Reptiles and amphibians generally don't interest me and i used to be afraid of stepping into an arena filled with them as my only fear in life is snakes. Nevertheless, i believe in facing my fear!
Map of the Reptiles and Amphibians Hall.
False gharial with its long snout which is common in the Malay peninsula, Sumatra and the Borneo islands; technically meaning they are located pretty near Singapore!
The kind of action humans like to do in zoo; including me. This brings to mind the movie i watched tonight; Jurassic World. Imagine doing that to an indoraptor!
Rhinoceros Iguana - cute right? When i was younger, i actually wanted to keep a green iguana! Despite their fierce-looking face, green iguanas are vegetarian and known to be affectionate towards caring keepers.
The cutest among crocodiles and alligators; the Chinese Alligator! I first saw this species at River Safari and in addition to be taken aback by its adorable face, i was equally shocked to hear that there were only about 150 of them left in the wild.
Looks like a red eared slider turtle without the signature red marking.
Forging ahead to the snake enclosures - i did mention about facing our fear and i will provide they are probably caged up in enclosures. You wouldn't catch me walking in the woods if i were to know there were plenty of snakes!
Thankfully for me, i am relatively 'blind' to my surroundings and i can't spot snakes very easily; not when they are well camouflaged!
Water Monitor - incredibly common in Southeast Asia and at Bangkok's Dusit Zoo, there's an outdoor area where the water monitors thrive!
Beautiful snake with emerald-like skin.
Tokay Gecko - i can't stand lizards too even though being fearful of them would be too exaggerated. Anyway, to me, geckos are bigger versions of lizards.
Monkey-tailed skink - well, doesn't look anything like a monkey tail... Skinks are not that uncommon in Singapore and i spotted one before, right in my office!
Green and Black Poison Dart Frog - eh, isn't that more blue and black? No, i don't have colour blindness. According to the panel, this species has different colour combinations.
In order to make the reptiles and amphibians feel at home, it's important to replicate their local setting and even though it's financially hard to provide a large space, a smaller space does provide visitors a convenience in trying to spot them.
Like this mossy frog; i thought it had fused with its water bowl!
Yellow banded poison dart frog and blue poison dart frog, respectively. Their name is appropriate as their skin secretes a defensive nerve toxin that indigenous tribes apply to their arrows.
Alex took a lot of photographs and i wonder if he would ever refer to them again in the future. Nowadays, we tend to hold on to too much data!
Angel Island Chuckwalla - named after angel de la guarda; an island in Mexico.
Chinese Crocodile Lizard - after a while, the only creature running in my mind is dinosaur! All of them have the same features according to an untrained eye!
Japanese Rat Snake! Non venomous and can grow up to 2 meters! Found all over Japan except in Okinawa and the one in Hokkaido is known to have a bluish tinge!
Japanese Forest Rat Snake - similar to the Japanese rat snake, i thought this forest species had a more palatable look; to the extent i can consider keeping one as pet!
Japanese Striped Snake - apparently, there are quite a number of snake species endemic to Japan. Whatever the case, it's a heart in the mouth moment when i saw the above.
An active snake attempting to break free!
And i didn't know why; another snake (a black variant of the Japanese striped snake called crow snake) in a separate enclosure was making the same move! The last thing i want is to have a free snake roaming around!
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Location
064-0959, Hokkaido, Japan
Nearest Subway Station
Maruyama Koen (Exit 3).
Walk about 15 minutes.
Website
Pricing
Entrance ticket to the zoo applies at 600 yen an adult.
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