Vivaria for a Museum Learning Center

 

The vivaria shown here were created for the San Bernardino County Museum Exploration Station live animal discovery center.  They were designed to provide appropriate, healthy, naturalistic living environments for the animals and to show visitors the kinds of environments in which the animals would naturally be found.  These vivaria were created many years ago and are no longer at the museum due to various changes at the discovery center.

A large desert vivarium for a collection of big desert lizards.  The vivarium included a simulated eroded rocky slope with hiding nooks, native desert plants and a “thunderstorm pool”, a simulated temporary pool occurring after a desert storm.

A male chuckwalla by the thunderstorm pool.

A male granite spiny lizard.

A female leopard lizard.

Chuckwalla and granite spiny lizard females basking under the vivarium lights on the desert juniper.

A large lake bank vivarium with basking log for aquatic turtles.

A painted turtle basks under the warm lights on the log.

A red-eared slider among the water weed under water.

A large tropical vivarium.

This vivarium simulated an eastern U.S. woodland vernal pool and surroundings.  It was home to two tiger salamanders.

This aquatic vivarium housed two axolotls.

This is a jungle bog vivarium, housing a group of golden mantella frogs.