Reptiles

Reptiles are vertebrates, they have scaly skin that keeps their bodies from drying out, their young do not go through a larva stage like amphibians, but instead look like small versions of the adults when they hatch. Reptiles are ectotherms, so they must bask in the sun or find a warm spot to get warm and become active, and they must find shade or a cool spot to cool off. In cold conditions they become sluggish and don’t move around much, and some enter a state of torpor or hibernation if it will be cold for a long time.

Our reptiles come in two shapes. The tortoises — Aldabra, sulcata, red-footed and Hermann’s — are built for the long haul, carrying their shelter with them and taking their time about everything. The Aldabra is one of the largest tortoise species on earth, and among the longest-lived animals you are ever likely to stand next to. The red-eared slider is a turtle rather than a tortoise, and spends far more of its life in the water.

Then there are the snakes. The ball python takes its name from what it does when it feels threatened: curls into a ball, head tucked safely in the middle. The corn snake and the red-tailed boa are constrictors, which means they hunt by holding on rather than by venom. None of the snakes at Plumpton Park Zoo are venomous.

Because a reptile cannot make its own body heat, caring for one is mostly a matter of managing temperature and light — a warm spot to bask, a cooler corner to retreat to, and the right light to keep shells and skin healthy. So if you find our tortoises stretched out under a lamp doing what looks like absolutely nothing, that is rather the point. They are working.

Also here, without a page of its own yet: Hermann’s Tortoise.

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