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Location:

Arizona Trail - just outside the AZ Aviary exit bpast the Burrowing Owls

Native Herp Habitat

**Now Open!

  • Desert Tortoise

  • Gila Monster

  • Texas Horned Lizards

  • Box Turtle

  • Chuckwalla

More animals will be added soon, including Spiny Lizard, Collared Lizard, & Desert Iguana.

Identifying Features:

Scroll down or click 'Read More' for information and pictures of each species.

History:

Newly constructed exhibit opened April 2026

More Information:

  • Desert Tortoise - diurnal and crepuscular; shelters and brumates in burrows; burrows under large rocks or in banks of washes; strong, paddle-like forelimbs for digging; will pull head into shell when threatened.

  • Gila Monster

    • Southwestern US and Northwestern Mexico

    • Stores water and fat in tail

    • Venomous

    • 80% of life spet underground

    • Preferred food - eggs

    • Groundbreaking study in medicine (ASU) - diabetes

  • Texas Horned Lizard

  • Box Turtle

  • Chuckwalla - live on rocky slopes and boulder piles; rarely drink water; primarily herbivorous, but occasionally eat insects. They can inflate their bodies and wedge themselves between rocks to prevent predators from pulling them out.

  • Desert Tortoise

  • Gila Monster

  • Texas Horned Lizards

  • Box Turtle

  • Chuckwalla

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