Please note that this post contains affiliate links and any sales made through such links will reward MageeNews.com a small commission – at no extra cost to you.
The Magee Public Library continued its summer reading program with a visit from some wild friends on Wednesday, June 29, 2016 at 11:00 a.m.
Aimee Foster, Outreach Coordinator for the Hattiesburg Zoo, introduced children and adults to some of the zoo’s inhabitants. The focus of her talk was the difference between reptiles and mammals. To demonstrate some of those differences, she gave everyone in attendance the opportunity to meet a few of her friends face to face.
First, she introduced everyone to Charlie, a bearded dragon from Australia. Charlie graciously allowed kids and adults to pet him, feeling the roughness of his scales.
To show the contrast between a rough, scaly reptile and a soft mammal, Aimee next allowed kids to touch the softest animal on earth: a chinchilla. This particular one is named Daisy. Chinchillas like Daisy are found in the Andes mountains, and their thick fur allows them to stay warm even in such a cold climate. Aimee shared that the desire for chinchilla fur has led to the extinction of one of the three species of chinchilla.
Next, Aimee shared an endangered species found a little closer to home. The American Alligator is found throughout the southeastern United States and, unlike most other reptiles, cares for its young after birth. Irwin, the visiting alligator, exhibited yellow bands on his back, a form of camouflage for young alligators in shallow water.
Aimee explained to the crowd that alligators are a keystone species, vital to their ecosystem, as well as apex predators. To contrast the idea of an apex predator and expound upon the predator-prey relationships found in nature, she next introduced attendees to a Flemish rabbit that all the kids enjoyed petting.
Aimee and others from the Hattiesburg Zoo are available to speak to schools and other community organizations. To learn more, visit HattiesburgZoo.com or call 601-545-4576.
