Hey Clint, Why don’t you get to think of a suggestion and creating a TH-cam Videos all about the Origins and the Inspirations of the Reptiles in Myths, such as Dragons, Wyverns, the Loch Ness Monster, Sea Serpents, Nagas, the Hydra, the Leviathan, the Amphisbaena, the Cockatrice, the Basilisk, Medusa The Gorgon, Typhon, Quetzalcoatl, The Feathered Serpent God, Etc. on the next Clint’s Reptiles on the next Saturday coming up next?!⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐👍👍👍👍👍
I'm sorry 😢but Clint you are definitely biased when it comes to your favorites of reptiles. I'm part of the unpopular group of herps. You might have one or full grown ones. But I bet you $1 you would select box,sliders,even a common snapping turtle over a mata mata to bring to a educational kids show. Yes,they are very slow moving(I like them that way) not everyone is going to win the rat race by running around in a full circle just to get to the finish line.. Mata mata take their own time(they have the most Vast of colors,patterns habits,habitats abd personalities) i have both a wild version and domestic mata mata. They act nothing like what you describe my friend 😅😢
@@HassanMohamed-jy4kkthat's a great suggestion 🙂 👍. Like how the armored dragon or armored lizard of Arizona are actually "underground cavern lizards."
I've never would've thought an ad for a table could be so dang entertaining. Never change, Clint. Also if I picked a turtle to represent you, it would definitely be a mata mata. They're also one of my absolute favorites because they're just the silliest and cutest little guys with their always present smile who never fail to lift my spirits. Just like your videos! 🐢
Clint is one of the few Animal TH-camrs that has a bio related degree. While education isn't everything, this is why Clints material FEELS organic, organized, passionate, and humble. Clint is a treaure. He is brilliant.
Yes. As an ecoclimatologist it really show that Clint has a degree in biology. It really comes out that he understand things in way that only a biologist can.
Clint, the look of pure unbridled joy while riding your desk was amazing! 😂 Also, the Mata Mata is a beautiful turtle but you're right, not pet material 😊
The best point here is clearly seeing a PHD say "WIIII!" on an elevator desk and probably thinking about putting a Mata Mata on it and pressing the button up and down repeatedly.
Clint, I appreciate this, I have read and watched anything I can on these as it's my favorite turtle! I legitimately was just saying there isn't a lot of information on the mata mata, and I wake up to this. I rescued a baby mata mata from someone local here who kept him in a plastic container with no filter barely fed. I have had him two years now in a pond setup, I do use a sand, media sump and uv filter. The room stays very humid as the frogs and geckos I keep require it and I keep it temp regulated, my ph stays around 6.0 to 6.5 he feeds on different live feeders, I do use a supplement with as well. I will say I loved this video because it gave even more insight to a turtle that is truly hard to keep as I do upkeep daily I test the water daily also. Truly thank you for this video and giving a great insight to how hard they are to keep
See if you can draw one side and pump out the other- they seem to love moving water, like most things and it'll help keep the water clean upstream. Best of luck. Write everything you learn down to make sure everyone can learn from any mistakes you make. Do you weigh him for health checks? This is standard on most turtles but if they're stressed easily maybe this is something others do wrong. Conversely, you may be doing it in a way that is good, so please record these and share your findings. Some aquaria will appreciate it and share back with you. Full schematics of your pond and your routine, his diet and climate and observed behavior would also help. I'm essentially asking you to write a book/paper on your care, but it could save many turtles and enable them to be displayed more readily. Particularly because you HAVEN'T copied an existing success, it is much easier to find common variables.
Clint, please do a video on pigeons and doves. They’re so much more than they get credit for in the domestic setting and I think you’re the perfect person to get into that. It would make the best feathered reptile to exhibit on this channel.
The Detroit Zoo has ALSO had the same Mata Mata for a VERY long time in our zoo's reptile house! Bonus fun fact, our reptile house is also one of the only original structures from the 1920s from our ORIGINAL zoo! Signed, a Detroit native and former Detroit Zoo employee lol
I do deeply love the Mata Mata. One of my favourite scenes ever from an Amazon documentary involves a camera slowly making it's way through the murk of a river and then that big stupid grin looming out of the shadows.... How someone hasn't convinced Frank Oz to make a muppet of one and have it appear on Sesame Street or something I do not know.
I have a mata mata del Rio orinoco taken at a turtle fair in 2019.Now for two years she has been living in a preformed pond that I installed internally at home. I alternate frozen fish with live fish. I also tried other types of food that were never considered by her. Acidify water from time to time by adding catappa leaf. The temperature of the winter water. It is around the 24' in the hottest spot. Out of the water I only have two neon LEDs for the plants. Being that the water evaporates, the right moist condensation is created for when it comes out to breathe and I refill hot water weekly. So far I haven't had any health problems and it has reached a fair size. Now that she is grown I feed her twice a week, but sometimes I leave fish in the pond that last several times/days and that she loves to 😁😁 hunt. As a child, however, she ate almost every day. But even as a child there was no way to make them eat worms, insects or other food, she preferred to starve rather even though on some groups they said she could eat anything other than fish. At the moment I have never included heated outdoor lamps even though the room is not particularly warm in winter. I use a pond filter pump with a uvc lamp and the inserted plants also help to keep the water clean.
The TH-camr Bobby from the channel Bass Fishing Pro had a Matamata. He's only had it for a little over a month or so but it's seems to be thriving. He has it in a full on pond, in Florida, outside, with live live-barers breeding in the pond with him for a for source.
My son loves your videos. I think your channel is awesome. He's ten and very into bugs and reptiles resetly he told me he's having a hard time making friends that they don't get him, and they don't like bugs like him. I was able to brighten his day by bringing up your channel and telling him there's lots of people who do like that stuff and even get jobs taking care of animals like that TH-cam guy you like and he said clint?! I said yes him he's got lots of friends who love the same things as you , and it takes time to meet people who love the same things." Anyways I just wanted to say thank you for your great videos that brighten his day I always tell people and him that when I see your videos I almost see my son as an adult lol. He currently wants to be a bee keeper when he grows up for the sweetest reasons. ❤
Life is always rough when you are his age. But when he is able to get truly into the hobby of keeping bugs and reptiles, he is going to meet some of the best people. I can't count the number of people, just like Clint. Really, I think most of us are like him in some ways. Maybe you can look into taking him to a reptile show in your area? He could meet some people just like him.
I know Kamp Kenan had a Mata mata fairly long term in an outside pond in South Florida, which would cover the humidity and temperature needs of the turtle.
I was thinking the same thing. Kenan is unique in that he has cultivated a natural enough environment that he succeeds by benign neglect. There is nothing more delightful than him looking for another turtle and pulling out the mata mata instead. It did well at Fred's too.
Hey Clint, Why don’t you get to think of a suggestion and creating a TH-cam Videos all about the Origins and the Inspirations of the Reptiles in Myths, such as Dragons, Wyverns, the Loch Ness Monster, Sea Serpents, Nagas, the Hydra, the Leviathan, the Amphisbaena, the Cockatrice, the Basilisk, Medusa The Gorgon, Typhon, Quetzalcoatl, The Feathered Serpent God, Etc. on the next Clint’s Reptiles on the next Saturday coming up next?!⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐👍👍👍👍👍
I remember the first time I saw a mata mata! I was visiting an aquarium and walked past a tank, I thought it was a weird log with plants on it at first. Then it stuck it's neck out to grab some food at the surface. I was very surprised to see the log extend it's neck, but I spent a long time at the tank marveling at how strange and cool they look.
I would genuinely love a series where Clint just goes around to different zoos and aquariums and talks with the keepers about what’s involved with caring for a given animal.
Great video as always, but also probably the best sponsor clip I've ever seen. Just seeing you ride the desk up and down is something that I need to watch on repeat
They say you should never meet your heroes cuz theyll just disappoint you. I would like everyone to know that Clint does NOT follow this rule. He is a wonderful human being. In fact, I'm going to give him an overall score of 4 based on our five criteria. It would be higher, but he gets a 1 out of 5 on Availability since he is literally one of a kind, and also that one is presumably not for sale. This places him just barely lower than a Western Hognose. Jokes aside though, my four year old daughter has been into snakes lately and has been watching Clint for some time. We took her to Clints Reptile Room recently and we actually got to meet the man himself for a few minutes. Even though he was a bit busy, he made time to talk with us and to interact with my daughter who was wanting to meet him. He was so positive and you can tell in how he spoke with her that he is an experienced educator and it was a great experience. Also, big shoutout to their staff, Sawyer. To be clear, every staff we spoke with was helpful and knowledgeable and great, but Sawyer was the first to greet us as we came in. I told him my daughter had been into snakes lately and he brought out this tiny black snake named Sparrow (I dont recall the species). My daughter was nervous at first, but he worked with her and patiently coached her and eventually she was excited to show me her holding the snake, her "new friend". Sawyer eventually brought her a slightly larger snake named Buttercup and taught her about draping it around her shoulders and supporting the head and body, etc. Eventually, He brought he a beautiful leucistic Ball Python named Ethel. My daughter was thrilled by the larger snake and still talks about wanting to go back to see "her white snake". As a father, it was so rewarding to see her work through the process from being nervous about a small snake to becoming best friends with a larger snake. I'm grateful to Clint for starting this business and to his wonderful staff for educating people and possibly sparking a lifetime of love and understanding where there may have otherwise only been fear or anxiety. We cant wait to go back.
I just clicked on this video because the mata mata is one of my absolute favourite animals!! I made a whole multimedia project about them in college! And I hope this video is 20 minutes of talking about how delightfully goofy they are. What wonderful creatures!!
I do not watch these videos with any desire or want of a pet at all. But i do so absolutely love reptiles, and love to see them and hear them talked about and you do an excellent job in part due to the information, but largely because you're so excited to talk about the animal, too.
It sounds like it’s not that they are intolerant of water quality issues per se, but that they don’t like shifting conditions. In a system as massive as a professional aquarium’s, there’s likely little shift from day to day, or hour to hour, or even week to week.
Hey clint! I dont keep mata mata, but i do keep a little blackwater tank, and some of the reading ive done suggests that bacteria may be the most important aspect of keeping animals adapted to these environments. The pH of these environments is often too low for benefitial bacteria important to the nitrogen cycle and for harmful bacteria which results in lowered immunities especially for wild caught animals. This means that if you give them a naturalistic environment you increase the risk of poor water quality issues and if you dont you risk exposing them to bacteria theyre not adapted to surviving. UV treating the water is a really smart choice if this is relevant to mata mata like it is to other orinoco river animals.
Those desk are great. Had one at work. Love one for my home office. With Clint’s discount maybe I’ll make that happen. And put a bunch of dart frogs on it. The people at work said they are scary.
Argentine snake-neck turtles have similar carapace when they are small. I love that feature as well! I have both mata mata and argentine snake-neck, I tend to add some peat in their water to sustain the acidity they need.
I would assume that the type of vision a mata mata has is reliant on light diffusion, meaning they see layers of shadow in the water column and hide where the fish school or rest during crepuscular light cycles. So it is what they see, not just that they see. The tubercle scales and other projections would also be similar to a crocodile's sensory scales. One terrible assumption about reptiles with osteoderms and other hard scales is that the hard scales have very little feeling. Crocodile's vibration sense is absolutely amazing. You can see the sensory dimples on their scales all over. I see the dimples on a mata mata as well. Not just in that cute dopey grin. I think mata matas definitely fit a category of reptiles that takes advantage of their hard protuberances and sensory dimples to hunt. And yes, they ambush, but they are moving ambush predators. The tagged wild specimens have a larger range than you'd think. I've heard conservationists talk about it. Probably some of the same ones that Clint has talked to, based on some of the things I've heard him say. The fish and other animals probably have a hard time seeing them too, which is why they are so shy about being seen. Being shy does not make for a good zoo animal, but it does make for a successful species in the wild.
There's a fish/aquarium store in Minneapolis (I think it's called AquariumLand) that has a Mata Mata that they've had for at least a dozen years, probably longer. And they keep it in a 120 gallon aquarium, bare bottom, no land area or basking spot. Just a few large sponge filters and a heater. And as far as I know it's totally healthy.
Keep up the good work Clint! I’ve used your videos to help family with their worries about reptiles, arachnids, etc. to the point that my girlfriend and brother have started their own collections. Thank you for the great content and education.
Good day sir, what a fantastic video sir. But you and Dave's Snake Discovery build off this year was incredible. Oh my please have a video on your adventure with that build. Again a very fantastic video today. Keep up the video sir.
I love these videos, Clint is totally the american version of the late Danish TV presenter Poul Thomsen, he made mainly nature programs in the 80s and 90s, check it out, its allmost uncanny.
I wonder if using the gentler handling technique you made a video about regarding snapping turtles would make these guys also not try to snap at you? Maybe they’re similarly not actually as aggressive as we’ve thought? It would be interesting to see a followup! Of course, not if it’s overly stressful on the critters :)
I want one so badly it's my dream turtle!! Plus, I live in Florida, and have acres to build a pond so I know I can provide for one fully once the pond is built. Which is what I'm waiting for before acquiring one.
Not that I am advocating for they way they keep theirs, but Aqualand Aquarium Center in Minneapolis has one they have had for years with dramatically less care. Again, I am not advocating for this, but it is an example of one being successfully kept with less than zoo levels of care. It's cool, if not a little sad, to drop by and see it if you are in the area.
Sitting under a waterfall will help keep the turtle on the bottom while using less energy to do so, and is an opportunistic spot to wait for prey that will come “down” the current
You even make a desk look fun lolol 😂 I have a crank version of a standing desk, it's essential when one is disabled and needs to change positions a lot
Flexispot is having their annual anniversary sale! Use my code CLINT for up to 60% off on orders over $500 at bit.ly/clint10
Hey Clint, Why don’t you get to think of a suggestion and creating a TH-cam Videos all about the Origins and the Inspirations of the Reptiles in Myths, such as Dragons, Wyverns, the Loch Ness Monster, Sea Serpents, Nagas, the Hydra, the Leviathan, the Amphisbaena, the Cockatrice, the Basilisk, Medusa The Gorgon, Typhon, Quetzalcoatl, The Feathered Serpent God, Etc. on the next Clint’s Reptiles on the next Saturday coming up next?!⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐👍👍👍👍👍
I'm sorry 😢but Clint you are definitely biased when it comes to your favorites of reptiles.
I'm part of the unpopular group of herps. You might have one or full grown ones. But I bet you $1 you would select box,sliders,even a common snapping turtle over a mata mata to bring to a educational kids show.
Yes,they are very slow moving(I like them that way) not everyone is going to win the rat race by running around in a full circle just to get to the finish line..
Mata mata take their own time(they have the most Vast of colors,patterns habits,habitats abd personalities) i have both a wild version and domestic mata mata. They act nothing like what you describe my friend 😅😢
@@HassanMohamed-jy4kkthat's a great suggestion 🙂 👍. Like how the armored dragon or armored lizard of Arizona are actually "underground cavern lizards."
Do you do reptile trades? I like the snake I have which is an albino Apalachicola goini king, but he's a male, and I want a female.
I've never would've thought an ad for a table could be so dang entertaining. Never change, Clint.
Also if I picked a turtle to represent you, it would definitely be a mata mata. They're also one of my absolute favorites because they're just the silliest and cutest little guys with their always present smile who never fail to lift my spirits. Just like your videos! 🐢
Clint I watch these not because of the animals, I watch them because your passion and enthusiasm is infectious.
I do both
I've never felt the need to own reptiles but i still never miss one of these videos (or snake discovery ones for that matter)
Why not both? 😊
I watch it because all the videos are Stinkin rad
Yeah, Clint is the original vector that sucked me into the world of reptiles.
"We keep the water clean and we feed it" hilarious and what a mood
Clint is one of the few Animal TH-camrs that has a bio related degree. While education isn't everything, this is why Clints material FEELS organic, organized, passionate, and humble.
Clint is a treaure. He is brilliant.
Thank you so much!
Yes. As an ecoclimatologist it really show that Clint has a degree in biology. It really comes out that he understand things in way that only a biologist can.
@@CoMtLion I agree, as well. As a dishwasher, I can say that Clint has mastered teaching his passion while not sounding patronizing.
This comment just confirmed that I am going to subscribe 👍🏽 Thank you and I can't wait to learn more about the reptile world 😊
Clint, the look of pure unbridled joy while riding your desk was amazing! 😂 Also, the Mata Mata is a beautiful turtle but you're right, not pet material 😊
@@kimberlyrichardson5943 I wholeheartedly agree 🥰
He’s so charming!! ☺️
The best point here is clearly seeing a PHD say "WIIII!" on an elevator desk and probably thinking about putting a Mata Mata on it and pressing the button up and down repeatedly.
Without a doubt, the best sponsor segment of Clint's career! 😂🤩🤣 And the turtle info was delightful as always 😊
Right? I've never actually wanted a desk before this lol
Clint, I appreciate this, I have read and watched anything I can on these as it's my favorite turtle! I legitimately was just saying there isn't a lot of information on the mata mata, and I wake up to this. I rescued a baby mata mata from someone local here who kept him in a plastic container with no filter barely fed. I have had him two years now in a pond setup, I do use a sand, media sump and uv filter. The room stays very humid as the frogs and geckos I keep require it and I keep it temp regulated, my ph stays around 6.0 to 6.5 he feeds on different live feeders, I do use a supplement with as well. I will say I loved this video because it gave even more insight to a turtle that is truly hard to keep as I do upkeep daily I test the water daily also. Truly thank you for this video and giving a great insight to how hard they are to keep
Uh so how the mata mata you keep has been doing lately these year in the pond ? is it still alive or what ?
@@MinhHieu-ie6ehhe said he has had him for two years now...
They get massive too lol very awesome turtle! I want one someday but I’d have to have tons of space lol my common snapping turtle hogs the space lol 😂
how's the little guy been growing? and are you now considering adding a fountain/waterfall feature?
See if you can draw one side and pump out the other- they seem to love moving water, like most things and it'll help keep the water clean upstream. Best of luck. Write everything you learn down to make sure everyone can learn from any mistakes you make.
Do you weigh him for health checks? This is standard on most turtles but if they're stressed easily maybe this is something others do wrong. Conversely, you may be doing it in a way that is good, so please record these and share your findings. Some aquaria will appreciate it and share back with you.
Full schematics of your pond and your routine, his diet and climate and observed behavior would also help. I'm essentially asking you to write a book/paper on your care, but it could save many turtles and enable them to be displayed more readily.
Particularly because you HAVEN'T copied an existing success, it is much easier to find common variables.
Clint, please do a video on pigeons and doves. They’re so much more than they get credit for in the domestic setting and I think you’re the perfect person to get into that. It would make the best feathered reptile to exhibit on this channel.
4:50 The pure joy coming off this man as he vibes atop a really cool table is giving me all the seratonin I needed today
The Detroit Zoo has ALSO had the same Mata Mata for a VERY long time in our zoo's reptile house!
Bonus fun fact, our reptile house is also one of the only original structures from the 1920s from our ORIGINAL zoo!
Signed, a Detroit native and former Detroit Zoo employee lol
I do deeply love the Mata Mata. One of my favourite scenes ever from an Amazon documentary involves a camera slowly making it's way through the murk of a river and then that big stupid grin looming out of the shadows.... How someone hasn't convinced Frank Oz to make a muppet of one and have it appear on Sesame Street or something I do not know.
I love this comment, lol.
This channel is consistently one of the best out there. Thank you Clint and everyone that helps him do this.
The long awaited return of the Mata Mata lol
Only clint can make me watch a sponsorship for a desk and enjoy every second of it
I have a mata mata del Rio orinoco taken at a turtle fair in 2019.Now for two years she has been living in a preformed pond that I installed internally at home. I alternate frozen fish with live fish. I also tried other types of food that were never considered by her. Acidify water from time to time by adding catappa leaf. The temperature of the winter water. It is around the 24' in the hottest spot. Out of the water I only have two neon LEDs for the plants. Being that the water evaporates, the right moist condensation is created for when it comes out to breathe and I refill hot water weekly. So far I haven't had any health problems and it has reached a fair size. Now that she is grown I feed her twice a week, but sometimes I leave fish in the pond that last several times/days and that she loves to 😁😁 hunt. As a child, however, she ate almost every day. But even as a child there was no way to make them eat worms, insects or other food, she preferred to starve rather even though on some groups they said she could eat anything other than fish. At the moment I have never included heated outdoor lamps even though the room is not particularly warm in winter. I use a pond filter pump with a uvc lamp and the inserted plants also help to keep the water clean.
The TH-camr Bobby from the channel Bass Fishing Pro had a Matamata. He's only had it for a little over a month or so but it's seems to be thriving. He has it in a full on pond, in Florida, outside, with live live-barers breeding in the pond with him for a for source.
Bob seems very knowledgeable on mata matas. Seems even Clint learned things when he asked those questions. Love to see it.
Imagine spending the day at the aquarium with Clint! Now that would be a stinkin' rad day!
"field trip with Clint" would be an amazing Patreon perk
This video contains the best ad I've ever seen on TH-cam. 10/10
I just visited the Loveland Aquarium a month ago, was blown away by the size of the Arapaima. Pictures really don't do them justice.
Oh yeah their arapaima is an absolute unit 😆
My son loves your videos. I think your channel is awesome. He's ten and very into bugs and reptiles resetly he told me he's having a hard time making friends that they don't get him, and they don't like bugs like him. I was able to brighten his day by bringing up your channel and telling him there's lots of people who do like that stuff and even get jobs taking care of animals like that TH-cam guy you like and he said clint?! I said yes him he's got lots of friends who love the same things as you , and it takes time to meet people who love the same things." Anyways I just wanted to say thank you for your great videos that brighten his day I always tell people and him that when I see your videos I almost see my son as an adult lol. He currently wants to be a bee keeper when he grows up for the sweetest reasons. ❤
Life is always rough when you are his age. But when he is able to get truly into the hobby of keeping bugs and reptiles, he is going to meet some of the best people. I can't count the number of people, just like Clint. Really, I think most of us are like him in some ways. Maybe you can look into taking him to a reptile show in your area? He could meet some people just like him.
The mata mata's smiley mouth cracks me up. Looks like a wizard or some fantasy creature combined with that beard
5:05 You have a PNSO Suchomimus?! Me too 😱☺
4:47 we need a clint reptiles out of context meme
Your compassion to your pets and animals are outstanding. And it's showing to every videos you make.
Can't imagine how excited Clint must have been for this video!
I also love mata mata, despite which subspecies , all of them are gorgeous, Hey Clint, would you mind enlight us about Diamondback Terrapins?
The goofiness in all the videos keeps me coming back to understand the exotic animals some people keep.
I love the Living Planet Aquarium! It's so cool that you have a good relationship with them, and make these types of features possible. :)
Never thought I'd say this, but that's my favorite ad read from your channel yet.
4:52 That pose reminds me of Joe Namath's pose when he wore pantyhose in a TV commercial. Your sponsor picked an iconic spokesman.
I love these videos that explain how some great zoo animals aren't great pets. But hey you can go to zoo and to see them!!!
I know Kamp Kenan had a Mata mata fairly long term in an outside pond in South Florida, which would cover the humidity and temperature needs of the turtle.
I was thinking the same thing. Kenan is unique in that he has cultivated a natural enough environment that he succeeds by benign neglect. There is nothing more delightful than him looking for another turtle and pulling out the mata mata instead. It did well at Fred's too.
Hey Clint, Why don’t you get to think of a suggestion and creating a TH-cam Videos all about the Origins and the Inspirations of the Reptiles in Myths, such as Dragons, Wyverns, the Loch Ness Monster, Sea Serpents, Nagas, the Hydra, the Leviathan, the Amphisbaena, the Cockatrice, the Basilisk, Medusa The Gorgon, Typhon, Quetzalcoatl, The Feathered Serpent God, Etc. on the next Clint’s Reptiles on the next Saturday coming up next?!⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐👍👍👍👍👍
I remember the first time I saw a mata mata! I was visiting an aquarium and walked past a tank, I thought it was a weird log with plants on it at first. Then it stuck it's neck out to grab some food at the surface. I was very surprised to see the log extend it's neck, but I spent a long time at the tank marveling at how strange and cool they look.
I came for the Mata Mata. I stayed for the delightful table play. Clint, you beautiful goof!
I would genuinely love a series where Clint just goes around to different zoos and aquariums and talks with the keepers about what’s involved with caring for a given animal.
Great video as always, but also probably the best sponsor clip I've ever seen. Just seeing you ride the desk up and down is something that I need to watch on repeat
Mata Mata so nice they named it twice!
I love their cute lil smiley face!!
Clint and that new desk... I think that not even his children (older two) would not enjoy the desk ride as much as Clint did...
They say you should never meet your heroes cuz theyll just disappoint you. I would like everyone to know that Clint does NOT follow this rule. He is a wonderful human being. In fact, I'm going to give him an overall score of 4 based on our five criteria. It would be higher, but he gets a 1 out of 5 on Availability since he is literally one of a kind, and also that one is presumably not for sale. This places him just barely lower than a Western Hognose.
Jokes aside though, my four year old daughter has been into snakes lately and has been watching Clint for some time. We took her to Clints Reptile Room recently and we actually got to meet the man himself for a few minutes. Even though he was a bit busy, he made time to talk with us and to interact with my daughter who was wanting to meet him. He was so positive and you can tell in how he spoke with her that he is an experienced educator and it was a great experience.
Also, big shoutout to their staff, Sawyer. To be clear, every staff we spoke with was helpful and knowledgeable and great, but Sawyer was the first to greet us as we came in. I told him my daughter had been into snakes lately and he brought out this tiny black snake named Sparrow (I dont recall the species). My daughter was nervous at first, but he worked with her and patiently coached her and eventually she was excited to show me her holding the snake, her "new friend". Sawyer eventually brought her a slightly larger snake named Buttercup and taught her about draping it around her shoulders and supporting the head and body, etc. Eventually, He brought he a beautiful leucistic Ball Python named Ethel. My daughter was thrilled by the larger snake and still talks about wanting to go back to see "her white snake".
As a father, it was so rewarding to see her work through the process from being nervous about a small snake to becoming best friends with a larger snake. I'm grateful to Clint for starting this business and to his wonderful staff for educating people and possibly sparking a lifetime of love and understanding where there may have otherwise only been fear or anxiety. We cant wait to go back.
Clint seems like an insanely nice guy. Gentle and humble. Need more people like him.
I just clicked on this video because the mata mata is one of my absolute favourite animals!! I made a whole multimedia project about them in college! And I hope this video is 20 minutes of talking about how delightfully goofy they are. What wonderful creatures!!
I appreciate honesty about animals. No trying to push them, no encouraging rading the wild but straight up, it's cool but it's not for you!
Clint riding the desk was great 😅
1:58 MISSED OPPORTUNITY: "so what's the matta with this turtle?" 🐢😉
I was soooo tempted when my local reptile store had a Mata mata. Thankfully I didn't have anywhere for it, but I still want one...
I do not watch these videos with any desire or want of a pet at all. But i do so absolutely love reptiles, and love to see them and hear them talked about and you do an excellent job in part due to the information, but largely because you're so excited to talk about the animal, too.
It sounds like it’s not that they are intolerant of water quality issues per se, but that they don’t like shifting conditions. In a system as massive as a professional aquarium’s, there’s likely little shift from day to day, or hour to hour, or even week to week.
Hey clint! I dont keep mata mata, but i do keep a little blackwater tank, and some of the reading ive done suggests that bacteria may be the most important aspect of keeping animals adapted to these environments. The pH of these environments is often too low for benefitial bacteria important to the nitrogen cycle and for harmful bacteria which results in lowered immunities especially for wild caught animals. This means that if you give them a naturalistic environment you increase the risk of poor water quality issues and if you dont you risk exposing them to bacteria theyre not adapted to surviving. UV treating the water is a really smart choice if this is relevant to mata mata like it is to other orinoco river animals.
Those desk are great. Had one at work. Love one for my home office. With Clint’s discount maybe I’ll make that happen. And put a bunch of dart frogs on it. The people at work said they are scary.
...dart frogs are scary?? 😂🤣
the way Clint talks about these lads sounds like how I talk about thresher sharks
The table is stable no matter how hard you rub it. Great product placement. Juuuust great. I'll get one.
Love getting the notifications that u posted!! I get to learn
I adore the Mata Mata. Such a cool looking beast! 😁❤
Argentine snake-neck turtles have similar carapace when they are small. I love that feature as well!
I have both mata mata and argentine snake-neck, I tend to add some peat in their water to sustain the acidity they need.
I think Mata Mata like you!
i like em slick, with something funky
i like em round, with something honky
🎵🎵
I would assume that the type of vision a mata mata has is reliant on light diffusion, meaning they see layers of shadow in the water column and hide where the fish school or rest during crepuscular light cycles. So it is what they see, not just that they see. The tubercle scales and other projections would also be similar to a crocodile's sensory scales. One terrible assumption about reptiles with osteoderms and other hard scales is that the hard scales have very little feeling. Crocodile's vibration sense is absolutely amazing. You can see the sensory dimples on their scales all over. I see the dimples on a mata mata as well. Not just in that cute dopey grin. I think mata matas definitely fit a category of reptiles that takes advantage of their hard protuberances and sensory dimples to hunt. And yes, they ambush, but they are moving ambush predators. The tagged wild specimens have a larger range than you'd think. I've heard conservationists talk about it. Probably some of the same ones that Clint has talked to, based on some of the things I've heard him say. The fish and other animals probably have a hard time seeing them too, which is why they are so shy about being seen. Being shy does not make for a good zoo animal, but it does make for a successful species in the wild.
I absolutely love each and every video you make at my work. Seeing that turtle at work every day is always fun
After accidentally tapping straight to the ad for the desk, I gave this video a thumbs up. ❤
There's a fish/aquarium store in Minneapolis (I think it's called AquariumLand) that has a Mata Mata that they've had for at least a dozen years, probably longer. And they keep it in a 120 gallon aquarium, bare bottom, no land area or basking spot. Just a few large sponge filters and a heater. And as far as I know it's totally healthy.
The sponsor segment is gold dude, watch out!, you are becoming an expert TH-camr
As a florida man, I accept the challenge. I will have to defer until a later date as I gain the property and experience necessary
Keep up the good work Clint! I’ve used your videos to help family with their worries about reptiles, arachnids, etc. to the point that my girlfriend and brother have started their own collections. Thank you for the great content and education.
Good day sir, what a fantastic video sir. But you and Dave's Snake Discovery build off this year was incredible. Oh my please have a video on your adventure with that build.
Again a very fantastic video today.
Keep up the video sir.
th-cam.com/video/ld9EMQ7dwjQ/w-d-xo.htmlsi=RjoF_ei9rjrgGbww
Nice, will watch that video next! It was fun seeing you cameo in Snake Discovery's videos (and others' videos on the build off).
I've waited for this video for a couple years!
I love turtles. Especially the Mata Mata! Ita a real-life turtinator.( pokemon)
The Wuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii in the Sponsorsegment, your so great.
CST and mata-mate are my fav too.
Interestingly, CST's do the suction feeding too.
I'm from Trinidad and Tobago and we have these as well. They are truly weird looking but kind of cool.
I can't get over that smile 😂
I love these videos, Clint is totally the american version of the late Danish TV presenter Poul Thomsen, he made mainly nature programs in the 80s and 90s, check it out, its allmost uncanny.
I was so happy to see this video on the Mata Mata as I saw one at the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ.
Thanks Clint!
Mata Mata, _doo doooo do-do-do!_ 🎵
Just this week I was looking for Clint's Mata Mata video. Here it is.
Love the scindapsus growing wild on those trunks
Clint, you should have hopped on the table when you said "no matter how big of an animal you have on here"
I love all of the different types of videos on this channel, but the "Best Pet" videos might be one of the most important.
I already know this is going to be the BEST video I watch on TH-cam today!
I've read that in Brazil, a rather comely looking lady can be referred to as a Mata Mata ....
A very interesting video.
I haven't seen/heard anyone use that word in a long, long time lol... it's so much nicer than the alternatives!
I got to see a Mata Mata feeding at my local zoo! It was so cool. Such an interesting creature. Their faces always make me laugh.
Clint having fun with that table is the energy we all need in our lives. 😂❤ WHEEEEE!!!
I wonder if using the gentler handling technique you made a video about regarding snapping turtles would make these guys also not try to snap at you? Maybe they’re similarly not actually as aggressive as we’ve thought? It would be interesting to see a followup! Of course, not if it’s overly stressful on the critters :)
I want one so badly it's my dream turtle!! Plus, I live in Florida, and have acres to build a pond so I know I can provide for one fully once the pond is built. Which is what I'm waiting for before acquiring one.
I have a request: I went to a local pet store and they had a sloth on display and moray eels for sale, so either of those I’d love to see a video on
Great video. The Mata Mata is a gorgeous turtle and Clint is a fantastic creator! Your passion is contagious and that sponsor section was incredible 😂
Clint, THANK YOU for climbing on the rising desk before I had to make the request.🙂😊
Made the video PERFECT!!!!
Not that I am advocating for they way they keep theirs, but Aqualand Aquarium Center in Minneapolis has one they have had for years with dramatically less care. Again, I am not advocating for this, but it is an example of one being successfully kept with less than zoo levels of care. It's cool, if not a little sad, to drop by and see it if you are in the area.
topanga plaza, canoga park, ca had one for years in a rather small tank 1967. we didn’t know much about it. fascinating.
Clint: This just isn’t a good turtle to keep as a pet.
Me: Yeah… But is it the best pet turtle?
You’re just wanted to say you’re one of the main reasons I’m going to be studying to be a zoologist! Love your videos!
Sitting under a waterfall will help keep the turtle on the bottom while using less energy to do so, and is an opportunistic spot to wait for prey that will come “down” the current
Terrapins have really cool shells too
Best sponsorship segment I have ever seen anyone do on TH-cam. ❤👍
Finally ! The mata mata Is given some attention ! Its my favourite type of turtle, behind the soft shell turtle .
Love how much you enjoy the table 😂
Any day I learn something new is a good day....and today I learned about a turtle that I'd never seen or heard of. Thanks very much!
You even make a desk look fun lolol 😂 I have a crank version of a standing desk, it's essential when one is disabled and needs to change positions a lot
Bro had so much fun he turned into a child on that new desk
I've been waiting for this video since the one on suction feeding (and why it sucks on land!) Kia ora from NZ!