“We are turning on the lights, turning off the air conditioning, and conversely, turning on the heating stones; in short, we are extending the days and waking the reptiles from their winter sleep. The most lively response comes from the lizards in the Central Asian exhibition Kattakum. There, visitors can observe courtship, mating, and battles of males adorned in colorful engagement attire for the females,” says curator of reptiles and amphibians Petr Velenský. “This week we have also returned all five of our Czech species of snakes from hibernation to the exhibitions in the Terrarium pavilion. This means that spring is already in sight,” he adds.
The winter regime is gradually being abandoned by the Čambal pavilion, which is home to Indian gharials and several species of turtles. In December, the temperature here dropped to 22 degrees, and these fish-eating crocodiles began their winter fast. Now the temperature is gradually returning to the usual 28 degrees, and people can once again look forward to the regular feeding of the gharials – always on Sundays half an hour before the zoo's closing time.
The grass snake is indeed the most common native snake, but very few people have the opportunity to examine it closely when they encounter it. In the Terrarium pavilion in the lower part of Prague Zoo, it is now on display again after the winter break. Photo by Petr Hamerník, Zoo Prague
The Čambal pavilion is home to a group of more than six Indian gharials, each over three meters long. This critically endangered reptile feeds exclusively on fish. At Zoo Prague, these crocodiles receive various freshwater fish species – they particularly enjoy Czech carps (in the photo) and breams, as well as silver carps, tilapia, and mudfish. Photo by Petr Hamerník, Zoo Prague
Mating of the Mesopotamian spiny-tailed lizards – one of the rarest lizards at Zoo Prague – can be observed in the Kattakum exhibition in the Pavilion of Reptiles and Amphibians during these weeks. The courtship, which involves the males hopping around or fighting for the females, also pertains to other inhabitants of this terrarium, such as the steppe agamas (also in the photo).
Photo by Petr Hamerník, Zoo Prague
