Reptoman

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Archive for July, 2015


   Jul 31

Sea turtles in grave danger due to rising sea levels

Rising seal levels may spell the end for green sea turtles. From the New Zealand Herald: An experiment has shown green sea turtle embryos are much more likely to die when they are inside eggs that go underwater for six hours. Scientists say the study shows the turtles, which rely on low-lying coastal habitats, are […]

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   Jul 31

Herp Photo of the Day: Snapping Turtle

Do not try to grab the worm from this snapper in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user deadend! Be sure to tell deadend 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 […]

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   Jul 30

Research could lead to protective probiotics for frogs

By Herp News In research that could lead to protective probiotics to fight the ‘chytrid’ fungus that has been decimating amphibian populations worldwide, researchers have grown bacterial species from the skin microbiome of four species of amphibians. Go to Source …read more Read more here: herpetofauna.com No products found. Amazon Auto Links

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   Jul 30

Czech Zoo Death Pushes Northern White Rhino Closer to Extinction

By Herp News Nabiré, a 31-year-old female northern white rhino died on Monday, July 27 at the Dvůr Králové Zoo, Czech Republic. To those who cared for her, she was known for having one of the gentlest demeanors of the rhinos to be bred at the Czech zoo.  Her loss was indeed a tragic one, […]

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   Jul 30

The Arizona treefrog

Long, long, ago and far, far, away I found my first Arizona treefrog, Hyla wrightorum (then Hyla eximia) hopping slowly across a monsoon-swept highway somewhere in the mountains of central Arizona. It was a beautiful example of the green phase and I took many photos. But over time the photos, all slides, were misplaced or […]

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   Jul 30

Endangered iguanas thriving on island of Monuriki

Endangered iguanas were re-introduced to the Fijian island of Monuriki two months ago, and appear to be doing well. From the Guardian: Scientists have welcomed the first results of a captive breeding program aimed at saving a group of critically endangered Fijian crested iguanas, the first such attempt to reintroduce a species in that country. […]

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   Jul 30

U.S. to strengthen restrictions elephant ivory

By Herp News In response to growing concerns about elephant poaching, President Obama today announced a new push to limit the ivory trade in the United States. In a joint press conference held with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Obama said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing a new regulation that “bans the sale […]

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   Jul 30

U.S. to strengthen restrictions elephant ivory

By Herp News In response to growing concerns about elephant poaching, President Obama today announced a new push to limit the ivory trade in the United States. In a joint press conference held with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Obama said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing a new regulation that “bans the sale […]

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   Jul 30

The snake that decapitates its prey

By Herp News Snakes are impressive predators. They have ) and cat-eyed watersnake (Gerarda prevostiana), for example, tear apart crabs into smaller bite-sized pieces before eating them. But blindsnakes and crab-eating snakes are not close relatives. They are in fact far apart on the evolutionary tree. How did they then develop similar behavior? According to […]

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   Jul 30

The snake that decapitates its prey

By Herp News Snakes are impressive predators. They have ) and cat-eyed watersnake (Gerarda prevostiana), for example, tear apart crabs into smaller bite-sized pieces before eating them. But blindsnakes and crab-eating snakes are not close relatives. They are in fact far apart on the evolutionary tree. How did they then develop similar behavior? According to […]

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   Jul 30

Nine months in, how has Jokowi fared on the environment?

By Herp News [dropcap]N[/dropcap]ine months into the landmark presidency of Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, Indonesia’s first head of state to emerge from neither the political elite nor the military, the hope that ran to such a fever pitch during his campaign has dimmed somewhat, eroded by his handling of tussles with the police and his political […]

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   Jul 30

Conservation win in Madagascar: 7 new reserves established

By Herp News Indri Lemur. Photo by David Cook. Good news on the environmental front in Madagascar has been rare and fleeting in recent years, but today the Indian Ocean island’s Prime Minister gave conservationists a bit of hope by officially decreeing seven new reserves that target critical habitats for endangered lemurs, chameleons, and frogs. […]

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   Jul 30

Conservation win in Madagascar: 7 new reserves established

By Herp News Indri Lemur. Photo by David Cook. Good news on the environmental front in Madagascar has been rare and fleeting in recent years, but today the Indian Ocean island’s Prime Minister gave conservationists a bit of hope by officially decreeing seven new reserves that target critical habitats for endangered lemurs, chameleons, and frogs. […]

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   Jul 30

Build Your Own RFID

By Herp News Last month, we highlighted wildlife tracking hardware and software that allows An RFID chip worn on a triathlete’s ankle strap at right is read by the receiver on the left to record their start, finish, and passing by of course markers. Photo: rupp.de, Wikimedia Commons Commercial applications of RFID technology have been […]

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   Jul 30

Build Your Own RFID

By Herp News Last month, we highlighted wildlife tracking hardware and software that allows An RFID chip worn on a triathlete’s ankle strap at right is read by the receiver on the left to record their start, finish, and passing by of course markers. Photo: rupp.de, Wikimedia Commons Commercial applications of RFID technology have been […]

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   Jul 30

Herp Photo of the Day: Boa Constrictor

Clean, simple and classic. What other way could we describe this Anery Boa in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user pythonas ! Be sure to tell pythonas 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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   Jul 29

Herp Photo of the Day: Australian Water Dragon

Follow the lead of these Water Dragons in our herp photo of the day and spend hump day with someone you love, 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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   Jul 29

The Whitaker’s Boa: The common crossbreed snake of India

I’m sure a person who is very passionate about breeding reptiles would consider crossbreed reptiles as a major part of his passion, and even a reptile lover is always fond of seeing some crossbreeds. In India, luckily you can find a crossbreed snake known as The Whitaker’s Boa, Eryx whitakeri, named after the renowned herpetologist […]

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   Jul 29

Eastern indigo snakes heading back to native range

Zoo Atlanta is set to release nine threatened Eastern indigo snakes in Alabama woodlands where they once ranged. From the Atlanta Business Journal: “A collaborative effort by Zoo Atlanta, the Central Florida Zoo’s Orianne Center for Indigo Conservation and Auburn University will result in the latest release of this iconic reptile in Conecuh National Forest […]

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   Jul 28

The Colorado Wood Frog

You go to the campground and the frogs will be at the pond. Of course, the fact that the campground and pond were a couple of thousand miles west of home in Colorado complicated the search for a while. But then on a late summer day I decided to make the drive and search for […]

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   Jul 28

Is antivenin manufacturer ripping off snakebite victims?

First a rattlesnake took a bite out of Todd Fassler. Then the bill for the antivenin that saved his life took another. From the Washington Post: The bulk of his hospital bill — $83,000 of it — is due to pharmacy charges. Specifically, charges for the antivenin used to treat the bite. KGTV reports that […]

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   Jul 28

Herp Photo of the Day: Eastern Garter Snake

A keen eye will pick up this well camouflaged Garter in the field, but thankfully we make the job easy for you in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user snakekate ! Be sure to tell snakekate you liked it here! Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and […]

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   Jul 27

Scientists study predator-prey behavior between sharks, turtles

By Herp News A new collaborative study examined predator-prey interactions between tiger sharks and sea turtles off the Northwestern Atlantic Ocean. The research team used long-term satellite tagging data from large tiger sharks and adult female loggerhead sea turtles, common prey of tiger sharks, to examine their movement patterns and evaluate if turtles modify their […]

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   Jul 27

Life in the fast spray zone: Four new endemic tooth-frog species in West African forests

By Herp News Up until recently there was a single known species in the only vertebrate family endemic to West Africa, the torrent tooth-frog. Based on morphological and molecular results, however, four new species are now described. Unfortunately, they might all be at a risk of extinction. Their habitat needs and small distribution range call […]

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   Jul 27

This snake's feet weren't made for walking

The fossil record tells us an ancient snake had four feet — but he wasn’t using them to run any marathons. From Mashable: The roughly 120 million-year-old snake, dubbed Tetrapodophis amplectus (literally, four-legged snake), likely didn’t use its feet for walking. Instead, the appendages may have helped Tetrapodophis hold onto a partner while mating, or […]

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   Jul 27

Forsten’s Cat Snake: The big guy in the cat snake family

When a snake lover imagines seeing a cat snake, he or she probably expects to see a thin snake on a tree with beautiful color pattern and vertical eye pupils. That was my expectation when my friend Riyaz Khoja called me up and said, “Sachin, I have rescued a Forsten’s cat snake! Come to my […]

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   Jul 27

Herp Photo of the Day: Panther Chameleon

This Ambilobe Panther Chameleon is all fired up in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user vinniem1210! Be sure to tell vinniem1210 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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   Jul 24

No babies yet for last female turtle of her species

The last surviving female turtle of her species has laid only infertile eggs. From Scientific American: Two months ago the world’s conservationists crossed their collective fingers and waited to find out if a 100-year-old female Yangtze giant softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei), the last of her gender, would—after artificial insemination—finally lay fertile eggs and save her […]

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   Jul 24

Herp Photo of the Day: Asian Vine Snake

What a beautiful shot to end our week! But really it is hard to not see beauty when you look at the Asian Vine Snake (Ahaetulla prasina) our Herp Photo of the Day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user 13lackcat! Be sure to tell 13lackcat you liked it here! Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at […]

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   Jul 23

Four-legged snake fossil found

By Herp News An “absolutely exquisite” fossil of a snake that had four legs has been discovered by a team of scientists and may help show how snakes made the transition from lizards to serpents. Go to Source …read more Read more here: herpetofauna.com No products found. Amazon Auto Links

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   Jul 23

Loggerheads: Don't try this at home!

More Florida sea turtle adventures, this time with a guy who loved them so much he brought them home. Too bad that’s totally against the law. From Tech Times: Officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission visited the home of William Henry Jowett after receiving a tip that he was keeping two of […]

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   Jul 23

Mid-Kansas Herping

Kansas is a state about which I know very little. I have driven across it a couple of times on my way home from Colorado and I’ve driven to it another couple of times to look up some exotic lizards. But I had never visited the state to witness the great snake emergence from hibernation […]

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   Jul 23

Herp Photo of the Day: Eastern Box Turtle

This is an attractively marked Eastern Box Turtle is named Louie and the owner says he is 9 years old! Louie the Box Turtle is our spotlight in our Herp Photo of the Day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user terrapene! Be sure to tell terrapene you liked it here! Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos […]

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   Jul 23

Frankie Tortoise Tails – Dr. Super Sleuth and the Case of the Wobbly Frankie

A good veterinarian needs the skills of a super sleuth…in the category of Sherlock Holmes or Poirot….given that most of their patients don’t speak. The super sleuth veterinarian must draw on excellent skills of observation and deductive reasoning to figure out what is wrong with their patient. Owners need the same super observation and deductive […]

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   Jul 22

A frog's best defense may threaten its future

The beautiful pygmy frog, Microhyla pulchra, is a one-of-a-kind amphibian. But its uniqueness, known as crypsis, is making conservation efforts challenging. From io9.com: Crypsis is an entity’s ability to avoid detection. It can be a predator’s ability to avoid being spotted by prey, or prey’s ability to avoid being spotted by predators, or, in this […]

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   Jul 22

My reptile management lecture ends up with the best audience

I have been giving lectures and conducting workshops on reptile management and awareness for some time. I’ve never written about them until now because, to be frank, I never found anything special to be shared. That changed with my last workshop, however, and I would love to share it. My soccer coach, Mr. Savio Dsouza, […]

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   Jul 22

Herp Photo of the Day: Cat Snake

Snakes and Cats living together, it will be anarchy! Wait what? Nah it is just a nice shot of a Cat Snake (Boiga cyanea) in our Herp Photo of the Day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user ptahtoo! Be sure to tell ptahtoo you liked it here! Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and […]

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   Jul 21

Man shot with his own gun while trying to protect sea turtle babies

Apprently the friend of your enemy is your enemy, when it comes to sea turtles — at least in Florida, where a Vietnam veteran was allegedly shot with his own gun by someone who took exception to his efforts to protect a sea turtle nest. From Local10.com: A Vietnam veteran was shot while trying to […]

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   Jul 21

Camouflaged tortoises, hiding in plain sight

This past winter, as a cold front came barreling through, I decided to make certain that all of the tortoises were snug in their heated winter houses. I quickly scanned the pens and saw only a few desert box turtles, Terrapene ornata luteola still out. Although I probably needn’t have worried about them I quickly […]

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   Jul 21

Herp Photo of the Day: Black Headed Python

No longer just black and white, these snakes show some of the variety in color that the Black Headed Pythons have in our Herp Photo of the Day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Tom_Keogan! Be sure to tell Tom you liked it here! Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could […]

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