Paris Zoological Park Must-sees while visiting Paris Zoo?

[ketoflukes]

I'll be visiting the Pariz Zoological Park at the end of may and, as this zoo will be a new one for me, I wanted to know what you guys think is something I should not miss while visiting the zoo! While looking at google maps, I noticed that the zoo appears to be quite small so I am assuming it can all easily be done in one day? Any information and tips are welcome and very much appreciated

 

[Sneeuwpanter]

Not far from Zoo Paris (the new zoo) is Aquarium Porte Doree. That is a must see. More than anything in the Zoo.

 

[Tim May]

Not far from Zoo Paris (the new zoo) is Aquarium Porte Doree. That is a must see. More than anything in the Zoo.

I agree about visiting the aquarium.

If you're interested in zoo history then, whilst in Paris, you should also visit the Jardin des Plantes Menagerie too.

Also, in my opinion, the two zoology museums at the Jardin des Plantes are must sees too. They are

• Grande galerie de l'évolution
  
• Galerie de paléontologie et d'anatomie comparée

 

[Therabu]

I'll be visiting the Pariz Zoological Park at the end of may and, as this zoo will be a new one for me, I wanted to know what you guys think is something I should not miss while visiting the zoo! While looking at google maps, I noticed that the zoo appears to be quite small so I am assuming it can all easily be done in one day? Any information and tips are welcome and very much appreciated

The zoo can be covered in 3 hours if you do not bother looking for all free-flying birds and hidden herps. However, that's where rarities are with several under-represented central America passerines quite hard to find (some of them I now doubt are actually there).

As for mammals, the only area the zoo really shines collection-wise is with primates from South America and Madagascar in and around the greenhouse. If you're there early in the morning, focus on the Guyane, Madagascar and European area as you will be alone. Sahel and Patagonia are in my opinion less interesting species wise but should still be covered so that you got sense of what was tried to be achieved.

Visiting Porte dorée aquarium is easy to mix but time spent will depend a lot. It is a great collection full of rarities, mostly from rivers and lakes. From exhibitry point of view, this is rather simple and not worth it. So go there if you are interested in fish species only I would say.

 

[Kalaw]

I'll be visiting the Pariz Zoological Park at the end of may and, as this zoo will be a new one for me, I wanted to know what you guys think is something I should not miss while visiting the zoo! While looking at google maps, I noticed that the zoo appears to be quite small so I am assuming it can all easily be done in one day? Any information and tips are welcome and very much appreciated

Paris is a very enjoyable and somewhat interesting zoo, but you are correct in that it is easily doable in one day. It could be done in half a day (which would allow it to be combined with one of the other interesting zoological attractions, or of course non-zoological attractions, in the city), but you may be somewhat rushed.

Definitely make a point of visiting the European Vivarium. It is rare to see displays for local ectotherms, and there is even a rather interesting display on slime moulds! The Serre Tropicale is wonderful, with the West Indian Manatees, Fossas, Crowned Sifakas and Bamboo Lemurs all being noteworthy. Look out for Europe's only subspecies-pure Pumas (in the Patagonia zone) and Macedonian Crested Newts (in the European Vivarium).

The zoo is structured in a loop, which, according to the map numbering, starts with the Patagonia zone, but I would recommend instead starting with the Madagascan zone, and doing the loop in reverse. This helps you avoid crowds and visit the Serre Tropicale before visitors (the manatees can be quite mesmerising when the viewing panel isn't interrupted by visitors). However, it is your choice.

Regrettably, when I visited Paris, I did not have enough time to visit the Aquarium Porte Doree or the Grande Galerie de l'evolution, but I did visit the Menagerie Jardins des Plantes and the Galerie de paléontologie, and would strongly recommend both, should you have time.

 

[Dassie rat]

The Aquarium de Porte Doree is one of 5 ZTL establishments with a drape fin barb, sargassum trigger, spotfin butterflyfish and mountain crystal tetra

One of 4 with a three-lined pencilfish, black surgeonfish, marbled swordtail, spotted damba, cichlidpygmy gourami, Salvador molly, similar damsel, spoon face whiptail and hawkfish anthias

One of 3 with a West African dwarf cichlid. violet goby, tropical gar, threespot leporinus, badis, black-barred limia, Chizumulu bluegrey mbuna, fingered dragonet, golden panchax, horseman corydoras, peppermint bass, red spotted cichlid, reticulate knifefish, Shukoray cichlid, snow pleco and belly-barred cichlid

One of 2 with a wormjawed mormyrid, Ansorge's Neolebias, stone-mover cichlid, black-axil chromis, spotted bulldog pleco, black gullet cichlid, blue dwarf snakehead, blue ribbon tetra, blue tilapia, Cendarawasih longnose butterflyfish, corsula, croaking gourami, dusky jawfish, elephant trunkfish (Campylomormyris numenius), emerald green lampeye, fourline wrasse, Laboute's wrasse, lantern bass, mangrove rivulus, mormyrid (Brevimyrus niger), mural goby, painted anthias, phoenix tetra, pygmy glass danio, rock Kribensis and black leopard wrasse

And the only one with a Xenocharax spilurus, West African freshwater goby, Victoria cichlids ('Matumbi hunter', Neochromis rufocaudalis and 'orange rock hunter'), Vanderbilt's chromis, tail-spot ctenopoma, Thollon's tilapia, spotted shovelnose, Annie's dwarf goby, bluefin dwarf cichlid, spotted arowana, Candens barb, chevron snakehead, Chiriqui cichlid, Cornish jack, blue-striped orange tamarin, dark-spotted cichlid, deepwater wrasse, ferox betta, flame goby, forest snakehead, Geisler`s lizard tetra, glowtail pipefish, Hori`s Tanganyika cichlid, Lake Leopold Congo tetra, Lake Tanganyika shelldweller, mormyrid (Marcusenius mento), Myers' basketmouth cichlid, ocellated labyrinthfish, pindu, poor man's tropheus, Pungu barombi mbo cichlid, purple dwarf pencilfish, purplelined wrasse, redbelly tilapia, redlip blenny, Regan’s mouthbrooder, Rio Atrato freshwater goby, Rio Formiga tetra, Rio Tapajos rheophilic cichlid, Roho labeo, Sierra Leone dwarf characin, spangled cichlid, sixray corydoras and black stripe tetra

The CinéAqua Trocadéro is one of 5 ZTL collections with a spotfin butterflyfish, limespot butterfly fish and a doubletooth soldierfish
One of 4 with a sharpnose wrasse, false herring, black surgeonfish and a Chinamanfish
One of 3 with a threespot leporinus, speckled butterflyfish, long-snout clingfish and a Caribbean sharpnose-puffer
One of 2 with a stone-mover cichlid, spotted headstander, palelipped surgeonfish, lagoon shrimpgoby and a fan-bellied leatherjacket
And the only one with a millet butterflyfish, blacktail snapper and a dwarf flag cichlid

The Paris Menagerie is one of 5 ZTL establishments with an Asian houbara bustard and a little bustard
And the only one with

Paris Zoo is one of 4 ZTL establishments with a northern bamboo lemur
One of 3 with a Guianan brown capuchin and a Bosnian alpine newt
One of 2 with a black-spotted barbet (bo subspecies), rose-breasted grosbeak and crocodile tegu
And the only one with a bluespotted maskray, Chilean puma, red-headed barbet, Lazuli bunting, golden-naped tanager, black-headed grosbeak, green vine snake, Macedonian crested newt and Baron's mantella

 

[lintworm]

Paris Zoo can easily be seen in 3 hours (4 if you spend extra time in the greenhouse looking for rarities). It is a zoo that is a great example of modern zoo (landscape) architecture for what is in essence still a classical zoo. Depending on your time and interests the Menagerie in de Jardin des Plantes might actually be more worth visiting as this is basically an open air museum of a zoo that looks very similar to a zoo in 1920. Plenty of bars and enclosures on the small side, but a unique zoo experience if you are interested in zoo history (and plenty of interesting hoofstock and birds).

You could if you want visit both the same day, if you spend 3.5 hours at each. For a more relaxed day indeed combine the zoo with the Aquarium in the next door palace. No big fancy tanks, but a very interesting fish collection in nicely landscaped aquaria.