Slippery, Slithery Critters

            Did you know that scorpions do not really glow in the dark? In fact, they only turn a fluorescent blue when they are under a UV/black light!

            Did you know that animals such as the cane toad are poisonous, but they don’t inject you with their poison by biting you? They secrete the poison through their skin!

            Information like this is what we learned by attending the Calhoun County Library’s Summer Reading Program on Thursday, July 18, 2024, for a special event by the Critter Keeper!

            At 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM, the Critter Keeper brought out all of his special animals to play. We had two programs to maximize the number of people who would like to be scared, thrilled, and excited by all the live animals. We had scorpions, toads, lizards, bugs, spiders, and snakes that looked right into the eyes of some curious children. Some screamed with delight while others screamed with fear! The real showstopper was when audience members held Cookie. That doesn’t sound like a scary name, does it? Well, Cookie is a tarantula and we had four brave souls hold this big eight-eyed, eight-legged arachnid in their palms. As if that wasn’t scary enough, we had 16 people of varying ages hold the big boy. Julius Squeezer is an 11-foot albino Burmese python. This animal was not a stuffed animal full of fluff; it was real and real people right here in your community had to help hold him up to show everyone!

            These two shows were a huge success. With over 200 people coming to watch the Critter Keeper, we are looking forward to the animals he will be bringing next year and hope to see some new faces face their fears! Are you going to be brave enough next year to hold a giant spider? What about a humongous snake? I guess we will have to see next year at the Calhoun County Library’s 2025 Summer Reading Program!