Top 10 USA Zoos With The Most Chelonians

[snowleopard]

In the new issue of Zoo Grapevine & International Zoo News, there is a 4-page article (including many accompanying photos) written by a man named Tony Monahan. In the last few years, he has gone on 73 trips around the country, visiting 209 different zoos, aquariums and nature centers, in a quest to study and track all the various turtles and tortoises in the nation. His goal is to publish the Turtle Lovers' Guidebook that will feature more than 150 facilities. This seems like a genuine labour of love!

Many zoo nerds will be intrigued to note what he considers the "top ten sites with the most species in the USA" in terms of chelonians. Here's the published list in the magazine:

1- Iguanaland (Punta Gorda, Florida) - 115 species and planning for 150 species in the near future!

2- Tennessee Aquarium (Chattanooga, Tennessee) - 74 species

3- Bronx Zoo (New York, New York) - 42

4- Charles Paddock Zoo (Atascadero, California) - 34 (there's a behind-the-scenes 'Turtle Lab' that contains almost all the zoo's chelonians)

5- Zoo Knoxville (Knoxville, Tennessee) - 34

6- Columbus Zoo (Columbus, Ohio) - 31

7- Reptile & Amphibian Discovery Zoo (Medford, Minnesota) - 30

8- San Diego Zoo (San Diego, California) - 30

9- Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo (Omaha, Nebraska) - 29

10- Cape May County Zoo (New Jersey) - 27

 

[biggest_dreamer]

Not surprised at all to see Tennessee Aquarium near the top of the list, but I am surprised by how wide of a gap is between it and #1. That’s a lot of turtles.

 

[DavidBrown]

As a corollary, where are the really good turtle exhibits that interest zoo visitors in the story of turtles and turtle conservation?

San Diego Zoo has a whole reptile house dedicated to turtles, but it is basically a long row of tanks with swimming freshwater turtle species so visitors say "yep, there's another turtle" after a couple tanks. They have a quite attractive marsh exhibit with some turtle species in the new Explorer Basecamp zone.

Charles Paddock Zoo has some ponds with turtles, but their most interesting turtle exhibit is their Aldabra tortoise paddock with some big wallows for the tortoises.

I'm wondering if there are any innovations in turtle exhibits (not just breeding) at any of these zoos that is noteworthy?

 

[Astrotom3000]

1- Iguanaland (Punta Gorda, Florida) - 115 species and planning for 150 species in the near future!

WOW! That is impressive. I always thought Tennessee was on top. Looks like this is a bucket list facility for me, if only it wasn't so out of the way.

As a corollary, where are the really good turtle exhibits that interest zoo visitors in the story of turtles and turtle conservation?

The Tennessee Aquarium has their "Turtles of the World" gallery, which showcases their conservation and breeding programs. It also has 4 displays highlighting the 2 biggest areas of the world in terms of turtle biodiversity (Southeast Asia and Southeast United States).

Combined with their fantastic turtle collection elsewhere throughout the facility, including an impressive collection in the Delta Swamp gallery, and there is a very good reason why I have Tennessee ranked as my #2 overall zoological facility.

 

[pachyderm pro]

As a corollary, where are the really good turtle exhibits that interest zoo visitors in the story of turtles and turtle conservation?

They aren't open yet, but I'm confident Brookfield's new exhibits for native turtles will do an excellent job engaging visitors in local conservation. They converted a pair of raised flower beds into open-topped habitats containing aquatic turtles in one and terrestrial turtles in the other. There are multiple signs about local conservation work the zoo does with Blanding's and box turtles in particular including their immensely successful reintroduction programs. Design-wise it's one of the most creative herp displays I've seen in recent memory. They've been finished for months, but for whatever reason are still waiting to be inhabited.

 

[snowleopard]

Owner Ty Park at Iguanaland has apparently built 150 turtle enclosures and if he's at 110 species as of right now, then it will be interesting to see how long it takes to have 150 different chelonian species. That's not including everything else that is at the zoo. Their website states that there are more than 230 species of reptiles from around the world and the facility is "primarily an outdoor attraction" which is neat to see. If I lived in Florida, then I'd be there in a heartbeat.

I see that @DavidBrown asked about innovations in turtle exhibits and in truth the majority of zoos have standard terrariums and pools that seem to all be alike. Going through the gallery, it seems that almost every zoo with turtles has them in standard exhibits.

However, community tanks are becoming more common, such as the massive, incredible ones along the walls of MOLA at Fort Worth Zoo:

San Diego Zoo has a couple of spectacular, mixed-species exhibits with turtles:

When I visited the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in 2014, I saw 74 turtle species in a couple of hours, primarily because there was a special temporary display with many basic exhibits such as these ones:

It may not be innovative, but the turtle tanks in the central area inside Saint Louis Zoo's 1927 Reptile House feature amazing architecture:

As for tortoises, Europe has lots of examples of huge greenhouse-type buildings where visitors go inside to see giant tortoises in a heated environment. It's a special experience, especially with 20+ tortoises enjoying the warmth. I'd love to see more of that in northern USA zoos.

Odense Zoo (Denmark):

Ouwehands Zoo (Netherlands) - visitors can also access the Tortoise House

@Mr Gharial

 

[JVM]

I would generalize that the vast majority of reptile exhibits are serviceable but uninteresting. I really appreciate the few exhibits that do things to elevate the species. Tortoises and turtles, and all reptiles really, all have the potential to be focus animals with the right approach, but often feel relegated to filling space on a checklist.

I feel like Brookfield's the Swamp exhibit does an excellent job using reptiles as anchors and major attractions, with only the otters really able to overshadow the snapping turtles or alligators... okay, the lineup has changed, but the principle is the same. Pistachio the Kemp's ridley sea turtle feels like a highlight of the Living Coast, too. I think the upcoming exhibits in the 'planters' will look great. On the other hand, while the Galapagos tortoise have lots of space at Pachyderm House, they also feel like filler between the fact that they obviously are not part of the implied grouping but also because they are some of the smaller building residents.

I also love that Milwaukee treats their South American river turtle as the star of their Amazon exhibit. I don't know if this is or is not the best keeping for the animal, but it would be just as easy to play up the Arapaima instead, but the turtle is the star. Sometimes a little extra signage or personality can do a lot of good.

I also found myself really enjoying a lot of the turtles at Saint Louis, especially in the ponds. They were a highlight of the building easily, and I spent a while by the pig-nosed turtle.

As for tortoises, Europe has lots of examples of huge greenhouse-type buildings where visitors go inside to see giant tortoises in a heated environment. It's a special experience, especially with 20+ tortoises enjoying the warmth. I'd love to see more of that in northern USA zoos.

I think a lot of zoos would benefit from this kind of indoor exhibit style - I don't think guests would view animals kept in a greenhouse as being 'kept indoors' in the same way we view concrete indoor exhibits and diorama-style indoor exhibits are viewed.

 

[SwampDonkey]

Owner Ty Park at Iguanaland has apparently built 150 turtle enclosures and if he's at 110 species as of right now, then it will be interesting to see how long it takes to have 150 different chelonian species. That's not including everything else that is at the zoo. Their website states that there are more than 230 species of reptiles from around the world and the facility is "primarily an outdoor attraction" which is neat to see. If I lived in Florida, then I'd be there in a heartbeat.

It looks super cool from what I have seen, although not in person yet. The habitats are all top notch and incredibly well done. However, it does look like it may suffer from the "another turtle" syndrome as it is more or less rows of habitats next to one another and not a immersive designed facility like zoo goers have come to love.

Even with being in Southwest Florida he has to ensure proper heating as there are nights where it will dip close to freezing. Heating on those nights can be a challenge.

 

[MGolka]

I would throw Zoo Knoxville into the mix with an interesting way of showcasing their vast tortoise/turtle collection. In their new ARC building there is a sun room that they house around 10 species of chelonian. The various species are separated by a thin sheet metal wall and they have you identify the tortoise/turtle species by having the signs essentially be hands on learning by shell.


Each of these species has an outdoor exhibit as well for warmer months and each are exhibits you pretty much have to spend time looking for their inhabitants as most are lushly planted or have terrain that suits them.







I was super impressed with the amount of chelonian species and exhibits that were here, both indoor and outdoor. Granted, even on the pretty busy day of this zoo, it seemed like most people passed by this area as they either didn't think there were exhibits here, or they didn't spend the time looking for the mostly smaller turtles/tortoises in each of the exhibits.

 

[snowleopard]

The book is out now and it's not currently on Amazon, although that might change in the near future. There is an email link (Turtleloversguidebook@gmail.com) for anyone interested in inquiring about a copy. I emailed Tony Monahan and he replied saying that the book is $25 U.S. and then an additional $6 U.S. for shipping. Outside of the USA, it's a LOT in terms of postage, as he said that he mailed a copy off to France and it was $40 U.S. just for shipping.

 

[DavidBrown]

Are all of the turtles on the cover singing? If so, what are they singing?

 

[Tim Brown]

Has to be "Happy Together" (60s music reference there)

 

[Tim Brown]

Actually the book is not perfect..but well worth buying. Taxa-specific books on zoos are a rarity. I wouldnt blame anyone for not wanting to sell through Amazon - goodness me they`re complicated.

 

[snowleopard]

The book arrived in my mailbox and it's quite an achievement to see what author Tony Monahan has created. It's a softcover publication, 388 pages in total, with more than 500 colour photos, featuring more than 200 turtle species and subspecies. He ended up going on 82 trips over a period of 46 months to compile all the lists at 164 different zoos. Phew! Monahan actually visited a whopping 290 public and private facilities, but the 164 is comprised of public establishments with 5 or more species, and "only sites with clean, naturalistic environments, healthy animals, and a conservation approach have been included".

The book's first almost 300 pages lists all the zoos by geography (East, South, Central, West), which is a neat way to do it as that format makes it easy to track zoos in a specific region. There is a one-paragraph overview of each zoo and then a listing of their turtles, along with numerous photos. The last approximately 90 pages lists a stunning number of turtle organizations, clubs, societies, projects and programs.

Where in the USA can you see the most turtles? I went through the book and its 164 facilities and made a list of anywhere with a minimum of 20 species/subspecies and here it is:

1- Iguanaland (Florida) - 118 species

2- Tennessee Aquarium (Tennessee) - 74 species

3- Bronx Zoo (New York) - 42

4- Charles Paddock Zoo (California) - 35 (there's a behind-the-scenes 'Turtle Lab' that contains almost all the zoo's chelonians)

5- Reptile & Amphibian Discovery Zoo (Minnesota) - 34

6- Zoo Knoxville (Tennessee) - 34

7- Columbus Zoo (Ohio) - 32

8- San Diego Zoo (California) - 29

9- Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo (Nebraska) - 28

10- San Antonio Zoo (Texas) - 28

11- World Wildlife Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (Arizona) - 28

12- Cape May County Zoo (New Jersey) - 27

After the top 11 zoos (and one aquarium), here are the rest of the facilities with 20 or more turtle species:

Idaho Reptile Zoo (Idaho) - 26
National Aquarium in Baltimore (Maryland) - 26
Audubon Zoo (Louisiana) - 24
EcoVivarium (California) - 24
Riverside Reptiles Education Center (Connecticut) - 24
Tarpon Springs Aquarium and Animal Sanctuary (Florida) - 24
Sedgwick County Zoo (Kansas) - 23
Ellen Trout Zoo (Texas) - 22
National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium (Iowa) - 22
Reptile Zoo at Fountain Valley (California) - 22
Abilene Zoo (Texas) - 21
Honolulu Zoo (Hawaii) - 21
Jacksonville Zoo (Florida) - 20
Smithsonian National Zoo (DC, Maryland) - 20
3 Palms Zoo (Delaware)- 20

4 are found in California, 3 in Florida and 3 in Texas = the 3 big "zoo states"

The front cover:

Layout example (the actual book is full of bright, vibrant colours):