Primate Forest

Hello adventurers and welcome to the Primate Forest exhibit here at the Toledo Zoo. As you walk through, you are met with exhibits two stories tall. These exhibits are filled with trees and plants of all shapes and sizes. There are large wooden poles throughout the exhibits for the animals to climb on. There are also quite a few fire hoses for the animals to climb and swing on.

As you reach the end of Primate Forest you will see an outdoor exhibit that is home to our Red pandas. To the left of this exhibit is an indoor viewing area with two different exhibits that our primates rotate through.

Primate Forest is a unique exhibit because it rotates the animals through all the different areas depending on the day. These habitats are suitable for all of our primates, and they take turns on different days being in different spots, whether it’s the indoor exhibits or outdoor exhibits.

Primates include lemurs, monkeys and apes. In Primate Forest, there are all three. The Zoo is home to Ring-tailed lemurs, Red-ruffed lemurs and three different species of monkey: Colobus monkeys, langurs and Red-tailed guenons. We also have one lesser ape called the White-cheeked gibbon. You can tell the difference from the monkeys because it does not have a tail.

Red pandas are also found in Primate Forest and are often the only animals in the outdoor exhibits during the colder months.

A gibbon is a small ape known for its amazing balance and quick movements. It has long arms, which are much longer than its legs, and its body is slim and lightweight, making it easier to swing from tree to tree in the dense forests of Southeast Asia.

Gibbons move primarily by swinging hand over hand from branch to branch, known as brachiating. This is one of the fastest ways for gibbons to travel through the trees, allowing them to cover large distances quickly. They can also walk upright on their back legs with their arms held out for balance, giving them the appearance of a tightrope walker.

Adult males are typically all black with white cheeks, which they are named for. The females usually have a golden or tan-colored body with a dark face and a white ring around their whole head.

The face is one of the most recognizable features, with the white fur surrounding the eyes and a dark line running down the middle.

One of the most amazing things about this animal is that they can change colors. When White-cheeked gibbons are born their fur is tan to match their mothers. As they get older they turn black in color. If they are females, their fur will change back to tan when they are ready to have their own babies.

Just like the exhibits of the primates, the red pandas also have a tall enclosure that allows them to access several wooden logs at different heights to explore. Since this species is arboreal, meaning they like to live in trees, these wooden logs mimic the forest trees they may live in. At certain heights, there are platforms where the red pandas can be noticed. Two of the platforms have boxes that contain A/C and are about the size of a washing machine. The pandas are able to enter like a dog door. It can either be used as a way to cool down in warm weather or just as a place to sleep. You will also be able to find their diet spread around their exhibit, which consists of leafy greens, bamboo and biscuits.

If the Red pandas are not found climbing high or hanging out on the platforms, they are sound asleep in their hammock. This hammock is made of a sturdy rope material with openings where the pandas can stick their heads, limbs or tails through. The openings are small enough that they can walk on it without falling through.

Red pandas have a similar body weight and length to raccoons, even though they are not related. As the name suggests, Red pandas are a dark red and orange color. They have fluffy striped tails, similar to raccoons, that are red and white in color. They have white markings on their faces near their eyebrows as well as their mouths and cheeks. From their eyes to their chins, they have white lines called tear lines. These markings act as protection from the sun. On the bottom of their bodies and legs they are dark brown and black in color.

Thank you for joining us on a journey through the Primate Forest exhibit here at the Toledo Zoo. We hope you discovered something new about these amazing animals!