Twilighter's report makes a good point: the Bronx Zoo is so big that trying to see it all in the warm months when everything is open makes for a far too rushed visit even if you spend all of 10-5 there (I've tried many times but always end up skipping something, usually the Children's Zoo, where you'll find several Latin American species not displayed elsewhere in the zoo, and have to give many exhibits short shrift). One of the nice parts of a visit during the cold months is that you can see everything that's open in one day and do so at an enjoyable pace.
Of popular culture interest, what is now the Ethiopian Highlands exhibit with Geladas, Nubian Ibex and Rock Hyraxes, which Twilighter mentions, was in the movies once. There's a scene in "Altered States" in which the main character breaks into a zoo in Boston and hunts and kills an animal, some species of ungulate, although I don't remember which. The scene was actually shot in the Bronx Zoo, at the exhibit that preceded Ethiopian Highlands (no animal was actually killed, of course, hehe).
I would also like to echo Twilighter's point about the American Museum of Natural History. It just shouldn't be missed for anyone interested in zoology. It is definitely the world's largest natural history museum. Guinness says it's the largest single building museum in the world (they put art museums in a separate, art gallery, category) and, besides the world class, phenomenally detailed African, North American, marine life and bird dioramas, has the world's largest dinosaur collection. (The Asian dioramas aren't quite the same quality but aren't bad.) There's even a book just about the dioramas: https://www.amazon.com/Windows-Nature-Habitat-Dioramas-American/dp/0810959402 And you could earn yourself a degree in Herpetology using all the information presented in the Hall of Reptiles and Amphibians. I live down the street from the AMNH and never get tired of visiting. If the animal exhibits weren't enough to get you to go there, the planetarium is beautiful and has a new sky show that's terrific, the Hall of Human Evolution is captivating, there are a whole bunch of wonderful anthropology exhibits (my favorite is Asian Peoples), and the hall of gems and minerals is about to reopen after a major renovation.
Finally, if a zoo had enough room for the moat, a tiger-banteng exhibit would be great!
Of popular culture interest, what is now the Ethiopian Highlands exhibit with Geladas, Nubian Ibex and Rock Hyraxes, which Twilighter mentions, was in the movies once. There's a scene in "Altered States" in which the main character breaks into a zoo in Boston and hunts and kills an animal, some species of ungulate, although I don't remember which. The scene was actually shot in the Bronx Zoo, at the exhibit that preceded Ethiopian Highlands (no animal was actually killed, of course, hehe).
I would also like to echo Twilighter's point about the American Museum of Natural History. It just shouldn't be missed for anyone interested in zoology. It is definitely the world's largest natural history museum. Guinness says it's the largest single building museum in the world (they put art museums in a separate, art gallery, category) and, besides the world class, phenomenally detailed African, North American, marine life and bird dioramas, has the world's largest dinosaur collection. (The Asian dioramas aren't quite the same quality but aren't bad.) There's even a book just about the dioramas: https://www.amazon.com/Windows-Nature-Habitat-Dioramas-American/dp/0810959402 And you could earn yourself a degree in Herpetology using all the information presented in the Hall of Reptiles and Amphibians. I live down the street from the AMNH and never get tired of visiting. If the animal exhibits weren't enough to get you to go there, the planetarium is beautiful and has a new sky show that's terrific, the Hall of Human Evolution is captivating, there are a whole bunch of wonderful anthropology exhibits (my favorite is Asian Peoples), and the hall of gems and minerals is about to reopen after a major renovation.
Finally, if a zoo had enough room for the moat, a tiger-banteng exhibit would be great!
