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Archive for September, 2015


   Sep 30

The ballad of Pepe Lucho: policing domestic wildlife trafficking in Peru

By Herp News A Pacarana (Dinomys branickii) photographed in a jungle house near Santa Maria, Peru. Photo by Benjamin Frable made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication [dropcap]L[/dropcap]ast October, a TV report from Peru’s Chanchamayo province depicted protesters swarming the streets, raising their voices in unison chanting: “Pepe Lucho is […]

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   Sep 30

Herp Photo of the Day: Indigo

An wonderful shot of this Indigo Snake in the field in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user ACO3124! Be sure to tell them 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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   Sep 30

Scarlet Kingsnakes in Kentucky

Finding examples of the Scarlet Kingsnake (Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides) in Kentucky can be quite difficult. On a scale of 1-10 I give them a solid 7.5, perhaps lower if you live in or close to a county where they occur. As for myself, I have to drive over 3 hours each way to be in […]

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   Sep 30

Iguana Have a Seat

Photo via Twitter user @MeghanCArnold San Francisco is having an invasion of sorts on their public transit. It seems many owners of Green Iguanas are taking over, bringing their pets on the bus. While we wish it weren’t causing such a stir, looking at these photos, we can certainly understand why! When transporting your reptiles, […]

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   Sep 29

The Mohave Rattler

Meet an upset Mohave rattler. Again came the now familiar cry — “snake!” But this time it was I who noticed the hefty serpent at road edge. Either a western diamondback or a Mohave rattler– and it proved to be a 3 1/2 foot long example of the latter. Jake had been getting a few […]

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   Sep 29

Rare Skink Rediscovered in Kenya

Photo : Sjoerd van Berge Henegouwen/Nature World News Previously thought to be extinct, the first photographs of a live Western Serpentiform skink (Eumecia anchietae) have emerged. In true reptile fashion, it was spotted alongside the road by a tourist in Masai Mara. There is little known of the species because of their extremely reclusive nature […]

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   Sep 29

Match the footprint: error-prone method of identifying wild cats

By Herp News An ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) in Itatiba Zoo, Brazil. Photo by João Carlos Medau from Wikimedia Commons. Wild cats — from the small jaguarundi to the large jaguar — are elusive animals. They usually prowl about at night, are difficult to detect, and merge with the background landscape. Researchers often depend on indirect […]

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   Sep 29

Herp Photo of the Day: Frilled Dragon

Take 5 and turn your face to the sun today, just like the Frilled Dragon in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user cochran ! Be sure to tell them 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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   Sep 29

USFWS to review 14 reptiles and amphibians for endangered status

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is initiating status reviews for 14 petitions that presented substantial information that the species may warrant listing under the Endangered Species Act . The Service will initiate a review of the status of each of the reptile and amphibian species listed below. To ensure that these reviews are comprehensive, […]

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   Sep 28

First ever biofluorescent sea turtle discovered in Solomon Islands

By Herp News Scientists have discovered the first ever glow-in-the-dark sea turtle. National Geographic Emerging Explorer David Gruber said he made the discovery mostly by accident: He was filming biofluorescent coral off the coast of the Solomon Islands when the glowing sea turtle swam right by him. The marine biologist captured the turtle on a […]

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   Sep 28

Rare spotted leopards sighted on Malaysian Peninsula

By Herp News Leopards occur in two forms: spotted and black — the black-coated version being the result of the presence of the dark-colored pigment melanin, a condition known as melanism and the opposite of an albino condition. Previous research determined that only melanistic black leopards likely lived in the forested regions of Southeast Asia […]

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   Sep 28

Falling angels: Africa’s unloved vultures headed for extinction?

By Herp News When we think of what wildness remains on our depleted planet, one place still truly speaks to the human spirit: Africa — site of the last stand of the wondrous Pleistocene megafauna that our forbears largely extinguished across the rest of the world; the final redoubt of the lions, leopards, elephants and […]

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   Sep 28

Rattlesnake Venom Tested for Post-surgical Care

Loma Linda University is working closely with researchers to determine whether the proteins can reduce bleeding and swelling during and after brain surgery. The study will last until 2019, but if successful it may impact over 800,000 people in aiding in the recovery after surgery including the reduction of loss of functions that may happen […]

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   Sep 28

China and U.S. commit to end ivory trade

By Herp News Legal ivory items for sale in an accredited shop in Beijing in May, 2009. Photo courtesy of IFAW, International Fund for Animal Welfare. On Friday, September 25, Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Barack Obama pledged to end commercial ivory sales in their countries. In a joint statement,  China and the […]

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   Sep 28

Herp Photo of the Day: Dart Frog

Hopefully this stunning shot of a Painted Mantella (Mantella baroni) in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user Hoosierfrogger starts your week out right! Be sure to tell them 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 […]

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   Sep 27

Frankie Tortoise Tails – Coming Of Age (Dear Waffles)

Waffles, you near your third year and thus far think yourself a mere tot of a tortoise. Behold, young tortoise, this is the greatest time of your life: you are discovering who you really are. I am here to walk you through this special time as you come full into being one of the greatest […]

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   Sep 26

Woman arrested for riding sea turtle

From the “don’t be an idiot” files… Stephanie Moore (pictured right), 20, was jailed on a $2,000 bond on a felony warrant on charges of possessing, selling or molesting a marine turtle or eggs nest, according to the Melbourne Police Department’s Facebook page. Moore was arrested after police in Melbourne, on Florida’s Atlantic coast, responded […]

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   Sep 25

Florida keeper bitten by Gaboon Viper

A retired teacher in Winter Park Florida is in an Orlando hospital after being bitten on the hand Thursday by a 20 inch Gaboon Viper (Bitis gabonica). The reptile owner, a licensed keeper, is expected to recover, and the snake has been secured, as has the rest of his small collection. “It wasn’t as if […]

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   Sep 25

Herp Photo of the Day: Rattlesnake Friday!

Check out this gorgeous Southern Pacific Rattlesnake in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user lichanura ! Be sure to tell them 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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   Sep 25

The best defense is a good bee-fence

By Herp News Vitus Pango and Albogast Mkude harvest honey from a beehive fence in Tanzania. Photo courtesy of Alex Chang’a. This is a story about elephants, bees, trees, and a drink called Amarula. Amarula Cream is a liqueur distilled from the fermented fruit of the marula tree. The trees’ fruit is beloved by humans […]

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   Sep 24

Herp Photo of the Day: Bullfrog

A stunning shot from Ghana of this Crowned Bullfrog steals the limelight in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user Slaytonp ! Be sure to tell them 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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   Sep 24

Baird's Rat Snake, a Serpentine Beauty

Hatchling and juvenile Baird’s rat snakes have prominent saddles “Snake!” Jake had grimmaced as I stopped again to photograph the ever-changing and increasingly beautiful West Texas sunset. Within minutes I was back on the road and traffic was still quite light. We dipped and had started up a gentle incline when a female striped skunk […]

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   Sep 23

Pushing the boundaries

By Herp News Vitus Pango and Albogast Mkude harvest honey from a beehive fence in Tanzania. Photo courtesy of Alex Chang’a. This is a story about elephants, bees, trees, and a drink called Amarula. Amarula Cream is a liqueur distilled from the fermented fruit of the marula tree. The trees’ fruit is beloved by humans […]

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   Sep 23

Giant killer lizard fossil shines new light on early Australians

By Herp News As if life wasn’t hard enough during the last Ice Age, a new study has found Australia’s first human inhabitants had to contend with giant killer lizards. Researchers working in Central Queensland were amazed when they unearthed the first evidence that Australia’s early human inhabitants and giant apex predator lizards had overlapped. […]

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   Sep 23

Could a new map save the Sumatran rhino?

By Herp News Sumatran Rhinoceros photographed in Gunung Leuser National Park (inside Leuser Landscape). Photo courtesy of Leuser International Foundation and the Gunung Leuser National Park Researchers have identified what could be the last safe havens for the Critically Endangered Sumatran rhinos (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), according to a new study published in the journal PLoS One. Only about […]

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   Sep 23

Herp Photo of the Day: American Alligator

This American Alligator is peeking out and looking forward to it’s future in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user mwright82 ! Be sure to tell them 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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   Sep 22

Seabird numbers down 70 percent since 1950

By Herp News Since seabirds rely on healthy oceans to feed and thrive, scientists consider them excellent indicators of the marine ecosystem’s health. But a recent study found that global seabird populations appear to be rapidly dwindling, a possible sign of overall marine ecosystem decline. Seabirds “travel far and wide to forage… and, unlike most […]

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   Sep 22

World Rhino Day arrives this year with a new cause for celebration

By Herp News Just in time for World Rhino Day comes an announcement out of South Sumatra, Indonesia. Way Kambas National Park will soon be celebrating the arrival of a new rhino calf that will be joining the other 5 rhino residents of the national park’s Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary. Ratu, whose name means, “queen,” is […]

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   Sep 22

Male lizard's flashy colors come at a risk

kingsnake.com gallery photo by Eve In the animal kingdom, just like the disco, the flashiest males often have more luck attracting a mate but when your predators hunt by sight, this makes them more of a target according to a new study published in Ecology and Evolution. Using models that replicated the coloration of male […]

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   Sep 22

Herp Photo of the Day: Crested Geckos

These adorable Crested Geckos are just hanging around in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user MOC_Reptiles ! Be sure to tell them 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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   Sep 22

A Paucity of Western Diamondbacks

This is a pretty but pale Big Bend western diamond-back. Where were the western diamond-backed rattlesnakes, Crotalus atrox? Jake and I began asking ourselves that question on our first night in Val Verde County, TX, and continued wondering throughout our 10 nights in West Texas. We were no closer to an answer on that 10th […]

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   Sep 21

How a frog’s molecules ‘leaped,’ and ‘crawled,’ to evolve violet vision

By Herp News The African clawed frog’s process for adaptive color vision is full of mysterious twists and turns, an evolutionary biologist explains in a new article about the frog’s shift from ultraviolet to violet vision. Go to Source …read more Read more here: herpetofauna.com No products found. Amazon Auto Links

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   Sep 21

Tracking crocodiles travel with technology

More than 130 crocodiles have been captured and fitted with waterproof transmitters as part of a long term University of Queensland study into how the creatures use the environment. The data-gathering program is the largest and longest of its type, beginning in 2008 and set for another 10 years thanks to a new generation of […]

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   Sep 21

Giri’s Bronzeback Tree Snake

The world is gifted with beautiful flora as well as fauna but still there are many hidden creatures in this ecosystem who work behind the scenes to contribute to the tremendous beauty which we see today. Often these beauties ‘who work behind the scenes’ are poorly known and leave the world mystified about their salient […]

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   Sep 21

Herp Photo of the Day: Elongated Tortoise

Way better than pumpkin spice, this Elongated tortoise brings on fall in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user reptileszz ! Be sure to tell them 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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   Sep 18

Herp Photo of the Day: Rattlesnake Friday!

In celebration of all things venomous, ciccada is on the menu for this Copperhead in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user coolhl7 ! Be sure to tell them 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 […]

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   Sep 17

Will community management help save the black rhino from extinction? (Photos)

By Herp News An unprecedented action took place earlier this year at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy based in northern Kenya: the translocation of black rhinos to Sera Community Conservancy, where rhinos have been absent for 25 years. The move represents the first time in East Africa management of this endangered species is being put in the […]

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   Sep 17

Herp Photo of the Day: Horned Lizard

This Desert Horned Lizard has us looking forward to the weekend in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user Brockn ! Be sure to tell them 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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   Sep 17

Mottled Rocks Amidst the Rocks

Our trip had been replete with rattlesnakes. The roadways and rockcuts in the Big Bend area had offered up a western diamond-back or two, a few Mohave rattlers, many black-tailed rattlers and a sufficient number of mottled rock rattlers to keep things really interesting. We had found rock rattlers having pearl gray ground colors on […]

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   Sep 16

Herp Photo of the Day: Lyre Snake

An wonderful field find in Mexico of this Lyre Snake brightens the middle of the week in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user Chuck_Ch ! Be sure to tell them 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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