SLITHERING FRIENDS\Reptile fanciers take their pets to a party.Byline: James J. Rodriguez Daily News Staff Writer As the Toyota Corolla The Toyota Corolla is a compact car produced by the Japanese automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout the world since the nameplate was first introduced in 1966. In 1997, the Corolla became the bestselling car in the world, with over 30 million sold as of 2007. pulled into the Placerita Canyon Nature Center, a 5-pound lizard was peering over the steering wheel Saturday. The 38-inch Nile monitor The Nile monitor (Varanus niloticus) is a large member of the monitor lizard family (Varanidae). Nile monitors grow to about 6 to 7 feet in length. They have muscular bodies, strong legs and powerful jaws. wasn't driving, but sitting on the shoulder of its owner, Mike O'Brien, who was at the steering wheel. The Newhall man was one of about 20 people who brought their snakes and lizards to the fifth annual Reptile reptile, name for the dry-skinned, usually scaly, cold-blooded vertebrates (see Chordata) of the order Reptilia. Reptiles are found in a variety of habitats throughout the warm and temperate regions (except on some islands), with the greatest variety in the tropics. Festival sponsored by the Placerita Canyon Nature Center. After parking the car, O'Brien gathered his youngsters and held on tightly to his pet's leash while people kept their distance. "He'll also ride on the dashboard," O'Brien told a passer-by. "He loves the sunlight. If he jumped down, he would try to boogie. He doesn't know how good he has it." Later, O'Brien kicked back on a stage while his lizard, Monte, sat nearby, a harness wrapped around its rubbery neck. Several passers-by asked O'Brien questions about the rare African lizard. The spotted reptile proved to be a hit with youngsters. Some, however, were wary of the reptile, especially when he stuck out his slender tongue. The meat-eating lizard is only 3 years old, and O'Brien said it could get a lot bigger. It's a fact of life that doesn't please his wife, he said. "As it grows and grows, my wife wants me to get rid of it," O'Brien joked. Talking to Noun 1. talking to - a lengthy rebuke; "a good lecture was my father's idea of discipline"; "the teacher gave him a talking to" lecture, speech rebuke, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, reproval - an act or expression of criticism and censure; "he had to each other about their pets, adults and children walked around the center with snakes curled up in their hands or lizards crawling up their arms. Event organizer Gini Shadwick said education is what the festival is all about. "One of our purposes is to educate people about reptiles reptiles terrestrial or aquatic vertebrates which breathe air through lungs and have a skin covering of horny scales. They are poikilothermic, oviparous or ovoviviparous, and, if they have legs they are short and constructed solely for crawling. ," she said. John W. Holmes said his group, the Reptile and Amphibian amphibian, in zoology amphibian, in zoology, cold-blooded vertebrate animal of the class Amphibia. There are three living orders of amphibians: the frogs and toads (order Anura, or Salientia), the salamanders and newts (order Urodela, or Caudata), and the Rescue Network, a West Los Angeles-based volunteer organization that takes in injured or unwanted pets, collected nearly 50 animals that people could no longer care for last year. Reasons ranged from being uneducated about the care for such animals to pure neglect, he said. Reptiles and amphibians amphibians members of the animal class Amphibia. Includes frogs, toads, newts, salamanders and cecilians all capable of living on land or in water. need special care, he said. "One of the things people need to do before they buy one is to find out what they are getting into," Holmes said. "People are fascinated by things that scare them - the unique, the unusual," Shadwick said, adding that's why people purchase snakes and lizards. "People are willing to have something in a little tank, but they don't always know what it needs." There was a contest for pets of reptile owners 14 and younger. Prizes went to the cutest pet, the ugliest pet and the owner with the most knowledge. Sitting on a wooden bench, 10-year-old Heidi Wright of Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. proudly displayed her Berber skink skink Any of about 1,275 species (family Scincidae) of lizards found throughout the tropics and in temperate regions of North America. Skinks have a cylindrical body, a conical head, and a long, tapering tail. Some species are 26 in. (66 cm) long, but most are under 8 in. , a cream-colored lizard with orange spots. "They are very interesting," Heidi said about her pet, Liz. "They are great for pets. He is a patient lizard. I can hold him in my lap while doing homework and know he won't run away." In preparation for the contest, Heidi used the Internet on her home computer to research the history of the Berber skink, a small lizard from northwestern Africa and western Asia. CAPTION(S): PHOTO Photo (1--color in SAC edition only) Jennifer Little, 16, of Canyon Country keeps an eye on a Colombian boa during the Reptile Festival on Saturday at the Placerita Canyon Nature Center. (2) Corey Watts, 6, of Valencia holds his 6-inch garter snake garter snake, harmless snake of the genus Thamnophis, abundant from Canada to Central America. There are many common species; members of most species are about 2 ft (60 cm) long. Saturday. (3) A 5-pound Nile monitor lizard rides on owner Mike O'Brien's back. John Lazar/Special to the Daily News |
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