Get Wild At Fort Worth Zoo’s Reimagined Mountains & Desert Exhibit — The Renovated Texas Reptiles and Amphibian Home

The Fort Worth Zoo celebrated the grand reopening of Mountains & Desert in the area known as Texas Wild! on Thursday, June 20. It’s the zoo’s renovated home highlighting native Texas reptiles and amphibians. Parents and chaperones will likely appreciate one fact above all this summer ― it’s air-conditioned.

“This new space highlights some of the Lone Star State’s critters that don’t always receive a lot of love, but are so very crucial to this arid ecosystem,” Michael Fouraker, the Fort Worth Zoo executive director says in a statement.

From rattlesnakes to tarantulas ― it’s a fascinating new exhibit with education at its core. The revitalized habitat comes a year after the zoo unveiled its massive new Predators of Asia & Africa exhibit where the wild cats roam.

Avery Elander, director of marketing and PR for the Fort Worth Zoo, tells PaperCity Fort Worth that the fourth and final phase of the zoo’s multi-year, multi-million dollar overhaul ― Forests & Jungles of the World, is still anticipated to open in 2026. It will include a lush, jungle habitat for the jaguars and Sumatran orangutans, okapi, bongo, and giant otters.

Environmental Wonders

While the ‘creepy crawlies’ located inside this new 7,200-square-foot Mountain & Desert facility are not warm and fuzzy, they are critical to our ecosystem.

“Many of the animals in Mountains & Desert are often referred to as ‘indicator species;’ when population numbers of one species decline, it indicates that the balance in the ecosystem is off and declines in other species may follow,” Fouraker explains.

The habitat houses more than 30 ectotherm (or cold-blooded) species “in specialized, state-of-the-art habitats designed for each animal. The habitats are equipped with adjustable lighting and heat sources along with humidity controls that are necessary to ensure individualized levels of care for each species.”

Visitors familiar with the zoo’s Museum of Living Art (MOLA) will see many similarities. Guest wind through this indoor space filled with jewel-box glass-fronted habitats, where the viewing is optimal and the educational and conservation messaging is also in clear view. There is even a large aquatic tank to peek under the water at what lurks beneath the surface ― inside the 13,000-gallon Rio Grande aquarium.

But, the back of the house (which is out of view for visitors) contains the state-of-the-art equipment that zoo keepers need to both study and maintain the animals, even aiding in the rebounding of native wildlife in Texas. Since 2013, Fort Worth Zoo has contributed more than $1.8 million ― partnering with private landowners as well as Texas Parks and Wildlife, releasing native species back into the wild. These include the release of a favorite for TCU fans ― over 850 Texas horned lizard hatchlings.

Inside Texas Nature Traders

This building also houses the zoo’s trading program for children, called Texas Nature Traders. Half of Mountains & Desert is now the new home of the zoo’s Texas Nature Traders (TNT). I could say its entertainment and educational value is explosive, but I won’t.

Established in 2013, TNT is a one-of-a-kind formalized program that encourages children ages three and older to explore the outdoors, learn about their environment, and collect treasures from nature. Children find things such as fossils, rocks, bones, and plants, learn all they can about them, and then bring their knowledge and items to TNT to exchange for points.

Traders interact with dedicated educators “to expand their understanding of the objects collected. Traders can then save their points or redeem them for items in the Nature Trader inventory, which consists of artifacts brought in by other children” ― furthering the zoo’s overall mission to make wildlife tangible and educate even its youngest visitors in the hopes that they will mature into adults who take ownership of wildlife conservation efforts ― becoming the next generation of land stewards and wildlife enthusiasts.

The collection in this interactive program is huge and every sign says, “Please touch.” TNT “encourages curiosity and exploration, in addition to developing important research and communications skills. More native Texas animals surround the perimeter of this room and guests may even have the opportunity to see Texas horned lizards and other small animals hatching in the incubation lab.”

While Ramona Bass, chair of the Fort Worth Zoological Association Board of Directors, was not able to attend the grand opening last Thursday, she promises that even more is already underway in a statement:

“The opening of Mountains & Desert marks the beginning of a much larger project to rejuvenate all of Texas Wild! For the last two decades, Texas Wild! has been well-loved by more than 20 million people. Construction and renovation plans are still in the works, but this project is in motion.”