Zoos with good reptile collections

So what zoos do zoochatters recommend for those that are interested in seeing a good reptile collection?

 

Honestly many zoos in the United States have excellent reptile collections. In terms of facilities I have personally visited, I would say ft. Worth, Dallas and San Diego are among the best collection wise, and I've visited several others with very good collections.

 

Ok what about ones outside of the us?

 

In Europe Moscow, Cologne, Wroclaw, Praha and Plzen come to mind.

 

Worth bearing in mind that the vast majority of Moscow's is off-show so you're best off trying to contact them beforehand.

 

Zoos with a separate reptilehouse come to my mind: Cologne, both Berlin zoos, Artis, Antwerp, London, Budapest, Leipzig, Praha.

 

I would add Saint Louis to this list as well. Los Angeles has fewer species but makes up for it with a very diverse and unusual collection.

 

The reptile house in Tierpark Berlin has closed recently, so at this point only the crocodile house houses reptiles, though part of the collection will come back in the new Alfred Brehmhaus and in a temporary exposition in the monkey house.

 

Paignton is far and away one of the best, if not the best in the UK out of the non-specialist collections. If you're going specialist then it has to be Crocodiles of the World.

 

I've visited approximately 370 zoos/aquariums in my lifetime and most of those have been in the USA. On my thread 'Snowleopard's 2017 Road Trip' I wrote this:

Possibly the dozen best zoos in the USA for reptiles/amphibians:

- San Diego Zoo – this facility has the best outdoor reptile section plus a ton of great terrariums and 200+ species in total. A truly great zoo for cold-blooded critters.
- Fort Worth Zoo – one of the best Reptile Houses on the planet and at 30,000 sq. ft. it is almost four times larger than the two buildings at Los Angeles Zoo combined. Fort Worth is unbeatable if one were to rank single, stand-alone Reptile Houses. There are 100 exhibits in MOLA (Museum of Living Art)
- Saint Louis Zoo – a grand old, historic structure with 100 species. Fantastic all-around collection with another 100 species off-show.
- Detroit Zoo – one historic reptile building and one modern amphibian structure.
- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo – 240 species in total but not all on-show. Still, at least 120+ terrariums spread around the zoo. Startling to consider the zoo’s enormous collection without having an actual Reptile House.
- Dallas Zoo – one of the largest collections of reptiles and amphibians in the nation, with approximately 125 exhibits plus a huge off-show selection.
- Los Angeles Zoo – In the #7 position. There are only 70 species in the two LAIR buildings but the quality is extremely high.
- Nashville Zoo – terrific Reptile House focusing on Central + South American species.
- Denver Zoo – 150 species (including off-show) in the enormous Tropical Discovery building.
- Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum – plenty of species in some very natural-looking terrariums.
- Houston Zoo – 100 species on-exhibit plus many more off-show.
- Bronx Zoo – a vast collection in a solid, historic Reptile House.

 

Wow so many good recommendations !

 

And worth bearing in mind that the vast majority of Cologne, Praha and Plzen are off-show too! Just in Wroclaw I don't have been so I don't know how they keep their reptiles...

 

The Melbourne Zoo and Australian Reptile Zoo are the best ones in Australia, although Australia Zoo has a very good colllection of native elapids and pythons.

 

Both the Smithsonian national zoo and Columbus zoo have good collections

 

What about zoos specialising in reptiles? Do they count, too?

 

For sure! Terrarium Praha have a very good collection of venomous snakes and monitor lizards. It's poor in turtles, however.

 

Also not to be left out the TOLEDO ZOO, has good collection of Australian reptiles, an enormous saltwater crocodile, tuarara, gisn't japanese salamander, large amphibians collection, will be adding komondo dragons soon. Also Reptile Gardens south Dakota, and not to be fogothen ALLIGATOR ADVENTURE MYRTLE BEACH!

 

Of course!

 

Wroclaw has masses of stuff on show.

 

Theres a reptile zoo in Toronto named Reptilia,, haven't been there, but you could try. Normally, reptile zoos have a lot of reptiles, hence the name. Cincinnati has quite the impressive side of reptiles.