Discovery Centre
On your next visit to ZSL Whipsnade Zoo don't miss the Discovery Centre, a tropical experience that is home to a fascinating array of species.
Discover invertebrates abound, from the locusts and praying Mantis in the desert area, through to the giant salmon-pink bird-eating spider and leaf-cutter ants in the rainforest. Look out for the huge Burmese python and Argentinean boas, the basilisk lizard and tiny poison arrow frogs.
Then meet the pgymy marmosets, the smallest monkeys in the world!
Green tree python
If you don't spot the green tree python straightaway then just look up - this snake curls around branches disguised as a bunch of unripe bananas!
Find out all about the reptiles in the Discovery Centre
Pygmy marmosets
Meet the world's smallest monkey, the pygmy marmoset! Adults only grow to a height of 11-15cm and are extremely agile, running and jumping along the branches. You can come visit our family in the Discovery Centre at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo.
Leaf-cutter ants
Watch the Discovery Centre's amazing leaf-cutter ants marching along the branches carrying up to 20 times their body weight. Leaf-cutter ants cut pieces of leaf and take them back to their huge underground nests, following a scent trail they leave. Inside the nest, the leaf pieces broken down and used for growing fungus which the ants then eat. These impressive ants live in forests in South and Central America.
Online Family Offer
Buy a minimum of 2 adult and 2 child tickets or 1 adult and 3 child tickets and save 10% on standard ticket prices. Each additional child ticket will also get a 10% discount (up to a maximum of 10 people).
Enter the Discovery Centre
Experience journeying through the Discovery Centre with our point-of-view camera...
Incredible insects
The Discovery Centre is where you'll find Whipsnade's insects and invertebrates. From locusts and praying Mantis in the desert section to the giant salmon-pink bird-eating spider, get up close to our creepy crawlies!
Turtle Ark
Turtles and tortoises are in terrible trouble. Nearly half of the world's 265+ species are threatened with extinction. Turtles are amazing - they have survived the test of time even seeing the dinosaurs come and go, but today face a much more uncertain future.
Find out about threats to turtles and tortoises and what ZSL Whipsnade Zoo is doing to help
Lake Malawi Cichlids
The Lake Malawi Cichlids are a beautiful species, which come from Lake Malawi in Africa. Lake Malawi is host to hundreds of different species of cichlids, which have developed their own shapes, colours and behaviours to adapt to the different environments in each area of the lake.
Don't be alarmed if you see tiny fish swimming in and out of the mother's mouth - she's not trying to eat her young. Cichlids are 'mouth brooders' which means that they carry their babies in their mouth!
