Nestled in the quiet countryside, Lake Tobias Wildlife Park reverberates with the sights and sounds of exotic animals from around the world. Touch an alligator or slide your hand across a python in our reptile exhibit. If reptiles aren’t your thing, our Reptiles & Exotics Facility is also home to many amazing types of exotic mammals and tropical birds. This crowd-pleasing exhibit features large, custom-designed habitats that give you a glimpse into the dwellings of these rare and unusual creatures. We also offer educational presentations that enlighten you to various aspects, including their natural habitats and conservation efforts to ensure their survival.

Close Encounters with Reptiles & Exotics

Stroll through our Reptile & Exotics building to see and learn about many vibrant, fascinating animals, including:

• Poison Dart Frogs: Native to tropical Central and South America, poison dart frogs often have brightly colored bodies that correlate with their toxicity. Most measuring only an inch in size, these toxic little amphibians are considered one of the most poisonous species on the planet. They have an average life span of 3 to 15 years and mostly dine on small insects.
• Pythons: Considered Old World snakes, pythons are nonvenomous reptiles that include some of the largest constrictor snakes in the world. Burmese Pythons are found in Southeast Asia’s tropical rain forests, and they grow up to 25 feet long and weigh an incredible 250 pounds! These giant snakes are typically brown with grey and green markings, except Albino Burmese, which is bright yellow and white. Green Tree Pythons are found in Australia and New Guinea and are one of the endangered species protected at Lake Tobias Wildlife Park. These much smaller pythons live in the treetops of tropical forests and grow between three and five feet long.
• Tamarins: Originally indigenous only to the Amazon Basin, these rambunctious monkeys are now found in Central and South American jungles, but Cotton Top tamarins are only found in Columbia. Cotton Tops are another animal classified as critically endangered that has a safe home at Lake Tobias. Tamarins are one of the smallest monkeys. Usually weighing less than two pounds, its body is less than a foot-long and it carries a two-foot tail!
• Marmosets: Another tiny primate, marmosets average only seven to eight inches in height and weigh a mere eight or nine ounces at maturity. Originally found in South American rain forests, more than a dozen marmoset species now exist in the wild, with the common marmoset calling Lake Tobias home.
• Tropical Birds: Found in very warm climates in the wild, tropical birds vary in size and color, but many are brightly colored, with macaws and parrots as some of the most recognizable species. There are up to 900 species of tropical land birds around the globe, but many could become extinct due to global warming.
• Alligators: Found in the wild in the southeastern parts of the U.S., American Alligators can grow up to 23 feet long and weigh 1,000 pounds. Unlike crocodiles, these reptiles have a broad head and rounded snout. They live an average of 35 to 50 years, and while once endangered, they now thrive in the wild.
• Lizards: With thousands of lizard species, this is the most diverse group of reptiles on the planet. Lizards live on every continent except Antarctica, and they have a wide variety of colors and sizes. We are fortunate to have a Caiman lizard living in our reptile exhibit. All lizards can swim, and many are excellent climbers and fast sprinters.
• Large Tortoises: Usually shy and easily startled, tortoises are terrestrial turtles, meaning they live exclusively on land, while most other turtles are aquatic. Tortoises’ bodies are housed and protected inside a shell, in which they can hide their head, feet, and tail. Some large tortoises can live for 100 years or more!
• Two-Toed Tree Sloth: Found in Central and South America, tree sloths earned their name by spending most of their lives hanging upside down in trees, seldom moving. Because the rain forest is so hot and humid, moss and small plants often begin growing in their hair.