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Discover the best animals and exhibits at London Zoo

London Zoo is where history, wildlife, and conservation come together in a way few attractions can match. Established in 1828 as the world's first scientific zoo, it has spent nearly two centuries transforming how people understand and protect animals. Today, you'll find more than 10,000 animals living in designed habitats inspired by their natural environments, from the Land of the Lions to the Tiger Territory and Penguin Beach.

Meet the stars of London Zoo

Tiger standing in water at Blackpool Zoo.
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Sumatran tiger

The world's smallest tiger species and one of the most critically endangered, with as few as 400 remaining in the wild. London Zoo's tigers are part of a global breeding programme working to pull the species back from the brink.

📍 Location: Tiger Territory

🐾 Fun fact: Visitors come face to face with them through floor-to-ceiling glass — no bars, just you and a tiger.

Asiatic lion

Found only in India's Gir Forest, the Asiatic lion was once on the edge of extinction — just 12 remained in the early 20th century. Numbers have since recovered to around 891, a conservation success story London Zoo has actively supported.

📍 Location: Land of the Lions

🦁 Fun fact: London Zoo's pride includes three cubs born in 2024, part of an international breeding programme for the species.

Western lowland gorilla

One of the zoo's most iconic residents. London Zoo's troop of seven includes two infants born in early 2024 — a significant conservation win for a critically endangered species.

📍 Location: Gorilla Kingdom

🦍 Fun fact: Gorillas share around 98% of their DNA with humans.

Humboldt penguin

Native to the coasts of Chile and Peru, and classified as vulnerable in the wild. London Zoo's colony lives in England's largest penguin pool and can be watched diving from an underwater viewing bubble.

📍 Location: Penguin Beach

🐧 Fun fact: Several of the penguins are named after Game of Thrones characters, including Lannister, Targaryen and Stark.

Galapagos giant tortoise

The largest tortoises on Earth and among the longest-living animals in the world. London Zoo's trio — Priscilla, Polly and Dolly — are unhurried crowd favourites.

📍 Location: Giants of the Galápagos

🐢 Fun fact: Galapagos tortoises can live for more than 150 years.

Two-toed sloth

A guest favourite in the zoo's walk-through rainforest habitat, where sloths hang overhead in the tree canopy. They move so slowly that algae can grow on their fur.

📍 Location: Rainforest Life

🦥 Fun fact: Sloths only descend to the ground about once a week.

King cobra

The world's longest venomous snake and one of the zoo's most striking reptile residents, housed in London Zoo's world-class collection of rare reptiles and amphibians.

📍 Location: Secret life of reptiles and amphibians

🐍 Fun fact: This is the same reptile house featured in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone — the world's first reptile house, opened in 1849.

Colobus monkey

Eastern black-and-white colobus monkeys now call the historic Snowdon Aviary home, following its transformation into the walk-through Monkey Valley in 2022.

📍 Location: Monkey Valley

🐒 Fun fact: Colobus monkeys have no thumbs — their name comes from the Greek word for "mutilated."

Key animal exhibits and zones at London Zoo

Land of the Lions

Opened in 2016 by Queen Elizabeth II, this 2,500 sq m exhibit recreates India's Sasan Gir – a working Indian town on the edge of the forest where lions and people coexist. Enter through a grand stone archway and reach a 360° temple clearing where Asiatic lions roam just metres away.

Animals you can spot:

  • Asiatic lions
  • Hanuman langurs
  • Small Indian mongooses
  • Black kites and Rüppell's vultures

Don't miss: The 360° Temple Clearing — one of the closest big cat encounters at any UK zoo.

Tiger Territory

An Indonesian rainforest habitat opened in 2013, designed to immerse visitors in the natural world of the Sumatran tiger. Lush tropical planting, a flowing stream, and floor-to-ceiling glass panels bring you face to face with one of the world's most critically endangered big cats.

Animals you can spot:

  • Sumatran tigers (male Asim, female Gaysha, and cubs Zac and Crispin)
  • Gibbons (viewable from Tiger Territory's upper level)

Don't miss: Floor-to-ceiling glass viewing — no bars between you and the tigers.

Gorilla Kingdom

An African rainforest habitat opened in 2007, centred on a moated island that gives London Zoo's gorilla troop space to live as naturally as possible. The surrounding area also has a walk-through aviary, making it one of the zoo's most immersive zones.

Animals you can spot:

  • Western lowland gorillas (including infants Juno and Venus, born January and February 2024)
  • White-naped mangabeys
  • Diana monkeys
  • African birds (walk-through aviary)

Don't miss: Daily gorilla talks with keepers.

Penguin Beach

England's largest penguin pool, holding 450,000 litres of water and designed to recreate a South American beach landscape. Watch the colony from the surface, or head to the underwater viewing window to see them torpedo through the water.

Animals you can spot:

  • Humboldt penguins (colony of 75, including chicks hatched in 2025)

Don't miss: Underwater viewing window and the daily Penguin Talk.

Rainforest Life

London's only living indoor rainforest — a walk-through South American habitat where animals roam freely around visitors. The ground floor covers daytime rainforest species; the lower level, Night Life, flips the lights to reveal the zoo's nocturnal residents.

Animals you can spot:

  • Two-toed sloths
  • Golden lion tamarins
  • Red titi monkeys
  • Rodrigues flying foxes
  • Night Life: bushbabies, pygmy slow lorises, aye-ayes, naked mole-rats

Don't miss: The Night Life zone — a rare chance to see nocturnal animals active and up close.

The Secret Life of Reptiles and Amphibians

Opened at Easter 2024, this exhibit houses 26 species across eight distinct global habitats — from South American cloud forests to the mountain jungles of Asia. It is as much a conservation hub as an exhibit, with on-site breeding rooms for critically endangered species visible to visitors.

Animals you can spot:

  • King cobras
  • Philippine crocodiles
  • Chinese giant salamanders
  • Mountain chicken frogs
  • Mangshan pit vipers
  • Vietnamese pond turtles

Don't miss: The visible breeding rooms, where some of the world's rarest amphibians are being raised for reintroduction to the wild.

Into Africa

A wide-open African savanna zone, home to some of the zoo's largest animals. The giraffe enclosure features an elevated viewing platform, putting visitors face to face with the giraffes — just as Londoners were when the zoo's first giraffes arrived in 1836.

Animals you can spot:

  • Reticulated giraffes
  • Chapman's zebras
  • African wild dogs
  • Pygmy hippos
  • Common warthogs

Don't miss: The giraffe viewing platform — the Giraffe House itself dates to 1836–37 and is the oldest zoo building in the world still used for its original purpose.

Tiny Giants

A celebration of the planet's smallest but most essential creatures — invertebrates, insects, and coral reef life. Housed in the Millennium Conservation Centre, it makes the case that the animals most overlooked are often the ones that matter most.

Animals you can spot:

  • Leafcutter ants
  • Emperor scorpions
  • Moon jellyfish
  • Golden orb-weaver spiders
  • Coral reef fish
  • Fen raft spiders (one of the UK's most endangered species)

Don't miss: Europe's only walk-through spider enclosure, In with the Spiders, housed within Tiny Giants.

Unique experiences and must-do activities at London Zoo

Penguin keeper experience

Go behind the scenes at Penguin Beach and spend 90 minutes working alongside the zoo's keepers — preparing fish, helping with feeding, and learning about the Humboldt penguin conservation programme.

Perfect for: Animal lovers aged 8+, families, couples

Tiger keeper experience

Arrive before the zoo opens and join the Sumatran tiger-keeping team for their morning routine — creating enrichment, observing keeper training sessions, and learning about the zoo's conservation work in the wild. If you're lucky, you may get to feed one of the tigers.

Perfect for: Adults and teens aged 12+

Komodo dragon experience

Head behind the scenes with one of the zoo's Komodo dragon keepers for an hour before the zoo opens. Lay a scent trail, prepare one of the dragon's rare big meals — they only eat twice a month — and get up close with the world's largest lizard.

Perfect for: Adults and teens aged 11+

Giraffe keeper experience

Join the keeping team to feed London Zoo's reticulated giraffes their lunch and learn about the European breeding programme working to protect the endangered species. The zoo's Giraffe House, where this takes place, dates to 1836 and is the oldest zoo building in the world still used for its original purpose.

Perfect for: All ages, families and animal lovers aged 8+

ZooTown

A giant indoor role-play adventure for children opened in October 2025 inside the zoo's former reptile house. Across 12 themed zones, kids become zookeepers, vets, field scientists, and conservationists, carrying out animal health checks, tracking wildlife, preparing keeper feeds, and more.

Perfect for: Children aged 3–8

Zoo Nights

London Zoo's adults-only after-dark event, running on selected Friday evenings in summer (6pm–10pm). Explore the zoo at dusk when many animals become more active; enjoy street food, cocktails, music, keeper talks, and an aerial acrobatics finale.

Perfect for: Adults (18+)

Overnight lodge stay

Sleep within roaring distance of the Asiatic lions in one of nine Gujarati-inspired lodges set inside the Land of the Lions' habitat. The overnight experience includes after-hours zoo tours, dinner, breakfast, and two days' zoo entry.

Perfect for: Families (children 5–13) and adults (14+); separate family and adult-only nights available

Junior zookeeper

A morning behind-the-scenes programme for animal lovers aged 11–15, giving them hands-on experience with a range of species alongside keepers. Participants clean, feed, ask the experts anything, and receive a Junior Keeper certificate at the end.

Perfect for: Young animal lovers aged 11–15

Daily keeper talks & animal encounters at London Zoo

Animal / ExperienceTimeLocationExperience

Gibbon Talk

10:45am

Tiger Territory

Watch the gibbons enjoy breakfast while keepers explain their behaviour and conservation.

Tiger Talk

11am

Tiger Territory

Learn about Sumatran tigers, their adaptations, and ZSL's conservation work.

Capybara Talk

11:30am

Capybara habitat

Discover how the world's largest rodents thrive both on land and in water.

Super Species Live

11:30am daily and 2pm on weekends (only)

Display Lawn

Free-flight bird demonstration with expert commentary. (Weather dependent.)

Lion Talk

2:30pm

Land of the Lions

Meet the Asiatic lions and learn about conservation in India's Gir Forest

Lemur Talk

3:30pm

In with the Lemurs

Watch the troop enjoy an afternoon snack while learning about Madagascar's endangered lemurs.

Penguin Talk

4:30pm

Penguin Beach

Watch Humboldt penguins enjoy a fishy snack while keepers answer visitor questions.

Visitor tips for exploring the London Zoo's animals

  • Visit Penguin Beach around 4:30 pm. This is when the daily penguin talk takes place, giving you the best chance to watch the Humboldt penguins feed while learning about their behaviour and conservation.
  • Head to Land of the Lions early in the day. Asiatic lions are generally more active in the cooler morning hours before they settle down for long afternoon naps.
  • Don't rush Tiger Territory. The elevated walkways and large viewing windows offer different perspectives of the Sumatran tigers, so take time to explore the entire habitat instead of stopping at the first viewing point.
  • Time your visit to coincide with keeper talks. Talks throughout the day provide fascinating insights into animal behaviour, diets, enrichment activities, and ZSL's global conservation projects—all included with your admission ticket.
  • Carry a pair of binoculars if you're interested in birds or primates. Species in walkthrough aviaries and larger enclosures often spend time high in the trees, where binoculars make a noticeable difference.
  • Look beyond the headline species. While lions, tigers, and gorillas attract the biggest crowds, lesser-known animals such as the babirusa, pygmy hippo, okapi, and aye-aye are among the zoo's rarest residents and are found in very few collections worldwide.
  • Book an Animal Experience if you want a closer encounter. General admission doesn't include feeding or hands-on interactions, but ZSL offers paid experiences with selected species for visitors looking for behind-the-scenes access.

Frequently asked questions about the animals at the London Zoo

London Zoo is home to more than 10,000 animals representing over 400 species. Highlights include Asiatic lions, Sumatran tigers, western lowland gorillas, Humboldt penguins, giraffes, pygmy hippos, Komodo dragons, okapis, and many endangered reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates.

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