Hey all, I have a backlog of species lists for zoos and aquariums in the Houston area from when I was there in late April of this year. They might be a bit out of date, but hopefully they should be pretty accurate still. Here's my list for the Houston Zoo, one of my personal favorites. In total, I counted 279 species Carruth Natural Encounters White faced saki Pied imperial pigeon South American freshwater stingray Tinfoil barb Northern snake-necked turtle Banded archerfish Red bellied snake necked turtle Tricolor sharkminnow Asian small clawed otter Prevost’s squirrel Victoria crowned pigeon Linneaus’ two toed sloth Indian star tortoise Ripsaw catfish Red tailed catfish Black pacu Golden lion tamarin Pygmy marmoset Red piranha Uaru Electric eel White blotched river stingray Argentine mouthbrooder Brazilian porcupine Largescale foureyes African moony Spotted green puffer Spotted scat Spotband scat Eyespot puffer Speckled mousebird Superb starling Taveta golden weaver Naked mole rat Damara mole rat Collared lizard Giant day gecko Moon jelly Bignose unicornfish Palette tang Whitetail dascyllus Clown anemonefish Banggai cardinalfish Sea goldie Raccoon butterflyfish Meerkat Reptile House Reticulated python Sri Lankan green pit viper Ashy pit viper African bush viper Solomon Islands skink Arizona black rattlesnake Trans Pecos ratsnake Eyelash viper Mexican jumping viper Armstrong’s dusky rattlesnake Mexican lance headed rattlesnake Egyptian tortoise Mang mountain pitviper Lesser Sundas python Everglades ratsnake Brown tree snake Smoky jungle frog Angolan python Gaboon viper Western diamondback rattlesnake Gulf Coast toad Houston toad Green anole Green tree frog Gray tree frog Rock rattlesnake Southwestern speckled rattlesnake Aruba rattlesnake Timber rattlesnake Southern copperhead Texas rat snake Northern cottonmouth Yellow bellied water snake Gulf Coast ribbon snake Monocled cobra Western green mamba Black mamba Gila monster Greek tortoise Santa Catalina rattlesnake Pygmy rattlesnake Emerald alligator lizard Rowley’s palm viper Henkel’s leaf tailed gecko Boelen’s python Green tree python Ricord’s anole Dwarf crocodile Fringed leaf tailed gecko Mexican beaded lizard Green and black poison frog Gliding tree frog Eastern hellbender South American bushmaster Red tailed green ratsnake Black breasted leaf turtle Brazilian fer de lance Dumeril’s ground boa King cobra Komodo dragon Golden mantella Spear-tailed gecko Amazon poison frog Panamanian golden frog Garden tree boa Carpet python Northern caiman lizard Triangle cichlid Cardinal tetra Jamaican iguana Common chuckwalla Eastern collared lizard Ornate box turtle Desert spiny lizard Flying frog Amazon milk frog Black legged poison frog Bumblebee poison frog Crocodile monitor Grand Cayman blue iguana World of Primates Ring tailed lemur Madagascar big headed turtle Black and gold howler monkey Goeldi’s monkey Curl crested aracari Cotton top tamarin Coquerel’s sifaka Crowned lemur Patas monkey Allen’s swamp monkey Schmidt’s red tailed monkey De Brazza’s monkey Northern white cheeked gibbon Siamang Yellow headed temple turtle Fly River turtle Painted river turtle Bornean orangutan Texas Wetlands Bald eagle Whooping crane American alligator Alligator gar South America’s Pantanal Black and gold howler monkey Golden lion tamarin Red rumped agouti Green anaconda Giant river otter White spotted river stingray Orange spotted river stingray Black pacu Spotted metynnis Dorado Yellow spotted river turtle Blue poison frog Anthony’s poison frog Bumblebee poison frog Blue throated macaw Blue billed curassow Venezuelan troupial Jaguar Capybara Giant anteater Baird’s tapir Coscoroba swan Southern screamer Greater rhea Giant wood rail Guira cuckoo Puna ibis Red capped cardinal Ringed teal Roseate spoonbill Silver beaked tanager Sunbittern Yellow rumped cacique Wood stork Blue gray tanager Comb duck Southern lapwing Wattled curassow White faced whistling duck Black necked stilt Brazilian teal Black faced ibis Wattled jacana Green oropendola Red shoveler Andean cock of the rock Flamingo Terrace Chilean flamingo Maccoa duck Baer’s pochard Bug House Red panda Eastern hercules beetle Texas leaf cutter ant Asian forest scorpion Dead leaf mantis Giant centipede Giant African millipede Peruvian jumping stick Giant vinegaroon Red legged tarantula Blue death feigning beetle Eastern velvet ant Giant cave cockroach Macrochirus praetor Giant prickly stick insect Giraffe stag beetle Gray’s Malayan stick insect Giant flower beetle Jungle nymph Giant katydid Giant wingless phasmid Madagascar hissing cockroach Harlequin flower beetle Rainbow stag beetle Giant water bug Sunburst diving beetle Peruvian firestick Giant leaf insect Venezuelan suntiger tarantula White eyed assassin bug McGovern’s Children’s Zoo Black vulture Narragansett Turkey Bobcat Bald eagle North American river otter Ruddy duck Laughing gull Brown pelican Banded mongoose Black spotted newt Houston toad Barton Springs salamander Chilean rose tarantula Tiger salamander Louisiana milk snake Desert grassland whiptail Seba’s short tailed bat Texas rat snake Swift fox Burrowing owl Domestic duck Llama Zebu Domestic goat Domestic pig Koi Goldfish African Forest Maasai giraffe Common ostrich Southern white rhino Chimpanzee Western lowland gorilla Red river hog Other exhibits, no specific area Lion Cheetah American black bear Painted dog Fossa Ocelot Clouded leopard Ankole cattle Galapagos tortoise Grant’s zebra Pygmy hippo Southern ground hornbill Bongo Okapi Cape vulture Hooded vulture Mountain lion Malayan tiger California sea lion
Maybe I misread it but I think the biggest stars(literally speaking) are missing from this list: Asian Elephants
Thanks for the list @David Peden! This is one of the few major zoos in the country we did not have a recent species list for, so your work on it is much appreciated. Out of curiosity, do you happen to know what the species were on these herps? No worries if not. African Bush Viper Mexican Jumping Viper Gaboon Viper Painted River Turtle Tiger Salamander Gliding Tree Frog and Flying Frog (were these the same species or two different ones?)
Here you go! If you have any other questions feel free to ask. African Bush Viper (Atheris squamigera) Mexican Jumping Viper (Metlapilcoatlus nummifer) Gaboon Viper (Bitis gabonica) Painted River Turtle (Batagur borneoensis) Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) Gliding Tree Frog (Agalychnis spurrelli) Flying Frog (Rhacophorus nigropalmatus)
Are you sure the Gaboon Viper is Bitis gabonica and not Bitis rhinoceros? From what I have heard there are very few if any true B. gabonica in US collections
After doing a bit more research it looks like you're correct. All the pics of it I could find label it as Bitis rhinoceros. My mistake. @Coelacanth18 Bit of a correction to my list
Out of curiosity where have you heard this? You're right that a lot of B. rhinoceros are ambiguously or incorrectly signed as B. gabonica still, but is there evidence that that is the case for all or nearly all of them?
I can't remember exactly, but I think I heard it from a worker at either San Antonio or Waco zoo, when I asked about the sign (which was changed from B. gabonica to B. rhinoceros) If you can find any US zoos that have B. gabonica I'd love to hear about it!
I have seen zoos sign their vipers as B. gabonica, but the signage may well just be outdated/incorrect. Maybe one of these days I'll go back through my Gaboon photos and see if I can ID them visually.
Bronx Zoo has both gabonica and rhinoceros on display (though both are only listed as subspecies). I doubt they'd do that if they did not confirm the distinctness of the specimens.
