# San Diego Zoo Pictures



## GQ. (Jan 6, 2004)

I was at the zoo this weekend and neglected to take my camera.  Of course, the reptile house just had to have a new snake on display and I had no camera.  I headed back today to take a picture of it.  I failed miserably.  The snake was coiled up far back into the enclosure.  I only snapped one very lousy picture.  It is a very cool snake though.  It is called a Mang Mountain Viper.  Apparently it is a newly described species.  The San Diego Zoo is, I believe, the only zoo to display it.  I think a zoo in Germany also has them.  They are cool as hell.  Anyway, I snapped a few other pictures while I was there.  Enjoy!

This first picture is the elusive Mang Mountain Viper.  I told you the picture was lousy!  Through glass at high zoom and back in the corner.  No bueno.

Reactions: Like 1


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## GQ. (Jan 6, 2004)

A Galapagos tortoise.


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## GQ. (Jan 6, 2004)

A female Indian Gharial.


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## GQ. (Jan 6, 2004)

A gorilla picking his nose, a perennial favorite.


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## GQ. (Jan 6, 2004)

Komodo Dragon!  So cool!


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## GQ. (Jan 6, 2004)

Komodo Dragon up close and personal.


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## GQ. (Jan 6, 2004)

Meerkat.


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## GQ. (Jan 6, 2004)

Rhinoceros Viper


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## GQ. (Jan 6, 2004)

Last one I promise!  This is the second time I've caught these two in the act.  These sulcatas were at it while I was there a few months back.


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## manville (Jan 6, 2004)

hahaha nice pictures..you are lucky to watch them having sex huh..lol


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## Immortal_sin (Jan 6, 2004)

can you still go in the Galapagos enclosure? I remember doing that when we were kids. Of course, that was EONS ago 
Great pics!


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## GQ. (Jan 6, 2004)

Immortal,

No you can't go into the Galapagos enclosure.  At least the general public can't.  If you are there at feeding time they let you toss fruit to the tortoises.  I wish I could have been there when they let you into the enclosures.  I'm sure not a good practice nowadays with the threat of possible disease transmission.  I've been in an Aldabra tortoise enclosure and that was a thrill.

Manville,

That is the second time I've seen it.  Amazing.  The male is really vocal too.  You can hear him from several yards away.


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## MrT (Jan 6, 2004)

I was there eons ago, and they had a two headed snake.:} 

That Rhino Viper is really bitchin. Great pic. GQ.

Ern


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## GQ. (Jan 6, 2004)

Did you say two headed snake?  I don't know if they still have that two headed corn snake, but they have a two headed cal king right now.  Here is the picture I took today.  Not a great pic so I didn't post it the first time.  Thanks for the comments!


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## atavuss (Jan 6, 2004)

where you able to watch the komodos eat?  I lucked out and was there when it was feeding time.  the keeper would toss whole rats and the dragons would swallow them whole!  I forgot how many rats the dragons ate, but it was easily two or three.
Ed


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## GQ. (Jan 6, 2004)

No atavuss, I didn't catch them eating this time.  Maybe next time.  I'll be back.  I still have to take a picture of that Mang Mountain Viper.


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## fatbloke (Jan 6, 2004)

GQ. 
brilliant photos i really like that komodo tho=D =D =D =D 

john


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## GQ. (Jan 6, 2004)

Thanks bloke.  I spent a good half hour watching him.  It was the first time I've caught him so active.  An absolutely incredible animal.


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## The_Phantom (Jan 7, 2004)

Awesome pictures. I love the meerkat and the tortoises having sex. LOL! What, no elephant pics!? If you have any, postem, plz, theyre my favorite animal. Well, on the top.


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## Crotalus (Jan 7, 2004)

Cool pix! The 1st picture is Ermia mangshanensis? Too bad you didnt get a better shot at it.
Not really a new species, they used to be a Trimeresurus species, but changed to the genus Ermia. 
Seems to be a zoo worth visiting.

/Lelle


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## GQ. (Jan 7, 2004)

Sorry, no elephant pictures this time!

Crotalus,

     Ahh, I see.  After talking with one of the zoo employess I believed it was newly described and not merely a name change.  I had no idea it was previously Trimerserus.  It was the first time I've ever seen one.  They have a few of them at the San Diego Zoo and one of the females even gave birth to several more.  Only the one snake is on display.  Yes, the zoo has an excellent herp display.  They are also one of the premiere large zoos.  We have memberships so I stop by frequently just to look at the herps and browse around.  They have a ton of stuff going on behind the scenes as well.  Great place.

I've only found these two citations on Ermia mangshanensis.  I'm trying to track down the papers.  Anybody out there have them?

Zhang, Fu-ji. 1998. Description of the distinct pit viper of genus Ermia (Serpentes: Viperidae) of China. Russian Journal of Herpetology. 5 (1):83-84. [Chengdu Institue of Biology, Academia Sinica, Chengdu 610041, China]

Chen, Yuanhui. 1998. The current status of Ermia mangshanensis and conservation strategy. Sichuan Journal of Zoology. 17 (2):76-78.


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## Crotalus (Jan 7, 2004)

GQ, 

sorry cant help you with the papers. I know theres a german article about them in Sauria (if I remember correct, I´ll ask a friend about it).
The Ermia are egglayers i think, and grow huge around 2 m! 
A few private herpetologists in Germany keep them and breed them.
I have never seen one except for on pictures. 

Edit: I found the article: 

Gumprecht, Andreas, Donal M. Boyer and Kamuran Tepedelen. 2002. Die Grubenottern der Gattung Trimeresurus (Sensu lato) Lacépède Teil I: Anmerkungen zur Biologie, haltung und Nachzucht von Ermia mangshanensis (Zhao, 1990) [The Pitvipers of the genus Trimeresurus (sensu lato) Lacépède Part I: Notes on the biology, husbandry and breeding of Ermia mangshanensis (Zhao, 1990)]. Sauria. 24(4):1, 3-11. [agtrimeresurus@aol.com]


/Lelle


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## GQ. (Jan 7, 2004)

Thanks for the tip!  Right after I saw your post I found the reference on Herplit and also on Sauria's website.  I tried to order it through Sauria, but the order kept erroring out.  I'll keep trying.  One of the co-authors is D. Boyer!  Is this possibly the same D. Boyer that is the Reptile and Amphibian curator of the San Diego Zoo?  Either way great stuff!  Thanks again Lelle.

Gilbert


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## Crotalus (Jan 7, 2004)

> _Originally posted by GQ. _
> *Thanks for the tip!  Right after I saw your post I found the reference on Herplit and also on Sauria's website.  I tried to order it through Sauria, but the order kept erroring out.  I'll keep trying.  One of the co-authors is D. Boyer!  Is this possibly the same D. Boyer that is the Reptile and Amphibian curator of the San Diego Zoo?  Either way great stuff!  Thanks again Lelle.
> 
> Gilbert *


Youre welcome. Yes I would guess its the same person. I can get a copy of the article if you want it.
Are you intressted in obtaining this species? 

/Lelle


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## GQ. (Jan 7, 2004)

No it is okay.  I believe I can find it with a little more effort.  I really appreciate the offer though.  I'm not interested in acquiring the actual animals since I'm in California which is gestapo on things like that.  LOL.  I know I know, there are two sides to the story, I'm not going to rant.  Just too many laws here.  I simply love reading up on and collecting papers on species I like.  Mostly I've been concentrating on crotalid papers, but I'm beginning to branch out into other species that I find interesting.

Happy herping,
Gilbert


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## Crotalus (Jan 7, 2004)

> _Originally posted by GQ. _
> *No it is okay.  I believe I can find it with a little more effort.  I really appreciate the offer though.  I'm not interested in acquiring the actual animals since I'm in California which is gestapo on things like that.  LOL.  I know I know, there are two sides to the story, I'm not going to rant.  Just too many laws here.  I simply love reading up on and collecting papers on species I like.  Mostly I've been concentrating on crotalid papers, but I'm beginning to branch out into other species that I find interesting.
> 
> Happy herping,
> Gilbert *


Just drop me a email if you change your mind. No problem, cos I will copy it for myself aswell. 

Ah yes Cali laws. In this field WE are the land of the free it seems ;-)
A purchase of Ermia would leave a huge hole in your wallet, i heard something around 2700-4000 dollar each for babies...
Yeah same here, I just enjoy reading the papers. I got hold of Thorell papers from 1870 (original) or something like that, which I bought. But it turned out to be in latin.. 
Oh well...

/Lelle


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## zonbonzovi (Feb 9, 2011)

Hold on to your hat, I took a lot of photos.  In the interest of my sanity, they will be entered here at random.  Enjoy!































































































































TBC...

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## rattlesnakejake (Feb 13, 2012)

*San Diego Zoo*

Sunny the Komodo Dragon


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## Prometheus (Feb 14, 2012)

Beautiful photos! When I went there a few years ago with my family it was a fantastic experience. They only thing I didn't like was watching the gorillas. They look at you and I see consciousness in their eyes and their movements. It makes me a sad to see them in a man made environment. They are safer in there but you can tell they long to be free.


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## bwusstig (Apr 1, 2012)

Great Photos!  The Mang Mountain Viper in question is no longer Trimeresurus or Ermia.  Most recently the species was classified as Zhaoermia, and now it is Protobothrops mangshanensis.  Taxonomists.....also, we have them on exhibit now at LA Zoo as well at the new LAIR (Living Amphibians, Invertebrates & Reptiles).  Will be posting pics in the near future...


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## MelissaDBrown (Jul 16, 2013)

Great pictures! The San Diego Zoo is always a favorite. The Safari Park is really awesome too. You can get super close to the animals.


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## tiscolin (Jun 8, 2022)

what do you guys think of the new spider exhibits, i really feel they could have got some rare species with their connections and budget


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## Matt Man (Jul 18, 2022)

GQ. said:


> Immortal,
> 
> No you can't go into the Galapagos enclosure.  At least the general public can't.  If you are there at feeding time they let you toss fruit to the tortoises.  I wish I could have been there when they let you into the enclosures.  I'm sure not a good practice nowadays with the threat of possible disease transmission.  I've been in an Aldabra tortoise enclosure and that was a thrill.
> 
> ...


several yards? Like thirty plus.
He's a groaner for sure, and goes at it for quite some time.

The Man Viper is super cool


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