ZSL London Zoo London Zoo Reptile House - Onshow Stock 18/08/2014

[TeaLovingDave]

I visited ZSL London Zoo on Monday for the first time in two years, and had been asked by zoogiraffe to take note of what the current layout and onshow stock situation in the Reptile House was.

Having now sent my notes to zoogiraffe and bongorob, I thought it would be useful to share this information with Zoochat as a whole - both for reference by anyone planning a visit, and as a permanent record of the state of affairs at that point in time.

I also have taken similar notes for the Bug House, which I will type up as soon as possible.

ZSL London Reptile House

(going clockwise from the main entrance)

The "Amphibian Row" in the house contained the following, in order:

The two tanks visible in front of the windows to the amphibian breeding complex contained Mallorcan Midwife Toad (Alytes muletensis) and Sardinian Brook Salamander (Euproctus platycephalus). The offshow amphibian breeding complex itself - visible through said windows - appeared to contain the aforementioned taxa, along with Lake Oku Clawed Frog (Xenopus longipes) and Common Midwife Toad (Alytes obstetricans)

A further enclosure for Lake Oku Clawed Frog.

African Bullfrog (Pyxicephalus adspersus)

White's Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea)

Tonkin Bug-eyed Frog (Theloderma corticale)

A mixed enclosure for Blue Dart Frog (Dendrobates azureus), Bumblebee Dart Frog (Dendrobates leucomelas) and Trinidad Anole (Anolis trinitatis)

Rubber Eel (Typhlonectes natans)

Wild-form Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum)

Atlantic Mudskipper (Periophthalmus barbarus)

Australian Lungfish (Neoceratodus forster)

The reptile enclosures on this side of the Reptile House contained the following, in order:

Black Mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis)

Veiled Chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus)

Inland Taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus)

Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum)

Puff Adder (Bitis arietans)

Empty Enclosure

A further Gila Monster enclosure

Pueblan Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum campbelli)

Nose-horned Viper (Vipera ammodytes ammodytes)

Sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes)

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox)

Empty Enclosure

Jungle Carpet Python (Morelia spilota cheynei)

Rhinoceros Viper (Bitis nasicornis)

Green Tree Monitor (Varanus prasinus)

A mixed enclosure for Mediterranean Spur-thighed Tortoise (Testudo graeca graeca) and Veiled Chameleon.

A further Puff Adder enclosure.

The enclosures at the far end of the house contained the following:

Mindanao Water Monitor (Varanus cumingi)

European Legless Lizard (Ophisaurus apodus)

Radiated Tortoise (Astrochelys radiata)

Philippine Crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis)

Roti Snakeneck Turtle (Chelodina mccordi)

The enclosures continuing clockwise to the entrance contained the following:

A mixed enclosure for Caiman Lizard (Dracaena guianensis) and Tree Runner (Plica plica)

Boelen's Python (Morelia boeleni)

Jamaican Boa (Epicrates subflavus)

A mixed enclosure for Blue Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus cyanogenys) and Rio Fuerte Beaded Lizard (Heloderma horridum exasperatum)

Yellow-crested Jackson's Chameleon (Trioceros jacksonii xantholophus)

A mixed enclosure for Annam Leaf Turtle (Mauremys annamensis) and Tokay Gecko (Gekko gecko)

A further enclosure for Mindanao Water Monitor

Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus)

Dumeril's Boa (Acrantophis dumerili)

Fiji Banded Iguana (Brachylophus fasciatus)

Empty Enclosure

Utila Spinytail Iguana (Ctenosaura bakeri)

Blue-spotted Tree Monitor (Varanus macraei)

A further enclosure for Rio Fuerte Beaded Lizard

A further enclosure for Utila Spinytail Iguana

A further enclosure for Blue Spiny Lizard

Rhinoceros Iguana (Cyclura cornuta)

False Water Cobra (Hydrodynastes gigas)

Cave Beauty Snake (Orthriophis taeniurus ridleyi)

Emerald Tree Boa (Corallus caninus)

Egyptian Tortoise (Testudo kleinmanni)

Gidgee Skink (Egernia stokesii)

A further enclosure for Roti Snakeneck Turtle

King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah)

 

[snowleopard]

Thanks for posting! I count approximately 55 different species as some of them are repeated throughout, but I have 2 criticisms. In the middle of August, peak zoo season, why would the London Zoo Reptile House have 3 empty exhibits and the same species displayed in a few terrariums? I was just at the Saint Louis Zoo a couple of weeks ago and there were 98 species on display but I also saw 3 empty terrariums and it strikes me that these world-famous zoos with vast off-show areas should in reality only have perhaps a single empty exhibit on display at any particular time.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Thanks for posting! I count approximately 55 different species as some of them are repeated throughout, but I have 2 criticisms. In the middle of August, peak zoo season, why would the London Zoo Reptile House have 3 empty exhibits and the same species displayed in a few terrariums?

They recently lost quite a few snake species both on-show and off-show, and many of the herpetological species still held off-show are too sensitive to move onshow if I understand correctly. This has consequently led to a need to move some of the duplicate animals previously held offshow onto public display, and the relatively high number of enclosures remaining empty.

For reference, this is the list of taxa lost from the ZSL London collection since 01/01/2013, along with the number of individuals which had been held at that date.

Broghammerus reticulatus - 1,0,0

Morelia spilota spilota - 1,1,0

Morelia viridis - 0,0,2

Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia - 0,0,7

Lampropeltis getula californiae - 0,0,1

Bothriechis aurifer - 0,1,0

Bothriechis lateralis - 2,2,0

Bothriechis nigroviridis - 1,1,0

Bothriechis schlegelii - 3,8,0

Bothriechis supraciliaris - 0,0,4

Parias flavomaculatus mcgregori - 1,3,0

Trimeresurus trigonocephalus - 1,2,2

Vipera berus - 0,0,2

Vipera raddei - 1,0,0

 

[zooboy28]

They recently lost quite a few snake species both on-show and off-show, and many of the herpetological species still held off-show are too sensitive to move onshow if I understand correctly. This has consequently led to a need to move some of the duplicate animals previously held offshow onto public display, and the relatively high number of enclosures remaining empty.

For reference, this is the list of taxa lost from the ZSL London collection since 01/01/2013, along with the number of individuals which had been held at that date.

How were these all "lost"?

 

[TeaLovingDave]

How were these all "lost"?

Answered your query via PM.

 

[threeple61]

I would be interested to know how they were 'lost' too....

The fiji iguana on my visit was labelled as B.bulabula. Is this incorrect? I feel the distinction between the two species is blurred with captive stock.