Wild Inside the National Zoo Reptile Rejuvenation

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00:00 I think that most people don't expect reptiles to be intelligent, to have personalities.

00:10 These creatures are actually not only really unique and really highly advanced, they can

00:14 problem solve.

00:15 When you start to actually learn about their natural history, you know that they are very,

00:20 very specialized animals and need a lot of supportive care.

00:48 A pair of our Aldabra tortoises came to us in the 1950s.

00:53 We minimally think that they're 90 to 100 years old, and we know they can live upwards

00:58 of 200 years.

01:00 They come from a small island and they grow to these gigantic sizes of over 500 pounds.

01:06 And their shells, especially the males, are like a solid rock.

01:09 They're built for survival.

01:13 Tortoise care can be difficult.

01:15 They don't always go where they're supposed to go.

01:18 You really make yourself be patient.

01:22 Looking good for 100 years old.

01:25 At the end of the day, when the tortoises have been outside all day long, we're asking

01:29 them via the target to kind of walk across the yard and into the building.

01:36 In the wild, they're eating flowers, so I think that red color really is kind of like

01:40 a favorite food.

01:45 As part of our management for the giant tortoises, a couple times a year we will have to go in

01:49 and actually trim their nails.

01:52 In the wild, they're going to be walking on very rocky terrain.

01:56 They're naturally over time going to be rubbing their nails down.

01:59 But here in captivity, a lot of times the ground is more smooth that they're walking

02:03 on.

02:04 That's why we step in and do a little bit of the trimming.

02:07 The tortoise is basically so interested in eating, it's not really caring too much about

02:12 what's going on.

02:15 On the other hand, some of our reptiles really seem to enjoy the daily care that they experience

02:19 with the keepers.

02:27 The Grand Cayman Island Iguana gets a bath three to five times a week.

02:31 He can be territorial.

02:35 He's very selective of who he allows to interact with him.

02:39 So fortunately, we hit it off pretty well, so he actually seems to desire my presence.

02:46 Typically head bobbing in iguanas is used for various things.

02:50 It's a form of communication.

02:52 When I give him a bath, it's almost like he's asking for more because once the hosing starts

02:56 going then the head bobbing ceases.

03:03 Lizards will often shed in patches.

03:05 The practical aspect of bath time is just to help them remove those unshed pieces of

03:10 skin.

03:11 So reptiles are typically very independent and tough, but they are a lot more sensitive

03:15 to their environment than they appear.

03:20 Reptiles do have a rough exterior.

03:21 It makes them seem like they don't need a lot of very specific care.

03:26 The reality is quite the opposite.

03:28 They're highly specialized to fit certain niches in their environment.

03:37 Komodo dragons are the largest land reptile in the world.

03:43 We have one male komodo dragon here at the reptile house.

03:46 His name is Murphy.

03:48 Good morning, Murphy.

03:51 Hey, buddy.

03:52 When I walk up to Murphy's enclosure, there's a lot of things that are going through my

03:56 head.

03:57 Murphy is about staying safe.

03:59 They're a top predator in their environment.

04:01 So right off the bat, they command a lot of respect.

04:04 He's a good boy.

04:07 So they do have venom that's in their lower jaw that can be injected into prey.

04:15 He's basically a killing machine, but he requires care like any other reptile here at the reptile

04:19 house.

04:20 His skin is very rough and very dry.

04:24 So sometimes when he sheds, it gets kind of stuck to him a little bit.

04:30 So we come in and just kind of try to brush him down, maybe help exfoliate some of that

04:34 a little bit from time to time, especially kind of around his face and around his leg

04:38 area.

04:39 Each individual komodo is different and by and large, very intelligent lizards.

04:50 The group of reptiles in general, just a very complicated group of animals, but they do

05:08 enjoy interaction with people on a certain level.

05:13 It's something new every day.

05:14 As much as I can predict how the iguana is going to act, one day he may just decide,

05:19 "You know what?

05:20 I don't want you to work with me today and do something totally unexpected."

05:29 Every day when you come in and you work with some of these really interesting species that

05:32 are critically endangered, walking into the tortoise enclosure, it's really, really unique.

05:37 And then you realize this is a threatened animal that's potentially over 100 years old

05:42 and will probably be here after I'm gone off this earth.

05:45 [music]

05:57 [music]

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