Hey, what’s going on at the Library? I thought libraries were for people not animals! Tuesday (July 11) the Blank Park Zoo from Des Moines stopped off at Marcus to give a presentation to an enthusiastic audience of all ages. Educator Marissa explained that animals here are ambassador animals that live behind the scenes. You will not see them on public display.
We were shown a reptile that lives in rocky, dry grassland, and desert regions and is not from the U.S. Leopard geckos are small lizards that derive their name from their spotted coloration. Females are about 7.1-to 7.9 inches long and males are about 7.9-11.0 inches long. Their toes do not have adhesive lamellae, so they cannot climb smooth vertical walls.
They are able to replace each of their 100 teeth every 3 to 4 months. This is possible because next to the full grown tooth there is a small replacement tooth developing from the odontogenic stem cell in the dental lamina. The one shown to us came from a pet store where the owners were not taking good care of her. (More on this in a separate article.)
We saw a Monarch Butterfly that was very different. It was blue in one side and brown on the other side. There was a good picture taken of this, but if it isn’t printed off in color, it has no meaning.
We got to feel a beaver fur pelt and also saw a beaver skull. Beavers are known to cut whole trees down and block streams to use for their advantage. They then make their dens there. It is easy to get their food, also. Some farmers are not always happy with beavers when they block up streams. Beavers have a large flat tail that when they thump it several times, it is their form of communication with other beavers. They use this way of warning when an enemy is near.
We were shown a snake skin from a corn snake. There was also a turtle egg shown.
The last thing shown to us was a Hedgehog Tenrec. It is found in Madagascar in subtropical or tropical dry forests, shrub land, and dry shrub land. (More on this in a separate article.)
How can people help animals to live their lives out? Drinking straws can be harmful to turtles. Get in the habit of picking up after yourself and recycle. We can recycle water bottles, plastic bottles and plastic bags. Do not throw anything out as you are driving down the road. Keep Iowa’s ditches and grasslands clean and free from clutter that can be harmful to animals.
July 28 is the next Naturalist Lunchbox at the Marcus Public Library. Lunch will consist of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, potato chips, fruit snacks and water. If a child cannot have any of this food offered, then bring what they can eat.
Registration is required and call Marcus Public Library @ 712-376-2328 as well as for more information on this event.