28 Animals You Can See at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a zoological theme park near Orlando, Florida at the Walt Disney World Resort. This Disney Park is centered around, you guessed it, animals! Along with the magnificent Tree of Life featuring 300 animal carvings, visitors will find a safari, exploration trails, rides, and unique experiences for the whole family. Disney’s Animal Kingdom spreads across 500 acres and contains more than 2,000 animals and 400 million trees, plants, and shrubs. Check out this list of the 28 most unique animals you can see at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and plan your next trip!

Black Swan

One of the first animals you see in Disney’s Animal Kingdom is the majestic black swan. These large dark-colored waterbirds are native to Australia, where they breed in the southern regions and live a nomadic lifestyle. Outside of captivity, it is extremely rare to see a black swan in the wild habitats of America.

Babirusa

Also known as deer pigs, babirusas belong to the Swine family and live on several Indonesian islands. Their numbers in the wild are decreasing due to poaching and habitat loss and their conservation status is vulnerable. These animals’ tusks can grow long enough to puncture their mouths and snouts.

Reeve’s Muntjac

This muntjac species, the Chinese muntjac, primarily lives in Southeast China and Taiwan. These small deer have a tiny stature and bark-like calls. They also make a strange squeaking when startled. Muntjac have holes on their face known as exocrine glands, which they can use to communicate with other deer.

Rhinoceros Iguana

These large lizards are an endangered species native to the Caribbean Island of Hispaniola. While its population dwindles in the wild, this species is popular among pet owners, with most kept in captivity. Rhinoceros iguanas have a docile nature but have strong jaws and can inflict serious injuries from their bite.

Northern Pintail Duck

These elegant, long-necked ducks are rather common across the northern regions of Europe and North America. However, their wild populations are declining. You can recognize these birds by their brown and white plumage, as well as their graceful flying. Northern pintail ducks live in wetlands and lakes, where they spend much of their time in the water.

Scarlet Macaw

The scarlet macaw is a large neotropical bird with yellow, red, and blue feathers. It lives in the humid evergreen forests of the Americas, extending from Southern Mexico to Brazil. These intelligent birds are social creatures that live in pairs or flocks and communicate by producing ear-splitting screams.

Pacu Fish

The Pacu fish refers to several species of South American freshwater fish. Pacu are related to piranhas and are omnivorous, featuring human-like teeth. Their teeth evolved to help them eat seeds and they can grow up to 50 pounds and reach 3 feet long, much larger than a piranha.

Small-Clawed Otter

The small-clawed otter is native to Southeast Asia and has short claws that don’t extend past its webbed digits. Not only are these creatures adorable, but they’re intelligent, too. This species is the smallest of the otters, and it lives in family groups, with most pairs mating for life.

Paroon Shark Catfish (Giant Pangasius)

The giant pangasius, also known as the paroon shark, is a species of freshwater fish from the shark catfish family. This fish lives in Southeast Asia, where it inhabits the Mekong and Chao Phraya basins. The paroon shark is critically endangered in the wild due to overfishing.

Ring-Tailed Lemur

These medium-sized primates are one of the most easily recognized lemur species due to their long black and white tails. The ring-tailed lemur is endemic to Madagascar, where it inhabits gallery forests and spiny scrub. Lemurs are extremely social creatures, and they live in groups of up to 30.

African-Crested Porcupine

The African-crested porcupine is a rodent species native to North Africa and Italy. These mammals have course bristles covering their bodies, with some sturdier quills running along the back half of the body and used for defense. African-crested porcupines are nocturnal terrestrial mammals that store animal skeletons in underground caves.

Angolan Colobus Monkey

The Angola colobus monkey is a black-and-white species that features locks of white hair that frame its face and shoulders. This species lives in dense rainforests in lowland or coastal mountains, primarily in the Congo Basin of Africa. These social primates live in groups of up to several hundred individuals.

Okapi

The okapi, or forest giraffe, is the giraffe’s only living relative and it looks like a cross between a zebra and a deer. This unique creature is endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Okapis are solitary animals that typically only come together to breed.

African Bullfrog

African bullfrogs are very large frogs, weighing up to three pounds and measuring over nine inches long. They have voracious appetites and eat a carnivorous diet of insects, small rodents, reptiles, and anything else they can fit in their mouths. This species is native to many habitats of Southern Africa.

Kenyan Sand Boa

The Kenyan sand boa is a native species to Eastern and Northern Africa, where it prefers semi-desert and scrub savannah habitats. You can often find it on rocky outcroppings or buried under sandy soil. While they seek refuge underground during the hotter times of the day, they are also known to climb trees.

Spiny-Tailed Lizard

Spiny-tailed lizards belong to a genus that resides in Africa and Asia, spending much of their time in hilly and rocky areas or hiding in underground chambers. These lizards like to spend their days basking in the sun on rocks or looking for food, such as insects, vegetation, or small animals.

Grevy’s Zebra

Also known as the imperial zebra, this species is the most threatened and largest living of the zebras. Their appearance is closer to that of a mule, and it is found in parts of Kenya and Ethiopia. The Grevy’s zebra inhabits semi-arid savannahs and feeds on grasses and other vegetation.

Meerkat

The meerkat is a small mongoose native to Southern Africa, where it lives in rock crevices and large burrows in plains. These animals are very social and form packs of up to 30 individuals, where they live in a social hierarchy. Because they are susceptible to predators, meerkats are on constant alert.

Lowland Gorilla

The lowland gorilla is a critically endangered subspecies of the western gorilla. It inhabits forests of lowland swampland in Central Africa. Western lowland gorillas are the primary species kept in zoo captivity and they are the smallest gorilla subspecies. Older males are known as “silverbacks.”

American Crocodile

As one of the largest crocodile species in the world, American crocodiles can reach lengths of more than 20 feet and weigh over 2,000 pounds. This giant reptile is present from South Florida and the Mexican coasts to Venezuela and Peru. These alligators prefer coastal areas and salty river systems.

Komodo Dragon

Komodo dragons belong to the monitor lizard family and are endemic to several Indonesian islands. This dragon is the largest lizard species and can grow nearly 10 feet long and weigh up to 150 pounds. These apex predators are excellent ambush hunters and eat a variety of animals.

Lion-Tailed Macaque

The striking lion-tailed macaque features black fur and a silver mane that frames its hairless face. These monkeys are endemic to the rainforests of the Western Ghats in South India. You can find them in the upper canopy, where they spend each day foraging for food and resting in the trees.

Tree Monitor

Tree monitors are lizards with long, slender bodies and typically feature green or blue coloring. They live in tropical rainforests in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, where they are highly arboreal, meaning they spend much of their time in trees. Tree monitors are primarily insectivorous, but they also consume small invertebrates, like spiders, small mammals, and bird eggs.

Large Flying Fox

The large flying fox is the biggest bat at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. In fact, this species is the largest bat in the world. This megabat has a foxlike face and a wingspan of nearly 5 feet. These unusual creatures live in Southeast Asia and cannot echolocate. However, they make up for it with excellent eyesight. While they may look creepy as they fly across the sky with their giant wings, these animals only eat fruit, nectar, and flowers.

Tiger

Tigers are the largest living cat species on Earth, with some males reaching over 900 pounds. It’s most recognizable by its orange fur and thick, black vertical stripes. This apex predator preys on deer, wild boar, and other ungulates and is primarily solitary. In the wild, tigers have large habitat areas, where they raise their cubs and hunt.

Sable Antelope

This large antelope lives in wooded savannahs and grasslands in Southern and Eastern Africa, where they form herds of 10 to 30 females and one bull. They are known for their enormous decurved horns and ability to fight back against predators, such as lions. These animals are herbivores that feed on foliage, but they also visit salt licks and will even chew on bones to collect minerals.

Great Argus Pheasant

The great argus is a large pheasant species from Southeast Asia. It’s renowned for its beautiful plumage and bright blue head. These birds feed on forest floors and are native to the jungles of Sumatra, Borneo, and the Malay Peninsula.

Victoria-Crowned Pigeon

This especially beautiful pigeon may be the prettiest bird at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The large, bluish-gray pigeon is known for its lacy crest, red eyes, and gorgeous bright feathers. These birds are ground-dwelling and have deep whooping sounds as their calls. Victoria-crowned pigeons live in lowlands and swamp forests of New Guinea.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Jedi94, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons – License / Original