Rocks, Fossils, Jewelry, and New Guinea Art!
Categories: General
Next week, we are headed to the world's largest gem and mineral show in Tucson, Arizona to seek out and buy rare and beautiful rocks, fossils, minerals and who knows what else for our 2011 season. We never know what we will find but there are always new and exciting things offered by the several thousand vendors who come to the show from all over the world.
Hey, Where's Your Top 10 Most Deadly Snakes List?
Rhinoceros ViperFor many years we had an immensely popular "Top Ten Most Venomous Snakes" list posted here at the Reptile Gardens and, subsequently, on our web site. Many of you remember this list and have asked about it. We get thousands of web search hits to our site every year looking for just such a list.
True Grit Rattlesnakes - How True is it?
Categories: General
Western Diamondback RattlesnakeThe other day National Geographic contacted regarding the veracity of the rattlesnake scenes in the new movie, True Grit. Terry's interview is posted on the National Geographic blog.
New Year, New Web Site!
Categories: General, Reptile Gardens News
Tags: Tortoises, Methuselah
Visit Santa This Week At Reptile Gardens
Categories: General, Reptile Gardens News
Tags: Black Hills, South Dakota
Starting this Saturday the 18th of December Santa will be here every day through Christmas Eve. Bring the kids to meet Santa and take your own photos with him. Reptile Gardens is the only place where you can take your photo not only with Santa but also include Fluffy the Gator or Marilyn the Albino Python in the photo. The most unique Christmas photos ever. And it is FREE too!You Guys Have It Easy Out There Now That The Tourists Are Gone
Categories: General, Reptile Gardens News
Tags: snake adventures, Giant Reptiles
By the way, we aren't anywhere near closing yet. We're open until the end of the year.
Those of us who work here all year around frequently hear this question come fall: "S'pose you're all set to loaf for the winter? You are closed now, right? All your animals hibernate don't they?"
Reptile Gardens' Green Team - Recycle and Reuse
Categories: General, Reptile Gardens News
Tags: Reptile of the week
Our Green Team, led by Assistant Manger Clint Hubbeling, has come up with a number of great ideas to conserve, such as: Reusing office paper by printing on both sides of the paper.
Our Name Has Two Parts, What About Those "Gardens"?
Categories: General
Guests often ask our gardeners for advice and ideas on plant species selection and general care. To transform your backyard into a private oasis, our resident expert "green-thumb" David Yahne details a few favorite plant species which thrive in the Dakota climate.
Reptile Gardens Coloring Contest Winners
Categories: General
June 2010 — Despite the lack of sunshine, Reptile Gardens had a great turn out for their 73rd Guest Appreciation Weekend, Birthday Party for their beloved giant tortoise Methuselah, and Coloring Contest.
What Can I Do About Black Widows Around My House?
Black Widow spiderIt is Spider Season! Black Widows and their Friends.
Black Widow showing belly marking, not always a perfect hourglass.As warm weather approaches, we start getting calls about spiders and odd bugs people find in their garages, storage sheds, yards, and houses. The most common calls we get are in regard to spiders, especially black widows, brown recluse and a mysterious GIANT! spider that seems to strike fear in all who see one. The latter would be the common wolf spider.
Out of the tens of thousands of spiders in the world, only a few are dangerous to humans. The most common dangerously venomous spiders in the US are the Black Widow, the Brown Recluse, and the Hobo spider - and they rarely bite people. Far more people die each year of bee and wasp stings that from spider bites. And by the way, it is just a myth that the common daddy longlegs spider is extremely deadly - there is no scientific evidence to back up this fanciful tale.
Reptile Gardens...or United Nations?
Categories: General
The beginnings of what was to become the United Nations were set in motion back in 1941. By 1942 the term United Nations, coined by Franklin Roosevelt, was first used. Over the next few years the UN Charter was created and ratified and a search was begun for a place to house this new international organization.
Reptile Gardens wins South Dakota Family-Owned Business of the Year Award
Categories: Reptile Gardens News
Tags: Black Hills, Black Hills jobs
Brockelsby family honored for generations of successFresh off of their April 1 season opening, Rapid City family attraction Reptile Gardens has been named the 2010 South Dakota Family-Owned Business of the Year by the Small Business Association District Office.
Founded by Earl Brockelsby more than 70 years ago, the Black Hills reptile park is still managed by Earl's children, grandchildren, and nephew. The Brockelsby family and park staff are dedicated to the continued success of Reptile Gardens, which today houses more species of reptiles than any other zoo or park in the world.
Mac the Scarlet Macaw
Mac the Scarlet Macaw posing for one of his many portraitsOn Wednesday, 10 March, we lost one of the very few living creatures that has been at Reptile Gardens longer than even us long-timers, Mac our Scarlet Macaw.
Like most parrots in the days before wildlife laws and captive breeding, Mac was captured in the wild, in South America. He was brought to the US in the early 1950's and arrived here at Reptile Gardens as a large adult bird in 1956. We estimate his age at the time of his death to have been over 70 years.
Rapid City Reptile Park readies for first spring visitors
Categories: Reptile Gardens News
Tags: Black Hills, Black Hills jobs
Reptile Gardens has been a staple of the Black Hills family entertainment industry for decades, drawing thousands of visitors each year to view exotic animals up close. With just days to go before the park's season opening, staff are eagerly anticipating the upcoming flood of visitors.
Yikes! Another Fake Giant Reptile
Categories: Crocodiles and Alligators, Reptiles
Huge gator, or forced perspective?GIANT RATTLESNAKES!
The Internet Such a Resource!?
Sometimes the internet is a great source of information and sometimes...well...it is like the National Enquirer. If you are not intimately involved in a particular area of study it can be pretty hard to know the difference when reading things online or seeing them on TV. To make matters more complicated, most of us (me included) tend to be pretty trusting anyway. When it comes to reptiles and amphibians, you can count on the staff at Reptile Gardens for the true facts, no sensational tabloid-style lies or exaggerations from us.
HOW TO CARE FOR A DEAD TREE
Categories: General
Tags: Giant Reptiles
"Protecting Your Family, Pets and Livestock from Snakes"
Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake This is part 3 of our answer to a recent question involving increased snake activity in the Black Hills. If you missed them, read Part 1 and Part 2 . This time we'll give you some advice on how to protect yourself and your animals from snakes.
Not the Best Way to Keep Your New Bride Around
Categories: Snakes
Tags: rattlesnakes
Earl & Maude BrockelsbyDuring the many years we have collected snakes, we have accumulated dozens of experiences, some of which were nearly tragic, but as long as they didn't end in tragedy, they can be looked back upon with humor.
