Herpetarium

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Spectacled caimans (Caiman crocodilus) at the Herpetarium in Saint Louis Zoological Park. St Louis zoo spectacled caimans.jpg
Spectacled caimans (Caiman crocodilus) at the Herpetarium in Saint Louis Zoological Park.
Euprepiophis in a Serpentarium Elaphe mandarina.jpg
Euprepiophis in a Serpentarium

A herpetarium is a zoological exhibition space for reptiles and amphibians, most commonly a dedicated area of a larger zoo. A herpetarium which specializes in snakes is an ophidiarium or serpentarium, which are more common as stand-alone entities also known as snake farms. Many snake farms milk snakes for venom for medical and scientific research.

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Notable herpetariums

See also

Related Research Articles

The Saint Louis Zoo, officially known as the Saint Louis Zoological Park, is a zoo in Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri. It is recognized as a leading zoo in animal management, research, conservation, and education. The zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Admission is free based on a public subsidy from a cultural tax district, the Metropolitan Zoological Park and Museum District (ZMD); fees are charged for some special attractions. A special feature is the 2 ft narrow-gauge Emerson Zooline Railroad with passenger trains pulled by Chance Rides C.P. Huntington locomotives that encircle the zoo, stopping at the more popular attractions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Staten Island Zoo</span> Zoo in Broadway, Staten Island

The Staten Island Zoo is an 8-acre (3.2 ha) urban zoo in West New Brighton, Staten Island, New York City. The zoo is open year-round except on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. It has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) since 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madras Crocodile Bank Trust</span> Herpetology research station in Chennai, India

The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Centre for Herpetology (MCBT) is a reptile zoo and herpetology research station, located 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of the city of Chennai, in state of Tamil Nadu, India. The centre is both a registered trust and a recognized zoo under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and comes under the purview of the Central Zoo Authority, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India. It was established with the aim of saving three Indian endangered species of crocodile—the marsh or mugger crocodile, the saltwater crocodile, and the gharial, which at the time of founding of the trust were all nearing extinction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles Zoo</span> Public zoo and botanical garden

The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens is a 133-acre (54 ha) zoo founded in 1966 and located in Los Angeles, California, United States. The city of Los Angeles owns the zoo, its land and facilities, and the animals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marlin Perkins</span> American zoologist (1905–1986)

Richard Marlin Perkins was an American zoologist. He is best known as the host of the television program Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom from 1963 to 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inland taipan</span> Highly venomous snake native to Australia

The inland taipan, also commonly known as the western taipan, small-scaled snake, or fierce snake, is a species of extremely venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to semiarid regions of central east Australia. Aboriginal Australians living in those regions named the snake dandarabilla. It was formally described by Frederick McCoy in 1879 and then by William John Macleay in 1882, but for the next 90 years, it was a mystery to the scientific community; no further specimens were found, and virtually nothing was added to the knowledge of this species until its rediscovery in 1972.

A reptile centre is typically a facility devoted to keeping living reptiles, educating the public about reptiles, and serving as a control centre for collecting reptiles that turn up in populated areas. Most are public-access, run as private business or state-sponsored. Some centres work with venomous reptiles as venom research labs. Others are simply privately run zoos devoted to solely to reptiles or are incorporated into larger zoos or organizations.

The Fort Worth Zoo is a zoo in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, that was founded in 1909 with one lion, two bear cubs, an alligator, a coyote, a peacock and a few rabbits. The zoo now is home to 7,000 native and exotic animals and has been named as a top zoo in the nation by Family Life magazine, the Los Angeles Times and USA Today, as well as one of the top zoos in the South by Southern Living Reader's Choice Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romulus Whitaker</span>

Romulus Earl Whitaker is an American-born Indian herpetologist, wildlife conservationist, and founder of the Madras Snake Park, the Andaman and Nicobar Environment Trust (ANET), and the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust. In 2008, Whitaker was selected as an associate laureate in the 2008 Rolex Awards for Enterprise for his efforts to create a network of rainforest research stations throughout India. In 2005, he was a winner of a Whitley Award for outstanding leadership in nature conservation. He used this award to found the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station in Karnataka, for the study of king cobras and their habitat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice Springs Reptile Centre</span> Zoo in Northern Territory, Australia

The Alice Springs Reptile Centre is a privately operated reptile centre and environmental education facility in Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia. It contains the largest collection of reptiles in the Northern Territory. Animals at the centre include the perentie, frill-necked lizards, thorny devils, large and small pythons and venomous snakes including inland taipans, brown snakes, death adders and king brown snakes. The centre is a popular tourist destination, particularly for children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arignar Anna Zoological Park</span> Zoo in Chennai, India

Arignar Anna Zoological Park, also known as the Vandalur Zoo, is a zoological garden located in Vandalur, is in the southwestern part of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, about 31 kilometres (19 mi) from the Chennai Central and 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Chennai Airport. Established in 1855, it is the first public zoo in India. It is affiliated with the Central Zoo Authority of India. Spread over an area of 602 hectares, including a 92.45-hectare (228.4-acre) rescue and rehabilitation centre, the park is the largest zoological park in India. The zoo houses 2,553 species of flora and fauna across 1,265 acres (512 ha). As of 2012 the park houses around 1,500 wild species, including 46 endangered species, in its 160 enclosures. As of 2010, there were about 47 species of mammals, 63 species of birds, 31 species of reptiles, 5 species of amphibians, 28 species of fishes, and 10 species of insects in the park. The park, with an objective to be a repository of the state's fauna, is credited with being the second wildlife sanctuary in Tamil Nadu after Mudumalai National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serpentario de Monteverde</span>

Serpentario de Monteverde is an urban park of approximately 14 hectares, located in southern Monteverde, in the Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica. It has an average altitude of 1327 meters and is contiguous to the Monteverde Orchid Garden to the north and the Butterfly Garden to the south. The site includes reptiles, poison arrow frogs and over 20 species of snakes. Most species in the serpentarium can be found wild in the surrounding forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serpentario Viborana</span> Zoo in Cartago Province, Costa Rica

Project Vibroana is a privately operated serpentarium, rescue centre and environmental education facility located near Turrialba Volcano in the Cartago Province of Costa Rica. The centre is dedicated to the rehabilitation of mistreated, injured, orphaned, and/or confiscated snakes, focusing primarily on venomous species. Once the animals are fully rehabilitated, they are reintroduced into their natural habitats in protected areas, mainly in the Pacuare River primary forest. Visitors are permitted in the centre during certain times each day. The center was created and is run by Minor Camacho, a Costa Rican herpetologist. The educational guide explores the natural history and habitat of poisonous snakes more than their taxonomy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crocosaurus Cove</span> Zoo in Northern Territory, Australia

Crocosaurus Cove is a crocodile herpetarium and aquarium zoo located in an indoor complex in the city district of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. Its main focus as the facility's name indicates is the tourism drawcard of the crocodiles of northern Australia. The park has a considerable number of saltwater crocodiles including 700kg and 5.1 metre long male Burt, who appeared in 1986 movie Crocodile Dundee and made news in 2018 for 'psychic predictions' outcomes of the 2018 Soccer World Cup by reaching up and grabbing photographs of players which was seen as match and player performance 'predicting'. The facility has also had success with breeding and hatching baby crocodiles including in July 2022 with baby crocodiles hatched to parent crocodiles female Kate and male William. One of the things most well known at the facility which significantly increased visitor numbers is a 'cage of death' experience where paying visitors can swim in water with large crocodiles while protected from physical contact with them by being enclosed behind a glass safety dome. As previously mentioned a significant number of other native Australian reptiles are also kept at the facility and publicly exhibited. Mick Burns the owner is also owner of Darwin Crocodile Farm.

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