Headwaters Science Center

 

 

Animals (continued)

 

3-Toed Box Turtle

Common Boa

Tiger Salamander

Salmon Pink Bird Eater Tarantula

Red-eared Slider

Madagascar Hissing Cockroach

Corn Snake

Giant Brazilian Rain Forest Tarantula

Rough-skinned Newt

Emerald Swift

Curly Hair Tarantula

Chilean Flame Tarantula

Leopard Gecko

Button Quail

Chinchilla

Indian Walking Stick

Green Anole

Eastern Gray Tree Frog

Sulcata Tortoise

Blue Tongued Skink

European Legless Lizard

Ring-necked Dove

Australian Bourke's Parakeet

American Toad

Cuban Tree Frog

Gopher Snake

Red-tailed Hawk

Great-horned Owl

Desert Tortoise

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

 

Madagascar Hissing Cockroach
 
(Gromphadorina portentosa)

Hissing cockroach

Although these insects are in the same family as the cockroach commonly associated with human dwellings, they are quite different. They are actually very interesting and unusual animals. They make a hissing noise when disturbed and when courting. In their natural habitat on the island of Madagascar they are mostly scavengers; here we feed them dog food. They live to be about three years old.
Corn Snake  
(Elaphe guttata guttata)

Corn snake

Corn snakes are good climbers, but they spend much time underground searching in burrows and crevices in search of small mammals, frogs and lizards which they coil around and suffocate. Corn snakes adapt well to captivity and usually make good pets. They may live to be 21 years old and grow up to 6 feet! They live in open woods and fields of southeastern United States.
Giant Brazilian Rain Forest Tarantula  
(Lasiodora sp.)

Brazilian Rainforest Tarantula

Hatched in 1993, Mad Max is one of the largest and fastest-growing of all the spiders. As he matures he will become velvety black and covered with long, golden hairs. He spends most of his time on the ground seeking shelter under logs and debris. He is very aggressive, and should not be handled. He comes from the tropical rain forests of Brazil.
Rough-skinned Newt
(Taricha granulosa)

rough-skinned newt

Rough-skinned newts are found along the northern coast of California up into Alaska. Similar to the California Newt, these two species are often confused. All newts in this genera are poisonous if ingested and one should wash hands thoroughly after handling them. They are known to live up to 20 years in captivity.
Emerald Swift
(Sceloporus malachiticus)

 

There are dozens of spiny-scaled iguanids that are called swifts or fence lizards, and they range from Canada to southern South America. One of the most commonly available species is the emerald swift of Mexico and Central America, an 8 inch (20 cm) spiny often bright green lizard with large patches of turquoise on the belly and the throat of the male. Kept at 75-95'F during the day and 60-72'F at night in a dry terrarium with plenty of basking areas and lots of live insects, this species will live well and bear live young.
Curly Hair Tarantula
(Brachypelma albopilosa)

 

This tarantula occurs from Guatemala to Costa Rica, living mostly in forested areas. It lives in burrows and feeds on insects, lizards, mice and other small vertebrates.
Chilean Flame Tarantula
(Grammostala rosea)

 Chilean flame

Common in northern Chile, this tarantula inhabits deserts and scrubland. It lives on the ground or in burrows, feeding mostly on insects and other spiders. It is a very docile species and makes a good pet.
Gopher Snake
(Pituophis melanoceucus)

This is one of the most widespread snakes in North America. Its range extends from the Atlantic to Pacific oceans, as far north as southern Canada, and as far south as Veracruz and southern Sinaloa, Mexico, including Baja California.
A habitat generalist, the gopher snake is found in deserts, prairies, woodlands, brushlands, coniferous forests, and even cultivated lands.
When disturbed, the gopher snake will rise to a striking position, flatten its head into a triangular shape, hiss loudly and shake its tail at the intruder. These defensive behaviors, along with its body markings, frequently cause the gopher snake to be mistaken for a rattlesnake. The tapered tail, the absence of a rattle, the lack of a facial pit, and the round pupils all distinguish the gopher snake from the rattlesnake.
Great-horned Owl
(Bubo virginianus)

 

Great Horned Owls hunt by perching on snags and poles and watching for prey, or by gliding slowly above the ground. From high perches they dive down to the ground with wings folded, before snatching prey. Prey are usually killed instantly when grasped by its large talons. A Great Horned Owl may take prey 2 to 3 times heavier than itself. They also hunt by walking on the ground to capture small prey or wading into water to snatch frogs and fish. They have been known to walk into chicken coops to take domestic fowl.

More Animals < 1 2 3 4 >