Hundreds of children and their parents had an experience they will likely never forget when wildlife expert Jim Nesci brought his traveling reptile show, Cold Blooded Creatures, to the Niles District Library Wednesday.

The Mokena, Illinois, man began the show by unveiling a 70-pound tortoise, which he let a couple children ride, before showing off a monitor lizard and python so long it took several children to hold. For the grand finale, Nesci un-bagged a 300-pound alligator named Bubba, which responded to his commands to walk and sit. A few children even rode Bubba in front of the near capacity crowd in the library’s rotunda.

Nesci said he does approximately 400 shows a year ranging from birthday parties to school assemblies to television appearances.