Every keeper has experienced the unpredictable at some point or another. It just comes with the job when you work with animals. No matter how well we think we know our animals, they still randomly do things that will shock or amaze us. Whether it be getting themselves stuck in places that we never imagined they could fit into (such as our tiger salamander with his water bowl), or finding out that one of our sweetest animals is a pettyRead more
Posts tagged: #snakes
What’s Happening THIS Week!?!?!
WRITTEN BY GUEST BLOGGER ERIN BROWN 12/31/08: What’s Not Happening This Week. Last week I talked about how hectic it was around the Animal Department for the holidays. This week is no different. The museum is closed New Years day, and since it is a holiday, there will only be two keepers working. Since basically all that’s going on this week is some more crazy holiday preparation to make sure our keepers are all set for New Year’s week, IRead more
Copperhead on grounds
One of our adult volunteers came across this dead baby copperhead snake (left) while walking our donkey Lightning last Thursday, and brought it to us so that we could use it for educational purposes. I thought it would be a great chance to compare a North Carolina copperhead to a Texas copperhead (right), which is what we have on exhibit here. The North Carolina copperhead has an hourglass pattern on its back, whereas the Texas copperhead has large bands asRead more
Big Word of the Month: Poikilotherm
Poikilothermy is one my favorite words in Biology. The first syllable rhymes with “Boy”, the second part is like “key low” and the last part rhymes with “wormy”. This mouthful is the term scientists use for animals with variable body temperatures (poikilos means varied in Greek). You might have heard the term cold-blooded applied to reptiles and fish but decades of research have shown that these animals are more thermally complex than the name implies. Many poikilotherms have a preferredRead more
Give a snake a break!
Marilyn’s recent post on Ball python #1 reminded me of a conversation I had with a visitor. We were discussing the size of snakes in North Carolina and how most people overestimate the length of a snake when they see one. Remember that when you are startled by a large snake, it is looking up at you from about an inch off the ground. Even if you are short like me you are probably 50 times taller than the snake!Read more
Creature Feature: Ball Python #1
Snakes are undoubtedly one of the most feared animals in the world (although several African cultures revere Ball Pythons as being sacred). Still, more often than not snakes are seen as terrifying pests, which is exactly why I chose Ball Python #1 to be the animal highlighted in this month’s Creature Feature. Ball Python #1 is a gentle 5 foot long female who weighs almost 6 lbs. and has been at the museum since 1993. She was found in someone’sRead more