Hi everyone! Here at Sawgrass Nature Center, we have plenty of reptiles both as permanent residents and as educational ambassadors. To celebrate National Reptile Day we are introducing you to some of our reptiles that we have here, why they are here with us today, and letting you get to know more about the species itself. Reptiles in general share 3 common features: they all have either scales or scoots along their body, they are cold-blooded meaning they require outside sources (the environment) to regulate their body temperature, and they lay eggs on land.
Leonidas, Bearded Dragon, Pogona vitticeps
Leonidas is our resident bearded dragon. He is a resident here because he is a non-native species here in the US meaning he does not normally live here. Bearded dragons are native to Australia and normally live in a more desert-like environment. He was a surrendered pet that we adopted and has been here with us as an educational ambassador ever since. This is quite common with animals like bearded dragons as they have become common house pets and sometimes their owners do not provide the right living conditions for these animals or they become too much responsibility. Leonidas is an omnivore meaning he eats both plants and animals. In the wild, they normally eat small insects such as cockroaches or beetles in addition to local plants and foliage.
Red, Red Rat Snake, Elaphe obsoleta spiloides
Red is one of our many snake residents here at Sawgrass Nature Center. He is a red rat snake and is a native species in the US with a range as far north as New Jersey and as far west as Texas. Red was a surrendered pet we adopted after Red’s owner was unable to care for it anymore. The red rat snake prefers to live in tall cornfields, brush, abandoned buildings, and even trees as they are very good climbers. The red rat snake is carnivorous meaning it eats meat exclusively. Their diet mainly consists of small mammals and rodents, small birds, and different kinds of frogs and fish. These snakes are known as ambush predators meaning they stalk their prey and wait for the right moment to attack their prey.
Wally, American Alligator, Alligator mississippiensis
Wally came to us from a local alligator farm as a baby and has been with us since she became so dependent on humans that she was no longer able to be released into the wild. The American alligator is a native species in the US and can be found in the Everglades among other places. Alligators in general live in freshwater ecosystems such as rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, etc. Alligators are carnivores and will primarily eat meat in their diets. This includes various types of fish and aquatic prey in addition to prey that lurk around the edge of the water in which they live. American alligators are known as apex predators meaning they are top hunters in the ecosystem in which they live and do not have many natural predators.
Pancake, Spiny Softshell Turtle, Apalone spinifera
Pancake is one of our turtles we have here as a permanent resident. We adopted Pancake from the State of Florida where he was surrendered as an unwanted pet. Although native to Florida, Pancake is unable to be released back into the wild because he has been reliant on humans for most of his life and has lost his natural survival instincts. The spiny softshell turtle is found in many freshwater ecosystems where it likes to burrow in mud and pebbles. Spiny softshell turtles are omnivores meaning they eat plants and animals. In the wild, these turtles tend to eat vegetation as well as small insects and animals found on the bottom of the bodies of water in which they live.