Reptoman

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Archive for May, 2015


   May 21

First new ratttlesnake antivenom in over a decade approved by FDA

A newly approved rattlesnake antivenom is being tested in Arizona. From KVOA.com: The Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy in Tucson and the Banner Poison and Drug Information Center at Banner-University Medical Center in Phoenix will be conducting a study to find the most effective way to […]

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   May 21

Herp Photo of the Day: Bearded Dragon

What a great shot! Check out this close up of the eye of the dragon (a bearded one that is) in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user mecdwell! Be sure to tell mecdwell you liked it here! Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see […]

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   May 21

Herp Photo of the Day: Arizona mountain kingsnake

This Arizona mountain king is getting ready for a change in wardrobe in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user nategodin! Be sure to tell nategodin you liked it here! Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more Read more here: […]

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   May 20

Sumatran tiger found dead in a pig trap

By Herp News Authorities in the Indonesian province of West Sumatra buried the rotting carcass of a critically endangered female tiger that died after being ensnared by a pig trap on a rubber plantation earlier this month. The creature, a mother who was probably teaching her young to hunt, was found covered in wounds, its […]

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   May 20

East meets west at the International Herpetological Symposium

The International Herpetological Symposium is creeping closer to its 38th annual event in San Antonio,Texas. Guest speakers include Tom Crutchfield on his Sal Salvador rock iguana conservation efforts and Jeff Barringer on night-time field herping. I can barely contain my excitement. IHS plays an important role as a place herpetoculturists and herpers can come together, […]

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   May 20

Florida alligators are not getting enough food

Water management plans are making it difficult for alligators to find prey. From the Sun Sentinel: The Everglades alligators appear to be suffering from the artificial water management imposed on the area to drain land for cities and farms, he said. Before the canals and pumps and other structures went up over the past century, […]

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   May 20

Herp Photo of the Day: Black milk snake

Baby shots are always a favorite! This Lampropeltis triangulum gaigeae grabs its first breath in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user nategodin! Be sure to tell nategodin you liked it here! Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more Read […]

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   May 20

What did the first snakes look like?

By Herp News The original snake ancestor was a nocturnal, stealth-hunting predator that had tiny hindlimbs with ankles and toes, according to new research. Snakes show incredible diversity, with over 3,400 living species found in a wide range of habitats, such as land, water and in trees. But little is known about where and when […]

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   May 19

Endangered, tongueless frog bred in captivity for first time

The London Zoo has become the first zoo in the world to successfully breed an incredibly rare Lake Oku clawed frog. From the Irish Examiner: The Lake Oku clawed frog is native to only Lake Oku in Cameroon and, due to their unique history of evolution (including the loss of their tongues), the aquatic frogs […]

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   May 19

Endangered, tongueless frog bred in capitivity for first time

The London Zoo has become the first zoo in the world to successfully breed an incredibly rare Lake Oku clawed frog. From the Irish Examiner: The Lake Oku clawed frog is native to only Lake Oku in Cameroon and, due to their unique history of evolution (including the loss of their tongues), the aquatic frogs […]

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   May 19

Desperately seeking smooth green snakes

In many areas where once common, the smooth green snake, Opheodrys vernalis, seem to have become hard to find. In various areas where I have searched – Michigan, Massachusetts, Virginia, West Virginia, South Dakota, and New Mexico among them – in locales where the taxon was known to have once been fairly common, I have […]

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   May 19

Herp Photo of the Day: Okeetee corn snake

This yearling Okeetee corn snake is just hanging out doing snake things, like climbing a tree, in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cochran! Be sure to tell cochran you liked it here! Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read […]

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   May 19

Luxury hotel chain linked to destruction of rainforests

By Herp News The Mandarin Oriental hotel chain has landed in environmentalists’ crosshairs for the practices of its sister company Astra Agro Lestari, a rapidly expanding palm oil producer with fully developed plantations on an area larger than Singapore. The new She’s Not a Fan campaign – a play off Mandarin’s celebrity-fan endorsement drive – […]

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   May 18

Will Florida see the return of green turtles?

Conservationists are working to make sure Florida has a great turtle season this year, and are on the lookout for green turtles. From news-press.com: Kelly Sloan, sea turtle program coordinator Sanibel/Captiva Conservation Foundation, also has plans to make this a good year for turtles. “Coyotes are a problem,” Sloan explained. “We are going to attempt […]

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   May 18

Will Florida seen the return of green turtles?

Conservationists are working to make sure Florida has a great turtle season this year, and are on the lookout for green turtles. From news-press.com: Kelly Sloan, sea turtle program coordinator Sanibel/Captiva Conservation Foundation, also has plans to make this a good year for turtles. “Coyotes are a problem,” Sloan explained. “We are going to attempt […]

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   May 18

A surprising rescue: Montane trinket snake

I’ve been rescuing snakes and other animals for a long time now, and I’m very well aware of the species found in my area. Nonetheless, my last rescue really surprised me. Two days ago, somewhere around 7 PM or half past, I received a rescue call from a nearby area where I had rescued common […]

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   May 18

Herp Photo of the Day: Pine snake

Not just any pine snake, but a pied black pine, gets the spotlight in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user pikiemikie! Be sure to tell pikiemikie you liked it here! Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more Read more […]

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   May 15

Crested geckos inked to salmonella outbreak

A salmonella outbreak in 16 states, linked to crested geckos, has been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although usually associated with turtles, salmonella in its various sub-types is found in all reptiles and amphibians. This outbreak is a reminder to all that proper hygiene is required after handling any reptile or […]

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   May 15

Crested Geckos linked to Salmonella outbreak

A Salmonella outbreak in 16 states linked to Crested Geckos has been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Though usually associated with turtles, salmonella in it’s various sub-types is found in all reptiles and amphibians and this outbreak is a reminder to all that proper hygiene is required after handling any reptile […]

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   May 15

Price trends a reliable, cheap indicator of wildlife declines, finds study

By Herp News Market prices can provide an equally reliable indicator of wildlife declines as field data for a thirtieth of the price, according to a new study analyzing Sumatra’s pet bird trade. The researchers found that species that were increasing in price but decreasing in trade volume were likely to have been identified by […]

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   May 15

White-lipped pit vipers rule the trees of northern India

The white-lipped pit viper, Trimeresurus albolabris, is one of the most common species of pit vipers found in southeastern parts of Asia, which includes some northern states of India. As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, India is home to 17 species of pit viper; among these 17, the white-lipped pit viper is […]

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   May 15

Herp Video of the Week: Flipping ringnecks

Our Herp Video of the Week shares a herper named Zach and his Valentine’s Day find of a bundle of ringneck snakes in the Bay Area. Submit your own reptile & amphibian videos at http://www.kingsnake.com/video/ and you could see them featured here or check out all the videos submitted by other users! …read more Read […]

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   May 15

Herp Photo of the Day: Tiger-leg monkey frogs

This Phyllomedusa hypocondrialis is hanging on til the weekend in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Herpetologia! Be sure to tell Herpetologia you liked it here! Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more Read more here: King Snake No […]

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   May 14

South African Airways bans all wildlife trophies from flights

By Herp News Trophy hunters may need to find another flight home, as South African Airlines (SAA) has announced a new ban on any wildlife trophies from their flights. The debate over trophy hunting in Africa is rising as many of the continent’s most beloved mammals—including lions, elephants, rhinos, and giraffes—face precipitous declines. Go to […]

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   May 14

Brazilian Horned Frog: Reminiscences and hopes

Awareness! There was such a thing as a horned frog, and a giant one at that. My first awareness of this genus of frogs occurred at about 7 years old as I was, with parents, riding the rails – the rails of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford – home from New York. We […]

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   May 14

New frogs carve their own sex caves

Recently discovered Brazilian frogs create underwater chambers to mate. From the Daily Mail: And when it comes to mating, this family of frogs has a unique trait not seen in other frogs. They typically like to live near fast streams and, if a pair decides to mate, they will spend five minutes searching for a […]

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   May 14

Herp Photo of the Day: Mitchell's reed frog

Simply beautiful is the only way to describe this Mitchell’s reed frog (Hyperolius mitchelli) taking center stage in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user arkherps! Be sure to tell arkherps you liked it here! Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! […]

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   May 14

Geckos, moths and spider-scorpions: Six new species on Mount Tambora, say Indonesian researchers

By Herp News Indonesian researchers believe they have identified six new animal species in the newly declared Mount Tambora National Park on the island of Sumbawa. Their haul includes two bent-toed geckoes, two moths and and two amblypygids, a type of arachnid that resembles a scorpion crossed with a spider. Go to Source …read more […]

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   May 14

Frankie Tortoise Tails – Frankie Animation

Spend Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday laid out on my back with excruciating back pain and muscle spasms. I was so seriously incapacitated that I was unable to pick up socks from the floor because if I was foolish enough to lean over involuntary screams could make my neighbor think I was being murdered by […]

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   May 13

Rhino poaching rate rises 18 percent in South Africa

By Herp News In the first four months of 2015, poachers killed 393 rhinos in South Africa, the epicenter of the rhino poaching crisis. This is an 18 percent rise from last year, which saw 1,215 rhinos butchered in total. Like previous years, the biggest hotspot was Kruger National Park where 290 rhinos have died […]

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   May 13

Tar threatens Malaysian sea turtle breeding grounds

Balls of tar have washed ashore on a Malaysian beach known for its nesting green turtles. From the Star Online: Lang Tengah Turtle Watch co-founder Raphe van Zevenbergen said he noticed clumps of tar balls washing up ashore along the 15m-stretch beach and immediately lodged a report with the marine park authorities. “So far, we […]

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   May 13

Herp Photo of the Day: Common frog

There is nothing common about these common frogs (Rana temporaria) taking the spotlight in our Herp Photo of the Day , uploaded by kingsnake.com user Krallenfrosch! Be sure to tell Krallenfrosch you liked it here! Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more Read […]

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   May 12

Cancer claims NM herpetologist Charlie Painter

After a long, hard fight against cancer, former New Mexico state herpetologist Charlie Painter succumbed to the disease early this morning. His wife and partner, Lori King Painter, said, “Charlie lived his life with everything fiber of his being, and did not want to leave the world that he loved so much.” Charlie’s contributions to […]

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   May 12

The triumph of the bison: Europe’s biggest animal bounces back a century after vanishing

By Herp News On a path flanked by thick woods, I first spied our quarry. When she appeared, far away between the long verticals of bare trees, I could hardly believe she was there. She was a ghost, a specter haunting this winter forest. Her horns were prettily curved, her face slender, her whole 400 […]

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   May 12

Scientists reconstruct what was in the Harapan Rainforest of Sumatra

By Herp News A new study published in mongabay.com’s open-access journal Tropical Conservation Science describes how the Harapan Rainforest was prior to extensive logging and compares it to its current condition. The authors call for the Harapan’s conservation because it is still very rich in species and holds rare habitats and many endemic plants. Go […]

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   May 12

New study finds the brilliant-thighed poison frog can learn its way home

By Herp News Poison dart frogs (Dendropatidae), named for their poisonous secretions used by indigenous tribes to coat blow gun darts, may possess another less deadly talent. According to a recent study, published in the journal Biology Letters, the curiously named brilliant-thighed poison frog (Allobatis femoralis) can use its memory to find its way home […]

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   May 12

A Black Hills Venture: The search for a red-bellied snake

Kenny and I agreed that it was a long way from North Central Florida to southwest South Dakota just to try to see one little snake, so time and again we delayed the attempt. But finally the time seemed right. We were planning a salamandering trip that would take us along most of the Pacific […]

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   May 12

How much do you know about snakes?

This rundown of snake fact and fiction may change some minds about the reptiles. From Live Science: Snakes play important roles in ecosystems, but they also terrify some people. That fear has led to many myths about snake behavior. To get to the bottom of some of the assumptions about snakes in the United States […]

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   May 12

Herp Photo of the Day: Northern Leopard Frog

The Northern Leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens) is an fairly widespread US Native species that get a spotlight in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Terry_Cox! Be sure to tell Terry_Cox you liked it here! Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! […]

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   May 11

Videos reveal rare birds, wild monkeys, and jaguar family in oil-exploited park

By Herp News A compilation of new camera trap videos from Yasuni National Park shows off rarely seen species like the rufuos-vented ground cuckoo and the short-eared dog as well as odd behavior, like sloths licking salt from the ground. The compilation is produced by Diego Mosquera, manager and head of the camera trap program […]

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