North America | North Carolina Zoo

The year 1994 was memorable at the Zoo as it’s when the North America region opened and when three polar bear siblings arrived, creating a statewide buzz. Our current polar bear stars are joined by black bears, red wolves and hundreds of other animals in this diverse region.

Brown Pelican

Brown Pelican laying on a rock

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Several small clusters of bright orange blooms extending from long, thin green stems that are lined with small, slender leaves in a field or garden of other plants.

Orange Milkweed

Orange Milkweed

A lush field of wildflowers stretches across the frame, with a dense cluster of light purple flowers on the left and a vibrant array of deeper purple flowers on the right, all interspersed with green foliage.

Obedient Plant

A close-up shot features a cluster of white and pale green Oakleaf Hydrangea blooms against a blurred background of large, dark green and reddish-brown leaves. The flowers are tightly packed, with individual petals visible, and some new, light green buds are also present.

Oakleaf Hydrangea

A field of Purple Coneflower plants in full bloom. The flowers have vibrant purple petals radiating from a prominent, spiky, reddish-brown central cone. The foreground shows several individual flowers in sharp focus, while the background is a soft blur of more purple coneflowers and green foliage.

Purple Coneflower

North American Porcupine

American Porcupine Rime, walks across a log with rocks stacked in the background. It has a black face and long grey and white quills all over its body.

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A statue of a Hellbender carved into a large piece of rock. It is made to appear that the creature with its long lizard-like body and wrinkly skin is peeking out from under a rock.

Hellbender's Rock

An intricate, domed archway with a tree branch design, that spans a sidewalk that is lined with a variety of plants. There is water being sprayed down in a fine mist to keep those who walk underneath it cool.

Polar Bear Mister

Horned Puffin

A horned puffin with its distinctive short orange beak and black and white feathers perched above swimming puffins in a bright blue pool.

About:

Did you know that a horned puffin may carry over 50 small fish crosswise in their bills? Learn more about horned puffins.

Read more about Horned Puffin

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