Cold-blooded indeed!

While on vacation last week in Wilmington NC, we visited the Cape Fear Serpentarium. It's truly a fascinating place. There are a whole host of rather unsavory characters there which, thankfully, reside in glass enclosures. The critters and the public are well separated, which greatly increased my sense of security.

 In some respects, I'm not typical of most persons of my species and gender. While I have a great deal of respect for snakes, I'm not generally afraid of them. The only time I remember being "freaked out" by a snake was when I was outside in pitch black one night wearing flip-flops and a snake went over my foot. It's a contest which one of us was more frightened, but I think I won.

The Serpentarium, however, seemed to specialize in creatures whose bites can be lethal. Of those pictured below, the sole exception is the monitor lizard. In fact, according to Wikipedia, "Monitor lizards are eaten in parts of southern India and Malaysia, where their meat is considered an aphrodisiac."

Monitor lizard

I suspect that won't catch on here in the west.

Copperhead

Green mamba: venomous east African snake

What fine teeth you have, my dear!

I was quite thankful for the glass separating us!