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Category: Reptiles

Ball Python

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Ball Python

(Python regius)

The Zoo’s male ball python was born in 2009 and came to Seneca Park Zoo in 2013. He is a part of the Zoo’s program animal collection.

Animal Facts

The name ball came from its tendency, when stressed, to curl into a tight “ball” with their heads hidden inside, often for long periods of time!
Due to its limited size, these snakes are becoming increasingly common in the pet trade.
Females tend to be slightly bigger than males.
Sometimes these are referred to as ‘royal pythons’ due to the story that Cleopatra supposedly wore a ball python around her wrist.
Pythons also have the tendency to hiss loudly when threatened.

Diet

Ball pythons feed primarily on rodents, but will also eat other small mammals and birds. Ball pythons only eat once every few weeks; they can go up to several months with no food.

Status in The Wild

  • Vulnerable

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

The ball python lives in western and central Africa. They can be found in open forests and dry savannas.

Usually they reside in areas near open water where they can cool themselves during hot weather.

Ball pythons are considered threatened in the wild. They are a highly-exploited species and are very important to the pet trade because of their beautiful skin. The ball python mates only every two to three years, so more effort is needed to protect and propagate this species.

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Burmese Python

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Burmese Python

(Python bivittatus)

Seneca Park Zoo is home to two Burmese pythons, both males. Garrett and Caulkins, resides inside the Zoo’s E.C.O. Center. They were hatched in 2016 right here at Seneca Park Zoo. Their parents were longtime zoo residents Abby and Mr. Slithers.

Animal Facts

The Burmese python is one of the largest of all snakes, growing up to 20 feet and weighing up to 200 pounds. It continues to grow throughout life.
Females are typically larger than males.
The Burmese python is not venomous; it kills its prey via constriction.
This species has a reputation for docility, but they are very powerful animals that can inflict severe bites.
These pythons reach adult size by age four.

Diet

The Burmese python eats appropriately sized mammals, birds and rodents.

Status in The Wild

  • Vulnerable

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

The jungles and scrublands of Burma, Malasia and Thailand compose the Burmese python’s habitat.

It has been slaughtered to supply the world leather market, as well as for folk medicines and captured for the pet trade. In recent years, extensive captive breeding has lessened the animals threat but unauthorized release of pet Burmese pythons in the Everglades has introduced an invasive species into a fragile environment.

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Giant Day Gecko

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Giant Day Gecko

(Phelsuma grandis)

One male giant day gecko can be found inside the E.C.O. Center.

Animal Facts

Millions of microscopic structures on the scales of the gecko’s feet, called setae, give these lizards an incredible climbing ability.
The giant day gecko’s bright colors help to camouflage it amidst the vibrant vegetation of the rainforest, useful for ambushing prey in the middle of the day.
When threatened, their colors turn darker, to better hide in the shade of leaves.
Geckos are the only lizards that can produce more than a hiss or other simple sounds. Their vocalizations range from squeaks and clicks to barks and croaks.
They have excellent sight and rely on it to obtain their food.

Diet

Carnivorous. Giant day geckos eat various invertebrates (especially insects), nectar, and occasionally small vertebrates.

Status in The Wild

  • Least Concern

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

The giant day gecko is native to the tropical and subtropical rainforests of Madagascar.

They are found in the uppermost canopies and often near human settlements and cities.

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East African Spiny-Tailed Lizard

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East African Spiny-Tailed Lizard

(Cordylus tropidosternum)

Seneca Park Zoo is home to three East African spiny-tailed lizards (Common name: tropical girdled lizard). Their habitat is located inside the Animals of the Savanna building.

Animal Facts

Other common names for this species are “dwarf sungazer” and “tropical girdled lizard”.
This lizard protects itself by grabbing its tail in its mouth – this creates an armored girdle by forming a ring with the sharp spines sticking out.
The East African spiny-tailed lizard is ovoviviparous, bearing live young instead of laying external eggs.
A threatened girdled lizard can wedge itself into a small opening and then inflate its lungs to make the fit even tighter; blocking the opening with its tail.
Two layers of armor protect this lizard: its spiny scales and the bony plates that support them.

Diet

East African spiny-tailed lizards are carnivores, and feed mainly on invertebrates.

Status in The Wild

  • Not Evaluated

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

These lizards are found throughout the southern coast of Kenya to eastern Zimbabwe and central Mozambique.

They are ground-dwellers and prefer dry forest habitats.

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New Caledonian Crested Gecko

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New Caledonian Crested Gecko

(Rhacodactylus ciliatus)

Seneca Park Zoo is home to two crested geckos. Both were born in May 2005, and arrived at the Zoo in 2007. Their names are Crazy-Eye and Hopscotch, and they are a part of the Zoo’s ambassador animal program.

Animal Facts

Crested geckos are capable of changing their color slightly to better blend in with their surroundings and for communication.
Darker color often indicates stress.
This reptile has no eyelids and uses its tongue to clean its eyes.
These geckos can lose their tails to avoid predation. Most adults in the wild no longer have tails.
This is now one of the most widely-kept and bred species of gecko in the world, and they are illegal to export from wild habitats.

Diet

The New Caledonian crested gecko feeds on a variety of insects and fruit.

Status in The Wild

  • Endangered

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

These geckos are native to the island of New Caledonia, in the southeast Pacific, east of Australia.

This species was once thought to be extinct. It was rediscovered in 1994 and is now listed as endangered.

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Red-Eared Slider

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Red-Eared Slider

(Trachemys scripta elegans)

There are two red-eared sliders at Seneca Park Zoo and they can be found in the Genesee Trail (seasonally).

Animal Facts

Females can grow to be much larger than males.
The red-eared slider gets its name from the red stripe that can be seen from behind the eyes and extending all the way to the neck.
These turtles are common pets throughout the world.
Red-eared sliders are mainly aquatic, but leave the water to bask in the sun and to lay eggs.

Diet

Omnivore. Adults feed on plant and animal matter. They like to eat snails, tadpoles and fish, as well as duckweed and water lilies.

Status in The Wild

  • Least Concern

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

Red-eared sliders are from the southeastern United States and also live in New York State. They can often be found basking on logs or stumps in or near water.

Humans are the greatest enemy of red-eared sliders. Each year, turtles are harmed; mainly from habitat destruction and pollution.

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Red-Footed Tortoise

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Red-Footed Tortoise

(Geochelone carbonaria)

Koopa is the name of our female red-footed tortoise. She loves to eat grapes!

Animal Facts

Red-footed tortoises can reach up to about 20 pounds, with males being a little heavier than females.
They can live up to 50 years!
Red feet help males attract females – the brighter the color, the more impressive a mate!
While habitat loss is increasingly a problem for these animals, overhunting is the most common cause of population decrease.
Tortoises are hunted for food and for their shells.

Diet

The forest habitat provides the red-foot with an abundance of fallen fruits such as wild plum. It also eats wild mushrooms, vines, grasses, succulents and carrion, and is attracted to yellow and red flowers.
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Status in The Wild

  • Not Evaluated

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

The red-footed tortoise is found throughout extreme southern Central America, and central and northern South America

This includes the countries of Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guyana, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina. Red-foots are commonly found in relatively-dry grassland and forests areas. They can also be found in humid forest habitat. Red-foots are protected under Appendix II of the CITES, meaning they may not be exported from its home country without a permit. In every country in its range, the biggest threat to the survival of the red-footed tortoise is hunting by man.

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Spotted Turtle

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Spotted Turtle

(Clemmys guttata)

Seneca Park Zoo is home to two spotted turtles that are a part of the Zoo’s ambassador animal program.

Animal Facts

The average adult shell of a spotted turtle is 3 to 5 inches in length.
When the female spotted turtle is ready to lay her eggs, she will dig her nest in well-drained soil in a marshy pasture in full sunlight. There, she will lay three to five eggs and cover them with soil and grass. The incubation period takes approximately 70 to 83 days.
Spotted turtles are shy creatures. If disturbed in the water, they will dive down and bury themselves in the mud. If disturbed on land, they will retract into their shells for protection.
Spotted turtles are creatures of habit. They have their own favorite basking sites that they return to day after day.
The spotted turtle only eats underwater because it cannot swallow its food out of water. When spotted turtles hunt on land, they will bring their catch back into the water for consumption.

Diet

Spotted turtles are omnivores. They eat algae, water lily seeds, worms, slugs, grass, mollusks and amphibian eggs.

Status in The Wild

  • Endangered

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

These turtles are native to New York State and the Midwest.

In these areas, fragmentation and loss of wetland habitats has resulted in the population decline of the spotted turtle. The loss of this animal is also attributed to them being used in the pet trade industry.

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Western Rat Snake

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Western Rat Snake

(Pantherophis obsoletus)

Seneca Park Zoo is home to one western rat snake, a male named Pugsly. The rat snakes are a part of the Zoo’s ambassador animal program.

Animal Facts

Snake scales are made out of a protein called keratin, the same stuff that makes up human fingernails.
The western rat snake is one of the longest snakes found in North America, reaching lengths of 8 feet or more.
When threatened, rat snakes may shake their tail to mimic a rattlesnake, a more dangerous venomous snake.

Diet

The western rat snake is an opportunistic feeder, meaning it will go after a wide range of available prey including mice, rats, other snakes, lizards, bird eggs, songbirds, squirrels, and frogs. These snakes can go for more than a week without food.

Status in The Wild

  • Least Concern

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

The western rat snake has one of the largest distributions of all common rat snakes. They can be found in northern New York down through Georgia, and west across Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Similarly, they can also be found in a wide range of habitats, from sea level to high elevations, such as the Appalachian Mountains, to rocky hillsides and flat farmlands.

The western rat snake is listed as least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in view of its wide distribution, tolerance of moderate habitat modification, and presumed large population. However, they occasionally become victims of roadkill and also get killed by humans when mistaken for venomous snakes.

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