Editing Chester Zoo (section)

===Tropical Realm===
Tropical Realm is Britain's largest tropical house at over 26,000 cubic metres. Opened in 1964, most of the interior is an open-plan space extending to roof level and themed with pools and mature tropical plants, with pathways for visitors through the undergrowth. Here, more than 30 species of birds are free-flying, including [[Nicobar pigeon]]s, various species of [[starling]]s and ground birds such as [[crested partridge]]s.

Aviaries and vivaria are arranged around the sides of the building; those on the upper level were originally designed for [[birds of paradise]] and the [[hornbill]] aviaries were originally made for gorillas. The aviaries currently house birds such as [[great Indian hornbill]]s, [[rhinoceros hornbill]]s, two pairs of [[tarictic hornbill]] (one pure-bred and one hybrid), [[writhed-billed hornbill]]s, [[red-crested turaco]]s, [[Palawan peacock-pheasant]]s, [[Congo peafowl]], [[Bali starling]]s, [[blue-crowned pigeon]]s, [[fairy-bluebird]]s, [[white-rumped shama]], [[white-crested turaco]]s, [[snowy-crowned robin chat]]s, [[Mindanao bleeding-heart]]s, [[Green aracari]] and [[Philippine scops owl]]s. At the entrance is an aviary for [[Sumatran laughingthrush]]es and [[grey-winged blackbird]]s.

The Tropical Realm is also the centre of the reptile collection. The [[crocodile]] pools (which formerly housed [[dwarf crocodile]]s, [[American alligator]]s and [[Philippine crocodile]]s) currently house [[spectacled caiman]]s in one and [[white-winged wood duck]]s in the other. Near the entrance is an enclosure for [[tuatara]]s. This lizard-like species from New Zealand is the last surviving [[sphenodont]], a prehistoric group of reptiles, and Chester is the only British zoo to exhibit them. In February 2016, a tuatara hatched for the first time outside of New Zealand, leading Chester Zoo to be the only zoo to have bred them anywhere else. There were many varieties of snakes and lizards in the past (many had to depart as a result) ; [[rhinoceros ratsnake]]s, [[emerald tree boa]]s and [[eyelash viper]]s now being the only remaining. The lizard collection is now made up of [[Laemanctus serratus|serrated casquehead iguana]]s, [[Bronchocela cristatella|green-crested Lizard]]s, [[northern caiman lizard]]s, and a [[Parson's chameleon]].

Tortoises are represented by [[Galápagos tortoise|Galápagos]] and [[radiated tortoise]]s with [[Indochinese box turtle|Vietnamese box turtle]]s. Amphibians include [[poison dart frog]]s, [[Golden mantella]]s, a [[Rio Cauca caecilian]], [[false tomato frog]]s and [[Morelet's tree frog]]s.

From late 2015 to early 2016, the former golden-bellied capuchin exhibit at the rear of Tropical Realm was converted to house a pair of [[aye-aye]]s and a group of [[Malagasy giant rat]]s.