Open 9 am - 5 pm
A Cuvier's dwarf caiman's head shown in partial profile, highlighting the dramatic eye ridges and the flat top of its snout.

Reptiles

Scaly skin is the secret to reptiles’ success on land as well as in the water. Tough and versatile, scales form a waterproof layer for aquatic species like alligators and sea turtles while keeping land-dwelling turtles, lizards and snakes from drying out.

A blandings turtle explores its habitat in Shedd's animal hospital.

A Turtle Head Start

Slowly growing behind the scenes, Blanding's turtle hatchlingsare at the aquarium as part of a head-start program with the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. Endangered in Illinois, Blanding's turtles are reliant on head-start programs like this for survival, due to extensive population decline in previous years caused by habitat loss/degradation, predation and collecting for the pet trade.

These hatchlings will remain at the aquarium for one year until they reach the appropriate size and weight to be released back into the wild at a protected site in a DuPage County forest preserve. Then the process will begin again with a new set of hatchlings.