Monday, June 1, 2009

Another day full of useless knowledge



Yesterday, we decided to head over to the water resource center since they were having a wildlife expo, and it was free, who can argue with that price?!


We got to see a real owl up close, and I have to admit, it was a little freaky. It just stood there...menacingly. And it's head rotated like on the exorcist. creepy.


The kids had fun exploring the building and finding out how wetlands work and all that hippy northwest stuff. We were just glad that the place had a.c !


The wildlife expo happened right before we left, and it was a major hit.


The reptile guy had an African gaboon viper
A western diamondback rattlesnake

Cobras, black mambas, lizards, Asian chameleons, an alligator, and one huge python that had to be 15 feet long!

Unfortunately, I didn't think this day would be exciting, so the pictures I have are from the Internet because I was a dumass and didn't bring my camera.

I learned many things from the herpetologist. First of all, there's no way that you could not hear a rattlesnake! Those things are super loud when they shake their rattles! Secondly, the best place to get bit by a snake is in your butt. Third, the African gaboon viper is the only snake in the world that soaks water up through it's scales, it has the longest fangs of any snake, it can go for a year without eating, it can strike at 90 miles an hour, and it can kill a man in less than 15 minutes. Fourthly, I learned that a room full of kids and spitting venomous snakes don't mix very well. There was more than one child screaming in terror that had to be removed. The best was when the snake guy almost got bit twice by the rattlesnake, and once by the cobra. I almost peed my pants. Ian thought it was great. He pet the black mamba, and the python, and the alligator.

Justin thought the snakes were evil. He's truly my son.

1 comments:

Tobi said...

Snakes. Why does it always have to be snakes? ~Indiana Jones

Oh Ian you are a true boy. Alec loves snakes too. He has touched more dead snakes and dead spiders than I care to even think of.

Next time I hear a Rattler snake I'll present my bum to him. =)