Creepy, crawly nocturnal creatures displayed at first Altus Library Summer Reading Progra
The Altus Library played host to Ranee and Amelia Schoenhals, a mother-daughter team from the Science Museum of Oklahoma. The Schoenhals brought examples of arachnids, arthropods, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals to the delight of the large audience. In addition to the many children, there were numerous adults who came to join in the learning experience.
Ranee explained the difference between a leucistic animal and an albino one by displaying what appeared to be an albino (white) snake, but this one did not have pink or red eyes, but blue ones. The snake was not lacking all pigmentation, as albinos do. She also showed an amelanistic toad that was orange. It was lacking the green melanin that her normal and very hoppy companion toad displayed.
Many enjoyed being able to touch the Florida millipede, which is very like a long “roly-poly” bug. In contrast to the millipede which Ranee brought around to touch, Amelia brought around a Vietnamese centipede safely enclosed in a container. The centipede was about nine-inches long and poisonous. Coming all the way from Madagascar they displayed a famous “kissing cockroach”, a huge roach about three inches long. Definitely winning the cute award was the mammal representative of the group, a young hedgehog.
At the end of the presentation, the crowd was able to file past the scorpions, glowing under the black light, and they could touch a tarantula about the size of a large donut. A creepy and delightful time was had by all.