Every Animal has a Story to Tell: Meet the Residents of the ADZ

Every critter in the Animal Discovery Zone (ADZ) has a story — and a personality to match.

Some are outgoing, eager to greet visitors as they approach their habitats. Others prefer to spend the day curled up in a favorite hiding place, only emerging when the room grows quiet. Together, they make the Animal Discovery Zone one of the most beloved stops at The Lawrence, where every visit offers the chance to meet a new friend.

Open daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the ADZ is home to reptiles, amphibians, and mammals from around the world. Visitors can discover how animals survive through specialized adaptations, explore the ecosystems they call home, and learn what makes each species unique.

For Animal Discovery Zone Lead Alondra Blandon, who’s spent nearly two decades caring for the exhibit’s residents, those lessons go beyond biology. Over the years, she’s come to know each animal’s routines, quirks, and characteristics — details that visitors discover only by slowing down and spending time with them.

One of the first faces visitors are likely to spot is Melbourne, a bearded dragon native to Australia. Like all bearded dragons, she spends much of the day basking beneath a heat lamp to regulate her body temperature.

“Melbourne has become a fan favorite,” Blandon said. “She’s the first one people see when they come in, and she can be quite active at the front.”

Just across from Melbourne is Sally, a desert tortoise born in 1983. Despite the name, Sally is actually a male — a fact that often catches visitors by surprise. Although he often moves at an unhurried pace, Sally is surprisingly social and eager to be part of the action.

“He eats happily, and is very gregarious and willing to come up to people,” Blandon said. “He sees a circle of people and he’s like, ‘Let me go in the middle!'”

The Animal Discovery Zone is also home to some of its most beloved mammals. Rabbits Spock and Uhura and Syrian hamsters Ham and Cheese are incredibly popular, but few residents are as well known as Paco, the white chinchilla. 

Born in 2011, Paco has become famous among staff and visitors alike for one very specific part of his morning routine.

“It’s actually a task for caretakers to give him scratches every morning to help him feel love,” Blandon said. “Sometimes when you really get a good spot, Paco lifts his little arm up, and he appreciates it.”

Back among the reptiles, visitors can discover remarkable adaptations from around the world. Sapphire, an ornate spiny-tailed lizard, displays striking colors and patterns, while Xonga, a rainbow boa, uses tiny heat-sensing pits along her lips to detect warm-blooded prey — even in complete darkness.

Nearby are Einstein and Newton, a pair of axolotls. These unusual amphibians are best known for their remarkable ability to regenerate lost limbs and other body parts. 

Einstein’s pale pink coloring is the result of a genetic trait that reduces skin pigment. Newton, meanwhile, more closely resembles the mottled brown coloring of wild axolotls, which helps camouflage them in their native habitat around Mexico City’s Lake Xochimilco. Today, axolotls are critically endangered in the wild.

Some of the Animal Discovery Zone’s longest-tenured residents paddle quietly nearby. Shirley, Mae West, and Tamale, three pond turtles born in the 1970s, have called The Lawrence home for decades, greeting generations of visitors along the way.

“Tamale is the oldest animal in the entire ADZ!” Blandon said. “All the turtles have been here long before I got here, and I’ve been here almost 19 years.”

Another resident who regularly leaves visitors doing a double take is Indiana, a female European legless lizard who has called The Lawrence home since 1998. At first glance, she looks just like a snake — but she’s actually a lizard, making her one of the exhibit’s best conversation starters.

“People ask, ‘Why is she not a snake?'” Blandon said. “Once visitors start noticing the differences, they can see that she has eyelids. Snakes don’t have eyelids. They have a special scale covering their eyes instead.”

For visitors hoping to get even closer to the animals and make observations (like other differences between snakes and legless lizards), the Animal Discovery Zone offers Critter Connection daily at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. During these interactive presentations, staff answer questions, share fascinating facts, and give visitors the chance to observe some of the animals up close.

“The big hits are Samadhi and King Arthur,” Blandon said, referring to the exhibit’s red-tail boa and black-and-white tegu. While visitors are often drawn in by their size and appearance, Critter Connection gives staff the opportunity to introduce them as individuals, sharing everything from King Arthur’s love of blueberries and strawberries to Samadhi’s calm and curious demeanor.

There’s even more to explore throughout the ADZ, including geckos, chameleons, skinks, snakes, and three-toed box turtles. Each has its own adaptations, habits, and personality waiting to be discovered.

Whether it’s Melbourne greeting visitors from the front of her habitat, Paco lifting a tiny arm for his morning scratches, or Indiana challenging what visitors think they know about snakes and lizards, every animal in the Animal Discovery Zone has a story to tell. The only thing left to do is stop by and meet them.