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Close-up of a tortoise shell, showing intricate patterns and textures with hexagonal scales and orange-brown markings.

Reptiles

Crocodile partially submerged in clear water, with its eyes above the surface and legs visible below.
Close-up of a blue and black lizard with its tongue out, resting on a textured piece of wood in a dimly-lit environment.
A Henkel's leaf-tailed gecko perched on a branch
A radiated tortoise stood in grass
A turquoise dwarf gecko sat on a leaf

We have 5 species of reptile at the zoo: slender-snouted crocodile, blue spotted tree monitor, Henkel's leaf-tailed gecko, radiated tortoise and turquoise dwarf gecko.

Our female crocodile, Sasssandra, lives in our brand-new African Forest habitat, while the tortoises and lizards live in the Tropical House.

Close-up of a tortoise shell, showing intricate patterns and textures with hexagonal scales and orange-brown markings.

Fun Fact

The oldest radiated tortoise ever recorded was 188 years old!

A bright blue lizard sitting on leaves with sun in the background

Conservation

Henkel's leaf-tailed gecko is classed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, and the slender-snouted crocodile, radiated tortoise and turquoise dwarf gecko are classified as Critically Endangered. This means they're at extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

We work with local partners in Tanzania to conserve the turquoise dwarf gecko, and have been part of an international conservation breeding programme for the species since 2015.

A radiated tortoise stood in grass

Habitat

Visit our pair of radiated tortoises and the three species of lizard in the Tropical House, near the entrance of the zoo.

Our slender-snouted crocodile shares a 10,000 litre pool in the crocodile house with several species of rare freshwater cichlids. You can see her basking on the rocks and swimming underwater through the split-level viewing window.

Close-up of a tortoise shell, showing intricate patterns and textures with hexagonal scales and orange-brown markings.

Visit the reptiles at Bristol Zoo Project

Learn about our conservation work and see incredible rare species.