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Why Rattlesnakes Are the ‘Puppy Dogs’ of the Sonoran Desert
A Desert Museum curator shares how to better coexist with venomous animals
Many people believe that the snakes, lizards, and other prickly wildlife that call the Sonoran Desert home are to be feared. But at the Desert Museum in Tucson, Ariz., these animals are friends, not foes.
On a typical day at the museum, visitors have the opportunity to learn about the Sonoran Desert and all the plants and animals that thrive in this unique and harsh environment. The museum’s Curator of Herpetology, Ichthyology and Invertebrate Zoology, Howard Byrne, says one of his favorite ways to introduce visitors to the animals he works with every day is during the “Live & (sort of) on the Loose!” presentation.
“They are like puppy dogs trapped in a long tube. Many of them are easy-going, they are very intelligent and they have excellent memories.”
In an auditorium, visitors get to meet a venomous lizard and venomous snake as museum staff take visitors into the minds of these creatures, trying to help them develop understanding and compassion for these often misunderstood animals.
