Thank you for the update, Are you visiting the Werribee zoo as well?I visited Melbourne Zoo today. First time since 2018 and noted the following updates. Absolutely manic school holiday crowds (both in number and manner) but I stayed at the zoo from 9am to almost 5pm, enjoying every bit. Apologies if some of this overlaps with other posts:
- Two enormous Hercules Moths are currently pupating in the butterfly house. Four O’clock Moths (unseen) are a new species for the butterfly house as well.
- Chameleon Gecko and Northern Banded Knob-tailed Geckos are now in Growing Wild building with the Aldabra Giant Tortoises.
- Egyptian Beetle and Golden Huntsman are newer additions in the bug building opposite the squirrel monkeys.
- the new pair of Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves have already fledged a chick in the butterfly house as well. I saw it today perched among the butterfly feeders. Pictured below.
- reptile breeding success has included four Reticulated Pythons, 24 Veiled Chameleons, a Lace Monitor (on-show in reptile house), six Corn Snakes and two Centralian Knob-tailed Geckos. Gila Monsters have a clutch as well. The chameleon hatchlings can be seen via a window looking into the off-display area and a Reticulated Python hatchling has been mixed with the Macleay’s Water Snake in Digest-Ed opposite the lions.
- Short-finned Eels (or similar eel species) have been added to the entrance tank at the reptile house.
- Fat-tailed Dunnarts have also arrived at Melbourne (off-show currently).
- a Moon Jellyfish display has been opened as previously mentioned in Wild Sea. Incredibly popular.
- Flame Angelfish and a Magnificent Foxface (happy to be corrected on this species) has been added to the new coral display.
- Southern Purple-spotted Gudgeon and Olive Perchlet have been added to the final freshwater tank at Wild Sea.
- there are at least two Kangaroo Island Kangaroo joeys currently. No Tammar Wallabies were seen but three Swamp Wallabies were located.
- I wasn’t able to locate any Orange-bellied Parrots. There was however an unsigned aviary opposite the koala aviary that had three White-browed Woodswallows and a pair of Red-tailed Black Cockatoos (they looked like the naso subspecies but happy for a local to clarify).
- all three Black-and-white Colobus were grooming. As mentioned, there is a pair of Cottontop Tamarins in the first exhibit.
- general highlights included four Golden Coin Turtles swimming around (its housemate the Spiny Terrapin remained out of view), a well-stocked butterfly house being a significant improvement since my last visit with greater variation of species, active binturong, quokka and potoroo, the frog house - which I visited three times as I loved it so much, the new Komodo Dragon and King Cobra, vocal lions and tiger and three peccaries to finish the day.
Melbourne Zoo Melbourne Zoo News 2025
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Absolutely. Can't wait to see the elephants!
Hopefully lots of nice pics of them and the exhibit!
austrlain zoo gower
Well-Known Member
Trail Of the Elephants Episode 2 released!
I visited Melbourne Zoo today. Here’s some more news that I haven’t seen mentioned.
Birds
Sacred Kingfisher is now on display in the Pied Stilt aviary replacing the White-Browed Woodswallows that were previously there
At least two Pied Stilts have moved into the Great Flight Aviary
Reptiles
Species that were not on display but have been on display in the past two years include Red-bellied Black Snake, Arafura File Snake, Pink-tongued Skink, Sailfin Dragon, Pygmy Mulga Monitor, Kenyan Sand Boa, Southern Pilbara Rock Monitor, Honduran Milk Snake and Eastern Pilbara Spiny-tailed Skink. I assume that most of these are still at the zoo although I’m uncertain on the Sailfin Lizard.
Rhinoceros Iguanas have moved into where the Sailfin Lizard was, their old enclosure is being renovated and I overheard a conversation that the plan was to bring in a Merten's Water Monitor. Potentially turtles too as they are co-habbed at Healesville.
Amphibians
Both Peron’s Tree Frog and Desert Tree Frog are on display (first time I’ve seen them there) in the frog house. Peron’s is mixed with the Stuttering Frog and Desert with the Crucifix Frog.
Fish
I can confirm that the Eel on display is a Shortfin Eel, Anguilla australis.
Invertebrates
The ‘Forest Harvest’ building next to the squirrel monkeys has been fully converted into an invertebrate house with new exhibits. It appears their stock is from Minibeast Wildlife as many of their photos are used and the inverts match some of the species they have recently been selling.
Also I made a mistake with the Bell’s Hingeback Tortoises I thought I saw in late 2024, they were Hermann’s Tortoises instead.
Birds
Sacred Kingfisher is now on display in the Pied Stilt aviary replacing the White-Browed Woodswallows that were previously there
At least two Pied Stilts have moved into the Great Flight Aviary
Reptiles
Species that were not on display but have been on display in the past two years include Red-bellied Black Snake, Arafura File Snake, Pink-tongued Skink, Sailfin Dragon, Pygmy Mulga Monitor, Kenyan Sand Boa, Southern Pilbara Rock Monitor, Honduran Milk Snake and Eastern Pilbara Spiny-tailed Skink. I assume that most of these are still at the zoo although I’m uncertain on the Sailfin Lizard.
Rhinoceros Iguanas have moved into where the Sailfin Lizard was, their old enclosure is being renovated and I overheard a conversation that the plan was to bring in a Merten's Water Monitor. Potentially turtles too as they are co-habbed at Healesville.
Amphibians
Both Peron’s Tree Frog and Desert Tree Frog are on display (first time I’ve seen them there) in the frog house. Peron’s is mixed with the Stuttering Frog and Desert with the Crucifix Frog.
Fish
I can confirm that the Eel on display is a Shortfin Eel, Anguilla australis.
Invertebrates
The ‘Forest Harvest’ building next to the squirrel monkeys has been fully converted into an invertebrate house with new exhibits. It appears their stock is from Minibeast Wildlife as many of their photos are used and the inverts match some of the species they have recently been selling.
Also I made a mistake with the Bell’s Hingeback Tortoises I thought I saw in late 2024, they were Hermann’s Tortoises instead.
Thanks for the update. It never ceases to amaze me how many changes Melbourne Zoo’s Reptile House undergoes with regards to the species on display (even within the space of a year).
Consistency is common across many of the region’s smaller reptile houses; but even Taronga’s ARC, which opened with 42 species has undergone only minor changes in the year it’s been open.
It’s no doubt a consequence of Melbourne Zoo holding a considerable number of species off display and would be extremely enriching for regular visitors who see something new each time.
Thank you for confirming a few changes that I suspected were new. Southern Pilbara Rock Monitors are currently on-show in the gorilla ranger station. They are mixed with the Eastern Pilbara Spiny-tailed Skinks which I didn't see but they are signed.
I completely missed that, I think I’ve been in there as a kid but I don’t know how to access it.
I missed it during my 2018 visit as well (along with missing Keeper Kids, the Growing Wild learning space and Digest Ed - Melbourne is a maze of small indoor buildings....) and it's hard to find if you don't know where it is. It is very close to the glass-fronted section of the gorilla habitat along an adjacent bamboo pathway. It's now signed on the map to give you a rough idea of location.
Yes, I popped in when I visited last week and it was really nice to see as Melbourne does lack a proper 'Invertebrate' area and even though there's only a handful of species in there; it does make for a nice display. It would be even better if Lord Howe Stick insects were displayed there!
That also makes sense regarding the Hermann's Tortoises being in with the Meerkats - I did notice their absence from the Reptile House a few years back.
They've been in there for a while now I believe - in the wetlands section.
At the end of the Gorilla enclosure (opposite the now Otter enclosure) there's an area where there is a gorilla hand statue and a few other interactive 'Calling for you' signs. Just behind that where the bamboo is, there's a little path that loops back to a small house - the Ranger Station.
austrlain zoo gower
Well-Known Member
Trail Of The Elephants Episode 3
Trail of the Elephants Episode 3 has been published.
Trail of the Elephants Episode 3 has been published.
A female Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat named Matilda has arrived from Ballarat Wildlife Park where she was born - reported on Ballarat’s FB page.
I made a quick stop in at the zoo this afternoon, there was so much activity with the animals, must have realised it was nearly closing time.
There is quite a bit of clearing and work going on in between the dingo, tiger and Tasmanian devil area of the carnivore trail. It is not too bad an area space wise, no idea what plans are.
The Nyala have been moved to the old Bongo exhibit, between the giraffe and baboons. The three girls were quite active and exploring. The old Malayan Tapir exhibit is currently very early stages of renovations. Once again, not sure if the Nyala will return or they are setting it up for the Brazilian Tapir they may be importing soon.
There is quite a bit of clearing and work going on in between the dingo, tiger and Tasmanian devil area of the carnivore trail. It is not too bad an area space wise, no idea what plans are.
The Nyala have been moved to the old Bongo exhibit, between the giraffe and baboons. The three girls were quite active and exploring. The old Malayan Tapir exhibit is currently very early stages of renovations. Once again, not sure if the Nyala will return or they are setting it up for the Brazilian Tapir they may be importing soon.
Finally! We’ve all been saying for years the nyala should have gone here!
With Adelaide too apparently acquiring Brazilian Tapir soon, I wouldn't be surprised if Melbourne are indeed also gearing up to import some from overseas as well. They would be a great addition to the zoos collection, after the departure of Arturo to Adelaide in 2018 and Semangka's death in 2023.
Equally exciting to hear the Nyala in the old Bongo exhibit. It's a perfect sized enclosure for them - and also right next to the Giraffes. Hopefully this will allow for them to be integrated with the Giraffes eventually, which was the plan, and I'm assuming may still be the plan.
It wouldn’t surprise me if a bull was held in the old bongo exhibit; and cows/calves in the giraffe exhibit long term. It would be the ideal way to manage breeding (nyala breed like rabbits) and Auckland/Wellington have done similar.
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Since they breed so well hopefully they can appear in more collections around the region.
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ElephasMaximus
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Do Nyala usually breed so quickly, or have they just taken really well to the climate in New Zealand and Australia?
There's probably regulations in place these days to prevent this from happening, but at this point I'm half expecting Nyala to turn up on some private farm the way excess livestock like guanaco and bison did back in the day.
Females can conceive as early as 14-18 months and can give birth at intervals of around 10 months, so numbers can (and do) increase rapidly. Auckland and Wellington no longer house bulls full time with their herds in order to regulate breeding.
Surplus giraffe, zebra and bison have been consigned to private holders in New Zealand (with the latter exchanged between zoos and private holders). I wouldn’t be amazed to see the occasional surplus male dispersed to private holders.