That's My Story and I'm Sticking To It: A DRAGON IN THE CLASSROOM

Sunday, March 13, 2011

A DRAGON IN THE CLASSROOM

A STUDENT TENTATIVELY REACHES OUT TO PEARL

Most of you know that I work at the Cochran Mill Nature Center and in a high school, where I substitute teach in Special Needs classes. I am delighted to bring nature into the classroom and often give presentations to the four classes, thanks to the generosity of CMNC.

PEARL IS READY FOR HER AUDIENCE

Recently I brought Pearl, a bearded dragon, to school, where she was calm and tame and a huge hit with the students and teachers. She sat on my arm and let any-and-everyone touch, pat, and stroke her (even against the grain, so to speak). Pearl is a Pogona vitticeps, a type of lizard from Australia. They are called "bearded" because they can swell and darken their dewlaps like a big, scary beard. This display is a part of their body language designed to frighten off attackers.

Other body languages includes head bobbing to show dominance and a slow arc of the "arm" (front leg) to indicate submission.

THREE HANDS REACH OUT AND TOUCH PEARL

Bearded dragons live in arid semi-desert and woodland areas in Australia. Good climbers, they love to bask on limbs and rocks to warm themselves.

Pearl obligingly snapped up apple bits and lettuce with her sticky tongue, thrilling her audience, who showered down pieces of food, eager to feed her.

THE CLASS WATCHES AS ONE STUDENT OVERCOMES RELUCTANCE TO TOUCH

These little fellows have unusual teeth. Their front teeth fall out and grow back regularly, but their jaw teeth are permanent.

AT LEAST MRS. BETH HASN'T BROUGHT IN SOMETHING DEAD THIS TIME!

Unlike snakes, dragons can hear quite well (snakes have no ears). The have a similar ability to "taste" the air, though, to keep tabs on activity in their areas. They also have good vision, with full color. Since their eyes are on the sides of their heads, they enjoy excellent fields of vision.

PEARL EXHIBITS HER SANDPAPER-LIKE BACK

Besides using her scaly skin to "glue" herself into a crevice in case of attack, Pearl could also collect rain on her bumpy hide, then lower her head and the rain would flow down into her mouth.

BEARDED DRAGONS ARE POPULAR PETS

Calm and friendly toward humans, bearded dragons make good pets. They average 13" to 24" and have a life span of five to ten years. Their habitat is easy to keep clean and they are not escape artists, as some pets are.

STUDENTS EXAMINE PEARL'S "THIRD EYE"

On the menus of large lizards, dingoes, and birds of prey, bearded dragons, avoid capture by hiding in rocky crevices. If an animal tries to pull the dragon out of his hiding place by his tail, he can inflate his body, stiffening his side spikes and pressing against the rocks. With his rough skin clinging to his surroundings, he is extremely hard to pull out, even to the point of losing his tail in the process.

Another aid to avoid being dinner, dragons have a "third eye", a special group of cells on top of the head (parietal eye), which senses heat and shadows. If a large bird sails above, looking for a scaly snack, the little dragon senses its shadow and scurries for cover.

Pearl was a wonderful visitor to the classroom and the students are looking forward to next week's encounter -- hissing cockroaches!

2 comments:

UnknownMarch 27, 2011 at 3:56 PM
Hey Beth,

I didn't know about their teeth. Learned something new today---it's a good day!!!
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HeatherApril 11, 2011 at 6:14 PM
I feel like I was there. I learned something new today. Thanks for sharing Beth!!
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ALLIGATOR FACTS

FLOUNDER Is about 3 feet long. He is around 7 years old, so he should be longer, but he was kept as a pet in the early part of his life, fed incorrectly, and his growth was stunted. He should eventually reach his full growth. We assume Founder is a male. I think you would have to be a cross between a gynecologist and a proctologist to find out. Gender is on a "need to know" basis. With all those little teeth he has, we don't need to know. Founder eats mice, rats, etc.

ALLIGATORS IN THE WILD:

REPRODUCTION: The female gator lays 20 to 50 white, goose-egg-size eggs and covers them with vegetation which heats as it decays, warming the eggs. Throughout the 65-day incubation period, mom remains near the nest and protects it from intruders. When she hears the high-pitched squeals of the hatching babies, she digs them out of the nest.

YOUNG: The hatchlings are 6 to 8 inches long. They stay near the mothers for about 2 years for protection from predators, such as birds, raccoons, bobcats, and other alligators. Alligators grow throughout their lives. Males can be up to 10 to 15 feet long and females reach just under 10 feet.

FEEDING: In the wild, they eat fish, birds, turtles, snakes, mammals, and amphibians. Humans have been attacked; it's best to enjoy them at a distance.

TEETH: Lucky gators have roughly 20 pairs of 1-inch-long replaceable teeth on each jaw. No dentures needed. New teeth are stacked below the gum line and push up to replace worn or lost teeth.

BREATHING: Inactive alligators can rest underwater for several hours. Even when hunting, alligators can "hold their breath" long enough to drown many species.

COLD BLOODED: Alligators regulate their body temperatures by sunning themselves when they are cold and submerging into cool water when they are too warm. All their activity is dependent on external temperature. Sluggish when they are cool, gators are less likely to hut or eat.

They are also sluggish when they have recently gorged themselves. A guide in the Okefenokee Swamp demonstrated this by locating an 11-foot-long gator which had just eaten and pulling its tail INTO YOUR ROWBOAT for us to touch. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! Did I say it was 11 feet long? Man!