By TOSHIYUKI TAKEYA/ Staff Writer
June 8, 2018 at 11:30 JST
Editor's note: This is part of a series of videos offering an up-close perspective on the animal kingdom. A special 360-degree video camera system was set up in zoos and other facilities to show how the animals view their world as they interact.
Also visit our special 360-DEGREE LIVES page (http://t.asahi.com/360lives), where you can watch all the previous videos.
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With sunlight streaming in the windows and customers enjoying Chinese tea, everything seems quite normal at Yokohama Anettai Chakan (Yokohama subtropical tea house) at first glance.
That is, until you notice central bearded dragons slowly crawling among the customers. In fact, water tanks and glass showcases containing snakes, frogs, newts and turtles are also set up along the walls, and there is a more than one-meter-long green iguana.
Yokohama Anettai Chakan (Yokohama subtropical tea house) is a reptile cafe operating in the city’s Naka Ward.
Although central bearded dragons are often taken out for a “stroll,” 12 of them are usually kept in a cage. Video footage shows the lizards more active than expected.
As soon as mealworms are placed around the camera, the hungry creatures immediately surround their prey and start swallowing the worms one by one. The sight conjures up a scene from “Jurassic Park” in which animals are attacked by dinosaurs.
According to Mutsumi Nagano, 49, who runs the cafe, the establishment is packed with reptile enthusiasts particularly on weekends, including women and couples who can’t keep reptiles as pets because they are not good at handling live meals and frequently absent from home.
The central bearded dragon lives in dry regions in Australia. According to Nagano, the well-tempered lizard likes sunning itself because it can produce vitamins D and E from exposure to sunlight and apparently uses the substances for skin metabolism and other purposes.
When the central bearded dragon feels threatened, it puffs out its spiny throat to intimidate its enemies, Nagano said.
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