enclosure for juvenile tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus)

the tuatara (well, two of them anyway) were in the shelf sort of structure on the left of the enclosure at the front

1 November 2012

I don't like this exhibit either! Is it a post-modern take on tuatara exhibitry, with Scandinavian minimalist influences?

it was a bit like that. I didn't really get the wooden shelf things on the left for the tuatara to hide inside. However the floor area (all the rocks and earth) looks alright, especially if they filled it with a lot more ferns and other plants.

Chlidonias said:

it was a bit like that. I didn't really get the wooden shelf things on the left for the tuatara to hide inside. However the floor area (all the rocks and earth) looks alright, especially if they filled it with a lot more ferns and other plants.

Click to expand...

I guess the shelf is a good way for the tuatara to feel safe but also be visible to visitors. Its just not at all aesthetically pleasing or naturalistic (the tuatara aren't native to IKEA). The floor area does look very nice, its the rest that's a bit too industrial. I'm guessing there is a big glass window in front of all this, maybe if they just blacked out most of it (maybe the top half or two-thirds) then the viewing would be almost solely of the floor area, which would make it a bit better. Or they could just plant up the enclosure, mural-ise the walls, and change the heating.