The Animals

One creature is three inches long and as wrinkled as a prune. Another is the planet's largest land mammal with an affinity for snorkeling, trumpeting and employing its ears as an air-conditioning system. Then there's the species of cat that's the fastest on Earth and the antelope that appears to be from another planet altogether.

These are just some of the more than 1,500 creatures that roam the 110-acre savannah and other areas of Disney's Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort. They come to this 500-acre habitat and theme park from some of the finest zoological parks across the country.

Key critters on the "don't miss" list:

• Gerenuk -- Its neck is pencil thin, its ears are oversized and it appears almost unearthly. The gerenuk is an antelope with delicate features that stands on its spindly hind legs to feed on vegetation and seldom drinks water. This animal can be seen from the park's savannah overlook at Pangani Forest Exploration Trail and other species of antelope can be viewed on the savannahs of Kilimanjaro Safaris. The park's vast African savannah is planted with hundreds of species of grasses, shrubs and trees that thrive as a supplemental food source for these and other animals.

• Naked mole rat -- Few mammals are as comical as this homely creature from Kenya and Ethiopia that caters to a queen and even builds subterranean toilets. Pink and virtually hairless, the naked mole rat lives in a colony (of about 60 at Disney's Animal Kingdom). It weighs little more than three ounces and uses its narrow, buck teeth to dig. It sometimes appears to "moonwalk" along its tunnels, has a vast vocal range including chirping and whistling noises and lives to serve its queen, the only female that reproduces in the colony. The mole rats can be viewed in the Research Center along Pangani Forest Exploration Trail, a lush pathway dense with tropical plantings and waterfalls that is home to gorillas, hippos, meerkats and other wildlife.

• African elephant -- Guests will view these largest land mammals on the savannah from an open-air safari vehicle on Kilimanjaro Safaris. An endangered species, elephants like to swim and snorkel. They use their ears as a cooling system and their trunks are composed of 40,000 muscles to serve as a modified upper lip and nose wrapped up in one. These herbivores live as long as 60 years and can communicate with low frequency sounds across several miles.

• Cheetah -- With its long feline legs and dog-like paws, this endangered animal from eastern and southern Africa has been clocked at speeds of 70 mph. Its coat is tawny beige with black spots, and its face features black "tear-stain" markings. The cheetah's long tail helps it balance when it runs. Ancient Egyptians trained cheetahs to help them hunt small game. Cheetahs can be seen on the savannah from Kilimanjaro Safaris.

• White rhinoceros -- This threatened species from southern Africa isn't really white. It's brownish-gray, and its name comes from a mistranslation of the Afrikaans' word for "wide," which describes the animal's upper lip. This 2- to 3-ton creature has been poached for years for its horn, which has been used for ceremonial dagger handles in northern Africa and in Chinese folk medicine. Rhinos are grazers, and though they don't swim, they take dips to cool off. They can be seen on the savannah from Kilimanjaro Safaris.

• Black rhinoceros -- More rare than white rhinos, these endangered animals from eastern and southern Africa also are more aggressive. Only about 3,600 are left in the wild. These herbivores use their hooked lip to grab the shrubs they eat. They live as long as 30 to 40 years and, like the white rhino, have been poached for their horns. They, too, can be viewed from Kilimanjaro Safaris.

• Marabou stork -- With its pick-ax bill, two unsightly pouches and naked cranium studded with scab-like spots, it's easy to see why the marabou stork has been dubbed "the world's ugliest bird." That doesn't keep these 4-1/2- to 5-foot-tall, carrion-eating critters from having a good time, however. They appear to enjoy running, jumping and tossing sticks into the air. Despite their unattractiveness, marabou storks were slaughtered in large numbers at the turn of the century for the downy feathers under their tail that were coveted by milliners. One of the largest groups in North America can be seen from the savannah overlook.

• Hippopotamus -- There's more than myth to the old axiom of the Serengeti: "Don't get between a hippo and the water." These comical creatures that grunt, snort and play gracefully in the water won't think twice about attacking an animal or human in their way. Reaching up to 6,000 pounds, hippos spend the day in the water and come out to graze at night. Female hippos give birth in shallow water, and their young can swim and walk immediately. Disney's Animal Kingdom herd is the largest in the country. The hippo habitat was designed after the Rafigi River in Tanzania, and the animals can be viewed from Kilimanjaro Safaris and at the underwater viewing area along Pangani Forest Exploration Trail.

• Okapi -- It's one of the largest mammals discovered in the 20th century, and is rare in the wild -- found only in the Ituri Forest in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The okapi, which resembles a cross between a giraffe and zebra, is in the giraffe family but, unlike the giraffe, is shy and solitary. Its fur is velvety and its rump is colored with a striking pattern similar to a zebra's. They can be seen near the beginning of the Kilimanjaro Safaris tour in a forest home built to mimic the Ituri and along Pangani Forest Exploration Trail.

• Sable antelope -- These large and very aggressive antelope from southern Africa have scimitar shaped horns that allow them to stand up to large predators such as lions. When at rest, they lie in a circular star pattern with their heads facing out (keeping all their young in the middle) to protect themselves from predators. Guests will see a herd of sable antelope from Kilimanjaro Safaris.

• Carmine bee-eater -- An acrobatic flyer and colonial nester, the carmine bee-eater is one of the most magical, beautiful birds on the African continent. At slightly more than 1 foot long, this elegant bird has an iridescent turquoise head and a flaming carmine red body. It's named after one of its favorite foods, the bee, and performs amazing acrobatics to catch bees and other flying insects. One of the largest flocks in North America can be seen in the aviary on Pangani Forest Exploration Trail.

• Red kangaroo -- Juggling her joeys is a special skill of the female red kangaroo from Australia. This marsupial's incredible reproductive system allows her to have one offspring at foot and nursing, while another nurses and grows in her pouch and a third is in the embryonic stage. She can produce two kinds of milk at the same time for these different-aged joeys. Boomers (male kangaroos) are reddish in color, while females are bluish gray. These herbivores can leap distances up to 40 feet, reaching speeds of 30 mph. Kangaroos can be viewed in the park's lushly planted Tree of Life area.

• Giraffe -- Tallest of the land mammals, the reticulated giraffe from northern Kenya reaches heights of 17 feet. Its long purple tongue is up to 18 inches long, and it feeds mostly on acacia leaves. Males fight by swinging their heads as if they were clubs. Females give birth standing up, their calves dropping six feet to the ground.

• Ring-tailed lemur -- They spend their leisure time sunbathing, and they're known to engage in stink fights over territory. The ring-tailed lemur of Madagascar is gray with a long black and white striped tail. About the size of a large house cat, a lemur spends hours in the trees. One of the few primates that gives birth to multiple young, the ring-tailed lemur is severely endangered, as is its natural habitat. Its horrific screaming is mostly bluster but enough to keep neighbors from a peaceful nap. Lemurs can be viewed in the park's Tree of Life area.

• Lion -- Among the largest of the cats, African lions are unlike most in their sociability. They live in large prides of one or two males with females and cubs. Females do the hunting, but males generally eat first. Cubs' favorite pastime is playing and usually stalking and pouncing. The lion's roar is distinctive and can be heard from miles away. Guests can see lions from Kilimanjaro Safaris.

[break=Animals By Area]
Disney's Animal Kingdom Animal Collection by Area

Oasis Gardens
African Spoonbill
Babirusa
Bahama Pintail
Bronze-winged Duck
Bufflehead
Chiloe Wigeon
Florida Cooter
Giant Anteater
Hooded Merganser
Hyacinth Macaw
Indian Spotbill
Javan Tree Duck
Mandarin Duck
Medium Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Military Macaw
Parma Wallaby
Puna Teal
Radjah Shelduck
Reeves' Muntjac
Rhinoceros Iguana
Ringed Teal
Rosybill Pochard
Ruddy Duck
Scarlet Ibis
Sharpe-winged Teal


The Tree of Life
Abdim's Stork
Asian Small-clawed Otter
Axis Deer
Blue & Yellow Macaw
Cape Teal
Capybara
Comb Duck
Cotton-top Tamarin
Eyton's Whistling Duck
Galapagos Tortoise
Greater Flamingo
Green-winged Macaw
Red Kangaroo
Ring-tailed Lemur
Roseate Spoonbill
Saddle-billed Stork
Salmon-crested Cockatoo
Silver Teal
West African Crowned Crane
White Stork
White-faced Whistling Duck
Woolynecked Stork


Savannah Ride Queue
West African Crowned Crane


African Forest
Black Rhinoceros
Bongo
Egyptian Goose
Helmeted Guineafowl
Northern Pintail
Nyala
Okapi
Pink-backed Pelican
Saddle-billed Stork
Yellow-backed Duiker
Yellow-billed Stork


Savannah West
Gerenuk
Grant's Zebra
Greater Kudu
Greater Flamingo
Impala
Mandrill
Nile Crocodile
Nile Hippopotamus
Reticulated Giraffe
Sable Antelope
Thomson's Gazelle
White-bearded Wildebeest


Savannah East
African Elephant
African Lion
Cheetah
Eland
Ostrich
Scimitar-horned Oryx
Warthog
White Rhinoceros


Pangani Forest Exploration Trail
Colubus Monkey
Gorilla
Kenyan Sand Boa
Kori Bustard
Meerkat
Naked Mole Rat
Nile Hippopotamus
Stanley Crane
Tarantula
Yellow-backed Duiker


Aviary
African Grey Parrot
African Hoopoe
African Jacana
African White-backed Duck
Amethyst Starling
Bearded Barbet
Black Crake
Brimstone Canary
Carmine Bee-eater
Emerald Starling
Golden-breasted Starling
Hadada Ibis
Hammerkop
Hottentot Teal
Lake Victoria Cichlids
Magpie Shrike
Marbled Teal
Olive Pigeon
Pygmy Goose
Snowy-headed Robin Chat
Superb Starling
Taveta Golden Weaver
White-backed Duck
White-bellied Go-away Bird
White-collared Kingfisher


Savannah North
Grant's Zebra


Rafiki's Planet Watch
African Pygmy Goat
Ball Python
Black Rough-necked Monitor
Blue & Gold Macaw
Blue-tongued Skink
Brush-tailed Possum
Butterflies
Chinchilla
Citron Cockatoo
Common Boa
Corn Snake
Costa Rican Zebra Tarantula
Deaths Head Cockroach
Dexter Cow
Dominique Chicken
Emperor Scorpion
Everglades Ratsnake
Fennec Fox
Ferret
Giant African Black Milipedes
Golden Lion Tamarin
Green Tree Python
Green-winged Macaw
Guinea Hog
Gulf Coast Native Sheep
Hermit Crab
Hyacinth Macaw
Inland Bearded Dragon
Kinkajou
Llama
Madagascar Day Gecko
Madagascar Hissing Cockroach
Madagascar Tree Boa
Medium Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Miniature Donkey
Nigerian Dwarf Goat
Nile Monitor
Opossum
Prehensile-tailed Skink
Pygmy Hedgehog Tenrec
Rat
Red Cockaded Woodpecker
Red Ratskake
Red-backed Hawk
Red-crested Touraco
Rose-breasted Cockatoo
San Clemente Island Goat
Savanna Monitor
Solomon Island Eclectus Parrot
Spectacled Owl
Standard Chinchilla Rabbit
Striped Skunk
Tamandua
Tarantula (assorted)
Tawny Frogmouth
Tawny Owl
Tenrec
Tunis Sheep
Two-toed Sloth
Uromastyx
Vasa Parrot


DinoLand U.S.A.
American Crocodile
Red-legged Seriema
Thick-knee


Camp Minnie-Mickey
Homing Pigeon
King Snake
Opossum
Porcupine
Rabbit
Raccoon
Rat
Royal Palm Turkey
Show Roller Pigeon
Standard Bronze Turkey
Striped Skunk


Asia
Amboina King Parrot
Asian Fairy Bluebird
Asian Tiger
Banteng
Blackbuck Antelope
Crested Wood Partridge
Eld's Deer
Golden-backed Woodpecker
Golden-crested Mynah
Green Jungle Fowl
Green-winged Dove
Green Peafowl
Green-naped Pheasant Ageon
Indian Pygmy Goose
Iris Lorikeet
Jambu Fruit Dove
Magnificent Ground Pigeon
Malayan Flying Fox
Malayan Tapir
New Guinea Masked Plover
Nicobar Pigeon
Orange-bellied Leafbird
Pink-necked Green Pigeon
Plum-headed Parakeet
Red-headed Parrot Finch
Rodrigues Fruit Bat
Saurus Crane
Siamang
Silver-eared Mesia
Sooty-headed Bulbul
Spice Finch
Temminck's Fruit Dove
Timor Sparrow Finch
Treron Pink-necked Pigeon
White-collared Kingfisher
White-headed Munia
White-rumped Shama Thrush
Wompoo Fruit Dove
Yellow-throated Laughing Thrush
Yellow-vented Bulbul