By Herp News Laurie Marker’s passion for cheetahs was kindled far from the grasslands of Africa. In 1974, she got a job working for a new wildlife park in Oregon, and as she worked with the park’s captive cheetahs, her interest grew to their wild cousins back in Namibia. When Marker reached out to biologists […]

By Herp News A fishy ghost story in time for Halloween [Nature] Ghost fishing, as it’s known, is when marine life is drawn into nets and traps by the dead and decomposing bodies of marine animals already caught in these fishing devices. This problem goes largely unnoticed yet the ‘dead’ gear is often responsible for […]

By Herp News [dropcap]M[/dropcap]urilo Reis was guiding a group of tourists on his private nature reserve in a remote part of northeastern Peru two months ago when he came across more than a dozen people who were digging up turtle nests on the riverbank to steal the eggs. When they refused to leave, he called […]

By Herp News Reptiles are becoming increasingly popular as pets. The number of reptile pets, such as lizards, turtles and snakes, has doubled in the past ten years. Researchers recently showed that grasshoppers used as reptile food can be a source of allergies. Go to Source …read more Read more here: herpetofauna.com No products found. […]

By Herp News Money brings many things. It can bring great happiness and it can cause great suffering. It depends on how it is used. Ethics are important. New prosperity following Vietnam’s accession to the World Trade Organization in 2007 has improved life for many in the country, but unfortunately Vietnam’s new wealth has brought […]

Happy Rattlesnake Friday! We caught a tiger by it’s tail with this (Crotalus tigris) in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user kevinjudd ! 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 […]

By Herp News Onya Tega, a proud member of the Waorani culture, maintains many age-old hunting traditions in the face of innumerable modern pressures. Oil companies in Ecuador often provide “gifts” to indigenous people, including high powered hunting rifles and ammo that dramatically increases pressure on wildlife. Photo courtesy of Kelly Swing [dropcap]E[/dropcap]cuador’s troubled relationship […]

By Herp News ‘Warm-bloodedness’, a characteristic of mammals, is a trait encompassing a suite of physiological processes that helps to maintain a relatively high, constant body temperature. A new study shows that this character may have shown up in the ancestors of modern mammals far earlier than was previously thought. Go to Source …read more […]

In the end it was probably the sign. There is a right way to run a reptile education program, and then there are other ways. The first thing any reptile educator needs to do is check to make sure they are not violating either state and local laws, unless they want to get a rather […]

By Herp News Clouded leopards are being increasingly traded for commercial purposes, and their skins and other body parts are flooding illegal wildlife markets, according to a recent study published in Biodiversity and Conservation. In fact, in some illegal wildlife markets in southeast Asia, clouded leopards are more commonly traded than tigers, researchers have found. Fewer […]

By Herp News Air quality in Indonesia was slightly improved in most areas on Thursday following rain on Tuesday night as President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo landed in South Sumatra to monitor the archipelago’s firefighting and humanitarian response. But in East Kalimantan, fires continue to threaten the Sungai Wain Protected Forest, a 9,852-hectare expanse of ancient […]

A gorgeous field shot of a very dark Black Rat Snake brings memories of summer back 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! […]

By Herp News Deep in the mountains of eastern Bali sits a traditional Aga village, whose inhabtants – legendarily the island’s first – still reside and abide by ancient ways. Long before Indonesian independence, and even before the 11th century, when the fleeing courtiers of Java’s Hindu Majapahit dynasty landed in Bali, the village of […]

Vertically elliptical during the daylight hours, the pupils of the Great Basin spadefoot are almost round on dark nights. It has always amazed me how some relatively common—or even abundant—species can evade all efforts to find them. Or at least they evade almost all efforts. I encountered such difficulty when I was trying to photo […]

By Herp News Fairs and small markets scattered throughout the country are one of the main venues where animals are trafficked. Between 60% and 70% of the trafficked animals in Brazil are purchased by Brazilians. Photo by Juliana M Ferreira [dropcap]J[/dropcap]uliana Machado Ferreira moves quickly through the chaotic sprawl of tables and stalls at Vila […]

How cute is this baby Abronia graminia in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user uggleedog ! 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 […]

By Herp News At a time when U.S. and China have pledged to take steps to end ivory trade in their countries, Hong Kong — one of the largest hubs for illegal ivory — has refrained from making such commitments, and continues to insist that their “legal” ivory markets are strictly controlled. But according to a […]

This pile of noodles in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user hermanbronsgeest reminds us of the variety in the most basic of “morphs”, the normal! 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! […]

This Peruvian example, an adult Phrynonax polylepis, has assumed a defensive posture. Phrynonax polylepis? What in the world is that? Actually it is a snake that you might know well. Think the Peruvian and Brazilian lineage of Pseustes poecilonotus, the common bird snake, aka the common puffing snake. As mentioned in an earlier blog this […]

Photo: Allmusic, Facebook/Kevin Fowler Country Musician Kevin Fowler recently took to facebook to criticize people he feels are “rattlesnake sympathizers”. “All of you people who cry about folks killing rattlesnakes have probably never seen what it looks like when you get bit by one,” wrote Fowler. “All of you rattlesnake sympathizers will change your tune […]

How smart are reptiles? Can they be trained like other animals? You might be surprised at just how smart some of our reptilian friends are! The San Diego Zoo recently released a video of one of their Anegada Iguanas(Cyclura pinguis) named Gus being trained using the target method. The Anegada Iguana is a endangered iguana […]

By Herp News While there is no doubt that climate change is affecting many organisms, some species might be more sensitive than others. Reptiles, whose body temperature depends directly on environmental temperature, may be particularly vulnerable. Scientists have now shown experimentally that lizards cope very poorly with the climate predicted for the year 2100. Go […]

Brazilian Lancehead – Gallery Photo by Neverscared A nanofiber hydrogel infused with snake venom may be the best material to stop bleeding quickly, according to scientists at Rice University in Texas. The hydrogel incorporates batroxobin, a venom produced by two species of South American pit viper. It can be injected as a liquid and quickly […]

By Herp News Echidnas have strong legs, well adapted for digging. They dig their claws into the soil and push it aside, making it almost appear as if they are sinking straight down into the earth. They sometimes vanish below ground for more than 24 hours, though no one knows with what purpose. Photo by […]

This little Frilled Dragon is ready to take no prisoners in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user Mizzy every once in a while! 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 […]

From Frankie’s visit to Pet Supermarket dressed as Frank-O-Lantern Enjoy. …read more Read more here: Turtle Times No products found. Amazon Auto Links

By Herp News Bat poop matters. So says a study examining a little-known species, the Caucasian parsley frog, and its reliance on insects that breed in bat guano. This is yet another study showing how critically important are bats for the environment. Their role is not limited to controlling agricultural pests; entire cave ecosystems with […]

By Herp News Bat poop matters. So says a study examining a little-known species, the Caucasian parsley frog, and its reliance on insects that breed in bat guano. This is yet another study showing how critically important are bats for the environment. Their role is not limited to controlling agricultural pests; entire cave ecosystems with […]

By Herp News Could this giant 3D printer stop climate change? [National Geographic] You may be familiar with this amazing technology. It is a 400-million-year-old solar-powered device that extracts CO2 from the atmosphere and converts it into material useful for construction. First observations of the least understood species in the world [UPI] For decades this […]

By Herp News Could this giant 3D printer stop climate change? [National Geographic] You may be familiar with this amazing technology. It is a 400-million-year-old solar-powered device that extracts CO2 from the atmosphere and converts it into material useful for construction. First observations of the least understood species in the world [UPI] For decades this […]

By Herp News The 2012 film ‘The Flight of the Butterflies’ documented the year-long annual migration cycle of the Monarch Butterfly. But now, scientists believe that fewer numbers are actually taking this epic journey. Photo credit: Dave Hart. A recent study concludes that a new, overwintering population of the Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) in the […]

By Herp News Basic research into the mechanisms of cell division, using eggs and embryos from frogs and starfish, has led researchers to an unexpected discovery about how animal cells control the forces that shape themselves. During a key point in cytokinesis a cell’s cortex becomes an excitable medium resulting in waves that serve to […]

Happy Rattlesnake Friday! Massive support is needed in the conservation of the gorgeous Massasauga Rattlesnake all across the country. That is why they take the spotlight today in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user ratsnakehaven ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here! Upload your own reptile and amphibian […]

Photo: Chris Dresh Instead of a forceful relocation, ecologists in Bournemouth changed the landscape directly impacting the road changes only to allow the animals to relocate naturally. Dorset County Council’s environment councillor, Peter Finney, said: “We’re incredibly proud of our natural environment in Dorset and we strive to find new ways to work alongside our […]

This is the Mexican form of Spilotes pullatus, S. p. mexicana. Spilotes, long a monotypic genus of beautiful black and yellow, neotropical, arboreal, snake, has recently become bitypic—and polymorphic. This was accomplished when a group of herpetologists (see paper mentioned below) undertook the reevaluation of the genus Pseustes, the bird snakes. The result of their […]

By Herp News The Wildlife Conservation Society has a long, proven track record of environmental stewardship. So when the New York City-based group recently announced an ambitious new global conservation strategy, Mongabay got in touch with WCS president and CEO Cristián Samper to get more details. WCS has identified 15 of the world’s largest wilderness […]

By Herp News Two photos taken in Jakarta’s notorious bird market suggest that Indonesia’s forests may be hiding a previously undocumented species of monkey. The photos, which showed a langur or leaf monkey with distinctive coloring, including a black face outlined by gold hair, spurred researcher Francesco Nardelli to embark on a five-year survey of […]

By Herp News Eight Peruvian amphibian species listed as Data Deficient by the IUCN should be re-assessed as Threatened. That’s one conclusion of a new study published in Mongabay’s journal Tropical Conservation Science. The study re-assessed the conservation status of 38 amphibian species that an earlier study had determined might meet IUCN criteria for listing […]

Among those who search for reptiles in North America, there has always been great interest in Eastern Hognose Snakes, Heterodon platirhinos. They are beautiful, variable, display unique behaviors, have an interesting natural history, and are unlike all the other snakes we find locally. Getting a nice picture of a wild Eastern Hognose Snake can be […]

By Herp News The dense undergrowth of tropical forests presents a mysterious prospect to wildlife researchers. Often what is easily spotted does not represent the whole, and scientists in the past could spend months, or even years, studying a species before ever observing it. Now traditional data collection methods are being augmented by advanced technologies […]