The Conservation Center

One of our goals at Sea World is to help people make special animal connections so that they will feel more compelled to help the animals around us.  One way that we do this is in our Conservation Center.  In there we have dozens of animals that we bring out to talk about and let people hold.  These animals are called ambassadors.  We take them to schools and children's hospitals and some of them have even been on Jay Leno.
I have had so many amazing experiences and learned so much about these animals.  Last week I was able to help my children hold one of our American Alligators, Katrina.

This is Genobli.  He is a Black and White Tegu from South America.  He is 3 1/2 feet long and weighs 17 pounds.  A couple weeks ago I got to take a walk with him through the Conservation Center and I get to teach people about him every day.  Something very interesting about Tegus is that the boys have these big cheeks (Jowls) and the females don't.  They are used to attract a mate and also to intimidate the other males.

A couple cool things I have learned about reptiles is that they really can't hear much and they smell with their tongues.  They also have wonderful sensory organs that can detect vibrations and chemicals emitted by their prey.

What a handsome boy!

This next one is Bud.  He is one of my favorite snakes, although all of our snakes are amazing.  He is a Red Tailed Boa Constrictor.  They can be found in North and South America and potentially reach 15 feet long.  What I love about snakes is that each one has its own personalized pattern, no two are alike, just like a fingerprint.  In this snake his pattern goes right up into his eye.  Snakes have no eyelids, so in order to protect their eyes they have a thin, clear protective covering called an eye cap.  When they get ready to shed, the eye cap sheds too so it makes their eyes look white.  Something very special about this type of snake is that unlike most reptiles that lay eggs, these snakes have live birth.  They can actually have around 30-60 babies at a time.

This next animal has something in common with me.  We both come from Australia.  This is an Inland Bearded Dragon.  They live in really hot places and because their feet get hot running on the sand they are able to run on two feet.  But they don't run on their back feet, they run on their front feet and do a wheelie, holding their back legs up in the air.  Talented little dragon!

I'm sure there will be more to come!