In my visits to 250 different zoos and aquariums (210 in the U.S.A.) I would have to say that Saint Louis has the best Reptile House that I've ever seen. None of the terrariums are too small and most are rather large in comparison to exhibits to be found at other zoos. I will point out that I toured Fort Worth Zoo in 2008 and that was before MOLA opened and that Reptile House is regarded by many zoo nerds as possibly the best on the planet.
There are zoos with larger more wonderful reptile/amphibian collections: San Diego has an average Reptile House but fantastic outdoor exhibits; Omaha lacks a Reptile House but has something like 130 terrariums spread throughout its mega-complexes; Detroit has both a very good Reptile House and an even better Amphibian building; Dallas has 112 exhibits but many of them are average-size at best and thus not quite as memorable; Denver has 250 species in its Tropical Discovery building and about 80 of them are reptiles and amphibians...and the list goes on. Houston, Los Angeles, Nashville and even Audubon are several more major zoos with top-notch Reptile Houses.
But having visited all of those zoos and in terms of actually compiling all cold-blooded critters into a single structure (admittedly a technicality) then for my money Saint Louis Zoo is #1. When I eventually get around to going back to Fort Worth then I'm sure that Saint Louis will be bumped into 2nd place, and does anyone know what the plans for Zoo Atlanta's $25 million Reptile House look like?
When I eventually get around to going back to Fort Worth then I'm sure that Saint Louis will be bumped into 2nd place, and does anyone know what the plans for Zoo Atlanta's $25 million Reptile House look like?
