Around us was sand in various hues of oranges and yellows and reds; above us towered sand stone cliffs in similar colors. A few miles distant we had encountered mesas, buttes, and dark, deep – perilously deep – sheer-walled canyons. Here and there a cactus, a succulent, a juniper, or a patch of drought tolerant […]

By Herp News Indonesian customs officials foiled an attempt to smuggle 455 dead pangolins to Singapore from an airport in the country’s second city of Surabaya, a hotbed of wildlife trafficking. Suspicious of a man with 43 cartons he claimed were full of fish, officers checked the boxes and found the scaly mammals instead. By […]

Sometimes you need to look outside the box! This stunning Sunbeam Snake may not be the most colorful on first glance, but as you can see in our Herp Photo of the Day, they are a truly beautiful snake, uploaded by kingsnake.com user mecdwell! Be sure to tell mecdwell you liked it here! Upload your […]

You know you are a herper when you have snakes instead of towels on your towel rack! This Mexican Pine Snake is just hanging out in our Herp Photo of the Day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Steve_G! Be sure to tell Steve_G you liked it here! Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at […]

By Herp News The world’s tropical forests are threatened by deforestation due to agricultural, industrial and urban expansion; as well as by drought, fire, and disease, all worsened by climate change. Human reforestation efforts are limited by budget and capacity, so the restoration of degraded habitats by means of animal seed dispersal is essential to […]

Scientific Name: One of the moments I love during my herpings is a ‘tea or coffee break’. It is really an enjoyable moment when you are sitting with your friends, sipping your refreshing drink, and recalling the adventures that took place during the herping. This incident happened during a trip to the Western Ghats. After […]

Speed, a Galapagos tortoise brought to America over 80 years ago, was euthanized last month. From the LA Times: At an estimated age of more than 150 years, Speed had been in geriatric decline for some time, with arthritis and other maladies. Keepers treated him with medication, hydrotherapy, physical therapy, even acupuncture. Finally, a decision […]

Our Herp Photo of the Day features a cute field find of a Salamander, 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! CHRISTIE!!!!!!!!! I am waiting for full ID on this animal […]

Our Herp Photo of the Day features a cute field find of a XXX Salamander, 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! CHRISTIE!!!!!!!!! I am waiting for full ID on this […]

By Herp News Police in Indonesia’s second city of Surabaya, a hotbed of wildlife trafficking, seized 16 eagles of various types from a trafficker who was using Facebook to connect with potential customers. A tip alerted the authorities to the trafficker. They used the Internet to confirm his activities before moving to arrest him at […]

A few years ago, for reasons that I can no longer remember, I decided to get an African mole snake, Pseudaspis cana, from Linda Switzer. It had been decades since I had last had one and as I remembered them they were big and savagely defensive. They were in no way pleasant creatures to keep. […]

A few years ago, for reasons that I can no longer remember, I decided to get an African mole snake, Pseudaspis cana, from Linda Switzer. It had been decades since I had last had one and as I remembered them they were big and savagely defensive. They were in no way pleasant creatures to keep. […]

Shannan Yates discusses the powerful and life-changing adventure that is herpetological field work. From National Geographic: At a conference on Bahamian natural history, I met Shedd Aquarium’s Dr. Chuck Knapp, who oversees the conservation research program at Shedd and has spent decades researching rock iguanas in The Bahamas. At the time, I had been struggling […]

This male Angel Island Chuck seems quite proud of himself in our Herp Photo of the Day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user reptoman! Be sure to tell reptoman 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 […]

By Herp News Animal vehicle collisions (AVCs) take an incredible toll on wildlife worldwide. In the United States, for example, as many as 1.5 million deer, moose, and other ungulates are annually involved in vehicle crashes, with all yearly U.S. wildlife collisions costing $1 billion and causing 29,000 human injuries. Still, drivers and the media […]

By Herp News To protect natural ecosystems, some conservationists advocate ‘land sparing,’ in which farmers intensify agricultural practices to boost yields, theoretically enabling them to forgo expansion into natural areas. Others advocate ‘land sharing,’ in which farmers take over more land but use more environmentally friendly practices. Researchers studied the relative effects of the two […]

The armored lizard Pappochelys rosinae may be the missing evolutionary link between early turtles and their contemporary counterparts. From Science Magazine: The findings are “a very important contribution in addressing who turtles are related to, as well as the evolutionary origin of the turtle shell,” says Tyler Lyson, a vertebrate paleontologist at the Denver Museum […]

The Sri Lankan painted frog is a species of narrow-mouthed frog found in India. This frog is the first species of narrow-mouthed frog which I came across and thanks to its mouth, I found it a bit upset looking. But trust me, it was one of the cutest frogs in the world! I met this […]

Our Herp Photo of the Day shows and amazing look inside the egg of a Russian Tortoise to be, uploaded by kingsnake.com user tortusjack! Be sure to tell tortusjack 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: […]

Two years ago these little monsters took over in a whole new way. In our Herp Video of the Week, a group of second graders, with the help of their teacher, try to remind us that snakes do not need fear and they are just “Born This Way”. Happy Snake Saturday, we hope you enjoy […]

The Bird Snake (Pseustes poecilonotus) gets it’s first breath of air in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user SoLA! Be sure to tell SoLA 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 […]

By Herp News An independent researcher has described a spectacular red, white, and blue crayfish just in time for the fourth of July. The new species, named Cherax pulcher, was first discovered in Japanese pet shops by Christian Lukhaup before he finally tracked down the animal to creeks in remote West Papua, Indonesia. Go to […]

Mez, an adorable little black monitor lizard, is the first born to any zoo in the United Kingdom. From Pirate FM: John Meek, curator: ” This is a very rare birth for us here at The Zoo and Mez is doing very well, being carefully nursed by our diligent keepers. Mez currently weighs twelve grams […]

Jake said, “C’mon, let’s go hog-nosing.” That’s not much of an incentive for me as hog-noses are just not my favorite critters. But then Jake said “Good chance for a Florida pine, too.” “Oh,” I replied. “You mean southern hog-noses, eh?” Well, southerns are a bit better, and somewhere in the sandy country where they […]

What a stunning shot of a Satanic leaf-tailed gecko we have as our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user zmarchetti! Be sure to tell zmarchetti 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 […]

By Herp News A newly discovered, 48-million-year-old fossil, known as a ‘Jesus lizard’ for its ability to walk on water, may provide insight into how climate change may affect tropical species. Go to Source …read more Read more here: herpetofauna.com No products found. Amazon Auto Links

Prompted by a petition in 2012 by the Center for Biological Diversity the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is reviewing 10 species of reptiles and amphibians to consider them for federal protection under the Endangered Species Act, despite many of the listed species enjoying protection of state laws in their home range. According to media […]

“Crocodile,” is an animal which makes you think twice before entering a river or lake, an animal which is responsible for numerous deaths every year, and a reptile which freaks out people more than a snake. Just imagine my reaction when I came across this magnificent and deadly reptile in the wild. India has a […]

An incredibly unusual two-headed bearded dragon stunned their owner after hatching in Liverpool. From the Mirror: Owner Stephen Evans, 34 has bred bearded dragon lizards for 17 years and made the discovery this morning after checking a clutch of eggs. Originally, he thought there were two lizards in one egg but says he was shocked […]

One of these things isn’t just like the other! The Leucistic tadpole really stands out in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user retnaburner! Be sure to tell retnaburner 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 […]