08/22/2026
Two interesting animals came to visit DaVinci from Happy Hollow Park & Zoo - Happy Hollow! We first met Sal, a beautiful, calm Tiger Salamander who prefers to bury into soft, moist earth. Sal’s skin is so delicate that human skin oil would clog it up. Since he also breathes through his skin, touching him would be like giving him a stuffy nose!
Next we met two Hissing Cockroaches from Madagascar 🇲🇬 who could be touched on their chiton exoskeleton — though not everyone wanted to! Did you know that these cockroaches are among the cleanest and do not pass on diseases to humans? They have little mites on them that keep them extra clean. Students also learned how they defend themselves in the forest. When a group of cockroaches all hiss together, it can be as loud as a jet engine!
Thank you, Happy Hollow, for these fun lessons about biomimicry, habitat and clever defenses. We discovered that there’s a lot to learn from our animal friends!