Just Hanging Out

This Emerald Tree Boa is just doing his thing. Every time I see one of these creatures, they always seem to be in this position. It is characteristic of them to coil up this way over a branch or two. They sit this way all day and when they hunt at night they extend their head down and wait for prey to come by. I find their face especially haunting. Just above their mouth looks like a cage (they are heat seeking cells though) and their green eyes make for some creepiness. They always photograph well with their bright skin. I especially enjoy the depth of field in this shot.

This type of snake is a constrictor, meaning it wraps itself around its prey and then swallows it after it has been asphyxiated. However, this constrictor is much smaller than the more well known Boa Constrictor or Anaconda. This is probably why they have much larger fangs/teeth than a normal non-venomous snake. I think it is much prettier too - such bright green skin!

Darwin's Tortoise

These little guys are best know for being written about by Charles Darwin. They are inhabitants of the Galapagos Islands where Darwin made many of the observations that led him to publish On the Origin of Species and forever changed the field of biology. These tortoises can live over 100 years and weigh almost 1000 pounds. They obviously won't stay in this exhibit full grown - they'd never make it out! Some zoos allow people to ride them, the Bronx Zoo used to many moons ago. My mom has a picture of me on one at Busch Gardens when I was about 5. The Staten Island Zoo had one that was the first animals to receive radiation treatment for cancer. They have a statue of him on their grounds because he was so cool.

Cool hint for getting them to come close to the glass - wear pink or red clothes or nail polish. They LOVE it because they think it's fruit.