Main Trail

Dress up, read a story and let your child's imagination run wild!

The Red Panda lives in dense forests in the mountains of Asia. Its reddish fur camouflages this beautiful little animal against the red tree lichen. It has a thick under layer that insulates its body against the cold and its feet are furred for walking on snow.

Tropical birds soar, roost and squawk in the branches. These spectacular birds include Green-winged Macaws, Red-fronted Macaws and Buffon’s Macaws.

In the dry Serengeti of Tanzania, families of Plains Zebras gather to form large herds. This species of zebra has broad stripes, especially towards its rump, that range from black to dark brown. Zebras are very sociable. You can enjoy their playfulness at our zoo!

When fully grown, a giraffe can be taller than five metres. They have excellent eyesight and can see a human standing 2km away! Giraffes communicate through snorts, grunts and grumbling. Found in the wild across Africa, they are considered vulnerable. This is mainly because of poaching and people encroaching on their habitat.

Hamadryas Baboons have brought pleasure to our visitors since 1948. In the wild, across the north-east African savannah, baboons come together in troops of up to 400 animals. Each baboon's role within the extended family is reinforced through constant interactions. Other social cues include their pink posteriors, with an enlarged, bright rear signalling the dominant male.

Malayan Tapirs were once found throughout the rainforests in Southeast Asia but due to mainly human-related threats, the Malayan Tapir is now at risk of extinction. Experts believe they belong to an ancient animal family, from before the continents drifted apart. Despite their elephant-like trunk, their relatives are horses and rhinos. They use their little trunks to pick vegetation, pulling leaves and shoots within reach of their mouths.

The Collared Peccary is found in North, Central, and South America. They’re omnivorous, and eat roots, seeds, fruits and insects. Collared Peccaries are vocal animals. They use sounds to express fear and anger, or to call a group together. In the wild, peccaries mark their territories with scented secretions.  

Step into the world of reptiles, where you'll see some of the world's most amazing and deadly scaled friends.

The World of Frogs is where the Zoo's amazing frog conservation work happens every day. Many of the frogs in the exhibit are endangered in the wild. This is the only zoo in the world where you can see the rare and elusive Baw Baw Frog.

Come have a boogie in our Frog Disco!

The Aldabra Giant Tortoises are the oldest residents at Melbourne Zoo. They eat grass, herbs, leaves, and woody stems, and can weigh up to 250kgs! Classed as vulnerable, these slow movers are from the Seychelles, a group of islands off East Africa, but have been introduced elsewhere too.

Platypus are found in Eastern Australia – from Queensland to Tasmania –in freshwater creeks, rivers and farm dams. As nocturnal and shy creatures, they are often rare to see in the wild.

Water continues to be a scarce resource. Zoos Victoria is committed to reducing water consumption, while maintaining diverse environments for the animals. Melbourne Zoo collects 90% of water from the Zoo grounds through an onsite Water Treatment Plant. This has considerably decreased the Zoo's use of drinkable water when it's not needed.