What is an exotic animal? An exotic species is usually defined as an animal or plant which is not endemic (native to a particular country.) The Nature Center focuses on educating people about the fabulously interesting plant and animals of the Southern Appalachians. However, we do occasionally have exotic encounters of the living kind! Some encounters have come to us at the front desk while others have come through Nature Center rescue operations.

Yesterday was a typical exotic encounter. Someone returned from a vacation in the deserts of Mexico with an illegal souvenir - a regal horned lizard Phrynosoma Solave. Edith called from the front desk, "Come quick, it's a cactus with legs!" That is exactly what it looks like. The donating captors did not realize their illegal mistake and wished they had left it where it belonged, especially when they could not get it to eat. We made a temporary mini-desert for Libby the horned lizard "names for its crown of horns that reminded us of the Statue of Liberty's crown) and she started eating the next day. I will probably add Libby to my home reptile collection since we cannot display her here.

Another more humorous "almost" exotic encounter was when Tony and I went to the aid of a frantic family in Biltmore Forest. They had called us desperate for help. They were moving into their new home from Southern Arizona and the movers discovered a large rattlesnake while unpacking their belongings. On the way to the rescue, I became excited about our upcoming exotic encounter. I daydreamed it might be the rare tigers or willards rattlesnake or maybe we had better be on our toes because it might be the deadly Mohave Rattlesnake? Upon arriving at the scene of the cold-blooded domestic disturbance, it was clear that everyones nerves were rattled. The extra large movers refused to leave their truck and pointed explicitly at the garage. The horrified homeowner flagged us down from the street and told us that she had not seen it but had heard its tremendous rattle in some boxes in the garage.

Armed with snake hooks, flashlight, tongs, boots, bags and a trashcan with a locking lid, we cautiously approached. I felt something cold bite into my ankle causing me to leap to the rafters with a scream! Tony's snake tongs can sure test ones heart and reflexes when applies to the ankle at the Wrong Time - YIKES!

Then we heard it. The staccato drone of the fanged beast was coming from a box amongst the other moving rubble. Flashlight on, snake's stick poised, we began to sift through the packing material. AH HA! We uncovered our dreaded culprit. It was a cicada on its back flapping its wings in the packing material. I must admit, it did have us fooled but you should have seen those sheepish movers slink back to work.

Some other interesting exotic encounters have included Savannah monitors, iguanas, pythons, sugar gliders, alligators, hedge hogs, armadillos, and many more. One semi-exotic animal that we do display is a gopher tortoise. Please come visit the Nature Lab and learn Herman's, the gopher tortoise, story. If you happen to catch me while you are here, I might spin you another yarn concerning exotic encounters of the living kind.