Temperature control key in housing reptiles

Abu Dhabi: While big cats need cooling in the summer only, the zoo has to adjust the temperature for reptiles including big snakes like pythons during the winter and summer.

“They are cold-blooded animals and each species has to maintain optimum temperature always — on an average 20 to 29 Celsius,” says Dr Mohammad Sa’ad, Animal Health Manager at Emirates Park Zoo in Abu Dhabi.

Their air-conditioned enclosures are cooled during summer and heated during winter.

A Boa Constrictor, a large snake from South America, and an Albino Python are some of the prominent reptiles at the zoo.

Although the Boas and the Pythons are different groups, they have some things in common: they are constrictors, killing their prey by wrapping around it and suffocating it. They are considered primitive snakes with two lungs (most snakes have only one) and remnants of hind legs and pelvic bones.

One of the biggest differences is that Pythons lay eggs while Boas give birth to live young, although some Sand Boas and the Round Island Boa of Mauritius lay eggs.

The Eastern rat snake is an interesting reptile housed at the zoo. Although humans are intimidated by them because of their length, they are not venomous. They are often found in woodsy forest environments, wetlands and agricultural sites.

Baboons at the zoo are also given special care during the summer. Despite the heat, the animals can continue to breed. One male and five females are in a big enclosure. Their natural habitat is savanna, scrub, rocky deserts and rainforests in Africa and in parts of Arabia. A dominant male baboon establishes his kingdom with a few females. If another male trespasses the kingdom, he may even get killed. Males are often twice the size of females and have sharp canines, which help them to defend the troop from outside attacks.

Baboons are sociable, intelligent and adaptable animals. But their numbers are declining due to hunting and habitat loss.

Two Sea Lions from South America are also unperturbed by the summer heat. They swim and play in the pool throughout the day.

Giraffe, zebras and gazelles living together in a wide open enclosure are also undisturbed because they have come from dry and hot natural habitat.