Creatures Big and Small

Enter the fascinating world of Monroe’s Reptile Zoo

By Ellen Hiatt

At the Reptile Zoo in Monroe, you’ll either thrill or chill, but you won’t be disappointed. The zoo is either a kind of intensive immersion therapy for the bug and snake averse, or it’s a safari into the wild for the lover of all things creepy crawly. You decide.

Isaac Peterson has been around the critters for most of his life. His father, Scott Peterson, a biology teacher, founded the business before it moved to its Highway 2 location just east of Monroe (thereptilezoo.org), and eventually Isaac took it over. Most reptiles live between five and 20 years, he said, but some, like the 350-pound, 31-year-old alligator, Barnabus, have been with the zoo since its beginning. Barnabus could prove an outlier, as American alligators can live to be 80.

Another standout exception to the limited age range of creatures whose bellies are close to the ground is turtles. Isaac’s 160-inch-long Aldabra giant tortoises, Alley and Sarah (both, ironically, males) can grow to 600 pounds and live as long as 120 years — or up to 200, even, depending on who you ask. Either way, it’s a very, very long time. Isaac plans to get a female Aldabra tortoise to keep the boys company.

“For me, this is like touching a dinosaur,” said Isaac, obviously delighted with his slow-moving friends. Giant tortoises like Aldabra and Galapagos have been around for over 200 million years, he said.

The reptile zoo is home to two sets of Siamese twins — two-headed turtles named, collectively, Pete and Repete, and Matrix and Glitch. Isaac said he’s had visitors who think their existence is sad, and that they should be put out of their misery. It’s not sad, he said, it’s just an anomaly of nature, and he gives them a safe place to live out their lives safe from predation.

The zoo is home to 95 different species, with 120 critters on display. A Puff Adder, Black Mamba, Egyptian Cobra, a Columbian Boa Constrictor named Vulcan, and Baroness the Baron Green Racer are all among the many snake species housed here.

Tacked to each enclosure is a description of the creature whose home you’re peering into, along with some fascinating facts. Did you know that there are three kinds of snake fangs, including hinged fangs called “solenoglyphous?” Vipers and Rattlesnakes have those. Baroness’s fangs are “opisthoglyphous,” and are grooved. Draco the Black Mamba (he would be the deadliest snake in the world if he retained his venom) has “proteroglyphous” fangs, which are short, hollow, and deliver a deadly, venomous punch.

Another factoid: only 25 percent of snake species in the world are venomous! And there is only one genus of poisonous snakes on the planet, the Rhabdophis or Keelback snakes.

In the zoo there are lizards, toads, turtles, gators, tarantulas, frogs, geckos, and even a cockroach.

The creatures are ectothermic, or, as Isaac calls them, solar powered. They thrive in warm conditions, as they don’t create heat from their food intake. The forked tongue of the Gila Monster is an olfactory one. “He’ll eat anything that moves,” Isaac said.

Many of the reptiles housed here are rescued from unsafe conditions. The zoo also has an adoption program, with some strict conditions for care but no adoption fee.

The mission of the reptile zoo, since Isaac’s father founded it 26 years ago, has been to educate and inspire a reconnection with the natural world and some of its least loved creatures.

For years, the zookeepers have taken the show on the road. While the pandemic interfered with the popular reptile shows, they are starting to pick up again, said

Isaac. It’s a family affair, with his sister April Jackson participating, as well as his father Scott.

The shows have been a hit for private parties, public events, and in schools.

“He comes to our school every year,” said Natalie Fisher, a special education teacher in Marysville. “And everyone loves him and the reptiles.”

Bill Phillips is also a fan of the zoo. “The staff is great, the animals are obviously loved and well cared for, it’s educational, and the caretakers have a great sense of humor. Worth a visit…”

“The biggest thing we’re looking for is reconnecting people with nature,” Isaac said, “making it personal, because when it’s personal you start doing something about it. For reptiles, there’s not a big movement to keep them safe, like polar bears, but the more people get excited about it, the more they’ll want to protect them.”

Without reptiles in the world, insect and rodent populations would be out of control, damaging crops and bringing disease. Reptiles are an important part of nature. Snake venom has been used to create healing medicines that treat heart attacks, blood diseases, brain injuries, strokes and other disorders. What’s not to love?

Visit the zoo Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays 10 a.m.-5 p.m., or Fridays and Saturdays 10 a.m.-8 p.m. The Friday night feeding is 5:30-8 p.m. and is open to the public, but the exhibits are closed from 5-5:30 p.m. to prepare.

You can also schedule your own party at the zoo, or book them to bring the reptiles to you. With a 40-minute presentation and a chance to have a snake wrap itself around you, it’s an unforgettable opportunity.

And if it’s a more low-key experience you’re after, just bring your picnic lunch, pet a turtle, and enjoy your sandwich in the courtyard. There is so much to learn here, you’ll want to hang awhile.