MORE ZOO FUN

Enjoy Experiences and Adventures At John Ball Zoo

All of our experiences are generally available during the summer season. However, occasionally Mother Nature requires that we close them for safety.

Note: Availability is subject to weather. Please call (616)336-2017 for daily availability.

Funicular

John Ball Zoo Gem Company

Budgie Aviary

Face Painting

Sky Trail Ropes Course

Zip Line

Bennett's Wallaby

Macropus rufogriseus

Bennett's Wallaby
Facts
Diet: Herbivore, grazer

Grass and herbs. They will consume juicy roots for water during dry spells.

Habitat

Eucalypt forests with moderate shrub cover and open areas nearby, also grassland.

Threat Range

Least Concern

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

Yes

Region

Mainly found on the island of Tasmania. Also, South east of Australia and King Island.

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Our Animals
Bennett's Wallaby
Jack

Male

Bennett's Wallaby
Josie

Female

Bennett's Wallaby
Junee

Female

Bennett's Wallaby
Jackie

Female

Bennett's Wallaby
2 Joey's

Jack & Junee's

Cockatoo

Cacatuidae

Facts
Diet: Frugivore

Wild – Fruit during the wet season and flowers during the dry season. Some soil and fungi
Zoo – Salad mix (greens, fruits, veggies) hard boiled eggs, and fish. Are fed twice a week

Habitat

Tropical, terrestrial. Rainforests and savanna areas. It prefers heavily forested, humid habitats but avoids muddy areas due to low burrowing capacity of these habitats.

Threat Range

Data Deficient

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

No

Region

Throughout the South American mainland and North of Argentina.

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Our Animals
goat (1)
Morty

Male

goat (1)
Ethel

Female

Ring-tailed Lemur

Lemur catta

Ring-tailed Lemur
Facts
Diet: Omnivore

Wild – fruits, leaves, stems, flowers, exudates (resin, latex, sap), spiders, spider webs, chameleons, caterpillars, insects, small birds, and termite mounds.

Habitat

Rainforest, scrub forest, and brush forest

Threat Range

Endangered

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

No

Region

Southern and southwestern Madagascar.

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Our Animals
Ring-tailed Lemur
Janae

Female

Ring-tailed Lemur
Debbie

Female

Ring-tailed Lemur
Magnus

Male

Black Howler Monkey

Alouatta caraya

Black Howler Monkey
Facts
Diet: Herbivore

Wild – Mostly leaves but they do complement their diet with fruits, buds and flowers. Zoo – Leaf Eater Biscuits (vitamin and mineral enriched) and some fruits and greens.

Habitat

Range varies from tropical semi-deciduous gallery forest where rains are nearly constant throughout the year, to tropical deciduous forest spotted with savanna-like openings where there is a marked wet, warm season and a dry, cool season.

Threat Range

Least Concern

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

Yes

Region

South America ranging through eastern Bolivia, southern Brazil, Paraguay, and northern Argentina.

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Our Animals
Black Howler Monkey
Violet

Female

Black Howler Monkey
AJ

Female (Violet's Daughter)

Black Howler Monkey
Tater

Male (Violet's Son)

Experience

Sky Trail Ropes Course

Information

COMING YOUR WAY SOON!

Four stories tall, two climbing levels, and over 15 obstacles ranging in difficulty, this Ropes Course gives you a chance to test your courage and strength and it’s downright fun! Mastered all elements before? Get ready, because this course has new challenging obstacles for you to conquer. All height, weight, clothing and harness restrictions must be met to ride this experience. Additional restrictions may apply, please see the Ropes Course  restrictions listed below.

Save money by purchasing a combo ticket to ride the Zip Line and climb the Ropes Course!

Come prepared! View our full list of requirements for more information and have your waiver signed and submitted all online!

Ropes Course may close early due to inclement weather.

General Guidelines:

  • A waiver must be completed by each participant/guardian.
  • Participant must be 48 inches (122 cm) tall to participate.
  • Maximum weight is 300 pounds (136kg).
  • Closed back shoes are required.
  • Guests should have on pants or shorts, no skirts or dresses.
  • Participant must safely fit in the harness.
  • Participant must be able to understand and demonstrate knowledge of all safety rules.
  • Last ticket sold 30 minutes prior to zoo closing.
  • Participants while under the under the influence of drugs or alcohol is prohibited.
  • Cell phones are not allowed on attraction.
  • Pockets must be empty. No loose objects such as cell phones. Eyeglasses should be secure.
  • No gum, food or drinks allowed on the attraction.
  • Anyone with joint or back injuries my re-injure themselves or worsen a preexisting injury.
  • Anyone with heart problems, fresh stitches, or is pregnant should refrain from participating.

Please have the Individual Waiver Form filled out prior to your visit.

PRICES PUBLIC MEMBER
Per Ride $10.00 $8.00
Ropes Course and Zip Line Combo $16.00 $12.80

Hobby Farm

adam-king-bG-iDx4VL84-unsplash (1)

Highland Cow

Snacks & Drinks

Whistle Stop

We proudly serve Hudsonville Ice Cream here at JBZ. Stop here by the Hobby Farm for your favorite flavor and get a basket of hand-tossed tenders as a snack!

Menu

*Open daily

Crow

Update

Facts
Diet: Herbivore

Update

Habitat

Update

Threat Range

NA

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

No

Region

Update

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Our Animals
goat (1)
Benny

Male

goat (1)
Brownie

Male

Experience

Gem Company

Information

COMING YOUR WAY SOON!                                        

Pan for your very own gems in our brand new Sluice! Choose from 3 different Gem Bags and then pour them into your screen to reveal your treasures.

Pay Dirt Bag ($8.99) – Comes with 6 ounces of Gemstone Mix
Emerald Strike Bag ($14.99) – Comes with 6 ounces of Gemstones, and 3 ounces of emeralds
Motherlode Bag for ($29.99) – Comes with a little bit of everything including: Gemstone mix, Fossil Mix, Shark Teeth, Arrowheads, and a large piece of Amethyst Druzy.

Stop by to explore and see what treasures you can find.

PRICES PUBLIC MEMBER
Pay Dirt Bag $8.99 $7.19
Emerald Strike Bag $14.99 $11.99
Motherlode Bag $29.99 $23.99

Experience

Budgie Aviary

Information

Get cheek to beak in this interactive exhibit! Located near the waterfall and Hobby Farm, our Budgie Aviary allows you to walk through an exhibit with over 150 colorful Budgies, 4 cockatiels, and 18 white-winged parakeets. You can even purchase a feed stick and have birds feeding right out of your hand! This is one exhibit you won’t want to miss!

COMING YOUR WAY SOON!

Location: At the bottom of the Waterfall near Red’s Hobby Farm

General Guidelines:

  • Strollers are not permitted inside the aviary.
  • The aviary is handicap accessible.
PRICES PUBLIC MEMBER
Per Budgie Feed Stick $3.00 $2.00

Red-footed Tortoise

Chelonoidis carbonarius

Facts
Diet: Frugivore

Wild – Fruit during the wet season and flowers during the dry season. Some soil and fungi
Zoo – Salad mix (greens, fruits, veggies) hard boiled eggs, and fish. Are fed twice a week

Habitat

Tropical, terrestrial. Rainforests and savanna areas. It prefers heavily forested, humid habitats but avoids muddy areas due to low burrowing capacity of these habitats.

Threat Range

Data Deficient

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

No

Region

Throughout the South American mainland and North of Argentina.

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Our Animals
goat (1)
Morty

Male

goat (1)
Ethel

Female

Barn Owl

Tyto alba

Barn Owl
Facts
Diet: Carnivore

Wild – Birds and small mammals (mice, voles, shrews, muskrats, hares and rabbits)
Zoo – Mice and bird of prey diet

Habitat

Rural and Urban. Grasslands, deserts, marshes and agricultural fields. They require cavities for nesting, such as hollow trees, cavities in cliffs and riverbanks, nest boxes, caves, church steeples, barn lofts, and hay stacks.

Threat Range

Least Concern

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

No

Region

Found on every continent except Antarctica

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Our Animals
goat (1)
Tyto

Male (siblings)

goat (1)
Alba

Female (siblings)

Frogs & Friends

Green palm leaf

Blue-legged Mantella

Green palm leaf

Eastern Tiger Salamander

Green palm leaf

Golden Mantella

Green palm leaf

Gray Tree Frog

Green palm leaf

Green and Black Poison Frog

Green palm leaf

Green Mantella

Aquarium

penguin, bird, animal-6905568.jpg

Magellanic Penguin

Lake Sturgeon

Lake Sturgeon

PeacockWold Eel (1)

Peacock Wolf Eel

Kelp Gull (1)

Coastal Birds

Spiny Lobster (1)

Spiny Lobsters

Bat Sea Star

Tide Pool

Domestic Goat

Capra hircus

Facts
Diet: Herbivore

Grass, leaves, and shrubs

Habitat

Desert, savanna, grassland, forest, rainforest, scrub, forest, and mountains. They are a domesticated animal and have been raised in almost all habitats.

Threat Range

NA

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

No

Region

Since the domestication of this species, goats have been spread all over the world by humans. The domestic goat is a decedent of the wild goat which originates from central Asia.

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Our Animals
goat (1)
Dobbie

Male

goat (1)
Stripe

Male

goat (1)
Spot

Male

goat (1)
Snip

Male

goat (1)
Johnny

Male

goat (1)
Melvin

Male

goat (1)
Ringo

Male

goat (1)
Sugar

Female

goat (1)
Saffron

Female

goat (1)
Lacy

Female

goat (1)
Harry

Male

Domestic Sheep

Ovis aries

Lamb
Facts
Diet: Herbivore

Grass, hay, and oats

Habitat

Desert, savanna, grassland, forest, rainforest, scrub forest, and mountains. o They are a domesticated animal and have been raised in almost all habitats.

Threat Range

NA

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

No

Region

Since the domestication of this species, sheep have been spread all over the world by humans. The first domesticated sheep came from the Middle East and Central Asia.

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Our Animals
goat (1)
Benny

Male

goat (1)
Brownie

Male

Highland Cow

Update

Facts
Diet: Herbivore

Update

Habitat

Update

Threat Range

NA

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

No

Region

Update

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Our Animals
goat (1)
Benny

Male

goat (1)
Brownie

Male

Blue-legged Mantella

Mantella expectata

Facts
Diet: Insectivore

Termites, fruit flies, and arthropods.

Habitat

Wetlands, forest.

Threat Range

Endangered

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

No

Region

Southwestern Madagascar

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Our Animals
5 Total

Eastern Tiger Salamander

Ambystoma tigrinum tigrinum

Facts
Diet: Carnivore

Worms, snails, insects, and slugs

Habitat

Forests, grasslands, or marshy areas.

Threat Range

Least Concern

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

No

Region

Southeastern Alaska east to the southern part of Labrador, and south throughout all of the United States down to the southern edge of the Mexican Plateau

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Our Animals
goat (1)
Tigger

Male

Golden Mantella

Mantella aurantiaca

Facts
Diet: Insectivore

Termites, fruit flies, and arthropods.

Habitat

Swamps and mossy or grassy mounds of forest debris.

Threat Range

Critically Endangered

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

No

Region

Isolated patches ranging throughout southeastern Madagascar.

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Our Animals
9 Total

Gray Tree Frog

Hyla versicolor

Facts
Diet: Insectivore

Insects including mites, spiders, plant lice, harvestmen, and snails

Habitat

Wooded areas near temporary and permanent waters like swamps, ponds, and lakes.

Threat Range

Least Concern

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

No

Region

From southern Ontario and Maine, westward to central Texas, and northwest to Manitoba.

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Our Animals
5 Total

Green and Black Poison Frog

Dendrobates auratus

Facts
Diet

Small invertebrates, mainly ants that have high quantities of alkaloids in their tissues. The frogs can sequester those alkaloids in their skin, which is what makes them poisonous.

Habitat

Floor of rain forests, near small streams or pools.

Threat Range

Least Concern

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

No

Region

Central and South America, from Nicaragua and Costa Rica to southeastern Brazil and Bolivia. They were introduced in Hawaii by humans, and have flourished there.

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Our Animals
14 Total

Green Mantella

Mantella viridis

Facts
Diet: Insectivore

Update

Habitat

Update

Threat Range

Critically Endangered

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

No

Region

Update

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Our Animals
goat (1)
9 Total

Magellanic Penguin

Spheniscus magellanicus

Facts
Diet: Piscivore

Wild: Anchovies, Squid, Sprats, & Hagfish
Zoo: Trout, Smelt, Herring, & Capelin

Habitat

Coastline, except during breeding season where they may be found nesting in grassland, amongst bushes, and in cliff faces.

Threat Range

Nearly Threatened

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

Yes

Region

Temperate regions of South America. Found in Argentina, Brazil, Malvinas, Peru, and Uruguay. May venture to a tropical setting for breeding.

Fun Facts

Unmated males have a distinct call similar to a donkey’s braying.

Thick heavy bones allowing them to dive more than 250 feet.

Torpedo shape allows for rapid swimming, reaching speeds up to 15.5 miles per hour.

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Our Animals
penguin, bird, animal-6905568.jpg
26 Males And Females

Lake Sturgeon

Acipenser fulvescens

Facts
Diet

Insect larvae, worms, crayfish, snails, and other small fishes.

Habitat

Temperate waters. Found only in the Northern Hemisphere in North America.

Threat Range

Least Concern

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

NA

Region

Freshwaters of North America from the Hudson Bay through the Mississippi River drainages to Alabama. It is found along the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River drainage, and in large lakes in New York and Vermont, including Cayuga Lake and Lake Champlain.

Fun Facts

Males can live up to 100 years, and females can live up to 150 years.

The females lay a vast number of eggs, anywhere from 2-3 million in one season, depending on their size and age.

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Our Animals
Lake Sturgeon (1)
8 Total

Try to find them all!

Peacock Wolf Eel

Anarrhichthys ocellatus

Facts
Diet: Carnivore

Hard-shelled animals like crabs, sand dollars, clams, snails, and sea urchins.

Habitat

Rock and stone crevices, dens, and caves in shallow water as deep as 740 feet.

Threat Range

Not Evaluated

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

No

Region

Northern Baja California north to the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, and east and south to the Seas of Okhotsk and Japan.

Fun Facts

Length: 8.2 feet

Oviparous – Lays up to 10,000 eggs at a time, then coils around them and uses her body to shape the eggs into a neat sphere roughly the size of a grapefruit. When she's settled, the male coils around her as an added layer of protection. The female continues massaging the eggs periodically as they develop, helping to circulate water around the eggs to keep them supplied with oxygen.

Our Animals
Bob

Coastal Birds

Black-Crowned Night Heron (1)

Black-Crowned Night Heron

Kelp Gull (1)

Kelp Gull

Red crested cardinal (1)

Red-Crested Cardinal

Rock Lobster or California Spiny Lobster

Panulirus interruptus

Facts
Diet: Omnivore/Scavenger

Dead animals, algae, and various invertebrates such as urchin and mussel

Habitat

Rocky reef habitats where they can den in crevices or seek cover in kelp or surf grass. Occasionally found in tide pools, but more often found in deeper waters up to 65 m.

Threat Range

Least Concern

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

No

Region

Western coast of southern California and Mexico.

Fun Fact

They have been known to be regulators of several key invertebrates, such as purple urchins.

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Sharks

Rainbow Trout (1)

Leopard Shark

Bluegill (1)

Swell Shark

Tide Pool

Located in the Living Shores Aquarium next to the Octopus Habitat. The Tide Pool draws in water and releases back into the habitat, creating a tide. The cycle takes an average 2 minutes to complete.

What is a Tide Pool?

A Tide Pool is an isolated pocket of seawater found in the ocean’s intertidal zone. They are home to a variety of life, such as snails, barnacles, mussels, anemones, urchins, sea stars, crustaceans, seaweed, and small fish that can sustain the drastic changes that occur
between low and high tides. During low tide there is increased sun exposure and lower levels of oxygen, and during high tide the crashing waves and foraging fish that comes at high tide.

Black Turban Snails

Black Turban Snails

Bluegill (1)

Rough Keyhole Limpets

Strawberry False Coral

Strawberry False Coral

Northern Triton

Northern Triton

Shiner Surfperch

Shiner Surfperch

Bat Sea Star

Bat Sea Star

Ochre Sea Star

Ochre Sea Star

Black-Crowned Night Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax

Facts
Diet: Omnivore

Mainly fish, but also, leeches, earthworms, insects, crayfish, mussels, squid, amphibians, lizards, snakes, rodents, birds, eggs, carrion, and plant materials.

Habitat

Terrestrial and Aquatic. Wetlands.

Threat Range

Least Concern

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

No

Region

North America from Washington through Quebec, south through coastal Mexico, as well as locally in Central America and the Caribbean.

Fun Facts

Some winter as far north as Oregon and the New England states.

Kelp Gull

Larus dominicanus

Facts
Diet: Omnivore

Mollusks, echinoderms, sponges, arthropods, fish, worms, snakes, frogs, mammals, birds, and berries.

Habitat

Beaches, estuaries, lakes, and rivers.

Threat Range

Least Concern

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

No

Region

Widespread in the Southern Hemisphere.

Fun Facts

Picks up shellfish and repeatedly flies them up several yards and drops them onto the rocks below in order to break them open.

Red-Crested Cardinal

Paroaria coronata

Facts
Diet: Frugivore

Mainly fruit

Habitat

Forests, rivers, shrubland, and grasslands

Threat Range

Least Concern

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

Yes

Region

Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

Fun Facts

Tend to form flocks. Flocks can include members of other bird species.

Leopard Shark

Triakis semifasciata

Facts
Diet: Carnivore

Herring, topsmelt, croakers, surfperches, fish eggs, mollusks, aquatic worms, and the young of other sharks.

Habitat

The temperate shallow bays and estuaries of coastal California.

Threat Range

Least Concern

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

No

Region

Near-coastal regions in the Pacific Ocean from Oregon down the California coast to Mazatlan, México.

Fun Fact

Leopard sharks have rows of teeth, but the first row is the only row that stands upright.

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Our Animals
1 male, 1 female

Swell Shark

Cephaloscyllium ventriosum

Facts
Diet: Carnivore

Bony fishes, crustaceans, and mollusks.

Habitat

Temperate, tropical, and saltwater.

Threat Range

Least Concern

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

No

Region

Eastern Pacific Ocean, ranging from Central California, in the Monterey Bay, to southern Mexico and central Chile.

Fun Fact

Can take in water and swell as it hides in rocky crevices. This jams the shark in place making predation difficult.

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Our Animals
2 Females

Black Turban Snails

Tegula funebralis

Facts

A marine sea snail found in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Adults reach up to about an inch in diameter and have a life expectancy of 7 to 30 years. They inhabit rocky intertidal zones between low and high tide lines. Their diet is composed of mainly algae.

Rough Keyhole Limpets

Diodora aspera

Facts

A marine snail found in coastal regions from Alaska, to Baja California. Their strong foot allows them to thrive in some intertidal areas where turbulent wave action is prevalent. Oxygen rich water is drawn up under the shell, it then passes through the gills and is then expelled out of an opening on the top of their shell. They are most active during high tide.

Strawberry False Coral

Corynactis californica

Facts
Diet

Small crustaceans less than an inch in diameter.

Habitat

Rocky areas near reefs.

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

No

Region

Eastern Pacific and North Atlantic oceans in temperate waters.

Fun Fact

Referred to as the carpet of the sea. Not a true sea anemone.

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Northern Triton

Fusitriton oregonesis

Facts
Diet

Mollusks and sea squirts.

Habitat

Both rocky and soft shorelines.

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

No

Region

The coastline from Alaska to California and Northern Japan.

Shiner Surfperch

Cymatogaster aggregata

Facts
Diet

Zooplankton, mollusks, fish eggs, and worms.

Habitat

Bays and estuaries.

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

No

Region

Alaska, to Baja California, Mexico.

Bat Sea Star

Patiria miniata

Facts
Diet

Tube-feet line there arms and are used for both locomotion and to pry open clams and oysters.

Habitat

Tropical habitats to the cold seafloor.

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

No

Region

Can be found worldwide.

Ochre Sea Star

Pisaster ochraceus

Facts
Diet

Tube-feet line there arms and are used for both locomotion and to pry open clams and oysters.

Habitat

Tropical habitats to the cold seafloor.

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

No

Region

Can be found worldwide.