A group of 12 people stood with me in the Curiosity Center, motionless. Even the young children refrained from crawling through logs or performing a puppet show in the play area. We all waited with bated breath as we watched Emory the rat snake slide, as if in slow motion, across her enclosure toward the mouse. I could feel the anticipation rising in the room, but her audience stayed quiet, not wanting to startle the snake away from her meal.
Emory’s tongue flicked in and out as she smelled the air. Then the youngest child freed herself from her mother’s hand and skipped across the room. Emory recoiled at seeing the sudden movement and drew her head back into the safety of the shadows. The adults in the room looked nervous, but they waited to see Emory return to circle the mouse. Now her nose was in the dish and we could practically see her tongue brushing against the mouse. After a moment of what looked like careful consideration, Emory slid away from the bowl and coiled herself under a rock cave.
I had never seen such a patient audience and I was hoping Emory would reward their persistence by swallowing the mouse whole. Unfortunately I had to explain that sometimes the snakes choose not to eat.
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