Recently the Sciencenter in Ithaca purchased a Sun System 3-foot, 3-bulb T5 fluorescent fixture from us for their new rhinoceros rat snake exhibit. Naturally we were all intrigued since we had never heard of a rhinoceros rat snake before. The Sciencenter was kind enough to share some pictures of their new residents with us!

Here is the enclosure:

What a cute little guy! Look at that face!

Rhino rat snake facts, courtesy of the Sciencenter:

"The rhino rat snake is an arboreal snake, meaning it lives in trees, from southeast Asia (northern Vietnam and southern China.) They live in subtropical rainforest and will eat most small vertebrates."

"They are born a brownish grey color that gradually shifts to a beautiful green as they mature. Their most striking feature is the prominent "rhinoceros" horn on the end of their snout. No one knows exactly what purpose this interesting proboscis serves, but some believe it helps to camouflage the snake and make it appear as an innocuous vine."

"They typically reach 3-5' in length."

The Saltonstall Animal Room is open during the Sciencenter's regular hours- Tuesday through Saturday 10am - 5pm and Sunday 12pm - 5pm. Stop in and check out these fascinating animals and all the other interesting exhibits at the museum.