SNAKES ALIVE! KIDS' PROGRAM PUTS REPTILES CLOSE FOR COMFORT.Byline: Amy Raisin raisin, in botany and cooking raisin, dried fruit of certain varieties of grapevines bearing grapes with a high content of sugar and solid flesh. Although the fruit is sometimes artificially dehydrated, it is usually sun-dried. Staff Writer NEWHALL - Dozens of children ran their fingers over slithering slith·er v. slith·ered, slith·er·ing, slith·ers v.intr. 1. To glide or slide like a reptile. See Synonyms at slide. 2. To walk with a sliding or shuffling gait. 3. snakes at the Placerita Canyon Nature Center on Saturday during a reptile program for young nature lovers. About 35 members of the center's Junior Ranger and Student Naturalist programs arrived at 9:30 a.m. for this month's hands-on session 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. 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. - some of the younger kids even conquering their fear of snakes. ``My goal is to make people better stewards of the Earth,'' said Susan Haugland, director of the youth program. ``If children understand the roles of these creatures - from rattlesnakes to insects - the more they will respect, honor and love their mother Earth.'' A nature hike educated the children about lizard habitats and snake behavior, but the real oohs and aahs came when a guest speaker showed the kids a 50-pound shell that once protected a 650-pound tortoise. ``My favorite My Favorite is an independent synthpop band from Long Island, New York. They released two CDs: Love at Absolute Zero and Happiest Days of Our Lives. My Favorite broke up on September 14, 2005, when singer Andrea Vaughn left the band. part was the Galapagos tortoise shell the substance of the shell or horny plates of several species of sea turtles, especially of the hawkbill turtle. It is used in inlaying and in the manufacture of various ornamental articles. See also: Tortoise . It was just so big, and the turtle lived to be 180 years old,'' said 8-year-old Melissa Selva, who became a student naturalist at the center about four months ago. Children 8 to 12 years old are eligible for the Student Naturalist program, while Junior Rangers range from 13 to 17 years old. The program features a monthly education session on a specific topic, such as nature at night, birds and the upcoming endangered species endangered species, any plant or animal species whose ability to survive and reproduce has been jeopardized by human activities. In 1999 the U.S. government, in accordance with the U.S. program. This month's guest speakers were members of the Southwestern Herpetology Society and brought with them the tortoise shell, numerous snakes and, easily the most breathtaking for the children, a 5-foot-5-inch ornate 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. lizard. Children gasped when the large lizard came through the door, cradled against a man's chest. Described as very gentle and intelligent, the lizard impressed the audience with its two-pronged, 7-inch serpentlike tongue. ``It's really a treat to get to see kids see something like this,'' said Dana Bleitz, educational outreach chairwoman for the Southwestern Herpetology Society. ``So many people have a cultural bias against snakes, but when the kids touch them they realize how smooth and soft they are. It's a kick,'' Bleitz said. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) A monitor lizard peeks over the shoulder of handler Tom Hagan of the Southwestern Herpetology Society on Saturday. (2 -- color) Southwestern Herpetology Society member Dana Bleitz shows off snakes at the Placerita Canyon Nature Center. David R. Crane/Staff Photographer |
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