Australian Reptile Park
| Australian Reptile Park | |
|---|---|
Entrance to the Australian Reptile Park | |
Interactive map of Australian Reptile Park | |
| 33°25′06″S 151°16′38″E / 33.418247°S 151.277222°E | |
| Date opened | 3 October 1959 at Wyoming, New South Wales; moved and reopened at Somersby, New South Wales on 7 September 1996 (the Ocean Beach Aquarium which opened at Umina, New South Wales in 1950, was the original facility) |
| Location | Somersby Central Coast New South Wales, Australia |
| Land area | 22 acres (8.9 ha) |
| No. of animals | 2,000+ |
| No. of species | 400+ |
| Annual visitors | 250,000+ |
| Memberships | Zoo and Aquarium Association
NSW Zoo Association (NSWZA) NSW Fauna and Marine Park Association (NSW FMPA) Australasian Society of Zoo Keeping (ASZK) |
| Website | www |
The Australian Reptile Park is a wildlife sanctuary park that is located in Somersby near Gosford on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. The Park has one of the largest reptile collections in Australia, with close to 50 species on display. The wide variety of reptile species at the Park includes snakes, lizards (such as Komodo dragons), turtles, tortoises, tuataras, American alligators and crocodiles. The Australian Reptile Park is home to Ploddy The Dinosaur, an icon which can be seen when going north on the Pacific Motorway after crossing the Mooney Mooney Bridge.
In addition, the Park features Australian mammals such as kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, Tasmanian devils, bare-nosed wombat, quokkas, echidnas, and dingoes. Australian birds featured include cassowaries.
The park is heavily involved in snake and spider venom collection for use in the production of antivenom and is credited for saving the lives of thousands. It is an institutional member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association.