Animal attraction

BY CHRIS GAETANO
Staff Writer

PHOTOSBY MIGUEL JUAREZ staff Ricky Patel, 10, pets a box turtle along with friend Alisha Matreja, 11, during a show put on by the Lizard Guys at the South Brunswick Public Library on Friday. SOUTH BRUNSWICK - Millions of years ago, reptiles were the undisputed rulers of Earth, and while their dominance has been toppled, they were still regarded with awe, wonder and fear in South Brunswick last week.

Enzo Cristantiello, a member of a group known as the Lizard Guys, entertained South Brunswick youths and shocked and amused a young audience Friday with specimens such as the bearded dragon, the leopard gecko and a massive Burmese python. The show came as part of the township library's summer reading theme of "Paws, Claws, Scales and Tails," emphasizing stories about animals.

"Since we had used them in the past, we thought 'Animals, let's do it!' And they were the only ones that had a show for older kids as well as the little ones," said Saleena Davis, the young adult librarian at the South Brunswick library.

Enzo Cristantiello, from the Lizard Guys, shows a Burmese python. Cristantiello has been doing shows like this for the past 12 years. He graduated from Rutgers in 1993 with a degree in accounting. He opened up a pet store a year later and the show grew from there. Most of the animals he uses for the show are discarded pets.

The leopard gecko, a small spotted lizard from northern India, was the first animal shown. He explained how its coloring helps the lizard blend in with its surroundings. At one point, someone pointed to the large tail of the lizard and asked what it was for.

"I was hoping someone might say that," said Cristantiello.

The gecko's tail is larger than that of other species in order to store extra fat for the long months in the deserts with no food or water.

As he paraded the animal before the spectators, reactions ranged from apathy to shock. One young girl, upon touching it, drew away quickly.

A yellowish, spiny lizard called the Australian bearded dragon was pulled out next. Despite its fierce appearance, it was more docile than some in the audience expected.

The bearded dragon, according to Cristantiello, will extend its spines, along with the skin along its neck, if it feels threatened in order to scare off predators.

"When this guy tells you to get lost, it looks like this; you mess with his food, or his girlfriend, you get this," said Cristantiello as he held up a picture of an annoyed bearded dragon. However, despite a room full of people touching him, the lizard remained calm, the spines unextended.

Still, even if the spines had risen up, it would have mattered little. They're soft and only look intimidating.

"This guy just has the show," said Cristantiello.

A reptile with an actual defense was taken out next, a three-toed box turtle.

"You get them in a weird place called New Jersey," said Cristantiello, who explained how turtles' shells are actually part of their skeleton and are the only vertebrate with non-tooth bones on the outside of their body.

Cristantiello explained how box turtles, when threatened, will withdraw into their shell and close it up like, well, a box. He demonstrated this by tapping the turtle on the head a few times. Predictably, the turtle, not wishing to be bothered, withdrew into his shell and closed up shop.

He began his next animal presentation by asking the audience what snakes do and don't eat. A consensus was eventually reached that snakes are carnivores, which means that they eat meat. At the conclusion of this discussion, he brought out a milky white corn snake named Nibblett.

"I feed him ..." said Cristantiello, waiting for an answer, "Corn!"

Cristantiello later explained that corn snakes are called that because they like to live in cornfields due to the abundance of things they like to eat, such as mice. According to Cristantiello, if the snakes were gone, the mice would take over and eat all the corn. He brought up an example of the same thing happening in Australia when certain breeds of mice came over from Europe and North America.

Cristantiello noted that the animals showed so far would all make great pets. The next reptile displayed, however, was the exception.

Many looked confused when he brought out a tortoise that was just big enough to require two hands to hold it. The tortoise was 5 years old, a baby by the standards of his species. The sulcada tortoise, the third largest turtle on Earth, will eventually grow to weigh at least 100 pounds, and possibly twice that.

Breaking with the reptile tradition, Cristantiello next produced a tarantula, a giant African millipede and a Madagascar hissing cockroach. Everyone recoiled.

Finally, the headliner was brought out from his bag: a 10-foot-long, 30-pound Burmese python. The tail slowly swished back and forth as people cautiously approached and touched the snake, which was cool and smooth.

"This is a warning," said Cristantiello. "He eats things about the size of your shoe. Like hands. Keep your hands away from his head."

The animal display had drawn a positive reaction from those who attended.

"I thought it was pretty good, and the guy has a sense of humor and stuff. And the reptiles are really cool, and it wasn't all kiddy and stuff, he actually taught it, and it ran pretty good," said Ben Atwater, whose favorite part was the millipede because it "just looked cool."