(upbeat music) Hey, kids.

My name is Andrea, and I work at the Little Rock Zoo.

Today, we're going to talk about snakes.

(screams) I know a lot of people think snakes look scary, but snakes are not scary as long as you leave them alone.

They will leave you alone.

This is Monty.

Monty is a ball python.

Monty is 21 years old, and these guys can live up to 30 years.

So Monty is a pretty old guy.

Ball pythons are nonvenomous, and that just means that they don't have fangs.

These guys are constrictors, so they don't have those venomous fangs.

Now, these guys have a really, really important job to do to help us in the wild.

Does anybody know what that job might be?

Hmm.

No?

OK, so these guys eat rats and mice, so they just help us control the pest population.

Ball pythons come from Africa.

They also get their name ball python because if they get really nervous, they curl up in a ball.

And when they do that, they can roll away from their predators.

Now, Monty is very, very comfortable, and it's very warm outside.

These guys are cold blooded.

So Monty really, really likes the warm weather.

So Monty is super comfortable out here.

So Monty is not scared at all, so he's not curling into a ball at all.

Now, another really cool thing about snakes.

Does anybody know the difference between a snake and a lizard?

That's kind of a trick question.

So most people say lizards have legs, but there are actually legless lizards.

So there are differences between a snake and a lizard.

Snakes don't have eyelids.

Lizards do have eyelids.

So you can never win a staring contest with a snake.

Staring contest in 3 .. 2 .. 1.

Go!

(upbeat music) Winner .. the snake.

Snakes also don't have ear holes.

So snakes hear from vibration and lizards have normal ears like us.

You guys want to see another really cool snake?

One that you can find right here in the United States?

This is Mojave.

Mojave is a Rosey Boa.

She is one of only two boa species that you can find here in the United States, but not here in Arkansas.

You find these guys in the desert areas like New Mexico and Arizona.

She gets her name, Rosie Boa, because she has a very rosy coloring.

That's actually her camouflage.

Do you guys know what camouflage is?

(jungle sounds) Camouflage means that's the way she hides.

She matches with everything around her so that she can hide.

Because Rosie Boas are very, very slow moving snakes.

So these guys don't move very fast.

So they have to be able to hide and blend in with their surroundings in order to stay away from predators and to find their food.

These guys are also constrictors.

Just like Monty the snake, was a constrictor, that means Mojave is not venomous.

And she doesn't have fangs just like Monty didn't have fangs.

Now, there's also a few differences between Mojave and Monty.

So Mojave is obviously way smaller than Monty.

Boa species tend to be smaller than python species.

Some of the python species are some of the biggest snakes, and boa species are very small.

Now, Mojave is very active because she loves being outside when it's warm, because she's also cold blooded, just like all other reptiles.

So what do you guys think?

Don't you want to learn more about snakes?

(cheering and clapping) (upbeat music) They're not so scary like we all thought they were.

Right?

Although, if you see one in the wild, be sure to leave it alone, because these guys have a really, really important job to do.

Remember, they're going to be out there helping control the pest population so we don't have so many rats and mice running around.

So if you see a snake in the wild, just leave it alone and let it do its job.

Well, thank you, guys for coming out and visiting with us today here at the Little Rock Zoo.

We hope that you come out and see us because we have so many more animals besides just reptiles.

We have elephants, primates and even penguins and much, much more.

So if you come out, you can make a whole day of it.

And we hope to see you around here at the Little Rock Zoo.

Bye bye!