RYAN GARDNER/Gazette-Times American Alligator ‘Little Al' appeared oblivious to the childrens' hands that reached up to tentatively touch his skin during Discovery Days Tuesday afternoon at LaSells Stewart Center. Anthony Cardinali, 5, at first wasn't sure about the reptile, native to the southeastern United States, but his curiosity got the better of him.

Discovery Days brings new look to animal kingdom

With her tiny hands on her hips, 5-year-old Alanna Volk surveyed the scene at Oregon State University's LaSells Stewart Center on Tuesday, excited at the world of animals on display before her.

Discovery Days is a twice-annual science outreach program that lets visitors interact with live and preserved animals from OSU's collections and from Brad's World Reptiles of Lewisberg. Visitors of all ages get a chance to hold snakes, chat with lizards and learn about the natural world with help from OSU volunteers.

Rushing from exhibit to exhibit, Alanna squealed with delight at each new creature she met, from albino king snakes to a beautiful little Australian bearded dragon tinted the color of autumn leaves. With a bright pink star of gauze perched at the top of her auburn ponytail, she wiggled her way to the front of every display, ready to pet as many reptiles as possible.

When she came to the alligator being held by Jefe Contreras of Brad's World Reptiles, she was equally enthusiastic — even though the animal was nearly twice her size. She patted the 5-foot reptile's stomach gingerly, and then turned to holler at her mother.

"Whoa! He's really squishy!" she exclaimed.

Contreras was surrounded by children and their parents as he held the calm young alligator in his arms. Anthony Cardinali, age 5, stood close to the gator's tail, giving the creature a hard look.

"Is he nice?" Anthony asked, ready to pet the gator but wanting a little reassurance first.

"Yeah, he's nice," Contreras replied. "His name is Little Al."

As the crowd grew, Contreras showed them his special alligator trick. He flipped Little Al onto his back and crooned, "You are sleepy."

Little Al responded by falling asleep, limbs akimbo, as the children laughed. He woke up as soon as Contreras turned him upright again, oblivious to being the joke of the party.

Contreras, a former OSU student, has worked for Brad's World Reptiles for a year. He interacts with pixie frogs, fire salamanders and pythons on a daily basis, and he loves the chance to do outreach with children and open their eyes to the hidden world of reptiles, amphibians and arthropods.

"We figure if you can't bring the kids out to nature, you can bring nature to the kids," Contreras said. "We want to keep them from being programmed to fear snakes, or deprogram them."

It's usually the parents who have adverse reactions to the animals Contreras works with, and any screams that rang out in the room seemed to come from the moms in attendance. The only loud noises coming from the kids were shrieks of delight and excitement.

"They'll grow up and be biologists and help us with ecological problems," Contreras said.

Snakes, Contreras pointed out, are the No. 1 killers of rodents, serving a very useful purpose in the world. The snakes he lets children hold are not venemous and, even if they happened to bite, are completely harmless. Few could do more than gum a finger, and most weren't interested in snapping at the hands in front of them. Many clung to any outstretched arm or finger for the warmth.

As he stood in front of the king snake tank, he pulled three different-colored snakes from their resting place, demonstrating how albinism, or the lack of pigment, affects the patterns on each snake. One was red, one was black, and one, with double albinism, was pure white.

"I'd like to pet one!" Alanna announced, always ready for a new challenge. She patted the pile of snakes and smiled.

"His eyes are red!" she yelped. Another reptile, another discovery.

Discovery Days continues from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. For more information, call 737-6716 or see www.science.oregonstate.edu/discoverydays/.

For more information on Brad's World Reptiles, see www.bradsworldreptiles.com or call 745-7626. Internships are available for students interested in working with reptiles and amphibians.

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