The bearded dragons, like all reptiles, are ectotherms or “cold-blooded,” which means they rely on their environment for body heat. Native to Australia, these creatures are omnivorous, eating everything from insects to vegetation.

Although nowhere near the capacity of a zoo, Explorit houses an array of living animals. In addition to the bearded dragons, Explorit features two other reptiles, a corn snake, Elaphe guttata, and a gopher snake, Pituophis melanoleucas.

These snakes play a variety of roles in Explorit’s programs. On a given weekday, one of the snakes may be spending the day at a local elementary school as part of Explorit’s outreach program, Classroom Adventures. Cornelia (the corn snake) or Slither (the gopher snake) are also instrumental in the discovery of reptiles in Explorit’s Birthday Party, Reptiles and Dinosaurs.

Special thanks go to the Bratton family of Davis for their part in the naming of Explorit’s corn snake.

According to Suzanne Ullensvang, Executive Director, the use of live animals is a critical part of Explorit’s programs.

“People—especially children—have a natural interest in animals,” Ullensvang said. “These animals help draw them into the experience of learning science.”

It’s natural for visitors to inquire not only about the animals, but about their food, their lifestyles and their environment.

“More than a curiosity, these animals open the doors of discovery to the full spectrum of science, from behavior to botany, from physics to environmental studies,” Ullensvang said.

Explorit is also called home by animals other than reptiles. Stop by to visit one of the arthropods.

There’s a whole colony of Madagascan giant hissing roaches, Gromphadorhina portentosa. These insects are native to the island of Madagascar, off the coast of Africa, and are notable for their defense mechanism—the audible hiss.

Another colony of roaches residing at Explorit, are the drummer roaches, Blaberus giganteus. These winged cockroaches can measure up to three inches long.

There are two other representatives of the arthropod family at Explorit. These are the African giant black millipedes, one of the largest (if not the largest) type of the millipede measuring eight to ten inches in length. Despite what there name implies, these millipedes, Archispirostreptus sp., don’t have a thousand feet. They do have two pairs of legs per body segment while a centipede has only one.

The last stop on the animal tour at Explorit takes you to the small, fresh-water aquarium that features four species of fish. These fish and their tank were generously donated last year to Explorit by Randall Peterson of Davis.

So if you want to know what the hiss of a cockroach sounds like, what the scales of a snake feel like, or what the beard on a bearded dragon looks like, then visit Explorit today.

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3141 5th Street in East Davis. The current exhibition is What A Shock! The Human Nervous System. Public hours are Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sunday from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m., and Tuesday through Friday from 2:00 to 4:30 p.m. Regular admission is $3; members, teachers (with school ID) and children under 4 are free.