America's 100 Must See Exhibits
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Pleistocene891
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How does this reptile house compare to MOLA at Fort Worth? They're both considered some of the best reptile houses in America and I haven't been to either one.
In the category of similar buildings, some of Brookfield's historic buildings bore resemblance before their renovations, especially the now-closed Reptile House, not surprisingly. Of the currently used ones I'd still place "Reptiles and Birds" (former Aquatic Bird House) as similar, given it's relatively open interior with most exhibits (minus the newer reptile vivaria) around the building perimeter.9. Charles H. Hoessle Herpetarium
Saint Louis Zoo, MO
Opened: 1927
Size: 17,000 Square Feet (1,580 Square Meters)
Inhabitants: Roughly 80 reptiles and amphibians.
Approaching a century of use, this Mediterranean-style stucco building still serves the same purpose it did when it was first unveiled. It’s not often that such old structures can still accommodate such a large volume of animals while meeting modern standards, yet this is still one of the most diverse reptile collections in an American zoo. The walls of the house are lined with vivaria containing tons of ectotherms, including many rarities, with over 80 species on display. The building received some updates in the 90s, but has also been carefully maintained with many of the original elements still present. One of the most distinct characteristics is the attractive central garden which is home to various rare turtle species and serves as an iconic piece of design. A large greenhouse display includes some larger exhibits for lizards and caimans, while alligators and giant tortoises are treated to spacious and well furnished outdoor yards connected to the building's lower level. Originally this lower hall was dedicated to small mammals as at the time there was doubt reptiles alone would be of interest to the general public, but now it features indoor tortoise housing, a tomistoma exhibit, and a few exceptionally tall displays that are viewed from both floors. The building is quite the triple threat with an outstanding collection, high standard of exhibitry and stunning historical architecture all adding up to a brilliant animal house.
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Similar Exhibits: Saint Louis has two other monumental historical buildings just around the bend from the herpetarium: the bird and primate houses. All of these buildings were constructed around the same time and in the same style, complete with indoor gardens at the center. The bird house is the largest of the trio, but perhaps the weakest in it's exhibitry with many harp-wire enclosures that are far too small. The primate house is a standard affair on the inside, but recently received an impressive outdoor extension and still maintains an impressive collection. All of these houses have been superbly maintained and comprise a genuinely beautiful historical district right in the middle of the zoo.
Bird House
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Primate House
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Worth noting that circulation isn't as much of a problem in St. Louis's Reptile House as some others because the exhibits are arranged in open gallery style so there isn't a defined route or path that needs to be followed. If one display is crowded it's easy enough to walk across to another. My personal experience has been that aquariums are the worst offenders in this regard.
cloudedleopard611
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If you ever want to visit the Herpetarium when its empty, I highly recommend visiting in the first hour the zoo is open. I always find that it is nearly empty. I have sensory issues so visiting midday can be really hard on me but it is always an excellent experience in the early morning.
True, while I did notice crowds as an issue at Saint Louis, it wasn't as bad as some other similar houses. The worst offender in my opinion was the reptile house at Smithsonian's National Zoo. Aquariums can also be bad, I agree with that.
Persephone
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I unfortunately missed the reptile and primate houses on my last visit to St. Louis as I arrived late in the day. I am returning this month and will need to rectify that given the photos and consensus here.
Cincinnati has a similarly historic reptile house, where the building is as much of an attraction as the admittedly kind of lackluster species list. Might’ve been worth a “Similar Exhibits” listing.
Cincinnati has a similarly historic reptile house, where the building is as much of an attraction as the admittedly kind of lackluster species list. Might’ve been worth a “Similar Exhibits” listing.
They both are different experiences in my opinion. Saint Louis has the historical feel and everything is condensed into two rooms essentially, granted, one is a massive room with an atrium with two sides for the most part. MOLA is super modern and feels like it goes on forever! It is essentially a long hallway with exhibits that sometimes jut out into the pathway with an atrium in the middle and a couple of side rooms chock full of exhibits. MOLA also has tons of fish in it as well in their various river tanks. Both are super high quality and similar in that most times you have a terrarium above another terrarium making the species list massive. I guess it depends more on what feel you like, modern or historical-feeling.
I think you're getting your reptile/bird houses at Brookfield mixed up. "Reptiles and Birds" is the name of the old perching bird house which is a long hallway lined with vivaria with a walk-in aviary at the center. The building you're referring to is "Feathers and Scales", but considering how bizarre that whole set-up is I don't blame you for getting them confused.
With that said, I definitely agree that the exterior of Feathers and Scales and Brookfield's old reptile house (now an education building) bear a strong resemblance to the Saint Louis herpetarium, just on a smaller scale. I believe Brookfield's old reptile house even had a central garden just like the ones in the Saint Louis buildings.This seems like a good time to mention that if an exhibit is not listed under the similar exhibits section, it may be because it's on the list and will appear later on. I'm not saying this one is, just something to keep in mind for the future.
Sorry for going OT, but this kinda baffles me a bit. What is the reason for this fluctuation? Are the animal losses so high? Do they have too many surplus species behind the scenes that they need to rotate? 'Cause from a husbandry / veterinary pov, such a fluctuation makes little sense. Once a suitable habitat is established, the reptile shouldn't be shifted in and out too often. Species like bushmasters, boomslangs etc. would easily be stressed out by this.
cloudedleopard611
Well-Known Member
From what I've seen with other herp houses in news threads, this is pretty commonplace, though I am certainly not an expert. I know the zoo has many species behind the scenes and I assume rotated on and off exhibit frequently. As I said though, I am not an expert and maybe someone with experience caring for herps would have better insight into this.
The Herpetarium at Saint Louis is one of my all-time favorite zoo buildings: the architecture, the verdant atriums, the wide hallways and gallery-style displays, the large and varied collection - it's all amazing.
I can confirm - through having compared multiple species lists from the same zoos over 2-5 year spans - that high turnover of on-display species is pretty high for herps in major American zoos. I'm hoping to have a more well-defined statistic on this soon, but turnover percentages of 25-35% over only a couple or few years is pretty common. It's possible that they just get rotated a lot, as US zoos with large herp collections usually have many of them off-display at any given time.
Far as the herpetarium at Saint Louis goes, I believe three species lists between 2016 and 2022 all showed ~80 species on display; not sure why it was higher in 2014. Might look into that if/when I have the time.
I can confirm - through having compared multiple species lists from the same zoos over 2-5 year spans - that high turnover of on-display species is pretty high for herps in major American zoos. I'm hoping to have a more well-defined statistic on this soon, but turnover percentages of 25-35% over only a couple or few years is pretty common. It's possible that they just get rotated a lot, as US zoos with large herp collections usually have many of them off-display at any given time.
Far as the herpetarium at Saint Louis goes, I believe three species lists between 2016 and 2022 all showed ~80 species on display; not sure why it was higher in 2014. Might look into that if/when I have the time.
@cloudedleopard611 and @Coelacanth18 Thanks, but it still sounds kinda peculiar to me. I usually only shift if the animal in question has died, repairs are required or when we can update the husbandry. I have worked in American zoos and know that there are usually quite a lot of species off show and bts in the reptile departments, but I would rather try to build new additional enclosures or find new homes for these "surplus" animals (if they can be exhibited) than shifting them back and forth.
cloudedleopard611
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I am not sure if you run a zoo or if its just a private collection, but I assume the Saint Louis Zoo wants people to get a chance to see the different animals in its collection. I cannot speak for them or their keepers though, I'm just a fan.
St. Louis in particular has a massive bts collection. The hellbender breeding colony, two viper rooms (its just various viper species), a large turtle/croc area, tuatara and other various species. It is probably the the largest herp collection I have ever seen when combined. Given the fact they have limited public space is probably why the rotate more frequently.
And though rotating can be a common place in U.S. herp houses its not always the case. MOLA for example has very little species kept bts besides its breeding colonies for release. I was friendly with the ecotherm curator at Ft. Worth when MOLA was designed and built and he specifically wanted to get as many species on display with minimal kept bts
And though rotating can be a common place in U.S. herp houses its not always the case. MOLA for example has very little species kept bts besides its breeding colonies for release. I was friendly with the ecotherm curator at Ft. Worth when MOLA was designed and built and he specifically wanted to get as many species on display with minimal kept bts
This IMO should be the philosophy that zoos should use in regard to displaying animals/keeping them bts. However, let's not forget about the upcoming Wildcare park that hopes to do work on amphibians, meaning some of the collection could be moved out there and most of the animals could be seen year-round between the two locations.
10. Monkey Trails and Forest Tales
San Diego Zoo, CA
Opened: 2005
Size: 3 Acres (1.2 Hectares)
Inhabitants: A wide array of primates, Pygmy Hippo, Babirusa, Slender-snouted Crocodile, and a variety of birds and herps.
This maze of upper and lower walkways through dense tropical rainforest perfectly encapsulates what makes San Diego so special. The zoo is widely regarded as one of greatest facilities for primates in America and the series of multi-leveled monkey habitats is to thank for that reputation. There is often debate about if islands or cages are the best way to exhibit primates and this exhibit makes a very good case for the latter. Every exhibit is essentially a large netted cage, generous in both floor space and height. The cages give the primates great verticality by allowing access to several live trees within the exhibits themselves, enabling them to get eye-to-eye with visitors from both levels. Viewing for the lower level of the primate habitats is on the forest floor alongside a few aviaries and a wall of vivaria, plus several interconnected babirusa paddocks located under the visitor pathways. The pygmy hippo and wolf’s guenon exhibit is a clear highlight even if the space for the hippos isn’t huge and the adjacent crocodile pool is just as attractive. An exhibit like this is impossible to accomplish at many places and creates an atmosphere the average rainforest house cannot.
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Similar Exhibits: If you were wondering what this exhibit would look like if it was done in the midwest instead of the west coast, look no further than Primate Canopy Trails at Saint Louis Zoo. It’s a similar concept being a series of multi-tiered mesh primate enclosures viewed from multiple vantage points. The complex is connected to the zoo's historic primate house and every enclosure is rotational. There is an even greater diversity in primates here, but there aren’t any complimenting species beside them and of course everything is much more exposed without the lush vegetation of Southern California.
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San Diego Zoo, CA
Opened: 2005
Size: 3 Acres (1.2 Hectares)
Inhabitants: A wide array of primates, Pygmy Hippo, Babirusa, Slender-snouted Crocodile, and a variety of birds and herps.
This maze of upper and lower walkways through dense tropical rainforest perfectly encapsulates what makes San Diego so special. The zoo is widely regarded as one of greatest facilities for primates in America and the series of multi-leveled monkey habitats is to thank for that reputation. There is often debate about if islands or cages are the best way to exhibit primates and this exhibit makes a very good case for the latter. Every exhibit is essentially a large netted cage, generous in both floor space and height. The cages give the primates great verticality by allowing access to several live trees within the exhibits themselves, enabling them to get eye-to-eye with visitors from both levels. Viewing for the lower level of the primate habitats is on the forest floor alongside a few aviaries and a wall of vivaria, plus several interconnected babirusa paddocks located under the visitor pathways. The pygmy hippo and wolf’s guenon exhibit is a clear highlight even if the space for the hippos isn’t huge and the adjacent crocodile pool is just as attractive. An exhibit like this is impossible to accomplish at many places and creates an atmosphere the average rainforest house cannot.
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Similar Exhibits: If you were wondering what this exhibit would look like if it was done in the midwest instead of the west coast, look no further than Primate Canopy Trails at Saint Louis Zoo. It’s a similar concept being a series of multi-tiered mesh primate enclosures viewed from multiple vantage points. The complex is connected to the zoo's historic primate house and every enclosure is rotational. There is an even greater diversity in primates here, but there aren’t any complimenting species beside them and of course everything is much more exposed without the lush vegetation of Southern California.
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Pleistocene891
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This is probably the best part of the San Diego zoo. Only problem is that the pathway can get confusing.10. Monkey Trails and Forest Tales
San Diego Zoo, CA
Opened: 2005
Size: 3 Acres (1.2 Hectares)
Inhabitants: A wide array of primates, Pygmy Hippo, Babirusa, Slender-snouted Crocodile, and a variety of birds and herps.
This maze of upper and lower walkways through dense tropical rainforest perfectly encapsulates what makes San Diego so special. The zoo is widely regarded as one of greatest facilities for primates in America and the series of multi-leveled monkey habitats is to thank for that reputation. There is often debate about if islands or cages are the best way to exhibit primates and this exhibit makes a very good case for the latter. Every exhibit is essentially a large netted cage, generous in both floor space and height. The cages give the primates great verticality by allowing access to several live trees within the exhibits themselves, enabling them to get eye-to-eye with visitors from both levels. Viewing for the lower level of the primate habitats is on the forest floor alongside a few aviaries and a wall of vivaria, plus several interconnected babirusa paddocks located under the visitor pathways. The pygmy hippo and wolf’s guenon exhibit is a clear highlight even if the space for the hippos isn’t huge and the adjacent crocodile pool is just as attractive. An exhibit like this is impossible to accomplish at many places and creates an atmosphere the average rainforest house cannot.
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Similar Exhibits: If you were wondering what this exhibit would look like if it was done in the midwest instead of the west coast, look no further than Primate Canopy Trails at Saint Louis Zoo. It’s a similar concept being a series of multi-tiered mesh primate enclosures viewed from multiple vantage points. The complex is connected to the zoo's historic primate house and every enclosure is rotational. There is an even greater diversity in primates here, but there aren’t any complimenting species beside them and of course everything is much more exposed without the lush vegetation of Southern California.
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Agreed! When I visited San Diego 3 years ago this was one of my favorite exhibits, but it took quite a bit of back-tracking and intense map-studying to get through the whole thing and making sure I didn't miss anything
Have to agree with @Wild wolverine It didn't help that I missed the terrariums, no hippos on display or vaguely remember any primates. What are the current primate species exhibited?
However, having a soft spot for suids, especially babirusa, I spent quite some time watch them. I actually thought there was another species exhibited but was impressed it was all for the pigs. And I always enjoy a large African croc in crystal clear underwater viewing
However, having a soft spot for suids, especially babirusa, I spent quite some time watch them. I actually thought there was another species exhibited but was impressed it was all for the pigs. And I always enjoy a large African croc in crystal clear underwater viewing