By Jasmine Durst | Photo Credits to Jasmine Durst
On April 8, Charlie’s Lounge hosted Reptiles Day, where live reptiles were brought in to celebrate National Zoo Day.
Tori from Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland brought in a pancake turtle, a Gila monster, a timber rattlesnake, a Cuban rocky iguana, and a baby American alligator.
The timber rattlesnake is one of the three poisonous snakes in the United States, along with copperheads and coral snakes. Timber rattlesnakes have no ears, so they cannot hear. However, they can feel vibrations, and their tail rattling is a sign that they are afraid. Once per year, the snake sheds, and it adds another layer to the rattle, which is hollow.
Tori asked, “If I get bit, what do we do?” She explained that calling an ambulance is the best thing to do when there is a snake bite involved. Most snakes have a similar venom, and emergency rooms are equipped with an antidote.
The Cuban rocky iguana that was shown was 39 years old and named Guanji. According to Tori, the tail can be dropped from the iguana but it can grow back, sometimes as two different tails. Guanji, according to Tori, loves grapes and has been on the news at least twice. A fun fact: Cuban rocky iguanas sneeze to get rid of salt from their nose.
Someone asked if iguanas can feel emotions; Tori responded that they have feelings like irritation and sleepiness but nothing that’s complex like love. She said, “It’s a complicated topic. It depends on who you ask.”
The baby American alligator was named Buck, who was 3-4 years old. Tori said alligators were strictly freshwater creatures. She said that alligators were fast, swimming up to 30 miles per hour (mph) and running on dry land up to 15-20 mph. They have top scales made of bone that act like a “built-in armor.” In the wild, alligators can live up to 30-40 years, growing about a foot per year, and one of the alligators at Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland was 43 years old. She explained Bucky’s open-mouth breathing was to regulate his body temperature.
Tori said, “Alligators are some of the best moms in the animal kingdom.” She explained that alligators usually leave people alone unless they are females and there are babies nearby. The fathers sometimes eat the babies and the eggs, so the mothers need to be on alert. The babies eat bugs, worms, and anything easy to catch since the mothers don’t hunt for them, just protect them.
According to Tori, an alligator bite force is between 1,000-2,000 pounds per square inch. They can grow up to 80 teeth in their mouth and have 2,000-3,000 teeth total in their lives because they are continuously losing them. The teeth can grow up to two inches.
The members of Charlie’s lounge served loaded fries, chicken tenders, blooming onions, breaded mushrooms, coconut shrimp, The Chili Sauce, Ranch dressing, Sweet Thai Chili Sauce, water, and strawberry basil lemonade for an “Outback Steakhouse vibe.”
What National Day Is It explained the following about National Zoo Day.
[Zoos] all started with ancient civilizations keeping exotic animals as a symbol of wealth and power. The first recorded zoos, known as menageries, can be traced back to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. These early zoos were primarily used for nobles to showcase their exotic collections to the public.
Fast forward to the modern era, zoos have transformed into much more than just a place to display animals. They now play a vital role in conservation efforts, education, and research. Zoos provide a safe haven for endangered species and work tirelessly to protect their natural habitats.
The next event hosted by Charlie’s Lounge will be their Super Smash Bros Tournament from 7-10 p.m. on Fri., April 17. It is one of their last hosted events of the semester, so make sure to stop by!