April 27, 2023 - The exhibition Reptilomania Plus is taking place at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Zagreb for the tenth year. The organization is run by veterinary students in cooperation with reptile breeders. Visitors will have the opportunity to see exotic animals from different parts of the world. The exhibition lasts until April 30 in the faculty building, and entrance is free.
"My Komodo dragon is very friendly and intelligent, like a dog. He plays with the ball just like a four-legged pet", says veterinary student Marko for 24Sata. He is participating in the "Reptilomania+" exhibition with his pet Komodo dragon.
"About 60 different types of reptiles are on display. There are also snakes, turtles, fish, pythons, various insects, and spiders", stated one of the exhibition organizers, Tvrtko Matušić, a fourth-year veterinary student. He pointed out that one of the more interesting animals is the mata mata turtle.
"It is interesting because of its prehistoric appearance, which attracts the attention of surprised visitors. It lives exclusively in water, except for the female that comes out to lay eggs. Their physiognomy is very interesting; they have tiny eyes and use the hairs on their heads for orientation. They are quite hostile and like to stay alone in their own space. They have very long mouths and no teeth and suck their prey", explained Matušić.
Another interesting species that you can check out at the exhibition is the beta fish. According to Matušić, those are bred in Thailand for fish fights.
"If two fish find themselves in the same aquarium, they inflate their gills and fins and get ready to fight, which is a fascinating sight. We also have a panther chameleon on display. It comes from the tropical forests of Madagascar. It sparks great curiosity among visitors. Each chameleon has one or two colours that change when it's mating time when they're upset or angry. Their colour is fascinating and most often changes from yellow to green or from red to blue", Tvrtko Matušić revealed.
The organizers say the exhibited animals change every year, which makes this exhibition unique.
"We are delighted with the excellent turnout and pleasantly surprised by the reactions of the visitors, who have nothing but words of praise for such an unusual and rare project," they concluded.
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