Lizards and turtles and snakes, oh my

Lights! Cameras! Animals! Naturalists Jeff and Shannon McKay were at the Town 'n' Country Mall entertaining and educating kids of all ages about wildlife and the environment during the Great Green Adventures of Safari Jeff and Shannon. "All living creatures have some job or role to play in the environment," said Jeff McKay. The message of the show was all about learning to keep balance in the environment. "These kids are the future of this planet," said Shannon McKay. "There has to be more awareness and a deeper appreciation." Using animals such as frogs, snakes, lizards, turtles and crocodiles the McKays teach children how the animals live and affect their surroundings. The McKays first brought out a baby alligator and a dwarf crocodile, for the children to see. "These creatures are designed for the water. They have powerful tails, webbed feet and a third eye lid," said Shannon. "The third eye lid acts like a built in set of goggles that allows the alligator to catch prey and eat under water." To introduce the children to amphibians, the McKays brought out a set of giant African bullfrogs. "These frogs are very adaptable," said Jeff. "They don't need to live near water and can survive in a desert by burrowing underground for up to two years, waiting for the rains to fall." The bullfrogs will eventually grow to the size of basketballs. The star of the show, an African spurred tortoise, named Father Time, generated a lot of cheers from the crowd watching. At 30 years old, the tortoise is still very young and only weighs about 65 pounds. Eventually he will grow to weigh 250 pounds said Jeff. "(The tortoise) lives in a hot, dry environment," said Jeff. "It doesn't swim or drink any water. He gets all his water supply from the vegetation he eats." Shannon explained how the front and hind legs were different. The front legs are spurred and help to dig holes while the back legs are flat and made to walk in sand. "These animals are all entwined and connected to balance the environment together," said Shannon. To end the show. the McKays brought out the "most misunderstood animal - the snake" for the children to view. Bonita, the boa constrictor, hung around the neck of Jeff as Shannon explained how these animals once had legs. "Sharp claws at the base of the tail and remnants of the legs snakes used to walk with," said Shannon. "These claws can only be found on pythons and boas." Aidan Mitchell, 11, was shocked to learn that snakes once had legs. "That was very interesting. I had no idea snakes once had feet," Mitchell told the Times-Herald after the show. Mckenna Stewart, 12, said the show was great from start to finish. "I learned so much about the animals. It is very important that we all learn and spread what we know about animals and the environment to our family and friends," said Stewart. Colin Dewar can be reached at 691-1263.

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