Animal Ark

Our first Summer Night Stargazing in partnership with UNR's Fleischmann Planetarium is coming up soon! Join us on June 26 from 9pm-10:30pm to explore all the wonders of the night sky. Tickets are going fast, so be sure to book these in advance!

Please do note that Animal Ark's animal portion of the park will be closed during the event, but your Stargazing ticket does give access to our park during our normal 10am-4:30pm open hours earlier the same day as your ticket.

🕷️🦋 INVERTEBRATE DAY IS THIS SATURDAY! 🐛🐌

Get ready for a day filled with creepy crawlies, fascinating discoveries, and hands-on fun for the whole family!

Join us June 20 from 10:00 AM–4:30 PM for:

🔍 Invertebrate scavenger hunts
🕸️ Interactive discovery stations
🕷️ Live viewings of Dolly, our Desert Blonde Tarantula
🐛 Up-close encounters with our Giant African Millipedes
🎨 Face painting from Busy Bee Events
🌮 Delicious food from Kombi Bites & Sips
🥤 Refreshing drinks and acai bowls from Las Peribanas
🍨 Sweet treats from Frost Giant Creamery

Whether you love bugs, are curious about spiders, or just want a fun day at the Ark, Invertebrate Day is packed with activities, learning opportunities, and amazing animals you won't want to miss!

Who are you bringing with you? 👇🦋

Say hi to Maple, our youngest raccoon resident!

Maple has been having a blast exploring enrichment made by our amazing volunteers (seen here!), but she's growing fast and will soon need a larger, long-term home.

We're currently raising funds to build Maple's future enclosure, with an estimated project cost of $13,000. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we're already 20% of the way there!

If you'd like to help Maple take the next step into a bigger space designed for her future needs, please consider making a donation through the links in our bio. Every contribution, no matter the size, helps bring us closer to giving Maple the home she deserves.

Thank you for supporting Maple and the animals at Animal Ark! ❤️

Even more local insects you can learn more about at Invertebrate Day! Join us on June 20th from 10am to 4:30pm to learn all about the bugs, arachnids, and more that call Nevada home!

🦟 Picture 1: The common green darner starts out its life as an aquatic larva, feeding on other aquatic insects, among larger prey such as tadpoles and fish. As adults, they primarily eat flying insects.

🦗 Picture 2: Mormon crickets are actually katydids, not crickets! They are known for emerging in swarms, although it is not known exactly why this occurs. The most widely accepted theory is that their swarming is weather-dependent.

🪲 Picture 3: The yellow-bellied burrowing beetle is known for eating carrion and burying the remains it finds with its eggs underground so they have food upon hatching!

🕷️ INVERTEBRATE DAY SPONSOR SHOUTOUT 🦋

A huge thank you to our Invertebrate Day sponsors for helping make this special event possible!

✨ PBS Reno
✨ Red Rock Cafe & Sports Bar

Their support helps us create fun, educational experiences that inspire curiosity about the incredible world of insects, arachnids, and other invertebrates.

Join us on Saturday, June 20 from 10:00 AM–4:30 PM for a day filled with fascinating invertebrates, hands-on activities, animal encounters, and discovery for all ages! 🦗🕸️🦋

Three more local insects you can learn more about at Invertebrate Day! Join us on June 20th from 10am to 4:30pm to learn all about the bugs, arachnids, and more that call Nevada home

🐞Picture 1: The lined june beetle is a relatively large species of scarab beetle that can often be found being attracted towards lights at night. The males and females of the species can easily be told apart by their antennae, with the males having leaf-like plates used to detect pheromones released by female june beetles.

🦋Picture 2: The tailed copper is a species of butterfly named after its copper-brown wing color and short hindwing tails. Although butterflies don't live very long as adults, their eggs can hibernate through winter to hatch the next spring.

🕷️Picture 3: The western black widow is one of the few spider species in North America with venom lethal to humans. Historically, bites from the species had a 0.5% to 12% fatality rate in humans; however, with recent medicine, this is now closer to 1%.

Can you guess which one our animal residents left these little tracks? Hint: This species can be found in the United States.

Kali is here to remind you that Summer Festival at Animal Ark is one day away! Today is also National Cougar Day! Did you know the mountain lion has the record of the most names for one creature with over 40 names. Some of these include the mountain lion, cougar, puma, panther, and wildcat. This great variety of names is largely due to the mountain lion’s expansive range, living across 28 countries.

There's two days left until Summer Festival at Animal Ark. Come meet Katniss the American kestrel while perusing local food and art vendors. You can also check out our scheduled activities at 10:30, 11:30, 1:30, and 2:30 to learn more about our animal residents! Tickets can be purchased ahead of time on our website or at the door day-of!