What to expect at our “Meet and Creep” this Halloween!

We have a range of creepy crawlies here at the farm, and this Halloween you will get the chance to meet them during our Scarecrow & Pumpkin festival! We have lots for you to see and engage with, from our Invertebrates, to some of our exciting reptiles. You will have the chance to meet these creepy crawlies at our “Meet and Creep”, that will take place at intervals throughout the day. Here are some cool and exciting facts to get you ready to get handling.

Millipedes

One of the most intriguing invertabrates that we have here at the farm are our Millipedes. A common misconception about millipedes are that they all have 1000 legs, however the ones that we have on the farm here, have around 250 legs. Only in the last few years has a true millipede with 1306 legs been found in Australia. Millipedes are in fact poisonous, however that is only if you eat them. They are perfectly fine to hold, as long as you wash your hands afterwards. Lemurs have been seen to eat them, and then go on to lick their fur afterwards, as they believe that the toxins act as an insect repellant – How clever!!

Millipedes are extremely interesting to hold, as you can feel each of their tiny little legs on your hands, many describe it as a velcro-like texture. Make sure when you visit us this halloween, you are brave enough to have a go!

 

Madagascan Hissing Cockroaches

Another exciting invertebrate is our Madagascan Hissing Cockroaches, such as Colin in the images above. These are super interesting, because of their unique hissing sounds, which are created through the spiracles (breathing holes) in their body, that they squeeze air through, to create this hissing sound. They do not always hiss, it is only common when they may be uncomfortable or distressed. Cockroaches are detrivores, which means that they are good for the environment as they clean the world by eating everything rotten. If you are ever abroad, and you see cockroaches on the floor, be sure to not stand on them. This is because their eggs are sticky, meaning that they will stick to your shoes and be trodden into your house – you do not want a cockroach infestation!

You will get to meet these at our ‘”meet and creep”, so be sure to brush up on your facts to be quizzed by our reptile team!

 

Giant African Land Snails

Snails are part of the mollusc family, which means that they are actually related to octopus and crabs! We have Giant African Land Snails here at the farm, and their shells can grow up to 20-cm long. They are one of the largest land snails in the world! In order to eat their food, they have a spiky, hooked tongue called a Radula, which they use to scrape off tiny bits of food to eat. Snails are an incredibly invasive species, as they are hermaphrodites, meaning that they have both male and female reproductive parts.

When handling our African Land Snails, be sure to only touch their shell! This is because the fleshy-part of their body is extremely sensitive to the salts and dirts that live on our hands, so it is very important to avoid that area, as it is painful for them. Make sure to remember this when you get chance to handle them!

 

Rankins Dragon

Our amazing Rankins Dragon, Steve, will also be taking part in our “Meet and Creep” this Halloween, and he cannot wait to meet you! Rankins Dragons are a smaller species of the Bearded Dragon family, which you can tell through their similar qualities. They have lots of interesting features, that are vital for survival in the wild. When you get the chance to handle one of these spectacular reptiles, if you take a close look at the top of their head, you will spot something pretty cool. They have a “third eye” at the top of their head, which is used to detect shadows above, in order to protect them from predators. This is a very important fact to know and look out for when handling! Despite their appearance of tough spikes, they may have rather rough skin on their back, but they are not spiky at all. If you gently run a finger along these spikes, you will notice that they are not sharp at all, they only give that illusion to protect themselves.

You may notice that they can have a slight change of colour depending on their temperature. When a Rankins Dragon is cold, they can appear a darker colour, in order for them to absorb more heat around them to warm up.

 

Royal Python 

Another exciting reptile that you will encounter this Halloween, are our Royal Pythons! Some may find this reptile a bit more on the scarier side – perfect for a bit of Halloween fun. But don’t be fooled, our snakes are not venomous and they are super friendly and interesting to hold. There will be a variety of snakes that will be brought out over the spooky season, but this type in particular is a fan favourite. Our Royal Python Peanut steals the show every time, with their beautiful pattern and delicate movements, you will forget why you were ever scared! The name Royal Python comes from an old African legend, which states that pythons used to be placed around the necks of royalty to show their higher status. Python’s have ‘heat-pits’ on their face in order to sense the infa-red radiation, which is why they tend to go for the warmer parts of your body during handling, such as your under arms.

Be sure to overcome your fears this Halloween, and get stuck in with our creepy-crawly handling – You will not regret it! This is only a sneak-peak at what is in store at the “Meet and Creep”, so expect many more surprises!

 

Our Halloween Scarecrow & Pumpkin festival begins this Saturday 21st October!

As well as the “Meet and Creep” excitement, there will be so many more halloween activities to get involved in, including mess-free pumpkin carving for you and your little ones!

Be sure to book your tickets online now to avoid disappointment!