Vipers are focus of Reptile Day in Raleigh

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is celebrating all things reptile on Saturday.

The museum's annual Reptile and Amphibian Day will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.

This is the first time in three years the event has been held in person.

The theme of this year's event is the viper. North Carolina is home to five species of viper including the copperhead, cottonmouth, timber rattlesnake, eastern diamondback rattlesnake and pigmy rattlesnake.

Globally, Africa is home to a large Gaboon viper, which has the longest fangs of any snake in the world. In Central America, the eyelash viper has one of the fastest strikes in the world.

Saturday's event will include dozens of guest exhibitors and presenters, live reptiles and amphibians, tips on how to safely identify the varied venomous and non-venomous species of snake in North Carolina, and even how to attract them to your back yard.

You can see snakes up close and even touch them. There will also be some take-home crafts.