By Herp News In the Indian Himalayas, threatened Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) are frequently drawn to energy-rich human food sources such as apple orchards and other crops. This resource-driven movement frequently brings bears and humans into close contact, increasing potential risks for either side that can end in retaliatory killings of bears by local […]

By Herp News While the top environmental stories of the year include more than a few bummers, it wasn’t all doom and gloom for the planet in 2015. Here we take a look at some of the more positive developments, from the Paris Agreement to the Yellowstone of the Amazon and the “mystery whale” that […]

We hope this Timor Python in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user carlovandun! Be sure to tell them you liked it here! Have a safe New Years Eve! 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 Douglas McCauley began his career as a fisherman but later transitioned to marine science. He now serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Sloan Research Fellow in the Ocean Sciences. McCauley studies how marine ecosystems function and what management practices best support ocean health. Earlier this […]

A hatchling loggerhead musk turtle. Carl called across the river “Remember, they look like acorns.” What, I wondered was he going on about now? Then it dawned on me. We were only a few minutes from docking and Carl was likening the hatchling loggerhead musk turtles, Sternotherus m. minor, for which we were then searching […]

By Herp News [dropcap]R[/dropcap]eef fish may take longer to recover from overfishing than previously thought. While smaller fish with short life spans tend to rebound quickly in protected reefs, larger, slow growing fish may need more than 100 years of strong protection to fully recover, a new study concludes. The study was published online this […]

By Herp News The Komodo dragon–that giant monitor lizard inhabiting a few islands in Eastern Indonesia–is an exception. Biologically-speaking, of course, it is the world’s largest lizard, and a last survivor of monster lizards (bigger even than the Komodo) that once roamed a good portion of both Indonesia and Australia. But the Komodo dragon (Varanus […]

By Herp News As 2015 comes to a close, Mongabay is looking back at the year that was. This year saw President Obama reject the Keystone pipeline as historic droughts and a vicious wildfire season wracked the western US and Canada. The world committed to climate action in Paris as Southeast Asia was choking on […]

By Herp News While the threat of extinction looms closer than ever for many species, 2015 was not all gloom. Scientists discovered thousands of new species this year, some seen and classified for the first time and completely novel to science. This includes 74 species of beetles that were discovered on a single Hawaiian volcano. Others, like the […]

We love this shot of a Scorpion Mud Turtle found in the field in the Yucatan Pennisula in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cbreps! 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! […]

The other day a friend came by and I showed him my recently hatched Super Genetic Banded Albino Pied Ball Pythons. He just about lost it when he saw them. He told me that he thought the pictures I had posted were just photo shopped. As a result I decided to take a picture with […]

A young female Sri Lankan tree viper. For many years Patti and I kept and bred a couple of dozen species of tree vipers of several genera. Among my favorites was the Sri Lankan species, Trimeresurus trigonocephalus. They were of moderate size (usually 2 to 3 ½ feet) , usually of reasonably equable disposition, always […]

Isn’t this a gorgeus Water Dragon in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user arkherps ! 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 found. […]

By Herp News Aerial photograph of the Balbina archipelago, showing some of the thousands of islands created by the dam that isolated wildlife, leading to a disastrous biodiversity crash. Photo by Caio Pamplona [dropcap]W[/dropcap]hen the Balbina Dam was completed in 1986, it flooded primary forest in the state of Amazonas along Brazil’s Uatumã River, forming a […]

By Herp News A diver has captured extraordinary footage of a giant squid swimming near the water surface in a Japanese harbor, reports CNN. According to a manager at the Mizuhashi Fisherina marina in Toyama Bay, a 3.7-meter-long (12 foot) giant squid was sighted swimming under some boats on the morning of December 24. “It […]

This dart frog is so hot, in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user frogological , we are hoping it can melt all the post christmas snow! 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 […]

We hope this Ball Python in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user toshamc,will bring you a lot of Christmas Cheer! From our family to yours, we wish you a safe, healthy and happy Christmas! Be sure to tell them you liked it here! Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos […]

Not a creature was stirring except for this Tokay in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user bloodpython_MA ! 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 […]

This was one of 2 gravid female frosted flatwoods salamander we saw. When we left at 1500 hrs, the forecast called for 3-5″ of rain in Liberty County. Remnants of the super hurricane, Patricia, heavy rains were forecast to begin at 4:00PM and continue for about 24 hours. The forecast erred. Badly! At first it […]

Eastern Black Kingsnake Lampropeltis getula nigra Since 2003 Phil Peak and I have observed and recorded 760 live Black Kingsnakes in scores of different Kentucky counties. There is a lot of variation out there and I sure like them all, but at the end of the day I have limited space and resources and am […]

By Herp News On Monday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced that two subspecies of lions — Panthera leo leo and Panthera leo melanochaita – would be protected under the Endangered Species Act. The new rules, which will come into effect on January 22, 2016, will impose stricter permit requirements for trophy hunting, and […]

Somehow I don’t think we found the real Santa with this Phelsuma in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Geckoranch ! 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 […]

A pretty adult Christmas tree phase eyelash viper. Of the many tree vipers, one or more of the many phases of the Eyelash Viper, Bothriechis schlegelii, are often the first “hot species” kept as a hobbyist’s herp experience grows. Although this Latin American tree viper is often available in grays, olives, pinks, and oranges, there […]

Dashing through the snow, two cute Bearded Dragons on a sleigh in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user ginag ! 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: […]

By Herp News What is a hackathon? ‘Hacking’ is creative problem solving, commonly through emerging technology. A ‘hackathon’ is an event where people, usually with tech backgrounds, come together to solve problems. Participants usually form teams and dive into the target problem(s), often for 1-3 days, and collaboratively produce (often through coding) a unique solution.  The events […]

By Herp News A farmer chases bird crop pests from his fields. In Bolivia, the species that appear in pet markets for sale most frequently are considered crop pests. Previously shot and killed, they are now poached and sold for additional income. Photo by El deber/ Flickr Creative Commons Share alike 2.0 [dropcap]A[/dropcap] new shipment […]

By Herp News In 2010, researcher Francesco Nardelli discovered two photographs of a certain species of langur, or leaf monkey, on the internet that he could not recognize. The caged langurs in the photos — which had been taken in a bird market in East Java in Indonesia — had black faces outlined by distinctive […]

By Herp News Scientists have discovered two critically endangered species of sea snakes, previously thought to be extinct, off the coast of Western Australia.It’s the first time the snakes have been spotted alive and healthy since disappearing from their only known habitat on Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea more than fifteen years ago. Go […]

This Chuckwalla is ready to start us on out path to christmas in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user rosebuds ! 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 […]

By Herp News Howler monkeys are often targeted by hunters. Photo by Rhett A. Butler Over-hunting contributes to forest carbon loss, claims a study published this week in the AAAS journal Science Advances. After looking at data from 31 sites from the Atlantic Forest — found along the southeast coast of Brazil — the researchers […]

By Herp News A snail so dangerous it warrants attention from Homeland Security [NBC] Earlier this month, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agriculture specialists discovered two live Giant African Snails at the Port of Oakland in California. The snails are considered to be the most dangerous in the world, as they carry diseases dangerous to […]

By Herp News South America’s Atlantic Forest is one of the most imperiled biomes on the planet. At its southern periphery in northeastern Argentina’s Misiones province, the country’s first ecological corridor links important protected areas within the Atlantic Forest region. A new study looks into the bird diversity of different types of Atlantic Forest habitats, finding […]

By Herp News Fast response is critical to preventing the spread of disease, especially in remote places with few potential responders and challenging conditions. Dr. Margaret Driciru, a senior warden and long-time wildlife veterinarian at Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP) in Uganda, understands this as well as anyone and has consistently promoted the use of […]

By Herp News Frog embryos do not fully control which genes they can turn on or off in the beginning of their development — but their mother does, through specific proteins in the egg cell, molecular developmental biologists report. Go to Source …read more Read more here: herpetofauna.com No products found. Amazon Auto Links

Countdown to Christmas! This Green Tree Python is in the holiday spirit in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user toshamc ! 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 […]

By Herp News New research out of Angola casts light on the impact of shifting cultivation on dense tropical woodlands. The study, published this week in Mongabay’s open-access journal, Tropical Conservation Science, finds that an increasing demand for agricultural land and a growing population could change the structure and composition of the embattled African country’s […]

By Herp News A red uakari (Cacajao calvus) for sale at Bellavista Market, April 2014. Photo courtesy of NPC [dropcap]A[/dropcap] determined collaborative effort between health officials and activists has resulted in the shutting down of one of the most egregious and flourishing illegal wildlife markets in all of Peru. Bellavista Market, after nearly twenty years […]

A blast in the past today with this old field shot of a Red Salamander in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user SNAKEMANOFLOU ! 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 […]

Somehow this old female mud turtle had survived this, now healed, terrible injury The big female mud turtle, a common mud, Kinosternon s. subrubrum, was walking along in the shallows at riveredge. Carl was scooting along in the canoe, and I, as usual, was a few yards upstream firmly caught in a riveredge snag that […]

Northern Ravine Salamander Plethodon electromorphus After herping a place for years and years a person can begin to learn what to expect to find during the course of an outing, but remember to never let your guard down because you just never can tell what your going to find! Such was the case back in […]