Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communication
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| Royal Ball Python, Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren | Woodland Park Zoo |
Lunar New Year Include in 2025 with intelligence, Resilience And renewal when we celebrate the Snake year! The symbol of the snake in the Chinese zodiac sign is known to represent charm, intuition and deep thinking. This year is also a ground hose, which means that 2025 can be a year of growth and creativity.
As a snake enthusiasts, we will also take the opportunity to celebrate snakes like the organic power centers they are. Snakes encourage biodiversity and are often ecosystem stabilizers such as both predators and prey. There are more than 3,000 species of snake all over the world and about 150 species resident in North America. At Woodland Park Zoo, we have a long history of caring for snakes and educating guests about their role in the ecosystem. We want you to get to know a few of our snakes – and hopefully you can channel their cool, cool, ectothermic Vibber in 2025!
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| Reticulated Python enjoys a softening. Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren | Woodland Park Zoo |
Reticulated pythons are native to Southeast Asia and, when they are full grown, are among the longest snakes in the world – and they continue to grow throughout their lifetime! Our amazing creep holders estimate that KAA is currently about 17 meters long and probably weighs between 125-135 lbs.
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| Is there a more beautiful snake? Emerald Tree Boa Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren | Woodland Park Zoo |
In tropical rainforest you will find a dazzling 12-year-old Emerald Tree Boa. She is a really beautiful snake. Emerald Tree Boas is a resident of the Amazon basin and is Arboreal – exerts most of their time in trees – unless they come down to Sunbathe.
You also meet a 13-year-old fake water Cobra. False water cobras found in South American flooding places can flatten their necks to look bigger – therefore their name.
Around the corner is a 16-year-old tiger steering hose. These restraints make their homes at the edges of rainforests in Central America – at home in trees or on the ground.
And of course, our 20-year-old yellow Anaconda is an absolute stunner! This species is almost threatened. One of the largest species in the world, these aquatic snakes make their homes in flooding places, ants and swamps in southern South America.
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| Yellow Anaconda. Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren | Woodland Park Zoo |
In the reptile area you can meet two female Timor Pythons, both 10 years old. This species is found in forests and grasslands on the islands of Southern Indonesia – and erected as vulnerable due to requirements for their original habitats. Active at night, these nocturnal narrowings are backing small reptiles, birds, mice and rats. During the day, they often basked in the tree tops and regulate their temperature in the sun as they digest their food and prepare for another snack in the evening.
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| Timor Python in Reptile Realm. Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren | Woodland Park Zoo |
At our Ambassador Animal Team we have many snakes who enjoy meeting guests and are very comfortable with being handled by their experienced carers.
Anahi, our female red tail Boa Constrictor, is estimated to be about 15 years old. She can be seen around the zoo and sometimes on local TV programs located on her travel tree. She loves her ordinary sucks in the bath to keep her scales neat and moisturized. This species is erected as least concerned with IUCN and is one of the most common large snakes in the exotic pet trade and reaches up to 60 kg. They are found in forests from Colombia to Argentina, often in trees or just near the water’s edge.
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| Anahi shows her sniffs during a program. Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren | Woodland Park Zoo |
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| Guests come close with girlfriend Anahi. Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren | Woodland Park Zoo |
Anza is a 10-year-old California Kingsnake and she is beautiful! This species is endemic to different habitats from Mexico throughout the Western United States. California Kingsnakes is Cathemic, which means they are active in different parts of the day depending on the temperature – as opposed to strictly nocturnal or daily. They are available in different patterns and color morphs – better to escape predators such as hawks, coyotes and bobcats.
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| Young visitors meet a charming corn snake. Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren | Woodland Park Zoo |
We have three gray-taped Kingsnakes, Zuni, Hidalgo and Sonora, each are 16-year-old men. Zuni especially loves basing and snacking on mice. At home in desert scrub and steep slopes in southwestern Texas, southern New Mexico and northern Mexico – this species is nocturnal and eats on lizards, rodents, frogs and bird eggs. Fun fact, they are immune to rattlesnake married.
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| A beautiful gray-banded king snake. Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren | Woodland Park Zoo |
Our 10-year-old Milksnake named Memphis is a guest favorite. Milknakes come in strikingly different colors, there are 24 subspecies and inhabit a wide range of ecosystems from Canada to Ecuador. They get their name from a fable that connected them to drinking milk from cows, which are obviously false, but they hang out in or around charger to take advantage of rodents and a cool, dark environment.
Red Cornsnake Boys Knox (10), Salem (10), Seneca (12) and Mattox (12) are always a treat to see. Found throughout the southeastern and central United States, corn snakes act as productive pest control – extremely advantageous for people such as disease boundaries and crop protectors – as they keep rodent stock in check. Cornsnakes typically share a quiet behavior.
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| Perfect sweet corn. Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren | Woodland Park Zoo |
Royal/Ball Python’s Obi (25) and Gamma (27) are really magnificent! When it is sunny, you may see them enjoy a stretch of the Greek meadow with their animal holders. Native to shrubs, forest and grassland in west and central Africa, this crepuscular species sprouts to a tight ball when threatened. Unfortunately, this species is listed as closely threatened because of its popularity in the exotic pet trade, loss of habitat and increased pesticide use. Funny fact, this species is honored in southeastern Nigeria – considered a symbol on the ground – it is gently placed back in the edge of the forest when found on roads or near property.
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| Royal Python enjoys the grass. Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren | Woodland Park Zoo |
- Maintain a wildlife-friendly farm by leaning into native plants, leaving leaf-litter, giving water sources, reducing pesticides and leaving snakes if you find them basking on your property.
- Reduce or eliminated lawn and garden chemicals. This keeps plants healthy naturally as well as protecting habitat, including water in our local streams, rivers and lakes. Visit Savingwater.org for tips to become pesticide -free.
- Always examine a pet before committing to owning an exotic snake, lizard (or any pet for that matter). Know your pet’s story. Adopt or buy pets only from reputable sources. Examine the laws to understand what animals can be legal pets in your area and help spread the word to others so that we can all make responsible choices.
- Select Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certified paper and wood products to protect forest habitat and wildlife.
- Choose shaded coffee! Drink Yus PNG coffee, available at Woodland Park Zoo and Caffe Vita. Our Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program worked with Papua New Guinea landowners to create the country’s first conservation area. Now farmers earn an environmentally friendly way of living by selling their shadow-grown coffee.
Happy Lunar New Year! We wish you the best of luck and all the love.
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| Hello! Do you remember having met your first snake? Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren | Woodland Park Zoo |
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| Boop! Cornsnake shows its beautiful colors. Annie Kwan | Woodland Park Zoo |
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| Our ambassador animal team offers close to visitor opportunities while giving the animal choices and control during meeting and greeting. Genna Martin | Woodland Park Zoo |