Anyone can enjoy a reptile trade show

I took my grandson to the Repticon Reptile and Exotic Animal Convention in Columbia, S.C., last month. Herpetoculturists (people who keep reptiles and amphibians for pets) gather at Repticon extravaganzas in different cities to trade, sell or simply display their animals. You can buy a ticket just to look around, with no intent to buy. That's what we did, and it's a bargain for anyone wanting to entertain kids (or adults) interested in snakes and lizards.

Our initial animal encounter was not with reptiles, but mammals. Not monkeys swinging from branches or lions lounging in an African savanna. Oh no. We saw mice and rats. Hundreds of them. Some wriggling, just-born pinkies; others full grown with waving whiskers. Most were part of a neatly packaged frozen food section. We moved on, not needing to ask why people with pet snakes might want a mouse or six.

Our first face-to-face with a reptile was an enormous monitor lizard walking around on a leash. At least 5 feet long from nose to tail tip, it was taking its stroll alongside a sign that read Photo of You and the Dragon. $5.00. A bargain to be sure, but not one we succumbed to, although my grandson got to pat the big lizard for free.


Over the next hour we saw hundreds of other lizards, including venomous Gila monsters and the easy-to-care-for bearded dragon lizards kept by many herpetoculturists. Snakes came in all sizes from baby king and garter snakes to boas, pythons and anacondas. A few token amphibians, such as poison dart frogs and fire-bellied newts, were interspersed here and there. All of the animals being sold were bred and raised in captivity. Corn snakes took the prize for displays of the most bizarre color patterns of any snake. Corn snakes are a native species already beautiful in their natural colors of blotched red, orange, white and black. At the Repticon they came in designer snake patterns ranging from pigment variations of solid white, solid red and solid orange to blotched pink, lavender, yellow and everything in between. Looking at a table with little plastic containers of baby corn snakes was like gazing at a kaleidoscope of coiled serpents.

Events like Repticon serve a useful purpose in fulfilling the desire many people have to possess and care for a pet snake, lizard, turtle, salamander or frog. Such a longing might seem peculiar to some people. To me it's no odder than acquaintances I have known over the years who collect ball caps, matchbooks or thimbles. Reptile enthusiasts are worldwide and most are well meaning.

As with all professions, a few individuals engaged in the business break the law. Unscrupulous pet trade dealers sell illegal commodities, in this case wildlife. Many of these are simply greedy, having little interest in the reptiles themselves beyond their commercial value. But a valid reptile trade show, one in which the animals for sale are truly ones born and bred in captivity, often by private individuals who enjoy the challenge, helps reduce the collection and commercialization of animals from the wild. With legitimate captive-raised reptiles and amphibians, people have an opportunity to try their hand at keeping an unusual pet that is easy to maintain. If properly cared for, most carry virtually no diseases that are transmittable to humans. With a little education, anyone can learn the proper techniques and how to pick out the best animal for their personal situation. As we made the rounds past exhibits, I explained to my grandson that none of them were suitable for our personal situation.

To find out when a Repticon show might be coming to your neighborhood, check out their events calendar at www.repticon.com. The next one is July 9 and 10 in Atlanta. Even if you are a thimble collector or model ship enthusiast, rather than a herpetoculturist, you should find it fascinating. And you won't have to spend any time making decisions about what to get at the food locker that greets you when you walk in.

Why does a female antelope have horns?

Who would turn down an opportunity to read a journal called Gnusletter, a publication of the Antelope Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature? Gnu is the African name for wildebeest, from the rather unimaginative Dutch name meaning "wild beast." Gnus are one of the 140 species in the true antelope family, the Bovidae.

Antelopes are distinguished from other hoofed animals such as deer, pigs, and horses by having unbranched horns. Ironically, the American bison, aka buffalo, is in the family of "true antelopes" whereas the pronghorn antelope of the American Southwest is not. Familiar members of the antelope family are sheep, goats, and cattle. Most people have also heard of African gazelles and impalas, as well as muskoxen of Arctic tundra regions. The size range within the family is impressive. Cattle known as gaur, of Southeast Asia, are the largest, reaching a shoulder height of nearly 7 feet and weighing more than a ton. The tiniest are African royal antelopes, which are about the size of a 6-pound house cat.

According to the ASG, Gnusletter "is intended as a medium of communication on issues that concern the management and conservation of antelopes both in the wild and in captivity." Since the Gnusletter's inception in 1982, 65 issues have been published, with a primary focus on threatened and endangered antelope species of Africa and Asia. In addition to reports on the status of different species, the publication allows ASG members and others "to communicate their experiences, ideas, and perceptions freely, so that the conservation of antelopes can benefit."


A recent issue of Gnusletter reported on the status of various species, such as the decline of sable antelopes in their natural range in Kenya and the increase in population size of the Tibetan antelope in China. The most intriguing article was written by Richard D. Estes, an expert on African mammals and the founder of Gnusletter. The article is a well-written rebuttal to a published hypothesis that the horns on females evolved as weapons against predators, which at first glance seems like a reasonable assumption.

Estes' account covers wide-ranging behavioral literature about animals with horns and considers extensive biological and evolutionary nuances. But his basic premise is that when females of species in the antelope family have horns, they did not evolve for purposes of defense for themselves or their offspring. Most antelopes use their speed to escape predators rather than staying to fight them. Even males of most horned species of antelope and deer use their horns for male-male combat rather than predator defense. Estes maintains that when both sexes have horns, it reduces "male despotic competition toward developing males." The behavioral concepts involved are complex, but the essence is that adult males tend to attack young males and drive them away. But dominant males are less likely to be provoked into attacking a young male if it looks and acts similar to young females, including both having horns. If juvenile males are not driven away, they can stay for a longer period with their mothers and have the benefits of herd protection. Once young males leave a herd, their horns continue growing and they assume distinctively male behavior patterns; the same is not true of females.

Estes explained how his hypothesis could be tested in the wild by studies among species to determine when young males leave female herds and what the survival rate is of offspring of horned and hornless females. His rationale for not conducting the field studies himself was sensible--"both on account of my advanced age (83) and on the labor of writing a book on the behavioral ecology of the Serengeti wildebeest population." He invites "any antelope specialist or other biologist" who wants to pursue such a study to contact him via email.

I am looking forward to reading a book on the Serengeti wildebeest, aka gnu, for which Richard Estes has provided insights and suggestions. He clearly knows more about antelopes than anyone else in the world.

Send environmental questions to ecoviews@gmail.com.

Whit Gibbons is an ecologist and environmental educator with the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory.