
An alligator sun bathes at the Fort Worth Nature Center. Photo by Lorna.
July 26, 2024
Whether you love reptiles or fear them, there’s an opportunity to get to know the sometimes formidable critters better next week.
The Reptile Appreciation Workshop will be held on Saturday, Aug. 3, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Dallas County Road and Bridge Office, 715 Rowlett Road in Garland.
The workshop is hosted by the North Texas Master Naturalists Chapter in partnership with Texas Parks and Wildlife .
The day-long seminar will feature local and state-wide experts talking about the charms and benefits of these often maligned creatures. Live herps will be on hand for meet and greets.
“We’re going to try to combat the misunderstanding and — for lack of a better word — hatred of reptiles,” said Sam Kieschnick, a Texas Parks and Wildlife urban wildlife biologist and organizer of the event
“Some people just really don't like reptiles,” he said. “Snakes are a big one. Alligators are another one that people just get freaked out about. So we're going to try to combat some of that with education.”
Presenters include Corey Roekle, a University of Texas at Arlington instructor and herpetologist, who will talk about how reptiles evolved.
Jonathan Warner, an alligator expert with TPWD, will share tidbits about American alligators in Texas.
Michael Smith, cofounder of the DFW Herpetological Society whose book Mindfulness in Texas Nature published earlier this month, will be speaking about snakes of North Central Texas.
Kieschnick will also dig into the origin of our fears of the scaly (not slimy) creatures.
“I’m doing some some deep diving into the mythology around snakes, but also some interesting studies that examine our fear of snakes, and this ancestral or evolutionarily survival instinct to be fearful of snakes.”
In addition, Carsyn Bennett, DFW Urban Wildlife Intern TPWD, will share insight into a familiar backyard lizard, the cheery green anoles.
Rachel Richter, TPWD Urban Wildlife Biologist, will speak about red-eared slide, a common turtle species.
SNAKES
Rat snakes are one of the most common nonvenomous snakes found in North Texas. The larger ones eat rats and mice, which has endeared them to some people. PIctured, an adult Western rat snake. Photo by Michael Smith.
We’ve all heard the saying — the only good snake is a dead snake.
“It’s really unfortunate that we accept that sort of thing,” Kieschnick said. “What if people said that the only good butterfly is a dead butterfly? Are you kidding me? But we make an exception for snakes.”
Kieschnick points out that while Western mythology often characterizes snakes as villains, there are other cultural references that show snakes in a different light.
“In some mythology, snakes can be wise and healing,” he said.
For example, the caduceus, the official symbol of the United States Medical Corps, Navy Pharmacy Division, and the Public Health Service depicts a staff with two snakes coiled around it.
“Legend states that Hermes discovered two snakes fighting and thrust his rod between them. The snakes stopped fighting and wound themselves around the rod. Thus, this combination became the sign of settlement of quarrels,” according to the Mayo Clinic.
The serpent was also worshipped as a symbol of life and regenerative power by primitive humans.
Kieschnick said in nature, snakes serve a variety of beneficial services. They keep other populations in check — namely rodents, frogs and insects — which prevents an explosion of critters that will eat all of the plants.
“They’re also food for our hawks, owls, bobcats and coyotes,” he said.
And while many people fear venomous snakes, Kieschnick points out that only few of the species found in North Texas are poisonous.
According to snake expert Michael Smith, who will be speaking at the event, North Texas is home to about 40 species of snakes. Only seven species have a venomous bite that is medically significant for humans — the coral snake, copperhead, cottonmouth and four species of rattlesnakes.
Kieschnick reassures people that snakes are not out stalking humans
“If you don’t pester a snake, it’s not going to pester you,” he said.
ALLIGATORS
An adult American alligator heads for the water at Anuahuac National Wildlife Refuge near Galveston. Photo by Michael Smith.
Alligators are native throughout the Trinity River basin from DFW to Houston.
Alligators occasionally make the news when humans get spooked.
“It can be scary, seeing those teeth,” Kieschnick said.
But in reality, people have “millions of interactions" with alligators that are pleasant and totally benign, he said.
Alligators are apex predators, which play a key role in the ecosystem.
Gators help control the turtle and fish populations in an area.
“They are also one of the few critters that can control the nutria population, an invasive species that is basically a big rat,” Kieschnick said.
While an alligator sighting can cause terror among humans, gators are equally fearful of us, he said.
“The guys that actually work on alligator issues say they’re like turtles. When an alligator sees you, it makes a run for it and dives down deep into the water.”
ANOLES
A green anole surveys a Fort Worth yard. Photo by Julie Thibodeaux.
The presenters at the workshop will also talk about one of the most beloved lizard species in the North Texas area, anoles. The bright green lizards are the only reptile native to DFW that changes color — from green to brown and vice versa. They are sometimes called the American Chameleon, according to Kieschnick.
“They are great for pest control, eating such things as cockroaches and crickets.”
Most people aren’t scared of lizards like they are of snakes, but some find them creepy.
The lesson they present has to do with their food source and a warning about pesticide use.
“When we remove the bugs in our yard, we remove the things that eat the bugs too, like anoles, which are really cool animals,” he said. “So if a homeowner kills all the bugs in their yard, the anoles will go away too.”
RED-EARED SLIDERS
A red-eared slider seen in a Cedar Hill park. Photo by Sam Kieschnick.
The most common turtle, native to North Texas is the red-eared slider. You can find them in almost every urban nature center, Kieschnick said.
For decades, they’ve been victims of the pet trade industry but today Texas has a law banning their commercial collection.
Kieschnick said they don’t make good pets.
“They’re so charming and so cute when they’re small but in reality they smell really bad,” he joked. “When they’re out in the wilderness there’s no problem, but in a little aquarium, they stink up the whole room.”
Come check out these critters for yourself a week from Saturday. Kieschnick said they even plan to have a baby alligator.
Kieschnick admits that the workshop will likely draw mostly people who already appreciate reptiles.
“But we are going to spend some time on how to talk to and educate those who don't like reptiles about why they're important," he said.
The workshop costs $40 and includes lunch. All proceeds go to the North Texas Master Naturalists. Purchase tickets.
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