Headwaters Science Center

 

 

Animals (continued)

Birds:

Rosy Bourke Parakeet

Cockatiel

Budgie Parakeet

Button Quail

Ring-necked Dove

Australian Bourke's Parakeet

Red-tailed Hawk

Great-horned Owl

Timneh African Gray Parrot

Orange-winged Amazon

Insects & Spiders:

Indian Walking Stick

Madagascar Hissing Cockroach

Salmon Pink Bird Eater Tarantula

Giant Brazilian Rain Forest Tarantula

Curly Hair Tarantula

Chilean Flame Tarantula

Snakes:

Eastern Hognose Snake

Common Kingsnake

Common Boa

Corn Snake

Gopher Snake

Other Reptiles:

3-Toed Box Turtle

Red-eared Slider

Snapping Turtle

Sulcata Tortoise

Blue Tongued Skink

European Legless Lizard

Desert Tortoise

Leopard Gecko

Green Anole

Mammals:

Chinchilla

Rabbit

Amphibians:

Tiger Salamander

Eastern Gray Tree Frog

American Toad

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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 Rain Forest 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.
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.
Cockatiel
(Nymphicus hollandicus)

cockatiel

Cockatiels are native only to Australia where they are found largely in arid or semi-arid country, but always near water. Largely nomadic, the species will move to where food and water is available.

The Cockatiel's lifespan in captivity is generally given as 15-20 years, and there are reports of Cockatiels living as long as 30 years, the oldest confirmed specimen reported being 35 years old.

The Cockatiel's distinctive erectile crest expresses the animal's state of being. The crest is dramatically vertical when the cockatiel is startled or excited, gently oblique in its neutral or relaxed state, and flattened close to the head when the animal is angry or defensive. The crest is also held flat but protrudes outward in the back when the cockatiel is trying to appear alluring or flirtatious.

Leopard Gecko
(Eublepharis macularius)

Leopard Gecko

Leopard Geckos are native to south-Asian Afghanistan, throughout Pakistan, north-west India, and into Iran where it inhabits the rocky, dry grassland and desert regions of these countries. As nocturnal creatures, they spend the day hidden under rocks or in dry burrows to escape the daytime heat, emerging at dusk to hunt insects.
 
It is one of only a few gecko species that have eyelids. This helps the gecko keep its eyes clean and particle-free in its dusty environment. Like most other geckos, the Leopard gecko can clean and moisten its eyes using its tongue. Unlike other species of gecko, they have small claws instead of adhesive toe pads, which prevents them from climbing smooth vertical surfaces. However, their claws give extra traction on the ground and are helpful in digging.
Timneh African Grey Parrot
 (Psittacus erithacus timneh)

 

 

 

Timneh gray parrots occur in Western equatorial Africa – from the Ivory Coast to Western Kenya, Angola, Tanzania and South Zaire. They inhabit primary and secondary rainforest, forest edges and clearings, mostly in lowland areas. They are gregarious roosting in colonies of up to 10,000 individuals. The diet consists of a variety of seeds, nuts, palm nuts, fruits and berries gathered in the canopy of the forest. May be a crop pest in some areas.

Life Span:  possibly up to 40 -50 years, average about 15-25 years. Age at maturity: 3-5 years.

African Grey Parrots are often considered to be the best talking of all parrots. They also have an incredible ability to mimic other sounds in the environment or home such as the telephone, microwave, car horns and the voices of individuals. Some highly trained individuals are also capable of reasoning and verbal communication.

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