Fort Worth Zoo Mola

Went to the zoo today and found out that the official opening date for the MOLA is March 6th. This is yet another month behind the last date. Looks pretty amazing though.
 
I'm going to be able to go on the 9th. Photos will follow on that day.
 
Spending $19 million on reptiles and amphibians is a bold move, but the zoo appears to be confident that they might have one of the world's great cold-blooded buildings.:) It's nice to see Fort Worth add a significant new exhibit, as it has been 9 years since anything major has been added to that zoo, and I'm still not a fan of 2001's "Texas Wild!"
 
Very interesting that they call it a museum and have created the museum atmosphere with the express purpose of modifying guests behavior, it will be interesting to see if it works.

"If you take those same kids to a museum, they are quieter and more attentive," Fouraker said. "We kept thinking, 'How do we create that museum atmosphere where the kids look at the scales, the colors and the patterns of the animals, to where they stop and look and see what is really there in front of them?'"
 
Fort Worth is known for its museums. Two major art museums are just down the road from the zoo. Funnily enough, I think that all have something to do with the Bass family just like the MOLA. Actually, there's not much in Fort Worth of significance that doesn't have that family's name attached to it.
 
Looks amazing. I was I trying to think of a good reptile house and now it looks like this might be the best. I have not seen many Reptile Houses and along with that the precedents of housing reptiles in terrariums in this latest era so this is quite interesting. Who or what company designed this reptile house? I think I might need to go on a road trip this summer.
 
Went to it yesterday

It's is amazing. Very modern looking on the inside. Some areas have lots of natural lighting, some are dark with cool neon blue and digital projectors. No exhibit seemed too small, gahrial exhibit was quite large, and Komodos had a very nice outside exhibit (which I sadly got no pics of). Lots of floor to ceiling windows for the bigger snakes and lizards like the King cobra, burmese python, and crocodile monitor.

Nice little part you could walk outside on and see some ring tail lemurs, scarlet ibis, macaws, and supposably sloth and golden lion tamerin but I think those last two had already been pulled in for the night when my group got outside.

Several sunken forest exhibits for rainforest creatures, lots of fish with some lizards (and one had a caimen, I believe) that stretched onward for a good 30 feet, again floor to ceiling windows.

Great stuff, I'll get pics up later.
 
That's good. Whenever the San Diego Zoo opens exhibits there's always missing animals unfortunately...
 
Here are a few pictures from this excellent facility:

Exhibit Building Entrance:


Saltwater Crocodile Exhibit:


Flooded Forest Exhibit:


Discovery Hub with Chinese Giant Salamander Exhibit, and Nursery and Incubation Lab in background:


Adaptation Hall:


Komodo Dragon Exhibit (indoor one, there is an outdoor one adjacent):
 
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