Snakes and a Few Thousand Friends Stop in Arlington

Largest traveling reptile show on display at convention center

The largest traveling reptile conference in the country is making a stop in Arlington this weekend.

With it comes thousands of snakes, scorpions, tarantulas and other creatures.

The North American Reptile Breeders Conference is, for starters "about bragging rights," said Brian Potter, co-owner of the event.

"It's a chance for breeders to show off what they've produced for the year," he said.

It's also a chance for you to look, touch and buy reptiles at reduced prices.

All the reptiles on display at the show were born in captivity. None were taken from the wild.

If you're squeamish, don't worry. The breeders stress that you have nothing to be afraid of.

"There's really not. Of course, you want to have a natural respect -- it is a wild animal. But they're pretty awesome," said Melissa Caposello of DFW Reptile Rescue, the only 501c3 reptile rescue in Dallas-Fort Worth

Potter agreed, saying that if you don't let fear get in the way of the show, you might just be surprised.

"There's nothing here that's going to totally terrify you," he said. "You might be freaked out by it, but I think people get turned from being totally freaked out by it to realizing that these animals aren't trying to get out of containers and hurt you and kill you. They're completely harmless."

Reptile experts encourage anyone interested in buying an animal to do research first.

The reptile conference runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday at the Arlington Convention Center and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

The event is scheduled to return to Arlington in August.

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