COLUMBIA (WACH) -- Climbing in an anaconda tank. Swimming with piranha. Feeding a rattlesnake. How much worse could Wild Wednesday's get? Have you met Little Boy, the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden resident 11 foot alligator?
We'll get back to him in a moment, the morning started off easy enough, meeting the Gecko, straight from Madagascar. This little non insurance selling fellow spends in wooded areas, and we learned that his tail, which resembles a flying squirrels, may be used as an aeronautical rudder to help guide his flight. The Gila Monster has found fame as the only lizard to utilize venom as a defense.
Other Madigasgarian transplants are the radiated tortoise, that make their home next to the Aquarium Reptile Complex. These 30 pound shelled creatures are very friendly, enjoying a good shell scratch, and dining vegetation.
Ok, I know what you are thinking...get on with the alligator...Little Boy is one of 2-3 million that make the south east United States their home. States like South Carolina provide a safe haven due to hunting and habitat laws. Curator of Herpetology Scott Pfaff shared with me that the safest place to be, when you find yourself all to close to one of these predators is behind him. The alligator’s skin, which provides body armor, as well as a way to deflect and absorb heat, makes it difficult to quickly turn around.
As far as I could tell, the safest place would have been the WACH Fox truck.
In this video, we learn about the alligator’s lifestyle and habitat.
Youtube
Ok, so ever look down the business end of an 11 foot, 500 pound gator?
Youtube
You can learn more about the ARC, Little Boy, and the rest of the 2000+ animals that reside at Riverbanks HERE.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forWACH