Reptile - Blog Posts
More baby dragon cause, why can't this get out of my head when i alredy wrote it?!?!
Lancelot had been holding the little dragon on his lap for a few hours. The little animal made himself comfortable in his extra warm lap and he didn't have the heart to take him away. In the first few minutes, after the little creature invaded the tent, scaring everyone and making itself comfortable in his lap, Merlin tried to take the dragon off Lancelot's lap and received a hiss in response. And then Nimue did the same, and Morgana the widow of death herself tried, they called Gawain to try, everyone received a fierce hiss and a sharpening of the body that guaranteed the little thing wasn't going off of him anytime soon.
“Why?-” Gawain begins, but before the word is finished. “Don’t you understand that it is not going to leave his lap?” Yeva, who only leaves her space on rare or dangerous occasions, interrupts him. Surprising everyone and making them look at her. She speaks in a stern tone, perhaps a little rude if you listened properly, still giving away her advanced age.
“I didn’t expect younger ones to understand this, but an old man like you, with hundreds of years old, Merlin, should already know.” The elder moonwing enters the place, seeing the little dragon on Lancelot's lap, she approaches. The dragon looks at her with his big curious eyes, still defensive, and Lancelot looks at her as he would look at anyone other than Squirrel , with a neutral and bitterly serious face.
Yeva lifts her eyes from the dragon to look at Lancelot, her one good eye looking into Lancelot's blue eyes and the black marks that painted his face and under eyes. They seemed lighter now, an indication that he was happy, or at least lighter than usual. She hadn't visited Ashman in his entire stay here, despite being curious about him or how he came to end up in these lands.
She quickly understood what happened. The little dragon lost its mother, or lost from its mother. The bodies of these creatures are usually overly warm, and for their young, cozy. Exactly what the baby found in the Ashman, who also had a higher body temperature than that of any human or fey due to the fire coursing through his veins. The animal thought that Lancelot was its mother and the man didn't seem to notice, or if he did, he didn't care.
“You’re the mother.” Yeva said simply.
"I know." Lancelot responds, turning his eyes to the adorable little creature that was biting his finger, trying to show affection.
Nobody in the room understood anything. Except the two of them, and maybe Merlin. “What’s the name?” A thinner, more energetic voice asked out of nowhere. Squirrel had sneaked into the room and startled some with his sudden speech. Lancelot's expression changes when he sees Squirrel, from neutral to slightly affectionate, his face lighter and his marks becoming clearer with the sweet affection that everyone knew he had for the boy.
“NightPearl.” He responds, and the dragon looks at Lancelot, as if recognizing that he has received a name. Squirrel smiles and comes closer, despite Nimue trying to stop him from doing so. This time, the dragon doesn't hiss, it just turns its little head, analyzing its new brother.
Lancelot looks at Yeva for a moment, and they know they'll need to have a talk after everyone goes to sleep and they're alone. Which seems scary when she seems even crazier than him. But nothing that made him want to say no. The dragon still tries to bite his hand, squirming in his lap and making Lancelot smile.
“You’re smiling!” Squirrel points out, his face lit up seeing Lancelot smiling in ‘public’ for the first time and a big smile on his face.
“Yes, I am.”
@lancedoncrimsonwings that was your fault for influencing me with, uh... cute reptiles! That. You infected me with a love for reptiles, it's your fault that Lancelot and dragons can't get out of my head.
Turtle
Sources: SigningSavvy, Lifeprint, ASLDeafined
[Image ID:
The sign for Turtle in American Sign Language. A handshape with tumb up covered by base hand representing a turtle shell. Thumb on dominant hand wiggles. Movement is illustrated by hands that are translucent green and brown in different stages of the sign. Background is white.
End ID]
Tropical Roadkill - Ubud, Bali 2018
Those of you that follow us on social media may already be familiar with Bumper and the reason he got his name. Bumper likes to bump shoes with the front of his shell. This is a territorial display that is meant to inform the keeper of the day that they are in his home and they are only welcome as long as there is food.
Bumper is with the Sawgrass Nature Center because he is considered an exotic species. That means his species is not native to Florida.
What is Bumper?
Greek Tortoise
The Greek tortoise is one of five of the Mediterranean species of tortoises. They can grow to an average size of 5-8 inches in length, making them one of the smaller species of tortoise. Even though they have an average lifespan of about 50 years, they have been recorded to live up to 125 years in captivity with proper care and treatment.
Want to see Bumper?
Even though these guys are small in size, they require a pretty big habitat space to be kept happy and healthy. This includes lots of dirt and vegetation. That’s why if you come by the SNC to visit Bumper, you may have a hard time spotting him in such a large exhibit area. The best time to see Bumper is feeding time Tuesdays-Sundays around 11am-12pm. You might even get to see him do his famous “Bumper” display.
Invasive Species and the Burmese Python
Have you ever heard the term, “invasive species”? Listen along to this month’s podcast from the Sawgrass Nature Center as our staff teams up with the Nature Conservancy of Southwest Florida to discuss invasive species and the Burmese Python problem in the Everglades!
https://anchor.fm/snc-wild/episodes/Invasive-Species-and-the-Burmese-Python-Part--I-e11n04k
WAIT: Does that animal really need help?
Every year thousands of young animals are found by people. Most of these wild animals do not need to be rescued. Humans are always a young wild animal’s last hope for survival; never its best hope. A young animal should be removed from the wild only after you have received direct advice from a Wildlife Rehabber.
Is the animal an orphan?
An “orphan” is a young animal that is unable to care for itself and whose parents cannot be found or are known to be dead. It is natural for all young animals to explore the world alone once they leave the nest. If you have found a healthy young animal that is able to walk and is fully furred or feathered, it probably does not need your help. Its parents are usually nearby, even if they are not visible to you. Observe the young animal from a distance for some time before calling for help.
Is the animal injured or weak?
If the young animal appears weak or injured, you should call a wildlife rehabilitator or nature center for further guidance on assessing the situation. If an animal has been attacked by a cat or dog, assume there is an injury even if it is not visible.
Should I intervene?
The best way to determine if an animal is in need of your help is to contact a wildlife center BEFORE you intervene. Most times, people that believe they are rescuing baby wild animals are advised to place them back where they found them so their parents can do their jobs. Remember, parent animals will not go for their young while you are around, so don’t panic if you can’t see the mom.
Questions about an animal you think is in need of help? Contact the Sawgrass Nature Center and Wildlife Hospital at 954-752-9453.
Caution: Habitat Improvement Ahead!
For those of you that know us, you know that the Sawgrass Nature Center and Wildlife Hospital is dedicated to rehabilitating and releasing native Florida wildlife. Or, in other words, nursing in-need wildlife back to health, so that they have a second chance at life in the wild. Sometimes we get animals that cannot be released back into the wild. Whether it’s because they have a permanent injury that keeps them from properly defending themselves in the wild or because they are considered an exotic/invasive species (not naturally from Florida) we legally are not allowed to release it. These animals, instead, are provided a permanent home in our Wildlife Sanctuary.
This brings us to the second part of the SNC’s mission. The animals we provide permanent sanctuary to become educational ambassadors for their species. Their role is to provide the public with education on why their species is important and what their species niche (job) is in the environment.
In order to make sure we are giving our permanent residents the best care possible, we need to make sure they have the best habitats possible. For a non-profit that runs almost entirely on donations, this can sometimes be hard to do. This year though, thanks to an incredible grant opportunity from The Batchelor Foundation, the SNC is able to reconstruct newer, better habitats for some of our residents.
Please be sure to keep an eye out for construction during visiting hours. The areas will be marked off with yellow caution tape. Please do not let children climb over this.
We hope you guys are as excited about the improvements happening around the SNC as we are!
Chip, the Florida Box Turtle, is aptly named due to the chip in his shell. Florida Box Turtles are known for their unique ability to fold the bottom plate of their shell up to the top part of their shell to turn their shell into a protective box from predators. This is probably what saved Chip’s life from the predator that took a chunk out of his shell.
Chip was brought to the SNC by a Florida resident that found him injured in a park. We do not know what caused this injury, but because it prevents him from living safely out in the wild, the SNC provides him permanent sanctuary. It doesn’t hurt that he is also a total sweetie.
His name is Bumper for a reason! Bumper is a Greek Tortoise that is native to Europe and many surrounding areas. Due to his exotic species status, Bumper will not be released by the SNC into the wild. Instead, he will remain a permanent resident.
Greek tortoises is one of the longest living species of tortoise in existence. They can live anywhere from 20-100 years.
Here's one for the reptile lovers out there. Our Bearded Dragon, Leonidas, eating his Valentines Day box of worms! Thank you to everyone who donated, we surpassed our goal!
This is Molly, our loggerhead musk turtle, receiving her first Valentine’s Day worm! Her incredibly strong beak is perfectly adapted to crushing through the tough exoskeletons of her prey. If you are interested in sending Molly a box of worms this Valentine’s Day, consider donating here: https://www.facebook.com/sncwild/posts/4168465543165140
Art and nature go hand-in-hand more often than people think. Previous artist in residence, Jan Kolenda, came out to touch up our tortoise statue. This statue highlights some important tortoise features such as their leathery skin that is adapted to crawling across land, their dome shaped shells, and the scutes that make up their shell.
Here is our Executive Director using Big Red, our resident red rat snake, for our virtual education program. One of the SNC’s main missions is to spread environmental education throughout South Florida. We are excited to pivot to a virtual, safe platform. Big Red was just happy to have a warm body to thermoregulate with in this #FloridaCold!
Check out our resident Yellow-Footed Tortoise, Carlos! Yellow-Footed Tortoises are native to the rainforests of South America.
This Wildlife Wednesday we are featuring our resident Red Rat Snake. This guy in particular has a permanent stay at the Nature Center due to a degenerative nerve disease that causes him to twitch.
Rat Snakes are non-venomous, constrictor snakes. They also happen to be very skilled climbers, to the point where they have been known to scale brick walls! This helps them catch prey like lizards, small mammals, and hatchlings.
Rat Snakes are popular in the pet trade and have been bred in many different colors and patterns.
It is Turtle Tuesday at the SNC with our Loggerhead Musk Turtle, Molly. Molly is a resident freshwater turtle that is used for many of our educational programs.
Loggerhead Musk Turtles (Sternotherus minor) are mostly carnivorous, but have also been known to munch on plants. Their jaws are strong enough to crack the shells of small snails, crayfish, insects, and mollusks.
They are found throughout the Southeast United States in a variety of clear, freshwater wetland areas.
Fun Fact: When threatened, musk turtles will release a foul smelling musk and bite with their powerful jaws.
This African Spur Thigh Tortoise is named Bubba and he is a permanent resident at the Sawgrass Nature Center. He was previously kept as a pet, but his owners did not realize that he would get this large. And since he is an exotic species to Florida, he is non-releasable.
The African Spur-Thigh is a native species of tortoise to Northern Africa, specifically along the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. They dig burrows in the ground to spend the hottest parts of the day in. This is known as aestivation.
Fun fact: The African Spur Thigh Tortoise is the third largest tortoise in the world. Surpassed only by the Galapagos Tortoise and the Aldabra Giant Tortoise.
Here’s Wally, our resident American Alligator. Alligators are reptiles, which means they are cold blooded. Cold blooded animals, or ectotherms, rely on the environment to control their internal body temperatures. Unlike humans, alligators don’t have bodily functions to warm themselves up when they are cold.
In order to get warm, reptiles like to sunbathe, just like Wally is doing in this photo. Any Floridian who has seen a gator outside of the water, has probably been witness to the gator trying to warm themselves up too.
What is a Native Species?
Here in Florida, we are privy to a ton of unique and exciting wildlife due to our proximity to two very important natural features: The Everglades and the ocean. These two exciting ecosystems provide us with animals like Key Deer, the Everglades Snail Kite, and the Florida Panther that may not be found elsewhere in the world.
Any ecosystem or habitat in the world has native species. This means that the species arrived and has evolved in an area by only natural processes. Other species in the ecosystem often evolved together and adapt to sharing an environment. For example, Florida Panthers and deer have adapted to sharing an environment together despite one being predator and the other being prey. It is a relationship they share and rely on to keep each other’s populations in check.
Unfortunately, not every animal we see in the wild is meant to be here. Take, for example, the Burmese Python in the Everglades.
An introduced species like the Burmese Python could affect the environment is several ways. They could adapt poorly in the new environment and perish, they could live within their new home and cause no major harm, or they could thrive with the lack of natural predators and outcompete native species. That scenario could mean that they could take the food, water, space, and other resources that would typically go to native animals. This would disrupt the natural balance in the ecosystem that has evolved over time. When this happens, the non-native species becomes invasive.
Wildlife hospitals like the Sawgrass Nature Center and Wildlife Hospital (SNC) take in and treat native wildlife, but it is illegal for the SNC and anyone else in the State of Florida to release non-native species into the local ecosystem. That means, the SNC can only admit injured or orphaned native animals for rehabilitation and release. Unfortunately, any non-native animal that might come our way would legally have to be euthanized or provided a forever home. Since we cannot always guarantee the space for all non-native animals and do not prefer to euthanize a healthy animal, we encourage finding other places that are specifically meant for taking in and sheltering non-native species.
Turtles lay their eggs on land before leaving them to hatch on their own. The babies are instinctually drawn towards water. These guys hatched on SNC grounds quite a bit away from the nearest freshwater habitat, so we gathered them up and helped them on their way. This increased their chances of survival as they didn't have to fend off hungry birds during the long walk to safety.
Mushroom
Go, Tetris snake, go!!
Venomous bandy-bandy (Vermicella annulata), a.k.a. "hoop snake." The word bandy-bandy (bandi-bandi) traces back to the indigenous dialect of Kattang, from the Taree region, New South Wales.
Wikipedia +
lizard out there really gonna do it
u wanna pet that dawg?
if i recall correctly crocodilians don’t have a very kinetic skull like at all, which provides death-force to their bite but that’s about it. so they have their lil teefies to try to chomp thru, bite down, & snatch their prey. which is why their throat is a big ole gaping hole, bc they can’t sit there and masticate the way we do. so they swallow things in gigantor chunks.
Reptile House, Canada
@veliz_arquitecto.
Creatuanary day 4
Cocollona also known as nun that turned into a crocodile because of not praying hard enough, then God felt a bit bad and gave her butterfly wings...
ESP || Aunque hace años que hice esta ilustración, sigue siendo una de mis ilustraciones preferidas, si no la que más. Es una ilustración muy sentimental, que siempre llevaré en el corazón, ya que es un retrato de un animalito con el que conviví varios años, una dragoncita con la cola cortada que nadie quería, además justamente hice esta ilustración justo después de que mi querido dragón “pasara a otra vida”. Este mes hace años que nos abandonó así que no hay mejor momento para recordarla! Seguro que habría sido muy feliz en una selva salvaje como ésta! ♥️🌻 ENG || Although I made this illustration years ago, it's still one of my favorite illustrations, if not the most. It's a very sentimental and emotional illustration, one which I will always carry in my heart, since it's a portrait of a little animal with whom I lived together for several years, a little dragon with a severed tail that nobody wanted, and furthermore I made this illustration right after my dear dragon "Pass to another life." This month it's the anniversary of her passing so there's no better time to remember her! Surely she would have been very happy in a lovely and wild jungle like this!♥️🌻