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Category: lizard

Commitment to Care: OKC Zoo’s 31-year-old Gila Monster Undergoes Surgery

On Thursday, May 27, one of the Zoo’s Gila monsters underwent surgery at 10 a.m. at the Joan Kirkpatrick Animal Hospital to remove a tumor from her kidney tissue. Native to southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, Gila monsters are reptiles and named for the Gila River in Arizona. They are covered in beadlike dorsal scales that are black and yellow or pink, and they have a forked tongue that is used to “taste” the air for the presence of food and predators. They ... Read More

Notes from the Field: Stephany Hernandez Recounts Guatemalan Conservation Journey

Stephany Hernandez, OKC Zoo herpetology caretaker, recently returned from a conservation journey to Guatemala. These are her notes from the field: Hi, I’m Stephany Hernandez, an animal caretaker for the herpetology department at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden. My typical day starts with a visual health check of our reptiles. Depending on the day, we then might distribute salads or clean habitats. In the afternoon, we conduct a variety of husbandry tasks from bedding ch... Read More
at Thursday, October 10, 2019

National Science Foundation-Funded Study Underway at Lizard Lab

The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden is partnering with the Sam Noble Museum at the University of Oklahoma to help save one of the state’s most iconic species: the horny toad. Formally known as the Texas horned lizard, this species – once a common sight across much of the state – has become increasingly rare as its habitat has been lost and fragmented due to urbanization and other factors. A National Science Foundation-funded study underway at the OKC Zoo&rsq... Read More
at Wednesday, August 14, 2019

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