Learn About Animals

Skinks are lizard like animals but are actually not lizards. They look a lot like salamanders or newts but they are reptiles. The skin of a five line skink is dry but very shiny. When they are young they have bright blue tails, as they get older their tails start to fade and males get a red tint to their head.

Pollinators are animals that help to pollinate plants. That means it helps them to make fruits and seeds. We need to be thankful, and help protect pollinators if we enjoy fruits and vegetables. Pollinators could be insects, birds, or even mammals that pass by low growing crops and spread pollen from one flower to the next.

At the Regional Nature Museums, we have to take care of our animals, one of our regular responsibilities is to feed the animals. We enjoy watching our garter snakes eat worms. Snakes cannot hold their food still, because they haven't got arms or legs! They also eat their food whole, no taking polite bites!

Black Rat Snakes are some of the biggest snakes we have here in Harriman State Park. They are arboreal which means that they spend a lot of time in trees. This is not something most people would think of for snakes but they are excellent tree climbers! These two are actually mating on the side of the tree. In a few weeks time the female will lay eggs and then they will hatch into baby black rat snakes.

Beaver have some great adaptations! For one they have two webbed feet that work like swimming flippers! These feet help them to cruise along the water pretty fast! They also have a flat and powerful tail that they use like a rudder on a boat to help guide the way when they swim. When they feel threatened they will flip fast and use their flat tails to make a giant splash!

Deer will often have twins. They are capable of having triplets if the food is plentiful! When the food is scarce they will only have one offspring. When deer have a sibling or two, somehow they know how to keep each other a bit more entertained. Perhaps, it is only us humans that are more entertained.

Geese are fast growing birds. They are capable of swimming almost immediately after being hatched! The adults of these birds will often molt during this time of chick rearing and do not fly much. They spend quite a bit of time on the land eating the grasses and other plants. Many people do not like Canada Geese because their populations have exploded in resent years. They tend to leave scat (poop) all over walkways at parks. This scat will increase the number of plants in the water because scat is a fertilizer. Too many plants in a pond or lake is not good for the ecosystem, when this happens it is called eutrophication.

Hummingbirds are migratory, which means that they do not stay in the same place all year. In New York we only have one species of hummingbird, Ruby Throated. Hummingbirds can fly in every direction even backwards! They eat constantly to keep healthy. The humming sound is actually the sound of their wings moving so fast! They eat nectar from flowers, oftentimes people put out feeders with homemade nectar made from sugar and water.

Snapping turtles can get quite large! We are very fortunate to get this video of two snapping turtles mating. It seems like a fight and there is certainly a lot of splashing going on but that is how they show their love. Snapping turtles are powerful animals that are typically docile in the water but this mating ritual is something you wouldn't want to get in the way of. When snapping turtles are out of the water looking for a place to lay eggs, or looking for a mate, it is best to leave them be.

It is super cool that we have a staff member who has a camera that can go underwater! This allows us to show you what can happen in places we might not otherwise get to see. This sunfish is guarding a nest, keeping the other fish away to make sure young have a chance for success.

What do you do when you hear some glass tinkling and then a crash? You look up to find a large black rat snake came to visit! This wild black rat snake decided to pay us a visit one morning at the Stahahe Museum. The tame and curious nature as well as the shear size of this animal makes it kind of fun to watch!

This great underwater view is a great relaxing video of sunfish being sunfish! Enjoy!

Our mamma garter snake gave birth to a dozen babies. Garter snakes hold eggs internally and then give birth to live young. they are able to care for themselves immediately. In search of food and a safe place to hide from predators. Here is a great video of the release.

Snakes shed periodically based on how much food they eat and if they are having trouble seeing things through eye scales.

Quite a bit happens behind the scenes here at the Stahahe Nature Museum. This video gives a good glimpse.

To feed the aquatic turtles we separate them out of the tank or turtle pit so that the main living space does not get contaminated by the leftovers. It is always a fun time to watch the turtles eat. In this video they were given fish. Sometimes they eat earthworms.

Two insects nearly the same size, the outcome may not be surprising if you know what great predators the mantis are. This video is a little graphic so young people should be warned in advance.

It is amazing to watch crayfish eat! In the video you will see a crayfish completely consume an earthworm.

This is an enjoyable way to see how both millipedes and box turtles move. The anticipation is almost overwhelming as we watch the decisions to move by the box turtles but once they get going you can't help but cheer for the winner!