“We have a good collection here, but we could have so
much more,” Ben confides as he returns the husbandry
ledger to its appropriate peg. “We can’t do huge exhibits
like Atlanta, so we just have to pick species that work for
us.” Like hosting a programme for Red Wolves, which are
endemic to the southeastern United States and the most
endangered of all the canids. Or being involved with
Species Survival Plans (SSPs) for Bactrian Camels, Black
Rhinos, Cheetahs, colobus monkeys and California
Condors.
As a wildlife lover and naturalist, Ben is immensely proud
of his exhibits, especially the two beaded lizards, which
arrived at Chehaw about 5-6 years ago, via Zoo Atlanta. He
beams, “The only other places in the world with this
species on display, besides us and Atlanta, are the
University of Texas in Arlington, Knoxville, and Guatemala
City. The idea is to drum up interest and get people to
‘donate to help this particular species.”
Ben has definitely piqued my interest in the slow-moving
lizard with the strange body armour. Under each of the
‘beads’ on the animal’s dermis is a tiny circular osteoderm,
or bony plate. As for the scientific nomenclature, Heloderma
is from the Greek for ‘studded skin’, while horridum is self-
explanatory, and charlesbogerti honours Dr Charles Bogert, a
20 th century herpetologist responsible for landmark early
studies on the helodermatid lizards. Besides the distinctive
beaded skin (which brings back fond memories of an
American icon – the ‘Bedazzler’ kit, used for adorning jeans
with rhinestones and studs), the portly reptile, weighing in
between 5-6lb.s or 2.26-2.72kg. (it is the smallest of the
beaded lizards), also sports stripes and white-to-yellow
spots from the nape of the neck to its tail. This appendage
is quite the instrument for sparring with other male
opponents, and prolonged bouts of wrestling are common
over breeding rights with resident females. Typical, I think
to myself with a smile.
Rather atypical, though, is the fact that Heloderma females
normally breed only every second year in the wild, and
perhaps less frequently, depending on prevailing conditions
and their fat reserves. The ‘ladies’ deposit a clutch of 3-13
eggs in a burrow, where they will incubate for 6-8 months.
Helodermatids are among the longest-lived lizards, with a
lifespan that may often exceed 30 years, and there are
several records of specimens persisting until their late
thirties.
Ben, Gustavo and I continue roaming around the facility,
peering into the glass cages of the other herps on display.
Above: Project Heloderma also aims to protect Guatemala’s
endangered arboreal alligator lizards (Abronia spp). Bocourt's
Arboreal Alligator Lizard (Abronia vasconcelosii) is endemic
to the Sierra Madre de Chiapas region . Image by reptiles4all.
Rght: ‘Esteban’s’ claws clicked audibly as he scaled
the branch. Image courtesy Vickie Lillo.