Reptiles: The Beautiful and the Deadly - Museum of the Rockies

Reptiles: The Beautiful and the Deadly
                        January 25 – September 13, 2020
                            Museum of the Rockies

                     Exhibition Information
                          from Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland

Description:
Reptiles: The Beautiful and the Deadly is an interactive zoological exhibition that
brings visitors eyeball to eyeball with living reptiles from around the world. Deadly
snakes, colorful lizards, bizarre turtles, alligators and crocodiles are exhibited in
naturalistic habitats. Educational graphic panels full of stunning images add an
ambience rich in mystery and wonder. Artifacts and exciting interactive exhibits
involve visitors of all ages in an exploration of reptilian survival strategies. The
experience is meant to explode common myths and visitors leave with a new
appreciation for these misunderstood creatures.
Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland in Allenwood, Pennsylvania, an institution accredited
by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, created the exhibition. Reptiles: The
Beautiful and the Deadly, is a complete traveling reptile zoo - the product of more
than 35 years experience. It is equipped with a full-time reptile keeper and state-
of-the-art reptile husbandry facilities. Over two and a half years went into the
exhibition from conception and design to final construction.

Exhibited Species
1. Soft-shelled Turtle – These fast moving turtles from the eastern U.S. have a
    flexible body rather than a rigid shell. They look a little like swimming
    pancakes.
2. Star tortoises –Indian star tortoises use their beautifully patterned shells as
    camouflage when hiding among tussocks of dry grass.
3. Snake-necked Turtle – Snake-necked turtles have comically long necks which
    they fold to one side when threatened. These active swimmers seem to be
    looking back at you and often follow a child’s finger across the front of the
    exhibit glass.
4. Alligator Snapping Turtle – Instead of swimming after fish, this bizarre turtle
    lures them into its mouth with its tongue. The tongue looks just like a worm!
5. American Alligator – This species was once thought close to extinction but
    has made an impressive comeback since it received federal protection in the
    early 1970’s.
6. African Dwarf Crocodile – These are the smallest living crocodile species in
    the world-growing to an adult length of only 6 feet.
7. Bearded Dragon – Australians often find these spiny lizards sunbathing atop
    fence posts. When threatened, they inflate the skin of the throat creating a
    bristled beard.
8. Gila Monster – This and the beaded lizard are the only venomous lizards.
    Their jaws are powerful and the bite is extremely painful.
9. Chameleon – These delicate tree-dwelling lizards look like they’re from
    another planet. Eyes that move independently, skin that changes color with a
    mood and a tongue longer than the body make them unique.
10. Water Monitor – A giant of the lizard world, this species grows to over seven
    feet in length. Strong jaws and a powerful tail make it formidable.
11. Leaf-tail Gecko – These lizards give new meaning to the word camouflage.
    Textured skin, a flat body and a jagged outline make them disappear on tree
    bark.
12. Red-sided Garter Snakes – This beautiful snake overwinters in dens in
    western Canada with hundreds of its own species. They swarm out of
    hibernation and mate in the spring.
13. Tri-colored Milk Snake – A variety of milk snakes display bright red, yellow
    and black bands that make them look like the venomous coral snakes.
14. Green Tree Python – High in the canopy of the rainforest the green coloration
    makes this snake nearly invisible to predators and prey. It kills by constriction.
15. Mangrove Snake – An example of a venomous snake with short grooved
    teeth in the rear of its upper jaw. The bite is seldom dangerous to humans,
    but can paralyze a lizard or other small prey animal.
16. Cobra – The snake charmer’s snake. The hood is made by raising the head
    and stretching the ribs of the neck. The venom is highly toxic and causes
    paralysis.

17. Diamond-back Rattlesnake - Size and pugnacious temper combined with
    highly toxic venom make this one of the most dangerous snakes in the United
    States!
18. Gaboon Viper – What big teeth! This African viper has the longest fangs of
    any snake – up to two inches.
19. Python – The true giants of the snake world, pythons average from 12 to 16
    feet, but a few individuals have exceeded 30 feet.

                   Interactive Components
1. Giant tortoise shell – Small children climb on this full-scale replica of a giant
    Galapagos Tortoise shell.
2. The Shell Game – Push buttons to test your knowledge of turtle shell designs.
3. Turtle Trivia – Are you a turtle expert? Lift flaps to get answers to the most
    frequently asked questions about turtles.
4. Male or Female? – Learn how to tell the sex of a turtle by checking the
    plastron (bottom shell) of a male and female.
5. Headucation – What can you tell about an alligator’s life by looking at its
    skull?
6. Croc Talk – Learn to speak croc in under 5 minutes! Press buttons to hear
    recorded         crocodilian sounds and learn what they mean.
7. Alligator or Crocodile? – Can you tell them apart? Lift skulls for correct
    answers.
8. Scutes’n Scales – Feel the different textures of reptile skin and guess whether
    they belong to a turtle, crocodile or snake.
9. Bipedal Locomotion – Spin an old fashion zoetrope to see a basilisk lizard
    running on its hind legs.
10. Lizard Wizard - Answer questions about lizards from basic to bizzarre.
11. Best Foot Forward –Lizards have different feet for different purposes. Guess
    whose foot it is.
12. Milk a Viper – Press a button to see how venom is collected in a glass vial as
    it drips from the fangs of a model rattlesnake.
13. Record Breakers - Lift flaps to get answers to questions about snakes - giant
    and deadly!
14. How Big Is It? – You’ve heard of big fish stories - see if you can accurately
    guess the length of giant snakes.
15. Snake Skeleton – Learn why snakes are so flexible and guess how many
    vertebrae a Boa constrictor has.
16. Fangs – Open and close the mouth of a giant Gaboon Viper skull and
    observe how the huge fangs extend and fold against the roof of the mouth.
17. Sidewinder – Spin the zoetrope and observe how the Sidewinder Rattlesnake
    moves across hot desert sand without getting burned.

Multi-image Show
A fast-paced twenty-minute multi-image show introduces visitors to the wonders
of the reptile world. The multi-image show is jammed with information and
beautiful photography.

Exhibition Highlights
1. Reptiles: The Beautiful and the Deadly is the largest traveling reptile
   exhibition in the world.
2. Visitors get eyeball to eyeball with high-profile species of living reptiles from
   around the world including cobras, vipers, pythons, alligators, crocodiles,
   snapping turtles, gila monsters, a giant water monitor and many more.
3. A hands-on, minds-on adventure! Visitors can touch a live snake; “milk”
   venom from a model rattlesnake; open and close the jaws of a deadly
   Gaboon Viper; guess the length of giant snakes; listen to the grunts, hisses
   and bellows of crocodiles; test their reptile IQ with “Lizard Wizard” and “Turtle
   Trivia;” and learn how to tell alligators from crocodiles.
4. Reptile habitats are set into an exhibit island that provides a secure, climate-
   controlled service area where a professional keeper cares for the living
   collection. This exhibition is a fully equipped moveable reptile house.
5. The exhibition presents the four major groups of living reptiles; turtles,
   crocodilians, lizards and snakes. Each section answers fundamental
   questions, like “What is a turtle?” and explores the structure, habitats, and
   survival strategies of each group. Visitors leave with a broad understanding of
   how reptiles fit into the animal kingdom, their native habitats and the ecology
   upon which we all depend.
5. The exhibition is full of spectacular close-up photographs by world-renowned
   wildlife photographers Joe and MaryAnn McDonald. These stunning images
   are used both in backlighted panels and in a twenty-minute multi-image show.

Curious Reptile Facts
•   What is the difference between venom and poison? Venom is injected.
    In the case of snakes, venom passes through grooved or hollow fangs.
    Poison is either ingested or comes in contact with the skin.
•   What snake has the longest fangs? The fangs of the Gaboon Viper from
    Africa are the longest; up to two inches in length.
•   What is the longest snake? The Reticulated Python. One specimen was
    measured at 32 feet, 10 inches in length.
•   How many species of crocodilians are there? 22 or 23 depending on
    which authority you ask.
•   How many sounds can crocodilians make? Over 25 distinct sounds
    have been identified and each has a particular meaning.
•   How many venomous lizards are there? Two. The Gila Monster from
    the southwestern United States and the Beaded Lizard from Mexico.
•   What are the two main types of venom?
    Reptiles produce two main types of venom, and most have a combination
    of both. Neurotoxins attack the nervous system, and hemotoxins attack
    the circulatory system.
•   How is anti-venom produced?
    Small quantities of venom are injected into a horse or other animal over an
    extended period. Antibodies in the animal’s blood are then used to make
    snakebite serum.
•   How is snake venom potency measured?
    It is measured in “mouse units”. LD50 is the amount of venom (lethal
    dose) required to kill 50% of the individuals within a study group of mice.
    Each mouse is injected with exactly the same quantity of venom.

Exploding Myths
•   Snakes are not slimy.
•   You can’t tell the age of a turtle by counting the rings on its shell.
•   Alligators and crocodile jaws do not hinge differently.
•   Rattlers do not always rattle before they strike.
•   Black snakes and rattlesnakes do not interbreed.
•   No snake has a stinger on its tail. All venomous snakes inject venom with
    fangs.
•   More people die from bee stings each year than snakebites. In the United
    States, about 8,000 people receive venomous snakebites. Only nine to
    fifteen of those people die.
•   When a snake molts, it does not “crawl out of its skin.” The molting
    process is more like a sock being pulled off. A snake sheds by rubbing its
    lips against a rough surface, like a tree or rock. This helps to start the
    epidermis or outer skin rolling backward. The snake then wriggles out of
    its epidermis by peeling it backward over its body, turning inside out as it
    goes.
•   There is no surefire way to tell from a distance whether a snake is
    venomous. While it is true that vipers usually have triangular-shaped
    heads, this has little meaning in as much as some harmless snakes flatten
    their heads into the same shape when angry. The eastern coral snake has
    dangerous venom, but there are many harmless milk snakes that mimic its
    coloration. Fortunately only in the coral snake do the red bands touch the
    yellow bands. As the old adage says, “red touch yellow kill a fellow; red
    touch black, venom lack.”
•   There are no sea snakes in the Atlantic Ocean. About 50 species are
    found in the warm and temperate waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
•   You can not determine the age of a rattlesnake by counting the number of
    segments on the rattle.

                        Did You Know?
•   Snakes have no external ears and are deaf to airborne sounds for all
    practical purposes. The snake charmer does not charm the cobra with his
    flute music. The cobra sways to the motion of the snake charmer.
•   A Diamond-back Rattlesnake can strike the entire length of its body, but a
    half or two thirds of the length is more common.
•   All rattlesnakes in the United States give live birth.
•   Rattlesnakes vibrate their tales rapidly- approximately 50 cycles per
    second. It often sounds more like a hiss than rattles clicking.
•   Both the Gila Monster and the Beaded Lizard have extremely powerful
    jaws and can crush small prey animals.
•   The Komodo Dragon is the largest lizard and males can exceed ten feet in
    length.