People can learn about nature and animals at Anita Purves Nature Center, including our reptile friends. The nature center has several snakes for you to visit, so let's meet The Snakes of Anita Purves Nature Center!
Ang
Our baby Honduran Milk Snake, who was born in January 2024. He was a rescue from the pet trade. Ang lives in the field station but is our hardest snake to find; he spends a lot of time hiding and is good at burrowing. We always field the question, "is there a snake in there?" and the answer is always, "Yes! He's just hiding". Ang is just about two feet long now but could grow to four or five feet!
Pan
Our baby Western Fox Snake, another pet trade rescue. He is almost two years old. Pan is not on public display but can occasionally be seen by visitors as he currently lives at the front desk. When Pan first arrived, he was defensive around humans but has now become a very docile snake who loves to come out and explore! We also thought Pan was a female snake for a while, until we took him to the vet and heard the "it's a boy!" announcement.
Cool thing about being a snake? You can use your own body as a pillow! You can also see Pan's interest in tubes, such as this paper towel roll here.
Thero
Our oldest and largest snake, Thero is an Eastern Fox Snake and he was born in captivity, so he has never lived in the wild. He will be seven years old in August, and he measures at just under 4 feet long. Thero is locally famous for being a super friendly, easygoing snake who is interested in new experiences of all sorts: new smells, new textures, new people! You’ll likely see him in his enclosure in the field station, but you might also see him out and about as staff handle him for his daily social time!
Thero loves climbing over structures, slithering through tubes, exploring belt loops, slinking through his ball, and pressing himself up against walls.
These snakes and other animals are waiting to meet you at Anita Purves Nature Center! Call the nature center at (217) 384-4062 for more information. All are welcome to the nature center to learn more about all sorts of animals.
