Neonate Census Time

Ben from the Herpetology Team here! A few of our animals had a fruitful summer this year, producing a solid number of offspring, so I figured an update was in order.

So far in 2026, the Herpetology Department has welcomed:

• 14 copperheads (Agkistrodon contortrix)
• 6 sidewinders (Crotalus cerates)
• 2 Guatemalan beaded lizards (Heloderma charlesbogarti)
• 10 Amazon Basin emerald tree boas (Corallus batesii)
• 1 Neotropical bird snake (Phrynonax poecilonotus)
• And a bunch of whiptails! (Aspidoscelis spp.)

Additionally, our team received 24 diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) from our close colleagues at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. These individuals are about the size of a nickel and are being head-started in the Georgia Tidal Creek habitat at Scaly Slimy Spectacular. We will raise them here safely for one year until their subsequent release on Jekyll Island.

While the neonate season is wrapping up, I am still hoping that one last rattlesnake species may produce offspring this year. I suspect our female eastern massasauga rattlesnake is gravid due to breeding behavior I observed earlier this season. She has recently put on a few grams, which may be consistent with a gestating snake! Our Veterinary Team will be doing an ultrasound soon to verify.

I’ll be sure to share the results with you all in my next blog post!

Ben M.
Keeper III, Herpetology