What makes a great reptile house and where are the "must see" ones?

[DavidBrown]

Hi. I was wondering if some of the herpetologically oriented folks here could share their opinion of what makes a great reptile house. A diverse collection in an attractive building seems like the obvious answer, but I am wondering if there are other aspects that discriminating zoo reptile and amphibian fans look for?

I ask because I was visiting the National Zoo for the first time last week and enjoyed their reptile house, but realized that I now have seen the reptile houses of some great zoos (Bronx, San Diego, Saint Louis, Smithsonian National) and none of them popped out as being especially memorable exhibits.

So I was wondering, are most zoo reptile houses essentially the same in terms of being sequences of terrarium/aquariums of various sizes?

Most people are fascinated by snakes, lizards, frogs, etc., but what zoos really showcase these animals well and leave the viewer with an appreciation of their biology and ecological role on the world?

Where are the "must see" reptile houses of the world, and what makes them special?

 

[Tig]

Good amount of both large animal exhibits (Monitors, Crocs, big Snakes) and large, natural-looking mixed species exhibits.

 

[Arizona Docent]

Most people are fascinated by snakes, lizards, frogs, etc., but what zoos really showcase these animals well and leave the viewer with an appreciation of their biology and ecological role on the world?

Where are the "must see" reptile houses...

The best reptile house is not a house at all - that model is soooo outdated IMO. If you want to see something that describes the quoted paragraph exactly (appreciation of their ecological role), visit LIFE ON THE ROCKS exhibit at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum (in my home of Tucson). Look at the gallery for examples.

If you do want a more traditional building, the new MOLA at Fort Worth Zoo may be the best in this regard (I have not seen it in person yet, but will in a few months).

 

[DavidBrown]

The best reptile house is not a house at all - that model is soooo outdated IMO. If you want to see something that describes the quoted paragraph exactly (appreciation of their ecological role), visit LIFE ON THE ROCKS exhibit at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum (in my home of Tucson). Look at the gallery for examples.

Thanks for pointing the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum exhibit out. This reminds me that the new Elephant Odyssey in San Diego has a very good stream exhibit for native California amphibians and an interesting rattlesnake exhibit with several rattlesnake species exhibited together. It seems like a new (?) trend in exhibit design is bringing the herps out of the "house" and integrating them into more ecosystem oriented exhibits with birds and mammals.

 

[zooman64]

For an examle of a good reptile house, I commend the one at London Zoo. It may be one of the oldest of its kind but it's still one of the best. Perhaps in these days of biome-themed exhibits, the simple taxonomic display is a little old-fashioned, but I like it and usually spend more than an hour in there. The landscaping in the enclosures is excellent (perhaps too good at times because I can't help wondering how easy it is for staff to check all the reptiles in detail on a daily basis)and it's one of the very few zoos in the UK to have a decent collection of venomous snakes. Most of the vivaria are too small for the really big reptiles, so the zoo's giant tortoises and Komodo dragons are housed in tailor-made satellite exhibits nearby.

 

[jwer]

Hands down, the Rivièra-building at Rotterdam Zoo. Allthough not build as one, and not solely reptiles it contains a huge collection of reptiles and amphibians.

Imo the only collection of reptiles that comes close is Prague zoo, but at Prague the collection is scattered throughout the zoo.

Antwerp also has a very decent reptile building, a truly classic one.

 

[Paix]

Hands down, the Rivièra-building at Rotterdam Zoo. Allthough not build as one, and not solely reptiles it contains a huge collection of reptiles and amphibians.

I would have to second this! The Riviera building is the best collection of Reptiles I have seen... I spent hours in the building, which is incredible for me seeing as Im not really a reptiles fan! My highlight had to be the Chinese Giant Salamander.

 

[FBBird]

What makes a great reptile house

There's a really good one at Wroclaw.

 

[jbnbsn99]

Just come to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. That will get you two of the best reptile houses anywhere in the world (plus one of the best giraffe exhibits since I know you like those beasties too!).

 

[snowleopard]

Here is my personal ranking of America's top 10 zoos for reptiles and amphibians, and a combination of great exhibits with a fantastic collection are key ingredients to making this list. The year in brackets is the date of my most recent visit, and other than Detroit and Saint Louis all of the zoos are found in the southern half of the United States.

1) San Diego Zoo (2008)
2) Fort Worth Zoo (2008)
3) Detroit Zoo (2008)
4) Saint Louis Zoo (2010)
5) Audubon Zoo (2010)
6) Nashville Zoo (2010)
7) Dallas Zoo (2010)
8) Riverbanks Zoo (2010)
9) Houston Zoo (2010)
10) Knoxville Zoo (2008)

 

[siamang27]

Just come to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. That will get you two of the best reptile houses anywhere in the world (plus one of the best giraffe exhibits since I know you like those beasties too!).

In addition to those 2, Cameron Park is definitely worth a visit. Not because its collection is impressive, but the exhibits themselves are great. Houston is also definitely a good one.