In cold blood: reptiles take over museum BY MICHELLE NASH BAKER
michelle.nash@metroland.com
They might not be fuzzy and cuddly, but the 19 reptiles that have taken over the fourth floor at the Canadian Museum of Nature are a sight to see. The museum’s latest travelling exhibition Reptiles: Beautiful and Deadly opens on Oct. 7 and gives the average museum goer a chance to see the 19 live reptile specimens in recreated natural habitats. Among the creatures on display, there is a chance to watch a cobra slither around a bull skull, or a chameleon stand as still as the tree it’s perched on. Better yet, have a go at trying to find all four of the geckos in their encasement. There are also giant tortoises, a Gila monster, an American alligator and a python to check out. The largest travelling reptile exhibition in the world was created in 1999 by Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland in Allenwood, Pa. This exhibition focuses on the “cold-blooded” reptiles, which depend on outside sources of heat to warm their bodies. “The experience is meant to explode common myths and instill a new appreciation for these misunderstood creatures,” said Meg Beckel, president of the museum. Watching the reptiles move about is only half the fun in this new exhibition – there are a number of interactive components where visitors can learn about fangs, skulls, shells, milking a viper and how to tell the difference between and an alligator and a crocodile. Visitors are also be able to see historic specimens from the museum’s own national reptile collection, which curator of the vertabrae and zoology collection, Kamal Khidas, said he was most excited about. “It’s a chance to showcase a small portion of our collection that is in Gatineau,” Khidas said. According to Khidas, the museum has over 64,000 specimens or 545 species in their collection. Khadis added he loves the fact this exhibition is open, with a lot of space for patrons to move around, so even on the museum’s busiest of days, people will have a chance to get up close to the animals. Kathryn Allen, one of the zookeepers on hand for the exhibition, said she hopes people come to check out the reptiles because while they aren’t as fuzzy or cuddly as panda bears, they offer up just as much to learn. “I was teaching people how amazing they are and I ended up falling
in love with them,” Allen said of how she ended up wrangling snakes and lizards for a living. “I wanted to work with lions and tigers, but everyone loves them. It’s much harder to get people to love a crocodile. They are less fuzzy, but just as important.” Thanks to the museum, here are some cool facts about reptiles: • Today most biologists classify animals by their evolutionary family tree, an approach called cladistics. The animals that evolved an outer covering of dry, horny scales are called reptiles. Their living descendants include turtles, crocodilians, lizards, snakes and birds (feathers are modified scales). • There are more than 10,000 species of reptiles in the world. In Canada, there are 54 species and sub-species. • The structure of the turtle shell has changed little since the age of the dinosaurs. Scientists disagree about where turtles fit in the evolutionary tree of life. • The first known warm-blooded lizard, the tegu, can heat itself to as much as 10 C above its surroundings, making it unique among reptiles. • Snakes are lizards that have lost their legs, ear openings and eyelids— possibly ancient adaptations for an underground existence. • More people die from bee stings each year than snakebites. In the United States, about 8,000 people receive venomous snakebites. Only nine to 15 of those people die. • Most venomous snakebites in North America are from copperheads, water moccasins and rattlesnakes. • Alligators, crocodiles, caimans and the gharial are the closest living relatives of birds. They have bird-like hearts, digestive tracts, ear canals, and rib cages. • Alligators and other crocodilians are the “loud mouths” of the reptile world. Calls vary widely depending on species, age, size and sex. Some species can communicate over 20 different kinds of messages through sound alone. • Chameleons change skin color to express a mood or aid in camouflage. Tentacle-like chromatophores move pigments up and down through the layers of skin. The closer the pigment gets to the surface of the skin, the darker the animal appears. For more cool facts about reptiles, visit the exhibition which will be on display at the museum until April 8, 2017, at 240 McLeod St. in Ottawa. In addition to regular museum admission, a surcharge of $6 applies for this special exhbit. For hours, admission, and other information, visit nature.ca.
PHOTOS BY MICHELLE NASH BAKER/METROLAND
Above, Kathryn Allen shows off one of the Canadian Museum of Nature’s 19 live specimens — a non-venmous milk snake who carries the same colours as other venemous snakes. This snake is part of Reptiles: Beautiful and Deadly, which opens on Oct. 7. Left: Chameleons change skin colour to express a mood or aid in camouflage. This little guy is currently on display at the Canadian Museum of Nature from Oct. 7 to April 8.
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