by Elizabeth Connolly
Hometown Weekly Reporter
On a recent chilly Wednesday afternoon, the Dover Town Library (DTL) invited eager, animal-loving children, along with their caregivers, to gather together in the community room to experience “Leaping Lizards!” This program was a live animal show presented by Joy Marzolf. Marzolf was hosting two afternoon shows that day, and both had a great turnout.
Marzolf, who grew up in New England and holds a BA in Biology, shared many interesting facts about lizards. She also discussed each animal that she had brought along in detail, while relaying the need to take care of them and treat all living things with kindness. Then, after teaching the children how to properly touch the animals (gently, with two fingers), she carefully brought them around to the anyone seated on the floor in front of her. The children all appeared to be thrilled with the experience of touching one of the critters, such as a bearded dragon. “This is awesome!” one young friend said to another in an excited whisper.
Some of the lizards she brought included a bearded dragon, a panther chameleon, a blue-tongued skink, and a couple of gecko species. Attendees learned that bearded dragons have a “third eye” of sorts - a small dot on the top of their head that sees shadows and can help them detect a predator in the sky. Marzolf also shared that blue-tongued skinks (who, as their name implies, really do have blue tongues) have holes on the sides of their heads in lieu of an outer ear like humans, and their favorite foods is snails.
Leaping Lizards combined Marzolf’s 20 years’ experience with both captive and wild animals, as well as a background in wildlife photography, naturalism, and scuba diving, to bring outreach and education to all ages. She has presented at senior centers, schools, camps, and, of course, libraries.
“This was a lot of fun,” one grandparent commented after the program. “I’m grateful that my granddaughter had a chance to experience this. The presenter made lizards seem pretty neat.”
More information on Marzolf and her educational programs can be found at thejoysofnature.com. The DTL offers an extensive event calendar packed with activities for all ages. It can be viewed at dovertownlibrary.org.
