Wildlife Excursion

Today I went to Montgomery Bell State Park to a Predators to Prey exhibit they had. It was quite interesting and the animals that were featured were gorgeous.

 

Candycane Corn Snake
 & Corn Snake

The first presentation was the corn snake. There were two of these friendly creatures, one being a Candycane Corn Snake and the other the Corn Snake. The lighter colored of the two is the Candycane Corn Snake and is a result of captive breeding.

The Corn Snake is a nonpoisonous snake that is indigenous to corn fields. This is a type of rat snake and kills its prey with constriction.

The Corn Snake is often a beginner pet to snake and reptile lovers.

Are you interested in Corn Snakes? Check out this link. Do remember if you choose to home a Corn Snake, you need to check into your local government's laws to see if possession is legal.

Caiman 

The next creature that was shared with us, was the Caiman. Our presenter stressed that this fella is not the friendly type. While this guy was rather small at only about 20 inches, we were told he could do damage if he got ahold of a finger.

Caimans are from Central and South America. They can get up to about five foot in length.

For more information about this cousin to the alligator, check out this link.

Prairie Dog

The next animal that we all fell in love with was the prairie dog. We were given a lot of information about him and his family. While we were told that he is closely related to the squirrel, he lives underground and doesn't eat trees.

In the United States, prairie dogs are very beneficial to the eco-system but they were treated like pests and many were destroyed. They are indigenous to the Western United States where there are four known 'cities'.

Fr more information on the Prairie Dog, check out this link.

Eurasian Eagle Owl

The treat of the exhibit was the Eurasian Eagle Owl. One of the largest birds on the planet and a magnificent specimen. With a wingspan of five-foot, this particular owl is not quite full grown.

Eurasian Eagle Owl

Approximately twenty months old, he weighs right about five pounds. His wings are silent and he is a ninja of the skies. Look out small animals, when this fella gets hungry he is coming to get you.

As his name suggests, he is indigenous to Eurasia.

For more information about the Eurasian Eagle Owl, please check out this link.

Bobcat

Last but not least, we met a lovely teenager that could very well live right outside here in the South. He is known as the Bobcat. During the exhibit this fella was rather lazy and wanted to be carried around.

He looks rather large, and weighing in at 22 pounds he is the size of a medium breed dog. (We laughed because our Neko-chan is 20 pounds but he is not quite as large.)

Bobcat

The Bobcat is known for being elusive and nocturnal (most cats are nocturnal). He is named for his bobbed tail that is really longer than a typical bob. They are carnivores and eat small animals. This is a good reminder to not leave your small pets out and unprotected.

Evidence of Bobcats shows that they cover the majority of North America and are not picky about the environment.

For more information of this great cat, please visit this link.



I know I had fun getting to know a little more about these animals and reptiles, I hope you did too!