okay. so which zoos got the best collection? whats at yours? (amphibians included) i'm going to try an remember off my head what's at display at melbourne zoo's frog and reptile houses (there are too many off display to remember).. (a "/" means mixed exhibit) EURASIAN reticulated python / mangrove snake taiwan beauty snake blood python philippine sail-finned waterdragon / malayan box turtle / elongated tortoise golden coin turtle star tortoise / jeweled lizard philippine crocodile AFRICAN jackson's chameleon / rhinoceros viper madagascan day gecko egyptian cobra aldabran giant tortoise AUSTRALASIAN fijian crested iguana / tokay gecko australian freshwater crocodile mary river tortoise pig-nosed turtle frilled lizard black headed python lace monitor (too many other australian species to remember) AMERICAN green iguana / constrictor boa gila monster eyelash viper honduran milk snake western rattlesnake / hognosed snake (?) / cornsnake spiny terrapin / basalisk dying poison dart frog blue poison dart frog splashback poison dart frog
Jacksonville Zoo has three reptile houses and an additional amphibian "conservation center". Definitely one of the best reptile collections in SE United States. I cant remember the whole collection off the top of my head but here are the highlights. AFRICAN Egyptian Cobra African Bullfrog Pancake Tortoise Gaboon Viper African Rock Python Green Mamba Nile Crocodile NEOTROPICAL Caiman Lizard Green Anaconda Bushmaster Panamanian Golden Frog Cane Toad various Poison Dart/Arrow Frogs Cacealian Aruba Island Rattlesnake Beaded Lizard Eyelash Viper FLORIDA Greater Siren Lesser Siren American Alligator Gopher Tortoise Eastern Box Turtle Indigo Snake Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake Scarlet Kingsnake Cottonmouth Canebrake Rattlesnake Yellow Rat Snake Eastern Glass Lizard Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake
Sorry Patrick, Jacksonville has three zoogeographic regions (Africa, Neotropical, Florida) each with their own reptile house. Maybe in the future, there are still expansion plans in the masterplan.
In England the two zoos I think that have the best collections are london and Chester. I don't know much about London's collection, but here is something on Chester's: In the Orang-utan house: Red tailed racer Green tree monitor Mountain horned lizard Reticulated Python White lipped pit viper Mangrove snake King ratsnake Green tree python Mangrove monitor Crocodile monitor In the elephant house: Pig nosed turtle/Pla Eesok/Clown loach/Denison's barbs/Asiatic arowana Elongated and Spiny turtles were kept in here, but elongated left the collection and the spiny laid an egg, so they were moved off-show. They are with the Belanger' tree shrews. Okapi house: Gaboon viper Tropical realm: Tuatara Gila monster Radiated tortoise Galapagos tortoise Rhinoceros iguana Sudanese uromanyx/Egyptian tortoise Lesser antilles iguana/Mountain chicken Standing's day gecko/Madagascan tree boa Rhinoceros viper prehensile tailed skink Juvenile Komodo dragon Caiman Lizard/smoky jungle frog Lace monitor *Philippine crocs will be on show very soon* Mission golden eyed tree frog/Red eyed tree frog There are more, but I can't remember them (lol) Off show there are lots of species: Fiji banded iguana Eyelash viper Zhou's box turtle Three striped box turtle Both species of Four eyed turtle Mossy frogs...
New Zealand has quite poor collection (internationally) but quite good considering no snakes are allowed... Usually NZ natives such as: Tuatara 9 or so gecko species 4 frog species Plus: 4 or so Australian species of frog 4 or so Newt species 4 Turtle/Tortoise species 3 monitor/dragon species
axolotyls are salamanders - but not newts. newts are a family of salamanders. in australia i have seen, alpine crested, european common or smooth newts and japanese fire bellies. all are illegal except for axolotyl (which makes no sense), so you don't see them in stores anymore at all. melbourne still keep japanese newts (the best) can you keep clawed frogs (xenopus) in NZ?
in NZ there are tuatara in several collections and often a selection of the native skinks and geckos, but you'd be lucky to see any native frogs. Very few places display them, and certainly not all four species. There are only three Aus frogs in NZ (whistling and two bell frogs) although banjo frogs turned up in the wild a few years ago (swiftly stamped out; but it means there are some species being kept illegally -- not however in the zoos). African clawed frogs are kept in some zoos and aquariums but mostly they are used in university zoo labs (it is illegal to keep them privately). Same goes for cane toads. The only newts/salamanders kept (as far as I'm aware) are the axolotl, and Chinese and Japanese fire-bellied newts. There are about a dozen species of turtles and tortoises in NZ, some only in zoos (such as Ti Point or Auckland), some only in private collections. Most are scarce to rare. I'm not sure if there are any monitors in public collections anymore. There are at least a few still in private collections. (NZ Jeremy says one sand goanna at Ti Point, which must be the only species on public display. Lace monitors used to be seen at several places but the last one died at Orana Park a couple of years ago) Some Australian lizards are common in private and public collections (especially blue-tongues, and bearded and water dragons). Others are rare or scarce in both public and private, including Cunningham's and stump-tails. There are a very few leopard geckos around (almost all in private collections); and also Madagascar day geckos and Jackson's chameleons in zoos only. Auckland Zoo used to have Fijian banded iguanas, scheltopusik, Calotes versicolor, and some others but I don't know if they still do (haven't been there for a long time) The only crocodilians I know of are the saltwater croc at Napier Aquarium and American alligator(s) at Ti Point
Patrick you forgot Australian frogs. There are a species of bell frog and green tree frog. But i'm not so sure if they have corroboree frog or not. I think they do though.
i havent been to adelaide zoo yet but when it comes to reptile collections i think both Taronga and Melbourne Zoo have outstanding reptile collections, imaginatively displayed. Melbourne is particularly imaginative when it comes to mixed-species exhibits, but I like the way Taronga's Serpenteria is designed, giving its collection a prominent and effective display whereas many zoos seem to stick reptiles wherever theyll fit. Reptiles are so important to the environment that its important they are well displayed, though I think Taronga could be more imaginative when it comes to interpretation. In terms of tactile interps the life-size sculpture of the komodo dragons at the entry area are great. On the other hand, Melbourne Zoo does a wonderful job of interpreting zoo conservation with reptiles. And Melbourne Zoo's amphibian collection would have to be the best in Australia. Perth Zoo's collection of herpes is good, and full marks for integrating herpes into approtriate geographical exhibits, but their main reptile house looks a little like a converted chook shed. Overseas the best collection of herpes I have ever encountered was at London Zoo. The sheer scale of the collection, interpretation, in-situ links, mixed species exhibits (including herpes and aves) and auxillary reptile enclosures including the Komodo House are all on a great scale.
The broadest reptile zoo-collection in my country is in zoo Plzen/Pilsen with over 200 species, but a great part of them is off-show. Another collection with various reptiles exist in Prague zoo. Only about 120 species, but partly better housed (compared to Plzen), I would say. What I remember to see: Elephant house: alligator snapping turtle caiman lizard/vietnamese pond turtle cuban boa green tree python/tentacle snake caiman lizard (babies) white lipped python ruthvens kingsnake gila monster solomon islands skink banded mangrove snake red blood python madagascar tree boa cuban iguana (juveniles) giant asian pond turtle/yellow tree monitor oustalets chamaleon rufous beaked snake indian rock python Chambal house: indian gharial/common river terrapin/crowned river turtle/brown roofed turtle Big cats house common chuckwalla/desert spiny lizard/collared lizard/texas tortoise/socorro dove green anaconda/central american river turtle/vermiculate river stingray/oscar rhinoceros iguana/red acouchi/finches+doves cuban iguana/cuban turtle cuban iguana cuban iguana (babies)/rhinoceros iguana (babies)/cuban curly-tailed lizard green tree monitor/asian yellow pond turtle black tree monitor/malayan flat-shelled turtle chinese water dragon/indochinese box turtle caiman lizard gabon viper/green mamba Singing birds aviaries smooth snake/differnt small birds sand lizard/slow worm/differnt small birds/native amphibians Giant tortoise house pinzón tortoise/santa cruz tortoise/aldabran tortoise/rodriguez flying fox namaqualand speckled tortoise/armadillo lizard/bibrons gecko crocodile monitor/malaysian giant turtle/giant asian pond turtle Indonesian house black mud turtle/red bellied short-necked turtle/different gouramis fly river turtle/fish common river terrapin (juvenile)/asian leaf turtle/vietnamese pond turtle (juveniles)/fish komodo dragon/siamese tigerfish oriental whip snake/archer fish/mono/argus fish sumatra orang/lar gibbon/common river terrapin/painted terrapin/vietnamese pond turtle/asian spiny turtle African house (small mammals) south african leopard tortoise/great plated lizard/african helmeted turtle sahara sand viper javelin sand boa ball python rainbow skink/pancake tortoise/rainbow lizard/elephant shrew ornated uromastyx/egyptian tortoise/elephant shrew fire skink/yellow-throated plated lizard east african fringe-tailed forest lizard/rufous egg-eating snake madagaskar day gecko There are another interesting reptiles off-show as chinese crocodile lizard, Auckland green gecko, satanic leaf-tailed gecko, bowsprit tortoise, radiated tortoise, flat-tailed tortoise or vietnamese longnose snake, but there is not enough place in exhibits for them right now.
Southern US Zoos are well known for their reptile collections. Dallas, San Diego, Atlanta, Knoxville, and Fort Worth. Here's a link for Fort Worth's new Reptile House "Museum of Living Art" Fort Worth Zoo The site shows a collection list and site plan of the new building.
Zoo Wroclaw in Poland has the biggest reptile house I even seen. It is two-storey building with several crocodile pools in the hall and maybe 50 or more terraria. Zoo has also separate crocodile house with four indoor/outdoor enclosures and an aquarium. In its heyday there were about 200 species. Recently the collection fallen somehow, with people reporting overcrowding with common species. With the new director Ratajszczak, it should improve. There are plans to convert crocodile house into pygmy hippo and mandrill house. BTW, terrarium enthusiasts I know are critical of most zoos. Many reptiles are really sensitive and zoos often do it wrong. I was surprised to learn that diferent tortoise species should not be mixed and you get aggresive tortoise species which bully less aggressive ones. Apparently also, lettuce and fruit are wrong food for a tortoise.
Auckland has info on all 4 native NZ frogs, not sure if they keep all four it is almost impossible to see any in their displays... Ti Pi still has a sand monitor, it was very large and elderly I believe: Exotic Lizards Here's a review I did on NZ's only reptile park: http://www.zoobeat.com/17/ti-pi-reptile-park-12666/ They are both still there I think, I believe the Iguanas are off exhibit since the closure of the aquarium, I know for sure the Scheltopusik is (saw it a week or two ago)...
I just edited my earlier post to add in the bit about the sand monitor (and also about crocs which i forgot about)
i also really like both zoos reptile houses. melbourne probably has the best collection and taronga has these great outdoor exhibits that i love such as the freshwater crocodiles and komodo dragons. i also like the way tarongas house, is blocked into habitat types (desert, then forest etc..)
I have a list of Taronga's (the habitat distinctions have been becoming murkier in recent years). I've tried to arrange them in some sort of taxonomic order. *Saltwater Crocodile *Freshwater Crocodile *American Alligator *Tuatara *Komodo Dragon *Lace Monitor *Mitchell's Water Monitor *Short-tailed Monitor *Fijian Banded Iguana *Fijian Crested Iguana *Green Iguana *Eastern Water Dragon *Coastal Bearded Dragon *Chameleon Dragon *Central Netted Dragon *Tawny Crevice Dragon *Sailfin Lizard *Frilled Lizard *Basilisk *Gila Monster *Giant Cave Gecko *New Caledonian Giant Gecko *Rough Knob-tailed Gecko *Southern Leaf-tailed Gecko *Scheltopusik *Night Skink *Hosmer's Skink *Land Mullet *Cunningham's Skink *Eastern Water Skink *Eastern Blue-tongued Lizard *Shingleback *Veiled Chameleon *Jackson's Chameleon *Northern Snake-necked Turtle *Eastern Snake-necked Turtle *Short-necked Turtle *Saw-shelled Turtle *Matamata *River Cooter (American) *Star Tortoise *Elongate Tortoise *Pacific Ground Boa *Boa Constrictor *Reticulated Python *Amethystine Python *Green Python *Black-headed Python *Children's Python *Diamond Python *Eyelash Viper *Rhinoceros Viper *Arafuran File Snake *Taipan *Mulga Snake *Fierce Snake *Red-bellied Black-snake *Broad-headed Snake *Collett's Snake *Stimson's Python *Egyptian Cobra *Corn Snake *Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake *Desert Death Adder
Oh - I just realised I forgot frogs. *Corroborree Frog *Red-eyed Tree Frog *Green and Golden Bell Frog *Dwarf Tree Frog *Cane Toad *Green Tree Frog *Dainty Tree Frog I know there are others off display. (Sorry for double post.)
