The Nate-ure Report: A look at the slithery world of reptiles

EL PASO, Texas -- Nate Ryan is not a huge fan of things that slither, but in a pandemic you have to make adjustments. And in this edition of "The Nate-ure Report," Nate meets two of the reptiles at the El Paso Zoo.

One of the more relaxed reptiles at the Zoo is Fido the rhinoceros iguana, aptly named because he acts like a regular house dog.

“Fido loves to meet new people," says zookeeper Felecia Sluss. "He’s really really chill, he’s actually in his 30s which is a little old for an iguana. On average they live more in their 20s or younger out in the wild.”

After giving the iguana a good back rub, Nate moved onto face one of his biggest fears by holding a Virgin Islands Tree Boa.

There are over 30 species of snakes at the zoo, but for snakes that are venomous, zookeepers pay extra attention.

“So we obviously don’t handle our venomous snakes in our hands," says zookeeper Normandy Crohn, who handles some of the zoo's serpents. "We have them on hooks or in tubes where it’s safer and we’re safer."

"But just like (the Tree Boa), the venomous snake won’t just strike you for no reason. They have to feel unsafe."

In the attached clip, watch Nate come to grips with the Tree Boa, and the snake left him a little surprise!

Catch "The Nate-ure Report" weekdays on ABC-7 at 6.