Animals That Go Bump in the Night - At Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo
I’ve always been both fascinated and slightly squeamish about nocturnal animals in general. I had a basement bedroom in high school and one night a large mole tunneled its way right up to my bedroom window about 10:00 at night. His long pink nose and clingy pink paws explored nearly every inch of my bedroom window while I ran screaming upstairs and waking up anyone who was asleep by that time. Moles do not seem very scary now, minus the fact that I’m sure they munched on numerous of my tulip bulbs over the years. I guess I just wasn’t expecting it and had never seen a mole before. They are pretty curious little creatures. 😯
The Mahoney Kingdoms of the Night Exhibit at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo has many curious creatures of the night. In fact, Kingdoms of the Night is the WORLD’S LARGEST nocturnal exhibit! It is a varied and winding exhibit under the Desert Dome near the zoo’s entrance. See a photo of the Desert Dome below. ⬇️
Entrance/Exit to the Desert Dome - with restrooms. ⬇️
Once inside the dome, turn left and there will be both an elevator and a set of stairs leading to the Kingdoms of the Night.
The exhibits have changed throughout the years, but some things remain the same. There is always something unique in many of the exhibits.
I should mention a couple of things at this point. First, if you have sunglasses or transitions lenses you might have a few issues spotting some of the animals. I have the latter and have to admit I sometimes have to let my glasses/eyes adjust for a bit before I can spot something. Also, because it is fairly dark, take extra care walking through the exhibit. On occasion the floors can be a bit uneven and there is one spot in the swamp boardwalk that has a little bit of a difference in height. I ALWAYS use handrails and move slowly through this exhibit. Given my propensity for being a bit clumsy at times and my transition lens glasses, it is probably in my best interest. 🙄
The other thing I should mention is there are several exhibits of bats, snakes, etc… They are well-contained and you can just walk past them but I’m just making you aware. The bats used to scare me a little but now they just fascinate me. I realized on my recent visit that I’ve never really stopped to look at them for very long.
So, with those items mentioned, you might wonder what other things there are to see. You will first encounter some information about caves and then you move through some sliding glass doors to see an exhibit of naked mole rats. While they were a bit sleepy when I was there recently, it is fun to watch them wiggle and scurry around in their exhibit.
Next you will see a number of animal exhibits such as a springhaas and different types of tree frogs. One frog even looks like a leaf!
Next were some comical-looking geckos. When I went they were stuck to the glass, one of them was so stretched out I was amazed it could reach that far.
Look at the flexibility of this gecko! 😮
You may see an aardvark or a Northern Greater Galago (a what? 🤔).
One sleepy aardvark! ⬇️
There is an exhibit with an adorable sloth and other animals. ⬇️
After that you will move into an area that resembles the inside of a cave, with the sound of water rushing and faux stalactites and stalagmites. Things to see in this area are bats, an amphibian called a hellbender, and numerous Lake Titicaca Frogs. No, I am not making this up. That’s what is there. 🤷♀️
A bit further down you may see a knob-tailed gecko, two or three types of armadillos (including a Screaming Hairy Armadillo - again, not making this up!), a porcupine and/or a douroucouli (reminds me of a monkey).
It’s cuter than it looks in this dimly lit photo. ⬆️
Feeding time for this armadillo! ⬇️
Next up were the wallabies, whom I got to see eat (breakfast?). Their hopping around always makes me smile. They must have sharp teeth, though, because they were really noisily munching on something big and stalky. Sometimes I’ve seen echidnas here too, but I didn’t see them on this trip.
Just before the entrance to the swamp is an exhibit with a small freshwater crocodile and several types of turtles, plus more bat exhibits.
When entering the Swamp, you will first go through what appears to be a researcher’s or scientist’s cabin and then you emerge into an a large boardwalk area with water on all sides. In this area you might see crocodiles, turtles, some fish, alligators, beavers, and a spectacled caiman. You will also likely see a leucistic (white) alligator. He is rather easy to spot because of his size and color. As you walk over the boardwalk you will really feel like you’ve been transported to a swamp.
On the final exhibit before exiting, you will see one or more crocodiles (who says he will see you after a while (Oh, nevermind. Maybe not! But you will get the sense that you are being watched…😉) and more turtles. There may have been some other things in the tank but I was too fascinated by the crocodile on the log, who kept a watchful eye on me the whole time. 🫣
Just outside the Desert Dome/Kingdoms of the Night is a plaza area with a cafe and also a snack station. The Lozier IMAX is next door as well, so you may want to catch a show afterwards. ⬇️
Casual, newer outdoor dining right outside the Desert Dome/Kingdoms of the Night! Stop for lunch or a snack! ⬆️
The Kingdoms of the Night is a fascinating attraction that is extremely well-done, just like almost all of the many attractions at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo. It is, after all, voted to be the country’s #1 zoo for the second year in a row according to an annual poll of USA Today. What are you waiting for? Just go! 🐊🦢🦚🐘🐒🦍🦓🪼🐠🦭
