Prague Zoo: Spring has come for reptiles, colorful courtships have begun
Reptiles in the Prague Zoo wake up from the winter quiet stadium. They are helped by breeders who artificially extend the time of day by re-lighting the lights in the indoor exhibitions and having a suitable temperature.
“As soon as the reptiles warm up to operating temperature, frenetic activity will break out – first foraging, then courtship and mating. Desert lizard males often dress up in a colorful engagement dress and show off a variety of impressive behaviors during courtship. In an effort to attract the female, they jump in every way, nod in front of the body and roll the tail,“Describes the reptile curator Petr Velenský.
Visitors to the zoo have a really unusual spectacle these days – courtship for male reptiles is often accompanied by color intensification or even discoloration. This can now be seen in the desert lizards in the Beast and Reptile Pavilion. “An example is the Mesopotamian thorn beetle, to which across the back stands a red chabraka, or a male steppe agama colored a combination of white, blue and purple. In the exposition of Czech snakes in the Terrarium, the male common viper, which immediately after the end of wintering, also shows a significant seasonal color change, “describes Prague Zoo press officer Alena Maděrová in a press release.
Wintering
Wintering is an integral part of the life rhythm of temperate and subtropical reptiles. “It increases their vitality and is often a condition for successful reproduction. For reptiles from different latitudes, the length of the rest period varies, we usually tune the reptiles to rest during the autumn and we end the winter just at the beginning of February, ”says Velenský.
Some reptiles winter breeders directly in their indoor exhibitions, such as desert reptiles or vipers and snakes. Mediterranean snakes are placed by breeders in a wine shop that ensures the right temperature and humidity. The last way is wintering in the prepared wintering grounds of outdoor exhibitions.
Immediately after wintering, for example, the viper is in the section of Czech snakes in the Terrarium, which is located in the Bororo Reserve in the lower part of the complex.
Author: Oliver Le Que, Prague Zoo