing pictures of wildlife and natural landscapes, then the upcoming December General Meeting of the El Paso/Trans-Pecos Audubon Society is just for you. On Monday evening on December 14th at 7:00 pm the Society will host a virtual meeting on Zoom featuring some of the favorite images submitted by local…

Southern Three-banded Armadillo Tolypeutes matacus Status: Near Threatened, numbers decreasing in the wild. Size: head-and-body length of 8.7 to 10.6 inches and a weight between 2.2 and 3.5 lb. Habitat: grasslands or marshes near dry forests or savannah areas in northern Argentina, southwestern Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia. At the El Paso Zoo: Off exhibit, part of the…

Eight months into the Covid-19 pandemic virtual tour opportunities almost everywhere are growing. With millions of people driving out to see national parks like Yellowstone National Park, many more who wanted to go simply stayed home and read books and watched videos of their favorite parks. The Interpretive Division at Yellowstone National Park has done…