Amazon Flooded Forest

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The Amazon Flooded Forest exhibit was housed in a large aquarium around a glass viewing tunnel. With fish swimming all around, it felt just like being underwater.

It was amazing to watch how this stingray glided through the water by "flapping" its body.

 Stingray

 

This enormous black fish would be rather nasty to meet in the wild!

 Black Fish

And last but not least, this catfish spent most of its time nosing around its aquarium looking for food.

Catfish

Frog Bog

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The Frog Bog exhibit contained just that—frogs! All kinds of frogs, from tiny black poisonous tree frogs to big red frogs that looked like leaves.

Here is an example of a leaf-like frog. It had a hard time hiding in the green leaves in its aquarium. Or maybe it was trying to look like a mushroom.

Leaf Frog

This interesting frog was sitting on a rock ledge in its tank. It must have used those huge back toes for gripping the rock as it climbed up.

Frog on Ledge

This last toad looked almost like a mud statue. At four inches long, it was one of the biggest creatures in the whole exhibit.

Toad

Gator Alley

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The next exhibit, Gator Alley, featured several different types of toothed reptiles ranging in length from inches to yards.
 

It's hard to imagine how these tiny things can one day become full-sized monster alligators.

Baby Alligators

This alligator, named Mighty Mike, occupied a large part of the exhibit. Over 14 feet long, he weighs around 800 pounds. He's the biggest alligator in the country outside of Florida.

Mighty Mike

And last, but not least, is the crocodile. These reptiles were lazily sunning themselves when I walked past, although I did see one of them get up and walk a few feet. Crocodiles can survive in freshwater or saltwater because they have special mouth glands that secrete excess salt.

Crocodile

Dangerous & Deadly

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The Dangerous and Deadly exhibit contained dangerous fish, as well as several dangerous reptile species.
 

This snake had a unique coloring pattern that made its head look like a leaf, while its body blended in perfectly with dried leaves and grass. I wouldn't want to step on it by accident!

Leaf-Headed Snake
 

This alligator turtle looked like a turtle except for its huge mouth.

Alligator Turtle
 

I'm not sure if this algae eater was dangerous, but it sure was big.

Algae Eater