Staten Island Zoo

The Staten Island Zoo is a small 8-acre (3.2 ha) urban zoo in northern Staten Island in New York City in the United States. The zoo is open year round except on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. It has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) since 1988. Initially the focus of the zoo was reptiles, in particular including the collection of snakes housed in the zoo's Serpentarium. Although the focus of the zoo has broadened, the zoo's collection of rattlesnakes is still regarded as among the largest and most complete in North America. The current collection comprises over 438 animals of over 206 different species. Among the zoo's current exhibits is the African Savannah at Twilight.The zoo is also the home of Staten Island Chuck, a groundhog who is the official Groundhog Day forecaster for New York City and Grandpa, a Black-handed Spider Monkey who made local newspapers when he accuratly "predicted" the outcome of six out of nine matches during the U.S. Open Tennis Championship. The zoo also houses the horses used by the Parks Department Enforcement Patrol Officers for patrolling the parks and woods of Staten Island.