Chapter 587: Desert Diamonds

The leopard gecko, also known as the "smiling gecko," naturally has a cute smiling face that people love. It is a common pet gecko.

This orange color is a beautiful, artificially bred mutation. The original coloration is actually a white base with black spots, resembling a leopard's spots, hence the name leopard gecko.

There are many mutation types of leopard geckos, including tangerine, albino, high yellow, and carrot tail. The original coloration is actually quite rare and hard to find. This particular gecko only has some spots on its tail.

From the front, Yan Ganghui saw the leopard gecko's big, watery eyes looking at him, sparkling with a bright light. It stuck out its red tongue, smiling foolishly like a husky, which was very infectious.

From the side, Su Hui saw its slender pupils and slightly upturned mouth. Besides being cute, it also had a mysterious and suave, devilish charm, looking very handsome.

At the moment, its head tilted slightly as it observed the visitors outside.

It seemed to sense no threat from them and bent its head down to its side, with its tail curled around it. One front paw lifted, and it carefully licked its fingers with its little tongue.

Its tiny paws were also very cute!

Each of its five fingers was distinct and delicate.

Leopard geckos shed their skin every few weeks. Due to their curved toenails, the skin can easily remain on the tips. If not licked off, it can affect blood circulation over time.

Some leopard geckos are not adept at licking off their shed skin and need their owners' help to clean it.

But this leopard gecko seemed quite smart, knowing how to clean itself.

"Wow~"

Su Hui stared at the leopard gecko, with its delicate features, sweet smile, and well-behaved demeanor. It looked like a creature straight out of an anime, making her heart skip a beat!

Yan Ganghui couldn't help but take out his phone and snap a photo.

Originally, they had just planned to take a casual stroll around the reptile house since it was near the elephant exhibit and have lunch at the nearby animal restaurant. But the reptiles turned out to be quite charming, captivating them instantly.

Seeing his girlfriend's excitement made him even happier.

After licking its fingers for a while, the leopard gecko crawled around the enclosure, stretched a bit, and then retreated behind the plants and rocks to curl up and sleep.

...

They came to a four-meter-wide display case.

The bottom was also covered with fine sand, with a nest made of several large rocks in the middle. There were a few spherical or elongated cacti on the side, clearly indicating a dry desert environment.

A black and gray snake with white patterns on its back, over a meter long, slithered across the sand.

This was an Eastern diamondback rattlesnake!

Its most notable feature was the diamond-shaped white patterns on its back, resembling diamonds, hence its nickname "diamond rattlesnake."

The flat, triangular head slowly lifted, flicking its tongue, and climbed onto a rock.

It joined another Western diamondback rattlesnake, resting its head on the flat surface of the rock, basking in the sun without moving.

Yan Ganghui observed its eyes and felt that the snake looked very serious: "This seems like a venomous snake! It looks quite menacing."

Su Hui added, "It does look a bit fierce!"

They also noticed the end of its tail, which had white rattle segments arranged tightly together like mulberries.

Indeed, it was a venomous rattlesnake.

Next to the display case was a sign about the rattlesnake's tail!

It read: "Want to hear the sound of a rattlesnake's tail?"

Yan Ganghui curiously pressed the button next to it and immediately heard a rapid, crisp "rattle-rattle-rattle-rattle" sound.

It sounded somewhat like a baby's rattle toy.

The sign also provided information about the rattlesnake's tail!

The rattlesnake's tail is made of keratin, the same material as human fingernails, and is connected in segments like joints.

A baby rattlesnake is born with one segment, which cannot make a sound. It adds a segment each time it sheds its skin.

As the keratin rings accumulate, shaking the tail causes them to rub and collide, amplifying the sound in the hollow segments, producing the distinctive rattling noise.

When hunting, the muscles in the tail control the keratin rings to remain still. When sensing a threat, the rattlesnake shakes its tail to warn off potential dangers.

Studies have shown that the rattlesnake's tail sound is not static!

When it first detects a threat, the tail shakes at a frequency below 40 Hz.

After the initial warning, if the threat continues to approach, the rattlesnake rapidly increases the tail-shaking frequency to 60-100 Hz, making the sound louder.

Interestingly, the rattlesnake itself cannot hear the sound of its tail. The rattling is meant to warn threats to stay away, not to attract prey or communicate with others.

However, in some areas, rattlesnakes have stopped rattling.

In Sweetwater, Texas, an annual tradition involves hunting rattlesnakes using gasoline, iron hooks, and other methods to extract them from their dens and then behead and skin them.

To avoid revealing their presence and being hunted by humans, rattlesnakes have chosen to stop rattling, making them even more dangerous.

"This is..."

Yan Ganghui was speechless, unsure of what to say.

Lu Ye, who was wandering around the exhibit, caught Su Hui's attention. She saw him in uniform and curiously called him over to ask, "Hello, how do you usually take care of venomous snakes? Aren't you afraid of being bitten?"

Lu Ye smiled and replied, "You see this enclosure, with the water dish here and the rock den on the other side. When we work, the snakes automatically retreat to the other side or hide in the den, as long as there's enough space for them to move around. How do you feel? Are you scared?"

Su Hui honestly said, "The pretty snakes are fine, but the rattlesnakes are a bit scary!"

Lu Ye said, "Rattlesnakes are actually quite similar to us in some ways! Did you know that rattlesnakes take their young for walks?"

Yan Ganghui and Su Hui widened their eyes in surprise, "What!?"

Lu Ye continued, "I'm a seasoned reptile enthusiast and used to travel around the world. A few years ago, in the fall, while herping with friends in the Huachuca Mountains of Arizona, we encountered a rock rattlesnake with its young.

The baby rattlesnakes were very frightened upon seeing us. Some started to flee, while others huddled close to their mother.

The mother rattlesnake, having recently given birth, was very thin but did not run away. Instead, she coiled up and rattled loudly to warn us.

Of course, we didn't disturb the family further and retreated."

Yan Ganghui was deeply moved, his impressions overturned.

He had always thought of snakes as cold-blooded animals without emotions. It seemed like an obvious thing.

But now he had a new question: Do snakes really have no emotions?

Su Hui was even teary-eyed!

She imagined the mother snake lifting her head, weak but still trying to protect her young by rattling her tail.

Lu Ye added, "Adult rattlesnakes also visit their relatives and friends, going from one den to another. They are very inclusive and can share their dens with other rattlesnake species or non-venomous snakes like whipsnakes during winter.

Our two rattlesnakes here, the Eastern diamondback and the Western diamondback, each come from different parts of the Americas and don't usually interact. But you see, they get along well together."