Reptile Gardens Reptile Gardens Species List 8/15/2023

[zoo_enthusiast]

As part of a family road-trip from Yellowstone to Mount Rushmore, I have visited Reptile Gardens last week, for two mornings in a row (8/15 and 8/16). Below is the species list from these visits:

Most of the collection is kept inside the two-story dome. On the dome's lower level is a small walk-through rainforest, as well as a winding hallway with large and small tanks. The rainforest did not have much signage but I saw many small herps (anoles, uromastyx, agama, tree-frogs) which I could not identify on a species level. There were also some 'parrots on sticks', which I believe are rotated (one morning I saw a female eclectus, but next morning there was an African grey instead). I did not photograph the parrots (was there for the reptiles primarily), but I also recall seeing a nanday conure, salmon-crested cockatoo, and one or two macaws of the species I cannot recall. There were also some smaller enclosures inside the rainforest: one with unsigned tortoises, a pool housing a Florida softshell turtle (hidden on both of my visits), a pool with Roti Island snake-necked turtles (Chelodina mccordii) and Murray River turtles (Emydura macquarii), and another pool with a smooth-fronted caiman. Finally, there were some branches nailed to the wall - a prehensile-tailed skink sat on one of them, and a boa constrictor was wrapped around another.

 

[zoo_enthusiast]

The hallway on the lower level contained the following species, loosely organized into sections:

• Green Anaconda
• Orinoco Crocodile (juvenile)
• Mangshan Pit Viper (Protobothrops mangshanensis) in a large Chinese-themed terrarium
• A wall filled with invert tanks, as following:
  • Blue Death-feigning Beetle
  • Mexican Red-knee Tarantula
  • Tanzanian Cave Whip Scorpion
  • Salmon-pink Bird-eating Spider
  • Black Widow Spider
  • African Forest Scorpion
  • Vietnamese Centipede
  • King Baboon Spider
  • Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches
• An Amphibian section:
  • Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis)
    
  • Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata)
    
  • Two-toed Amphiuma (Amphiuma means)
    
  • Vietnamese Mossy Frog (Theloderma corticale)
    
  • Budgett’s Frog (Lepidobatrachus laevis)
    
  • Amazon Milk Frog (Trachycephalus resinifictrix)
    
  • Red-eyed Tree Frog (Agalychnis callidryas)
    
  • African Bullfrog (Pyxicephalus adspersus)
    
  • White’s Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea)
    
  • Tiger Striped Leaf Frog (Callimedusa tomopterna)
    
  • Eastern Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens)
    
  • Dyeing Poison Dart Frog (Dendrobates tinctorius)
    
  • Blue Poison Dart Frog (Dendrobates azureus)
    
  • Green-and-black Poison Dart Frog (Dendrobates auratus)
    
  • Veiled Chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus), Tomato Frog (Dyscophus antongilii), also unsigned Helmeted Iguana (Corytophanes cristatus)

Following that, there was a series of bigger glass-fronted enclosures, for the following species:

• Komodo Dragon (adult, elsewhere in the building there is another exhibit housing a juvenile)
  
• Beaded Lizards (Heloderma horridum)
  
• Gila Monsters (Helpderma suspectum)
  
• Saltwater Crocodile (very large specimen, called 'Maniac', one of the largest in the US)
  
• Siamese Crocodile
  
• Cuban Crocodiles
• Nile Crocodiles (niloticus or suchus)
  
• Australian Freshwater Crocodiles
  
• Alligator Snapping Turtle

Komodo Dragons and most of the large crocodilians (except for Australian freshies) had access to wire-fenced outdoor pens, these were sunny and grassy, though of modest size, but there were no outdoor pools for crocodilians.

Finally, there were 12 smaller tanks housing snakes (venomous, all but 2) arranged in 3 rows:

• African Bush Viper (Atheris squamigera)
  
• Midget Faded Rattlesnake (Crotalus concolor)
  
• Siamese Peninsula Pit Viper (Popeia fucata)
  
• Shield-nose Cobra (Aspidelaps scutatus)
  
• Komodo Island Pit Viper (Trimersurus insularis)
  
• Chihuahuan Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake (Crotalus willardi silus)
  
• Jumping Viper (Atropoides picadoi mexicanus)
  
• Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius barbouri)
  
• Egyptian Saw-scaled Viper (Echis pyramidum)
  
• Mojave Desert Sidewinder (Crotalus c. cerastes)
  
• Sri Lankan Tree Viper (Craspedocephalus trigonocephalus)
  
• Rubber Boa (Charina bottae) - this stayed hidden on both of my visits
  
• Death Adder (Acanthophis antarcticus)
  
• Rough-scaled Snake (Tropidechis carinatus) – according to the sign the only specimen ever exhibited in the US
  
• Tonkin Habu (Ovophis tonkinensis)
  
• Slender Hognose Viper (Porthidium ophryomegas)
  
• Russell’s Viper (Daboia russelli)
  
• ‘tangerine albino’ phase Honduran Milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum hondurensis)

This is just the preview to the amazing venomous snake collection, most of which is housed on the second floor

 

[zoo_enthusiast]

The second floor of the dome loops around the downstairs 'rainforest'. The following species were displayed:

• Flying Gecko (Ptychozoon kuhli), Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius)
• Tentacled Snake (Erpeton tentaculatum)
  
• Amazon Tree Boa (Corallus hortulanus), Emerald Tree Boa (Corallus caninus) - their tank is very lash and I did not see the former
  
• Sheltopusik (Pseudopus apodus)
  
• Woma (Aspidites ramsayi) - stayed hidden on both visits
  
• Russian Cobra (Naja oxiana)
  
• Cascabel (Crotalus durissus terrificus)
  
• Puff Adder (Bitis arietans)
  
• Indian Spectacled Cobra (Naja naja)
  
• Timor Python (Malayopython timoriensis)
  
• Black-lipped Forest Cobra (Naja melanoleuca)
  
• Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus)
  
• Uracoan Rattlesnake (Crotalus vergrandis)
  
• Shingleback Skink (Tliiqua rugosus)
  
• Rhinoceros Viper (Bitis nasicornis)
  
• Grand Canyon Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus abyssus)
  
• Stimson’s Python (Antaresia stimsoni)
  
• Brazilian Lancehead (Bothrops moojeni)
  
• Asian Green Vine Snake (Ahaetulla prasina)
  
• Eyelash Viper (Bothriechis schlegelii)
  
• Blue Tree Monitor (Varanus macraei), Green Tree Monitor (Varanus prasinus), Black Tree Monitor (Varanus beccarii) - there was one of each
  
• Black-tail Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus)
  
• Desert Horned Viper (Cerastes cerastes)
  
• Elephant Trunk Snake (Acrochordus javanicus)
  
• Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus)
  
• Okinawan Habu (Ovophis okinavensis)
  
• Cantil (Agkistrodon bilineatus)
  
• West African Gaboon Viper (Bitis rhinoceros)
  
• Arizona Black Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus cerberus)
  
• Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix)
  
• Mottled Rock Rattlesnake (Crotalus l. lepidus)
  
• Collett’s Snake (Pseudechis colletti)
  
• Banded Snouted Cobra (Naja annulifera)
  
• Perentie (Varanus giganteus)
  
• Bell’s phase Lace Monitor (Varanus varius)
  
• Mexican West Coast Rattlesnake (Crotalus basiliscus)
  
• Komodo Dragon (juvenile)
  
• Black Mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis)
  
• Jameson’s Mamba (Dendroaspis jamesoni)
  
• Mojave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus)
  
• black phase Boomslang (Dispholidus typus)
• Common Brown Snake (Pseudonaja textilis)
  
• Red-bellied Black Snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus)
  
• Tiger Snake (Notechis scutatus)
  
• King Brown Snake (Pseudechis australis)
  
• Coastal Taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus)
  
• Papuan Taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus canni)
  
• Inland Taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus)
  
• Rough-scaled Python (Morelia carinata), promoted as 'the rarest snake in the world'
  
• King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah)
  
• St Lucian Lancehead (Bothrops caribbaeus)
  
• Samar Cobra (Naja samarensis)
  
• Australian Scrub Python (Morelia kinghorni)
  
• Banded Water Cobra (Boulengerina annulata)
  
• a wall of terrariums dedicated to local species:
  • Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis), Bullsnake (Pituophis c. sayi), unsigned Garter Snake
    
  • Eastern Yellow-bellied Racer (Coluber constrictor flaviventris)
    
  • Western Hognose Snake (Heterodon nasicus)
    
  • Pale Milk Snake (Lampropeltis t. multistriata)
• Terciopelo (Bothrops asper)
  
• East African Green Mamba (Dendroaspis angusticeps)
  
• West African Green Mamba (Dendroaspis viridis)
  
• "Grand Cayman Island Blue Iguana" (Cyclura lewesi x Cyclura sp.)
  
• Madagascar Tree Boa (Sanzinia madagascariensis)
  
• South American Bushmaster (Lachesis muta)
  
• Cape Cobra (Naja nivea)
  
• Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorous)
  
• Black-headed Python (Aspidites melanocephalus)

 

[zoo_enthusiast]

Elsewhere in the Gardens, they have a prairie dogs town, a walk-through enclosure with Aldabra tortoises, a pool with koi carp and red-eared sliders, an aviary for kookaburra and Himalayan monal (of which I only saw a hen), bald eagle, and a row of birds tied to perches. It looks like these birds are rotated, since I have seen slightly different combinations on my two visits, but the combined list of species is: yellow-headed vulture, Harris hawk, red-tailed hawk, eclectus parrot, catalina macaw, king vulture, barn owl, Eurasian eagle owl, merlin falcon, lanner falcon.
Finally, they have two show arenas: one for alligator 'wrestling', which I did not attend (most if not all of the crocodilians that I saw in that arena were mid-size American alligators); and for a snake show, which I did attend. The roster for the latter was: yellow-tailed cribo, Burmese python, mangrove snake, cottonmouth, prairie rattlesnake, and monocled cobra.
The outdoor facilities are nothing special, but I found the place to be well worth two visits because of the superb collection housed in the dome, especially if you like venomous snakes.

 

[Coelacanth18]

Thanks for the list; I counted ~80 species of snake on display, which is a pretty staggering number.

It's also interesting to see a private reptile zoo with many Australian elapids, a unique Aussie python (the kinghorni), and Perentie. I thought that was interesting, so I looked into it; apparently (according to their website) Reptile Gardens has done a lot of work with Australian zoos and was working with the Australian government on reptile importations for the continent, a connection that allowed them to bring that giant Saltwater Croc across the Pacific from a closing zoo in Sydney.

With all those parrots and raptors I thought for sure they'd have a flight show; seems odd that they don't. What was the snake show like?

 

[zoo_enthusiast]

Thanks for the list; I counted ~80 species of snake on display, which is a pretty staggering number.

It's also interesting to see a private reptile zoo with many Australian elapids, a unique Aussie python (the kinghorni), and Perentie. I thought that was interesting, so I looked into it; apparently (according to their website) Reptile Gardens has done a lot of work with Australian zoos and was working with the Australian government on reptile importations for the continent, a connection that allowed them to bring that giant Saltwater Croc across the Pacific from a closing zoo in Sydney.

With all those parrots and raptors I thought for sure they'd have a flight show; seems odd that they don't. What was the snake show like?

They do have a flight show, but not in summer.

the snake show was fairly average, they took out each snake one by one, handled the non-venomous ones, let the rattlesnake and cottonmouth slide on the floor; the cobra stayed in a glass box all the time, but it did raise and expand its hood

 

[snowleopard]

When I visited Reptile Gardens in 2014, I counted 78 species of snake, 13 for lizards, 13 for turtles/tortoises, 9 for crocodilians, 15 for amphibians, and 15 for invertebrates. That all adds up to 143 species, but unfortunately the exhibit quality is quite poor in some areas. Thanks so much for the new species list!

 

[KiwiBirb]

and one or two macaws of the species I cannot recall.

From my visit in late July, the 2 Macaw Species are Scarlet and Blue and Gold

 

[Dhole dude]

Elsewhere in the Gardens, they have a prairie dogs town, a walk-through enclosure with Aldabra tortoises, a pool with koi carp and red-eared sliders, an aviary for kookaburra and Himalayan monal (of which I only saw a hen), bald eagle, and a row of birds tied to perches. It looks like these birds are rotated, since I have seen slightly different combinations on my two visits, but the combined list of species is: yellow-headed vulture, Harris hawk, red-tailed hawk, eclectus parrot, catalina macaw, king vulture, barn owl, Eurasian eagle owl, merlin falcon, lanner falcon.
Finally, they have two show arenas: one for alligator 'wrestling', which I did not attend (most if not all of the crocodilians that I saw in that arena were mid-size American alligators); and for a snake show, which I did attend. The roster for the latter was: yellow-tailed cribo, Burmese python, mangrove snake, cottonmouth, prairie rattlesnake, and monocled cobra.
The outdoor facilities are nothing special, but I found the place to be well worth two visits because of the superb collection housed in the dome, especially if you like venomous snakes.

Thanks for the species list! The walk-through tortoise enclosure also has Galapagos Giant Tortoise, as well as a side exhibit for Red-Footed Tortoise & African Spurred Tortoise, and the Alligators share their pond with two Western Slender-Snouted Crocodiles.

As part of a family road-trip from Yellowstone to Mount Rushmore, I have visited Reptile Gardens last week, for two mornings in a row (8/15 and 8/16). Below is the species list from these visits:

Most of the collection is kept inside the two-story dome. On the dome's lower level is a small walk-through rainforest, as well as a winding hallway with large and small tanks. The rainforest did not have much signage but I saw many small herps (anoles, uromastyx, agama, tree-frogs) which I could not identify on a species level. There were also some 'parrots on sticks', which I believe are rotated (one morning I saw a female eclectus, but next morning there was an African grey instead). I did not photograph the parrots (was there for the reptiles primarily), but I also recall seeing a nanday conure, salmon-crested cockatoo, and one or two macaws of the species I cannot recall. There were also some smaller enclosures inside the rainforest: one with unsigned tortoises, a pool housing a Florida softshell turtle (hidden on both of my visits), a pool with Roti Island snake-necked turtles (Chelodina mccordii) and Murray River turtles (Emydura macquarii), and another pool with a smooth-fronted caiman. Finally, there were some branches nailed to the wall - a prehensile-tailed skink sat on one of them, and a boa constrictor was wrapped around another.

I was given a species list by a docent when I visited this jume that listed the following species free-roaming in the dome:

. Mali Uromastyx
. Zebra Finch
. Helmeted Iguana
. Long-Tailed Glass Lizard
. Blue-Tonged Skink
. Blue-Tailed Skink
. Togo Fire Skink
. Mountain Horned Dragon
. Chinese Water Dragon
. Green Basilisk
. Brown Basilisk
. Rainbow Skink
. Plains Leopard Frog
. Green Tree frog

In addition to these, I was also able to spot a Common Agama and a Green Anole in the dome.

The Tortoise Enclosure in the dome contains the following:

. Pancake Tortoise
. Russian Tortoise
. Burmese Star Tortoise
. Ornate Box Turtle
. Three-Toed Box Turtle
. Red-Footed Tortoise

A Military Macaw is also rotated with the other parrots in the dome.

 

[zoo_enthusiast]

The walk-through tortoise enclosure also has Galapagos Giant Tortoise.

Are you sure about this? I did not pay too much attention to that enclosure, but the guy who was running the snake show specifically said that they only have the 2nd largest species of tortoise, Aldabras, with the Galapagos being the 1st largest. I know they did have Galapagos in the past, and even have the playground named after one, but I was under impression that currently they don't have any...

 

[junglejim]

I was just there. The Boomslang was nasty looking almost evil looking. Shoot: banded cobra, right next to Peretine ( Jimmy crickets), can it get better next up a Lace Monitor (wow) . Elephant truck snake not 1 but 2!!! AUSTRALIAN VEMON INCREDIBLE COLLECTION. 2 SPECIES Taipan!!! Afternoonish all Cuban crocodile outside sunning themselves. I'D love to see salty be able to get outside. Very, very impressive collection of herps. In the tree boa exhibit, it looked rather like a green tree python on the ground of exhibit. Quite a few snakes very active moving about their enclosures.