Shelbie’s home

Shelbie  came home Tuesday the 14th. We had to drive all the way to San Francisco to get her. So we got up at 6:30 and got ready. At 8:30 we left for San Francisco to pick up Shelbie. Every time we go an a long car ride Shylie will throw up but this time she didn’t. Praise God for that. When we got there we were running on time. So we unloaded as quick as possible. Then we headed to the elevator. It took a minute or two to finally get on. Then when we got off we rushed for the air train. When we got there it was coming to a stop so we hopped on. The train took off. When it came to a stop we hopped off then headed to the the terminal. We got there just in time. Shelbie hadn’t even come down yet. She got lost upstairs so she had to ask someone where to go. When she finally came down everyone started hugging her. Then we set off for home. The whole way home she told stories of Africa. We made it home good with no throwing up. It is really nice having her home.

~Shayden~

The Reptile Club

Recently we got invited to a reptile club and the topic was on rattlesnakes, we went with our uncle and we had a blast looking and learning about snakes. Let me tell you what I learned.

Rattlesnakes are best known for, and most easily recognized by, their rattle. The rattlesnake babies are born with what is called a pre-button. The baby snake loses this piece when it sheds its skin for the first time. With the shedding a new button appears. With every shedding after that another button, or rattle, will be added. These buttons are made up of a material called Keratin, which is what the scales and your fingernails are made of! The rattles are empty, so what makes the noise? The noise comes from each segment knocking together, so until a rattlesnake has two or more pieces it isn’t going to make a sound! But when it does…you WILL hear it…and you WILL RUN!

Rattlesnakes and every other type of snakes eyes turn cloudy blue before they shed, after they shed their eyes turn back to there normal color.

The last rattle on a rattlesnakes tail turns cloudy blue before they shed because the next rattle comes out of the last rattle.

The first time a snake sheds is nine days after they are born.

Rattlesnakes are found in the southern parts of the United States, from the deserts to the mountains and grow between 3 and 4 feet long. There are 16 different types of Rattlers such as the Eastern Diamondback, Western Diamondback, Sidewinder and the Speckled, just to name a few. All of them have rattles, are venomous and are pit vipers.

Rattlesnake babies are born venomous but cannot rattle and are often more aggressive than the adults.

This Rattlesnake has cloudy blue eyes and is about to shed.

SHANNEN

ISN’T THIS COOL!!!!!