On Monday, we had the opportunity to video conference with the North Carolina Zoo. The zookeeper talked to us about amphibians and reptiles. We also met a couple of her creatures. The snake’s name was Tommy and he was a Ball Python and he was not venomous. She also had a Eastern Box Turtle named Vanderbuilt.
Amphibian Facts:
~ their skin is a little wet and sticky (Wyatt)
~ amphibians shed their skin (Brian) and some eat their own skin (Cohen) because their skin has a scent and they do not want predators tracking them down and it has good nutrition
~ they have backbones (Rachel)
~ frogs, toads, caecilians, salamanders and newts (Brody & Ms. King)
~ are cold-blooded – the air around them determines how warm they are (Logan)
~ jelly eggs
~ they go through big changes through their life cycle called metamorphosis so they look different as babies than they do as grown creatures
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~ they have a thin skin that they can breathe through
Reptile Facts
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~ they do not have slimy skin (Katie)
~ they may have scales
~ shed skin
~ they also have backbones (Rachel)
~ harder shelled eggs but still not firm (Logan)
~ live on land (Logan)
~ snakes, crocodiles, alligators, turtles, lizards (Landin, Boyd, Brody, Wyatt)
~ cold-blooded
~ babies look the same as adults
~ snakes have ribs all the way from the head to the tail (Josiah)
~ Vanderbuilt (the turtle) can be 100 years old (Connor)
~ Vanderbuilt protects himself by hiding in the shell he is attached to
~ the shell on a turtle is like a bone
~ some things that make it difficult for creatures to live are habitat destruction, hit by cars, and selling them as pets
~ there are 4 types of venomous snakes in Canada
~ there are about 2600 different species of snakes in the whole world
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Our Questions
Is Tommy the snake or the turtle? (Tia)
Do you have any more animals other than reptiles and amphibians at the North Carolina Zoo? (Tyson and Tia)
Is a bearded dragon a reptile? (Erica)
Is a Viper a venomous snake? (Landin)
Do you have any mammals at the zoo? (Tia)
What are the four venemous snakes of Canada called? (Logan and Ryan)
Can reptiles live in water? (Brody)
Are rattlesnakes venemous? (Brody)
Where do you get the animals you have at the zoo? (class)
How long do snakes live? (Landin)
What is your favourite or the coolest adaptation of an creature at your zoo? (Ms. King)
Leigh Cassell Consulting 
Good morning! I hope everyone in Ms. King’s class is doing well today. Here are some answers to your questions from the Skype session.
1. Is Tommy the snake or the turtle? (Tia)
Tommy is the snake. I don’t know why he has that name. One of our box turtles is “Franklin.” Can you guess where that name comes from?
2. Do you have any more animals other than reptiles and amphibians at the North Carolina Zoo? (Tyson and Tia)
We have a lot of animals at the NC Zoo. In addition to the reptiles and amphibians, we have a lot of mammals (see below), insects, birds and fish.
3. Is a bearded dragon a reptile? (Erica)
Yes, a bearded dragon is a reptile. Remember that it has many reptile characteristics: cold-blooded, scales, lays eggs and so on.
4. Is a Viper a venomous snake? (Landin)
Yes, vipers are venomous–they use their fangs to inject a toxin into another animal’s body.
5. Do you have any mammals at the zoo? (Tia)
We have many mammals at the NC Zoo: elephants, polar bears, red wolves, lions, giraffes, bison and many species of hoofed animals are just a few of them.
6. What are the four venemous snakes of Canada called? (Logan and Ryan)
The four venomous snakes found in Canada are the Northern Pacific rattlesnake, the Massagua (a type of rattlesnake, I think), the Desert Nightsnake and the Prairie rattlesnake. You can learn more about these four here:
http://cwf-fcf.org/en/discover-wildlife/resources/faq/faqs/venomous-snakes.html
7. Can reptiles live in water? (Brody)
There are a few reptiles that live all, or most, of their lives in water. Alligator and crocodiles live mostly in the water; sea turtles live pretty much all of their lives in water. There are also some lizards and some snakes that spend a lot of time in the water.
8. Are rattlesnakes venemous? (Brody)
Rattlesnakes are venomous; I cannot think of any species of rattlesnake that are not venomous.
9. Where do you get the animals you have at the zoo? (class)
Some of our animals are born at the NC Zoo; most of our animals, though, come from other zoos in the United States. We do not take animals out of the wild and put them in the zoo. People did that a long time ago, but that’s no longer done.
10. How long do snakes live? (Landin)
Snake lifespans are really different, depending primarily on the size of the snake. A big snake in a zoo or animal park could live to be 50 years old. A small snake living in the wild will have a much shorter life.
11. What is your favourite or the coolest adaptation of an creature at your zoo? (Ms. King)
My favorite social/behavioral adaptation is related to the way wolves live in packs. The structure of the pack, how the animals cooperate in the pack, and how different animals have different roles is very interesting to me. My favorite physical adaptation is the elephant’s trunk. Considering how huge the trunk is, it is an amazingly coordinated and delicate tool.
Thanks a lot, guys. Please let me know if you need anything else. 😎
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Thank you to the North Carolina Zoo for your awesome response to our questions. We look forward to our next video conference, learning all about birds! We are getting our questions ready to see if we know some facts or if we need some clarification.
See you soon!
The Busy Bees
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