Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Brianna Widner, Community Science Specialist, with Katie Remine, Manager, Living Northwest The 2023 Amphibian Monitoring Community Science program observed more than 42 bodies of water with 646 observations by 97 community science volunteers—now that's something to croak about! Northwestern Salamander Egg Mass, Team Hazel Wolf Wetlands, 2023 Each year, Woodland Park Zoo's Amphibian Monitoring community volunteers help collect scientific data by observing amphibians in local conservation wetland areas. Our volunteers log hundreds of observations of amphibians across western Washington in the iNaturalist online collection of biodiversity observations. iNaturalist is a global community of people who assist conservation efforts by recording observations of organisms and share them with each other to gain a better understanding of the natural world. Woodland Park Zoo’s dedicated Amphibian Monitoring volunteers went out from January through late summer 2023 to look for hi...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Rhinoceros ratsnake by Cezary Borysiuk  via Flickr. New species of snakes, lizards, amphibians and other reptiles will make Woodland Park Zoo their new home in fall 2024. The zoo’s Adaptations Building is currently closed until a major refresh is made to bring in and share these new animals with zoo guests. The Adaptations Building will be transformed into a new Indo-Pacific Islands forest and will showcase endangered and threatened species that range from the forest floors to the verdant treetops of Southeast Asia and Oceania. In addition, the new gallery of exhibits will offer a more complete story about the biodiversity in Southeast Asia’s and Oceania’s tropical conservation hotspots. The exhibit will feature a diversity of species including Asian box turtle and rhinoceros ratsnake. The new reptile and amphibian exhibit will take visitors through the diverse habitats of Southeast Asia and...

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications If you’ve been inside the Tropical Rain Forest building, you may have seen the colorful poison dart frogs there. If you haven’t visited in a while, now may be the perfect time for a reintroduction to these incredible amphibians. Yellow-banded poison dart frog. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo The poison dart frog is the common name for dozens of frog species which are native to the warm and wet environments of Central and South America’s tropical rain forests. They are so named because some Indigenous Amazon peoples historically used the toxic skin secretions from a few select species to poison the tips of their blow darts and arrows for hunting. Green and black poison dart frog. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Like most amphibians, these frogs begin life as tiny, aquatic, gill-breathing tadpoles. They go through a metamorphosis as they grow, becoming terrestrial, lung-breathing adults that live amongst the trees,...

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications and Katie Remine, Field Conservation Can you spot the amphibian in the photo below? We'll give you some clues: it's native to the Pacific Northwest, grows to be about two inches long, is mostly nocturnal, loves the dampness of our area and is the official Washington State amphibian! This Pacific tree frog has perfect camouflage to blend with damp, wet forest leaves. Photo: Diana Koch/Woodland Park Zoo Amphibian Monitoring Volunteer Did you find the northern Pacific tree frog ? They are hard to spot when they aren't on the move, since they're perfectly adapted to blend into their (and our) PNW environment. This frog species can even morph to change color to match their environment depending on the season. Hello, little buddy! Photo: Diana Koch/Woodland Park Zoo Amphibian Monitoring Volunteer The presence of amphibians—such as frogs, toads, salamanders and newts—is an indication of a healthy ecosystem. They are...