Hello Friends! We’re the Ostmo family, and we love learning about countries and people. Our oldest daughter, Melaya, has tons of friends all around the world! Today we’re going to talk about reptiles! 

Turns out, Tortoises are reptiles too!

So Melaya was talking with his friend Noah, who is from California, about his trip to the zoo with his family. There Noah saw a scaly giant turtle. The zookeeper explained that turtles are reptiles because they have scales, are cold-blooded, and mostly live on land. Noah’s dad asked what the zookeeper meant by cold-blooded, he said that reptiles can’t control their body temperature, they depend on the sun and other things to warm up. That’s why turtles have a shell so they can hide inside of them and stay warm in the winter. 

Liam’s Favorite Reptiles Are Crocodiles

Now, over 4,000 miles away from London, in Florida, lives Liam, another of Melaya’s friends. The last time Melaya and Liam talked about why he loves reptiles but mostly crocodiles, he told her he wanted one as a pet but his mother said no because they are dangerous and can bite you. Crocodiles and Alligators are reptiles and they are very interesting animals, they have long snouts with sharp teeth, strong claws and flexible tails that can be used as a weapon for swimming or hunting. Crocodiles live in warm areas like Florida and Australia, but you can find alligators in other parts of the world too. The difference between a crocodile and an alligator is that alligators are smaller, however, Liam’s mom finds them very loathsome and dangerous. When you find something loathsome this means that it disgusts you in some way, like a slimy slug or a dirty bathroom. 

What kind of thing do you find loathsome?

Liam asked her mom if next summer they can go to a safari park where there are plenty of animals like lions and tigers. Would you like to go with him? Melaya thinks that this is a great idea but you have to be on guard against any danger like Jean. 

Jean And His African House Snake Pet

Melaya has a friend named Jean who lives in South Africa. Jean’s dad is a professional ranger and he knows how to handle dangerous animals. He has trained lions, tigers and even snakes! Jean’s dad gifted her a snake as a pet and she named the snake “Marie”. Marie is an African House snake, a very common species that lives in Africa. It has a beautiful green color with black stripes on its back and a few white dots on its belly. Like most reptiles, Marie is carnivorous meaning they eat other animals or insects. Marie likes to eat small mice and she loves to sleep on the top of her cage. Jean told Melaya African House snakes are very calm and are handled by adults and children because they are safe to be around. 

Would you like to have a snake as a pet?

Isaac to the Rescue! 

Melaya thinks that if she could have a reptile as a pet it would be a Dessert Tortoise like the one Isaac has more than 5,000 miles away from London.

Isaac lives in Mexico, and he once told Melaya the story of his pet, Ruth. She was stranded on a road with no food or water. Isaac saw that something hideous, which means very ugly and frightening, happened to Ruth’s shell so he decided to help her. He took her home and made sure she was safe. After about two weeks of being in Isaac’s care, Ruth’s shell was back to normal and she was a happy tortoise again and they became best friends. Isaac says he and Ruth will be friends forever because tortoises can live for up to 50 years!

Tortoises don’t need much space just give them vegetables, a little bit of sunlight and water. It’s easier to care for than other pets like dogs or cats isn’t it? Plus tortoises like Ruth are very friendly and they will love you back.

Ava’s Family Are True Heroes for Australian Wildlife

Now, all the way to Australia lives one of Melaya’s friends named Ava. Ava’s parents work as Wildlife Officers to protect Australian wildlife and natural habitats. They also teach people how to be safe around dangerous snakes, spiders and lizards that live in Australia! Ava’s parents taught her that you should always respect native wildlife and not touch or feed it. A lot of animals can be dangerous if they get scared or feel threatened. Ava told to Melaya that she would never have to pick up a baby animal alone in the wild because their mother will come back for it! Ava loves to see the animals that live in Australia, mostly the reptiles that sometimes are indescribable like the Blue-Tongue Skink, which is a very colorful lizard. The Blue-Tongue Skink is the only species of skink found in Australia. It gets its name from the blue tongue that it displays when threatened, similar to other lizards like geckos and agamids.

The Blue-Tongue Skink can be found in many different habitats, including forests and grasslands. Melaya loves to see all of the beautiful animals that live in Australia and she always hopes to visit Ava one day!

She also learned that reptiles are a very unique group of animals different from the mammals and birds that we are more familiar with and we have to respect them and protect them as well! There are so many other reptiles out there that we have yet to discover so, tell us in the comments what you know about them! If you want to learn more about different reptiles around the world, make sure to download the activity pack. We have flashcards, a learning guide, handwriting sheets, and drawings pages all dedicated to various ball sports!

Melaya loves chatting with kids from all over the world! If you want to teach Melaya about where you live or your favorite activities, please tell your mom or dad to use @learningtail on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to get in touch with us. 

Ciao friends, until next time!