Amphibians and Reptiles
The Amphibian and Reptile House will be closed December 26 until further notice for repair and renovations.
Visit the Amphibian and Reptile house to peek into the wide diversity of the world of herptiles. See the extremely large, such as the Komodo dragon, the world's largest lizard, and the very small, brightly colored dart poison frogs.
Saltwater Crocodiles
Feeding
Visit the Saltwater Crocodile Building to watch feeding
When: Fridays at 3:45 p.m.
Some of nature's most determined survivors, crocodilians roamed the earth with the dinosaurs. With elongated snouts and powerful jaws, they are ferocious hunters. Nostrils on positioned on the upper side of their snout allow them to float just beneath the water surface, nearly invisible to prey. Crocodiles can remain submerged for extended periods of time and can regulate their circulation to survive cold temperatures.
Behind the Scenes at the Reptile House
Take a peek at some of the exciting things happening behind the glass enclosures at the Reptile House!
Baby Pigmy Rattlesnakes
The BioPark welcomed five baby pigmy rattlesnakes on July 14. Rattlesnakes are ovoviviparous, meaning they give birth to live young. Newborns do have rattles, but they don't make noise yet. Each time the rattlesnake sheds its skin, the rattle grows. Pigmy rattlesnakes are relatively small, growing only 12-24 inches in length. These live behind-the-scenes at the Zoo, but you can come see four other species of rattlesnakes on exhibit.
Native Species Recovery
Several native reptiles and amphibians live behind-the-scenes at the Zoo as part of an effort to protect threatened and endangered species in New Mexico. Reptiles and amphibians collected from the wild will be bred at the Zoo and offspring released at the location the adults were collected.
Staff hope to find the Mexican garter snake in future collecting trips. Named on the state's Endangered Species List, the Mexican garter snake hasn't been seen for nearly 20 years. The native species conservation program is funded in part by the New Mexico BioPark Society's Conservation Fund. BioPark herpetologists hope to obtain funding from other state and national organizations to strengthen the program.
