A skull of a large alligator recovered in 1927 from Camp LeJeune 

 also catches your attention. "This is an example of a species that has 

 responded well to being protected," he says. "They were in trouble and 

 put on the endangered list. Now, they have recovered to the point that 

 commercial harvest of alligators is allowed in some states but not in North 

 Carolina." 



A few feet away are wet bird and mammal specimens, including a 

 jar of red bats that live in hollow trees in the coastal plain and piedmont. 



"Around the country, there are not many wet birds and mammals in 

 museum collections," says Braswell. "You mostly find skins. Our wet 

 collection will be increasing." 



Cold-Blooded Creatures 



As we move to snakes, Braswell says that North Carolina has over 

 37 species, including poisonous and nonpoisonous. 



"Most of our snakes aren't primitive," says Braswell while pointing 

 to a rubber boa from Oregon. "Primitive snakes live in tropical climates. 

 Most of North Carolina's snakes are in the modem group, including 

 rattlesnakes that are highly evolved genetically." 



Braswell has spent considerable time outdoors studying North 

 Carolina's snakes. His master's thesis at NC State was on the rat snake. 



"I have examined over 1,000 rat snakes," he says. "They get in 

 people's attics and shed skins. They can get up to six or seven feet long." 



As he picks up ajar of coachwhip, he relates an old wive's tale. 



"The name brings wild stories," he says. "The tail has a scaled 

 pattern that looks like a coach whip." 



In the poisonous section, there are six species from North Carolina, 

 including the copperhead, cottomouth, timber rattlesnake, eastern 

 diamondback rattlesnake, pigmy rattlesnake and coral snake. All six are 

 found in the coastal plain. 



The coral snake and the eastern diamondback ratder are the state's 

 only poisonous species considered by biologists to be endangered. 



The most recent sighting of a coral snake was last fall at Carolina 

 Beach State Park. A park official saw a snake that had been run over and 

 sent it to the museum, according to Braswell. 



"The coral snake is so rare in North Carolina that we don't go 

 looking for it," he says. "There has never been a recorded bite of a human 

 bitten by coral snake in North Carolina." 



Despite Braswell' s fascination with slithery creatures, he never picks 

 up a poisonous snake unless he must. 



"I have worked with venomous snakes for years and never been 

 bitten by one," he says. "I only handle poisonous snakes when there is no 

 other way." 



While showing the snakes, Braswell never misses an opportunity to relate their value to the ABOVE: A 40-pound, brown snapping turtle 

 environment 



"All snakes are part of their community structure," he says. "Some feed on critters we has been a museum dis V^y Hem. 



consider pests, while others give us insight on how natural systems work. Snakes give us mww m extmsive mdlusk coUection 



excitement, beauty, knowledge and even contribute to medical research and cures for human 



ailments." □ represents bivalves from all 17 river basins in 



The N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences lab is open only by appointment. For more 

 information, call 919/733-7450, ext. 751, or visit the Web: www.naturalsciences.org. 



North Carolina. 



COASTWATCH 19 



