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Archive for June, 2015


   Jun 30

Using DNA evidence to pinpoint poaching zones

By Herp News A study published last week in Science showed that most of the ivory being trafficked today comes from two areas in Africa: savanna elephant ivory from southeast Tanzania in East Africa and forest elephant ivory from the meeting point of Gabon, the Republic of Congo, Cameroon, and Central African Republic. Go to […]

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   Jun 30

Using DNA evidence to pinpoint poaching zones

By Herp News A study published last week in Science showed that most of the ivory being trafficked today comes from two areas in Africa: savanna elephant ivory from southeast Tanzania in East Africa and forest elephant ivory from the meeting point of Gabon, the Republic of Congo, Cameroon, and Central African Republic. Go to […]

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   Jun 30

Taking technology out in the cold: working to conserve snow leopards

By Herp News Conservation work is important not just in tropical rainforests, but also in snow-covered peaks and steep slopes, the home of snow leopards and a number of unusual ungulates, including blue sheep and Asiatic ibex. When these and other native prey are scarce, snow leopards may resort to eating more livestock, which turns […]

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   Jun 30

U.S. to remove extinct cougar from Endangered Species Act

By Herp News The U.S. government has declared the Eastern cougar extinct more than 80 years after its a believed a hunter in Maine wiped out the last individual. Scientists still dispute whether the Eastern cougar was a distinct subspecies, but either way officials believe the original population that roamed much of the Eastern U.S. […]

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   Jun 30

The alligator snapper trio

In 2014, what once was one became three. The venerable alligator snapping turtle, Macrochelys temminckii once ranged in 3 apparently non-contiguous basically riverine populations westward from the northern peninsula of Florida and southern Georgia, to southeastern Kansas and eastern Texas. The range extended northward in the Mississippi Valley to central Iowa and Illinois. The southeasternmost […]

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   Jun 30

Frog deaths in Lake Titicaca an ominous warning

A massive frog die-off is the latest sign of extreme pollution in Lake Titicaca which threatens wildlife and humans. From Fox News: As human and industrial waste from nearby cities increasingly contaminate the famed lake that straddles the border between Bolivian and Peru, the native Aymara people who rely on it for food and income […]

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   Jun 30

Herp Photo of the Day: Box Turtle

This adoreable Box Turtle begins it’s new life in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user norristhenut! Be sure to tell norristhenut 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 products […]

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   Jun 29

Chinese turtle heist sends rare Philippine species to brink of extinction, international rescue underway

By Herp News On Friday, June 19, Philippine authorities raided a warehouse on the island of Palawan and confiscated more than 4,000 live, illegally harvested rare turtles, only days before they were to be shipped to foreign food and pet markets. The massive haul included over 3,800 critically endangered Philippine forest turtles – animals in […]

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   Jun 29

Florida plumber finds live iguana in toilet

After having problems flushing her toilet, a woman was stunned to find a live iguana in the pipes. From ABC News: “I’ve never seen anything like this before,” plumber Alisa Scott told ABC affiliate WPLG-TV. “This is the first time I pulled something like that out of a toilet.” Scott says she used her tools […]

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   Jun 29

Russell's viper: snake mama surprise

In the city where I live, I have come across many snakes from the highly venomous to the non-venomous. The Russell’s viper (Daboia russelii) is one of the highly venomous snakes I confront. Rescuing Russell’s vipers and studying them has been one of my finest experiences in my herpetology career. If I rescue 10 snakes […]

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   Jun 29

Herp Photo of the Day: Bearded dragon

This bearded dragon is looking forward to the short work week in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user dedragons! Be sure to tell dedragons 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 […]

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   Jun 26

Herp Photo of the Day: Cuvier's dwarf caiman

This female Cuviers’s is just waiting for the weekend in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cpipes! Be sure to tell cpipes 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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   Jun 26

Herp Video of the Week: How to train your (Komodo) dragon

Who ever said you can’t teach an old dragon new tricks was certainly wrong. In our Herp Video of the Week, from the London Zoo, keepers are working with target training their Komodo Dragons! Submit your own reptile & amphibian videos at http://www.kingsnake.com/video/ and you could see them featured here or check out all the […]

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   Jun 25

Video: camera traps highlight wildlife diversity of ‘forgotten’ park

By Herp News Things appeared to be on the upswing in Cambodia’s vast Virachey National Park in the early 2000s. Conservation groups were surveying the area and the World Bank had committed $5 million in funds. But then the Cambodia government handed out a mining exploration permit covering 90 percent of the park. Go to […]

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   Jun 25

Rough road herping: finding a rough earth snake

Only minutes earlier we had found on the pavement one of the prettiest little banded water snakes I had ever seen. Jake and I were up in Columbia County, Florida, and although conditions were a bit wet and cool, a few interesting snakes were crossing. Garters, ribbons, waters, a corn, and a yellow rat had […]

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   Jun 25

Leaping lesbian lizard is New Mexico's state lizard

What do you know about the “lesbian lizards” that reproduce asexually? From the Guardian Liberty Voice: This hybrid species, the Leaping Lesbian Lizards, also go by the name New Mexico Whiptail Lizard. In fact, the Whiptail is the state’s official reptile. It is one of a number of reptiles that is known to be parthenogenic. […]

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   Jun 25

CBD joins HSUS to jointly intervene in USARK lawsuit

Three days after Judge Moss ruled that he would be granting USARK a preliminary injunction, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) filed a joint motion along with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to intervene in USARK’s case. The extreme position of CBD had been announced promptly after the Lacey Act listing of […]

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   Jun 25

Herp Photo of the Day: Kimberly Rock Monitor

This female Kimberly Rock Monitor is just hanging out in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user bob! Be sure to tell bob 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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   Jun 25

Indonesia’s booming caged-bird trade is fueling trafficking and threatening extinction

By Herp News Indonesia is a global hub for the wild bird trade, given its abundance of bird species and deep-seated tradition of bird-keeping. But while newspaper headlines regularly trumpet the most alarming examples of international smuggling, experts warn it’s the domestic pet trade that poses a bigger threat. Go to Source …read more Read […]

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   Jun 24

Video: Vet describes emotional toll of responding to brutal rhino poaching

By Herp News In March 2012 poachers struck a South African game reserve. They drugged three rhinos and hacked off their horns, inflicting massive facial trauma to the immobile but unanesthetized animals. Wildlife veterinarian Will Fowlds attended to the victims. Go to Source …read more Read more here: herpetofauna.com No products found. Amazon Auto Links

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   Jun 24

To the rescue: Helping threatened Mediterranean sea turtles

By Herp News With all sea turtles being currently on the list of endangered species, authors now offer a critical review of what is being done towards saving injured Mediterranean loggerhead and green turtles. They also call for further development and implementation of rescue centers, first-aid stations and awareness campaigns. Go to Source …read more […]

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   Jun 24

Wedding bells and sand snakes

Whenever I am visiting an another state or city, I make sure that I get in touch with a snake rescuer in that area. And that is exactly what I did when I was leaving for Nagpur with my family. Nagpur is a district in Maharashtra which is about a day’s drive away from my […]

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   Jun 24

Los Angeles zoo home to rare baby Gray's monitor lizards

The latest clutch of Gray’s monitor lizards hatched at the Los Angeles Zoo is just the second time Gray’s monitors were born in captivity in the Western Hemisphere. From My News LA: Gray’s monitor lizards had long been considered extinct in the wild until some were discovered in 1975 on islands in the Philippines. The […]

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   Jun 24

Herp Photo of the Day: Frilled Dragon

It isn’t shocking that movie’s have taken inspriation for dinosaurs from our reptiles. This frilled dragon in our herp photo of the day is a prime example, uploaded by kingsnake.com user frilly! Be sure to tell frilly you liked it here! Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see […]

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   Jun 23

On the fence about wildlife fencing: new paper outlines research needed to resolve debate

By Herp News Fencing is used to protect wildlife against poaching and human encroachment, and also to protect people and livestock from wildlife. As a conservation strategy, it has proponents as well as detractors. A recent paper by a team of 45 international researchers in the Journal of Applied Ecology questions the wisdom of erecting […]

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   Jun 23

Cat update: lion and African golden cat down, Iberian lynx up

By Herp News A new update of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has categorized the West African population of lions—which is considered genetically distinct and separate from East and Central African lions—as Critically Endangered. Based largely on a paper in 2014, the researchers estimate that there are only 121-375 mature lions in […]

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   Jun 23

Water snake glamor: shining in the lights

On a rainy April night Jake and I were out road-hunting in Columbia County, up in northeastern Florida. It had been a warm day but an afternoon rain cooled both the temperature and the road surfaces. But what the heck – the alternative was to sit at home and write blogs, so we elected to […]

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   Jun 23

Over 150 new animal species identified in India

In just one year, researchers discovered 176 new species living in India. From Mid-Day News: According to official records by ZSI responsible for animal taxonomy under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, 176 new species were discovered, described and reported from all over India last year. Insects, which escape attention due to […]

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   Jun 23

Herp Photo of the Day: Spencer's Monitor

This female Spencer’s monitor is catching some rays in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user mariamoon! Be sure to tell mariamoon 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 products […]

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   Jun 22

Snake fungal disease parallels white-nose syndrome in bats

By Herp News A deadly fungal infection afflicting snakes is eerily similar to the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome in bats, researchers report. Although the snake fungus and the bat fungus inhabit different ecological niches and thrive at different temperature and humidity ranges, the fungi share basic traits that allow them to persist across a […]

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   Jun 22

Bacteria may be key to saving frogs from deadly fungus

Can naturally occurring bacteria on the skin of some frogs offer protection from chytrid fungus? From the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: The chytrid fungus (Bd) has been linked to amphibian decline and even extinction in more than 200 species worldwide. Now, a new report adds to growing evidence that the key to beat this fungus may […]

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   Jun 22

Basking beauties: Himalayan rock agamas

When you visit the Northern Himalayan States of India, I am sure you will see these creatures basking on the rocks. The Himalayan rock agama or Kashmir rock agama, Laudakia tuberculata, is a very common species of agamid lizard found in North India (Kashmir, Uttarakhand and the western Himalayas). I’m from Uttarakhand, where you can […]

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   Jun 22

Herp Photo of the Day: Nile Crocodile

Dinosaurs, Schminosaurs. We have crocodilians! Still very prehistoric, this Nile is keeping her eye on you in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user CDieter! Be sure to tell CDieter 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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   Jun 21

Study confirms what scientists have been saying for decades: the sixth mass extinction is real and caused by us

By Herp News Humans are wiping species off the plant at a rate at least 100 times faster than historical levels, providing further evidence that we’re in the midst of a sixth great extinction, concludes a new study based on ‘extremely conservative’ assumptions on past and current extinction rates. Go to Source …read more Read […]

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   Jun 21

Happy World Giraffe Day (Photos)

By Herp News Families across the United States are today celebrating Father’s Day. But this Sunday is extra special because it is also World Giraffe Day. Go to Source …read more Read more here: herpetofauna.com No products found. Amazon Auto Links

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   Jun 19

Today: watch rainforest wildlife live #rainforestlive

By Herp News A number of conservation groups have partnered up to deliver a full day of rainforest wildlife viewing via social media. Go to Source …read more Read more here: herpetofauna.com No products found. Amazon Auto Links

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   Jun 19

Can we save the Sumatran rhino? Indonesia holds out hope

By Herp News ‘One percent of the world’s population,’ veterinarian Zulfi Arsan says as he nods towards Bina, a 714-kilogram, 30-year-old female Sumatran rhinoceros leisurely crunching branches whole. A gentle and easygoing rhino, pink-hued Bina doesn’t seem to mind the two-legged hominids snapping pictures and awing at her every move at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary. […]

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   Jun 19

Justice Department returns Leucistic Boas to Brazil

The seven surviving offspring of the Leucistic Boa Constrictor smuggled by reptile breeder Jeremy Stone have been repatriated to Brazil, nearly a year after Stone plead guilty in federal court. The original boa, as well as one of the offspring, died, but the remainder returned to Brazil, which claimed ownership because the original specimen had […]

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   Jun 19

Herp Video of the Week: A new Goanna in Kimberly

Not all monitor lizards are giant. The recently discovered Dampier Peninsula Goanna gets it’s time in the spotlight at the Western Austrailian Museum. 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 more here: King […]

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   Jun 19

Herp Photo of the Day: Gharial

The most distinctive of all crocodilains, the gharial, helps us kick off the weekend in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Majorpat! Be sure to tell Majorpat 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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