Hugs and hisses from Reptiles Alive!
Look outside of the box and inside our Museum displays for your perfect match: a real-life reptile!
We’ve got 20 live snakes, lizards, turtles, alligators, and crocs inside our special exhibition, Reptiles Alive!. Read on to learn which ones you should set a date with before they slither, crawl, and swim away in April.
Quality time
Smalls, the African dwarf crocodile.
(c) Field Museum
Do you find meaning in spending a few moments with others? So do African dwarf crocodiles, like Smalls, and garter snakes, like Glenn!
African dwarf crocodile mothers nest in rainforests near rivers and swamps, then guard their eggs for about three months before they hatch. When they do, she’ll dig her babies out and carry them to water to make sure they get to their new home safe and sound.
Garter snakes form “friendships”: younger snakes follow older female snakes, and communicate through chemical signals. Building these bonds may help them stay warm or protect them from predators.
Receiving gifts
Iris, the alligator snapping turtle
(c) Field Museum
If silly little treats make your day, you can relate to our alligator snapping turtle, Iris!
Most aquatic turtles are active swimmers, but the alligator snapping turtle is a “sit-and-wait” predator: it lies quietly and “fishes” by opening its huge mouth and wiggling its wormlike tongue. Unlucky prey swims right in and gives the turtle a snack.
Alligator snapping turtles are also scavengers and feed on carrion left for them by other animals living in and around the rivers and creeks of the southeastern United States.
Words of affirmation
Gwangi, the Cuban rock iguana
(c) Field Museum
Communication isn’t just key for humans—reptiles like our Cuban rock iguana, Gwangi, and our American alligator, Thanos, will let you know what’s on their mind.
A head bob from a Cuban rock iguana can indicate an assertion of dominance or irritation. But it can also be used as a simple greeting or to impress a mate.
American alligators are super vocal animals: their calls through the swamps, lakes, and rivers of the southeastern United States send messages ranging from “I warned you! Take this! Now go away or I’ll bite again!” to “Hey, good looking!”
Physical touch
Rambo, the reticulated python
(c) Field Museum
Are you a hugger? So are reticulated pythons, like Rambo—though he’s motivated more by his stomach than his heart.
Reticulated pythons are among the longest snakes on the planet and have been measured at over 30 feet—that’s the height of a three-story building!
These supersized southeast Asian snakes are constrictors: they’ll use their jaws to grab unsuspecting prey (sometimes as large as pigs or deer) and bring it closer, but coil tightly around their catch to suffocate it before eating it.
Acts of service
Hank, the Gila monster
(c) Field Museum
All reptiles play essential roles in their ecosystems, but some—like Hank the Gila monster —also give researchers essential clues about other scientific fields
While Gila monsters spend 98% of their time hiding underground from the intense desert heat of the southwestern United States and Mexico, their venom has made its way to the labs of biomedical researchers!
A direct bite from a Gila monster can be painful (although not usually life-threatening), but components of the venom have been used in medications to treat Type 2 diabetes and in the development of modern weight management drugs.
Acknowledgments
Reptiles Alive! was created by the Field Museum and Peeling Productions at Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland.