Hatchling Reeve’s turtles Chinemys reevesi usually have a yellow facial pattern When I was a kid there used to be 5 and 10 cent stores–real ones where you could but things for 5 or 10 cents or more. Some of the stores were small, some were huge, and all were places of wonderment to a […]
Read the rest of this entry »Archive for the 'Reptile News Around the World' Category
Sep 08
Sep 07
Shortage of Anti-venins risks lives
From June of next year, Sanofi Pasteur’s stock of anti-venin Fav-Afrique will be exhausted and no more will be produced by the company. The technology used to create the anti-venin will be used in rabies treatments, according to manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur. “Fav-Afrique is no longer being manufactured so vulnerable farmers will lose their lives or […]
Read the rest of this entry »Sep 07
Oldest fossil sea turtle discovered: fossilized turtle is at least 120 million years old
By Herp News The world’s oldest fossil sea turtle known to date has been found by scientists. The fossilized reptile is at least 120 million years old — which makes it about 25 million years older than the previously known oldest specimen. The almost completely preserved skeleton from the Cretaceous, with a length of nearly […]
Read the rest of this entry »Sep 07
Dog-Faced Water Snake: A Dog that Slithers
The Dog-Faced Water Snake Cereberus rynchops is one of a number of snakes named after a mammal, like others such as cat snake, wolf snakes, rat snake etc. but totally different in appearance and habitat. This mildly- venomous reptilian dog is that it is found on paddy fields of both marine and fresh water, so […]
Read the rest of this entry »Sep 07
Herp Photo of the Day: Nile Crocodile
From his toothy grin, even this Nile Crocodile knows today is a holiday in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user CDieter ! 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 […]
Read the rest of this entry »Sep 04
Climate change could leave Pacific Northwest amphibians high and dry
By Herp News A new model for snow-fed mountain wetlands projects that this year’s dry conditions could be common by the 2070s, affecting the Cascades frog and other mountain species. Go to Source …read more Read more here: herpetofauna.com No products found. Amazon Auto Links
Read the rest of this entry »Sep 04
Scientists discover key clues in turtle evolution
By Herp News Scientists have determined that Eunotosaurus africanus is the earliest known branch of the turtle tree of life. Go to Source …read more Read more here: herpetofauna.com No products found. Amazon Auto Links
Read the rest of this entry »Sep 04
Scientists discover key clues in turtle evolution
By Herp News Scientists have determined that Eunotosaurus africanus is the earliest known branch of the turtle tree of life. Go to Source …read more Read more here: herpetofauna.com No products found. Amazon Auto Links
Read the rest of this entry »Sep 04
Herp Photo of the Day: Rattlesnake Friday!
Kick off your weekend with this gorgeous Prairie Rattlesnake in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user akcoldbliss ! 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 […]
Read the rest of this entry »Sep 03
Endangered fishing cat thought extinct in Cambodia, caught on camera
By Herp News Asia’s Endangered fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) went missing in 2003, and was thought to be extinct in that nation. That’s why researchers were so delighted when the fishing cat showed up recently in candid shots snapped by their camera traps in two Cambodian preserves. The sightings were made in a recent camera […]
Read the rest of this entry »Sep 03
Endangered fishing cat thought extinct in Cambodia, caught on camera
By Herp News Asia’s Endangered fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) went missing in 2003, and was thought to be extinct in that nation. That’s why researchers were so delighted when the fishing cat showed up recently in candid shots snapped by their camera traps in two Cambodian preserves. The sightings were made in a recent camera […]
Read the rest of this entry »Sep 03
Climate change causing big shifts in tropical forests
By Herp News It’s well known that climate change is significantly affecting the world’s oceans as sea level rise and water acidifies. But forests are also experiencing big impacts. Shifting precipitation patterns are bringing droughts to the Amazon rainforest, and warmer winter temperatures are allowing tree-killing beetles to spread farther north in boreal regions. Now, new […]
Read the rest of this entry »Sep 03
Climate change causing big shifts in tropical forests
By Herp News It’s well known that climate change is significantly affecting the world’s oceans as sea level rise and water acidifies. But forests are also experiencing big impacts. Shifting precipitation patterns are bringing droughts to the Amazon rainforest, and warmer winter temperatures are allowing tree-killing beetles to spread farther north in boreal regions. Now, new […]
Read the rest of this entry »Sep 03
Busted: Guinean wildlife official arrested for trafficking chimpanzees
By Herp News Officials have arrested Guinea’s former wildlife director under allegations that he helped illegally export hundreds of chimpanzees and other wildlife from the West African nation since 2008. Ansoumane Doumbouya was arrested August 21, following an undercover investigation by various authorities, including INTERPOL, according to a press release from the Great Apes Survival […]
Read the rest of this entry »Sep 03
One step closer to cheaper antivenom
By Herp News Researchers involved in an international collaboration across six institutions have successfully identified the exact composition of sea snake venom, which makes the future development of synthetic antivenoms more realistic. Currently, sea snake anitvenom costs nearly USD 2,000, yet these new findings could result in a future production of synthetic antivenoms for as […]
Read the rest of this entry »Sep 03
One step closer to cheaper antivenom
By Herp News Researchers involved in an international collaboration across six institutions have successfully identified the exact composition of sea snake venom, which makes the future development of synthetic antivenoms more realistic. Currently, sea snake anitvenom costs nearly USD 2,000, yet these new findings could result in a future production of synthetic antivenoms for as […]
Read the rest of this entry »Sep 03
Herp Photo of the Day: Blue Tree Monitor
This gorgeous pair of Blue Tree Monitors can see the weekend coming in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user roadspawn ! 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 […]
Read the rest of this entry »Sep 03
Texas Banded Geckos Galore
Hatchling Texas banded gecko Coleonyx brevisWhat a difference a little rain makes. Last year (2014) when Jake and I made a 12 day jaunt to Texas’ Big Bend region in late August dryness had prevailed. We did well with herp-diversity but one normally often seen taxon, the little Texas banded gecko, Coleonyx brevis, had proven […]
Read the rest of this entry »Sep 03
King Cobra on the loose in Orlando
Yet another cobra is on the loose, this time in Orlando Florida, and this time it’s an 8 foot king cobra. The green and yellow venomous snake was reported missing by its owner Wednesday from a home on North Apopka Vineland Road used as an exotic animal rescue, TV station WFTV reports, citing Florida Fish […]
Read the rest of this entry »Sep 03
California takes step toward banning elephant ivory, rhino horn trades
By Herp News Today the California Senate approved legislation that would ban the ivory and rhinoceros horn across the state. AB 96 passed 26-13, reflecting widespread support for the measure, which aims to take a step toward reducing pressure on wild elephants and rhinos that are being poached at unprecedented levels across Africa and Asia. […]
Read the rest of this entry »Sep 02
Herp Photo of the Day: Softshell Turtle
Time to have a little fun in the sun with this Florida Softshell in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Amazoa ! 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 […]
Read the rest of this entry »Sep 02
Sochurek’s Saw-scaled viper- The Elder Saw-scaled Viper
Today I want to bring to your notice the Sochurek’s Saw-scaled viper Echis carinatus sochureki, some would say the elder son of saw-scaled viper family. This tiny creature. which is a member of the big four, and responsible for many injuries, rightfully has a bad, feared reputation in India. This sub-species has similar features to […]
Read the rest of this entry »Sep 01
Good news: Stunning ‘extinct’ toad rises again in Ecuador (photos)
By Herp News A thought-to-be-extinct toad from the highlands of Ecuador has been rediscovered by three teams of scientists. The Azuay Stubfoot-Toad (Atelopus bomolochos) hadn’t been seen since 2002 and was presumed by some researchers to be extinct in the wild due to chytrid, a deadly fungal disease that has taken an especially heavy toll […]
Read the rest of this entry »Sep 01
Rhino killing on record pace in South Africa
By Herp News The pace of rhino killing in South Africa is running well ahead of last year’s record, report authorities. On Sunday Environmental Affairs Minister Ednah Molewa said 749 rhinos have been killed by poachers so far in 2015, five percent more than this time last year. 544 rhinos have been poached in Kruger […]
Read the rest of this entry »Sep 01
Trogon and Black-tail Recollections
There was that rather cloudy long ago morning in Portal, AZ when I was hoping to photo black-tailed rattlers, Crotalus molossus. I had looked and looked but had found none. Then, as I was about to give up an elegant trogon (then known as the coppery-tailed trogon) flew right over my head and alit on […]
Read the rest of this entry »Sep 01
Frogs make irrational mating choices
It’s not just you. It’s your frog too. Give a female frog two potential mating options, an attractive frog and an unattractive frog, and she’ll pick the attractive frog nearly every time, but if you throw in a third, less attractive frog, all bets are off. In a study published Thursday in Science, researchers showed […]
Read the rest of this entry »Sep 01
Herp Photo of the Day: Dart Frog
Tiny but stunning, this Oophaga ventrimaculatus shines in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user obeligz ! 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 […]
Read the rest of this entry »Aug 31
The Cat Ba Langur: a primate walks the razor’s edge of extinction
By Herp News A Cat Ba langur group hangs out on a rain-pitted limestone outcrop. Photo by Neahga Leonard and courtesy of the Cat Ba Langur Conservation Network. Life isn’t easy on Cat Ba Island. Situated about 50 kilometers (31 miles) east of Haiphong — Vietnam’s third-biggest city — Cat Ba is a jumble of […]
Read the rest of this entry »Aug 31
Climate change lethal to baby lizards
According to scientists at Arizona State University, climate change will be very hard on many species of lizards, driving many species to, or over, the brink of extinction. Biologists led by ASU investigators determined that lizard embryos die when subjected to high temperatures(110 degrees F) even for a few minutes. “Lizards put all of their […]
Read the rest of this entry »Aug 31
Deccan Banded Gecko: My first memorable reptile.
It was my first herping adventure and one of the best memories in my herpetology career. I am a snake-researcher but I also have to accept the fact that I belong to the society of herpetologists and also need to accept whatever Mother Nature throws at me. The Deccan banded Gecko or Deccan Ground Gecko […]
Read the rest of this entry »Aug 31
Lizards can stomach island living
By Herp News Life on an island isn’t always easy. To make the most of the little there is to eat on many Greek islands, the digestive system of Balkan green lizards has evolved considerably compared to family members on the mainland. Surprisingly, many of these insect-eating lizards even have special valves that help to […]
Read the rest of this entry »Aug 31
A researcher’s mission to keep people and elephants out of harm’s way in Kenya’s Trans-Mara District
By Herp News We’ve all had experiences with that one guest that just won’t leave the party. First you try the subtle approach to get him or her to leave, and then in desperation, the more forceful approach, but s/he still won’t budge. Now imagine that this guest was content to stay on until s/he had […]
Read the rest of this entry »Aug 31
Herp Photo of the Day: Kingsnake
The West Alpine locality momma is holding tight to those new eggs in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user oursnakes ! Be sure to tell oursnakes 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 […]
Read the rest of this entry »Aug 29
Fishermen discards could increase prevalence of turtle disease in Turks and Caicos
By Herp News The team surveyed cases of green turtle fibropapillomatosis disease, which creates unsightly pink tumors on the turtles’ flesh. Although benign, they can impede turtles’ vision and movement, as well as feeding, swimming and organ function. The virus is not thought to be dangerous to humans. Over two years, around 13 percent of […]
Read the rest of this entry »Aug 29
Frogs’ irrational choices could reform understanding of animal mating
By Herp News In the attempt to choose a mate, it’s no surprise that females will select the more ‘attractive’ of two males, but now a new study reveals that female tungara frogs are susceptible to the ‘decoy’ effect, where the introduction of a third, inferior mate results in the female choosing the less attractive […]
Read the rest of this entry »Aug 29
If you build it they will come: Frogs flourish in humanmade ponds
By Herp News A new study shows that frogs have begun to use humanmade ponds to their benefit. Go to Source …read more Read more here: herpetofauna.com No products found. Amazon Auto Links
Read the rest of this entry »Aug 28
400+ dams could irrevocably harm Amazon ecology — but solutions exist
By Herp News Dams and reservoirs affect fish and other riverine fauna by creating barriers to movement, both upstream and downstream. Many fish in the Amazon migrate thousands of miles as part of their life cycle, a journey that can involve complex patterns of movement through river flows and flood plains. Migrating fish often move […]
Read the rest of this entry »Aug 28
Herp Photo of the Day: Rattlesnake Friday!
Happy Ratttlesnake Friday! THis Crotalus tigris, found and photographed in AZ, is keeping her eye on you in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user kevinjudd ! Be sure to tell kevinjudd you liked it here! Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured […]
Read the rest of this entry »Aug 28
Tortoise adopters needed in Arizona
The Arizona Game & Fish Department is planning a large adoption event Sept. 5th to help find new homes for about 60 desert tortoises. They’ve had about 300 tortoises end up at their center over the past year, so many that they don’t have names, but rather numbers to keep track of them all. To […]
Read the rest of this entry »Aug 28
Round-tailed horned lizards at last!
“There’ one!” I slammed on the brakes, pulled a 180, and sped back to–to another rock. Another 180 and we were moving westward again. The last “turn” had brought the false sightings up to Five. Five times we had thought we had sighted a round-tailed horned lizard, Phrynosoma modestum, basking on the pavement and five […]
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