caudataman
Member
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2001
- Messages
- 198
- Reaction score
- 14
- Points
- 18
- Location
- New York
- Country
- United States
- Display Name
- Brian
Hi all, just got back from a brief family vacation to Washington DC and Baltimore and thought I'd give a brief caudate report. Anyone worried about rumors that taxpayer dollars that might otherwise be spent on safety equipment for our troops abroad, solution of global warming, or balancing the federal budget were going to caudate acquisition can sleep soundly, because there was no sign of that, at least on exhibit.
The National Zoo did have a very nice exhibit of Andrias japonicus near the panda exhibit, though Andrias davidianus might have been more appropriate given the Chinese theme. It is, none the less, nice to see ANY giant salamander on display. A beautiful bronze replica was outside the enclosure, which was nice since the animal on display had it's head buried in the corner, beyond view. Otherwise the reptile house had a nice greater siren on display, though the tank it was in was rather barren, and an interesting display of Tylototriton shanjing. This display was a damp, rocky area with moss covered stones set in a fairly flat layout with about .5" of standing water in some areas between the stones. Kind of like a "seepage" area. Attractive and interesting display and some of the animals were a "high orange" variety with orange mottling on what are typically brown or black sides. All animals seemed in excellent health even if the variety was quite limited. I MAY have missed some as we were somewhat pressed for time since all buildings close at 5 PM.
The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History was cool, but the reptile exhibit was closed, so I can't comment on the "plastic salamander replicas" I didn't get to see.
In Baltimore, I did not get to the zoo, but was quite impressed with the aquarium. No caudates other than a picture of T.shanjing on the wall outside the frog exhibit (along with a mislabeled image of M. nasuta being billed as a Solomon Island Horned frog). The aquarium was excellent as aquariums go and the dolphin show was unique in its mention of the hazards of human/wild dolphin interaction. Frog displays were quite nice though a wider variety is often seen at a good herp show. The indoor rainforest walkthrough was amazing! Birds, fish, toads, monkeys and sloths free roaming above and below. I understand that PDF's are a specialty there, but it would also be nice (and somewhat unique) if someone would display a variety of interesting and often colorful salamanders i.e. Bolitoglossa sps. that live in the rainforest as well.
I highly recommend both places for those travelling on the east coast. Both were quite clean and well layed out. Natl. Zoo, like most things in DC, was free. The Natl. Aquarium was a bit pricey, but was the clear family favorite so the money was well spent. Anyone driving down from the NE would be well served with a detour to the Philadelphia Zoo for a better herp "fix". They've got the best caudate displays I've seen on the eastern seaboard. (a shameless yet unsolicited plug for Ed, who has been very gracious to me always!) Well, that's my report, and I'm sticking to it!
The National Zoo did have a very nice exhibit of Andrias japonicus near the panda exhibit, though Andrias davidianus might have been more appropriate given the Chinese theme. It is, none the less, nice to see ANY giant salamander on display. A beautiful bronze replica was outside the enclosure, which was nice since the animal on display had it's head buried in the corner, beyond view. Otherwise the reptile house had a nice greater siren on display, though the tank it was in was rather barren, and an interesting display of Tylototriton shanjing. This display was a damp, rocky area with moss covered stones set in a fairly flat layout with about .5" of standing water in some areas between the stones. Kind of like a "seepage" area. Attractive and interesting display and some of the animals were a "high orange" variety with orange mottling on what are typically brown or black sides. All animals seemed in excellent health even if the variety was quite limited. I MAY have missed some as we were somewhat pressed for time since all buildings close at 5 PM.
The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History was cool, but the reptile exhibit was closed, so I can't comment on the "plastic salamander replicas" I didn't get to see.
In Baltimore, I did not get to the zoo, but was quite impressed with the aquarium. No caudates other than a picture of T.shanjing on the wall outside the frog exhibit (along with a mislabeled image of M. nasuta being billed as a Solomon Island Horned frog). The aquarium was excellent as aquariums go and the dolphin show was unique in its mention of the hazards of human/wild dolphin interaction. Frog displays were quite nice though a wider variety is often seen at a good herp show. The indoor rainforest walkthrough was amazing! Birds, fish, toads, monkeys and sloths free roaming above and below. I understand that PDF's are a specialty there, but it would also be nice (and somewhat unique) if someone would display a variety of interesting and often colorful salamanders i.e. Bolitoglossa sps. that live in the rainforest as well.
I highly recommend both places for those travelling on the east coast. Both were quite clean and well layed out. Natl. Zoo, like most things in DC, was free. The Natl. Aquarium was a bit pricey, but was the clear family favorite so the money was well spent. Anyone driving down from the NE would be well served with a detour to the Philadelphia Zoo for a better herp "fix". They've got the best caudate displays I've seen on the eastern seaboard. (a shameless yet unsolicited plug for Ed, who has been very gracious to me always!) Well, that's my report, and I'm sticking to it!