Chytridiomycosis is present in frogs from Madagascar, but for some reason they haven’t developed the disease.

From QZ.com:

Madagascar has the 12th highest rate of amphibian species richness in the world, with more than 400 species, 99% of which are indigenous to the region. But this biodiversity hotspot is already under severe pressure—a quarter of its species are under threat, according to the latest Global Amphibian Assessment. It’s rightly feared that the arrival of Bd, as reported in the journal Scientific Reports, could bring about mass amphibian decline—and even extinctions—as has been seen elsewhere.

Testing of the samples of the Bd fungus found in Madagascar reveals the strain is closely related to BdGPL, the hyper-virulent lineage behind all the known outbreaks of the chytrid fungus pathogen that have decimated amphibian populations. However, what’s interesting is that the rate of infection is extremely low and there’s no clinical signs of chytridiomycosis—the frogs have the fungus, but they haven’t developed the disease.

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This Retic is keeping his eye on us in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user eschmit04!

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By Herp News

Although well known as one of the most iconic dinosaurs, Brontosaurus (the ‘thunder lizard’) has long been considered misclassified. Since 1903, the scientific community has believed that the genus Brontosaurus was in fact the Apatosaurus. Now, an exhaustive new study by palaeontologists from Portugal and the UK provides conclusive evidence that Brontosaurus is distinct from Apatosaurus and as such can now be reinstated as its own unique genus.

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Scientists confirm that ectotherms — like reptiles and amphibians — do follow “Bergmann’s rule”. The 19th-century naturalist posited that animals inhabiting colder climates have a larger body size.

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New research has shed light on the complex challenge facing scientists battling one of the world’s most devastating animal diseases. Chytrid fungus is thought to be behind the decline or extinction of at least 200 species of frogs. It is also one of the reasons why 31% of amphibian species are currently listed as threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

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For decades, attempting to ascertain whether this little Jamaican/Cuban gecko, Sphaerodactylus argus, has been extirpated from or remained extant in Florida has been problematic.

The ocellated gecko was first seen on Key West in 1944. It was probably introduced to Florida in produce or construction shipments. But from its first sighting until 2005, it was seen so infrequently that its continued presence here had been questioned by biologists. So infrequent were the sightings – in some cases the hiatus between sightings was nearly 2 decades – that in at least 2 cases it was surmised that the lizard had been extirpated from America’s herpetofauna.

But we now know it’s here, and there is a fairly robust population.

On Key West in 2005, I collected a half dozen adult ocellated geckos and several eggs that I only knew to be a Sphaerodactylusof some species. When the eggs hatched, I had 2 ashy geckos and several ocellated geckos.

Later in the year, another friend saw a dozen adults and a third person collected a large number for the pet trade. Within the last 2 years many more have been seen. It seems that for the better part of 7 decades this little lizard has been hiding in plain sight.
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Wildlife experts suspect this python became too much for its owner to handle, so he or she released it into the English countryside.

From Sky News:

“There are specific offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act and Animal Welfare Act in relation to releasing a python and we would urge anyone with any information as to where the python came from to contact us.

“It is a possibility that the python may have outgrown its home and owners can contact Pip Reptile Rescue if they require any help or advice about caring for or rehousing reptiles.

“Similarly, we would urge anyone thinking about getting rid of their pets, particularly those which may pose a risk to the public, to contact an animal charity for advice so that they can be rehomed safely and responsibly.”

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The beauty of the anaconda is the spotlight of our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Flboy21283!

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By Herp News

Colorful, spiky and only a few inches long, three new lizard species discovered in the Andes may be the cutest dragon stand-ins on Earth

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Colorful, spiky and only a few inches long, three new lizard species discovered in the Andes may be the cutest dragon stand-ins on Earth.

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The three new species were found in the cloud forests of Peru and Ecuador, an international research team reported today (April 6) in the journal ZooKeys. The team, led by Omar Torres-Carvajal of the Museo de Zoología QCAZ in Ecuador, also ferreted out the five other woodlizard species recorded in recent years.

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By Herp News

The three new species were found in the cloud forests of Peru and Ecuador, an international research team reported today (April 6) in the journal ZooKeys. The team, led by Omar Torres-Carvajal of the Museo de Zoología QCAZ in Ecuador, also ferreted out the five other woodlizard species recorded in recent years.

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The females of a reclusive endangered lizard species may be increasing their chances of finding a mate by engaging in unusual behaviour which attracts males from up to 100m away.

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In a short unreasoned response, USFWS refused an extension request of the effective date (April 9, 2015) of the Lacey Act listing of reticulated pythons, green anacondas, Beni anacondas, and DeSchauensees Anacondas.

USARK had requested an extension of the 30-day period from the date of the Lacey Act listing in the Federal Register.

USFWS specified that it was rejecting the request for breeders and other sellers to try to minimize the economic impact of the listing of these species. USFWS has broad authority to set the effective date or extend the effective date of Lacey Act listings, but argued that an extension would undermine the purpose of the listing. USFWS also argued it did not have time to complete any process necessary to grant such an extension.

In response, USARK has filed for a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order to obtain the requested extension by an order of the Federal District Court already hearing the USARK case filed to challenge the listing of the Burmese python, yellow anaconda, and Southern and Northern African rock pythons (and amended now to include the reticulated python etc.).

The hearing will be held at 2 PM on Tuesday, April 7. USFWS’opposition will be filed by noon, Monday, April 6. USARK’s reply will be filed by noon, Tuesday, April 7.

Although courts are reluctant to grant the extraordinary relief of a TRO and PI, USARK’s memorandum makes a very compelling case. The memorandum sets forth in detail why USARK meets the requirements of “likelihood of success on the merits” and “irreparable harm” that will be suffered. In addition, the memorandum explains why USFWS would suffer little or no harm if an extension of the effective date was delayed until a final decision on the merits of the USARK case.

Photo: kingsnake.com user JonMIller

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The first reported case of black-and-white tegu necrophilia occurred in Brazil.

From the National Geographic:

The scientist returned to the same spot the next afternoon. By that time, the corpse was bloated and had begun to rot and smell.

But even the stench did not discourage another male black-and-white tegu from attempting to have sex with the dead body—this time for nearly an hour.

During this time, the new male embraced the dead female and bit her head, another courtship behavior. He rested on her body from time to time, taking breaks from the exhausting sexual activity, before finally flicking his tongue on the corpse and leaving, according to the study, published in January in the journal Herpetology Notes.

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This reticulated python gets a little affection and help posing in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user DEATH!

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By Herp News

The hilarious moment this tortoise tries and fails to mate with a female at Kiev Zoo in the Ukraine. The frisky fellow falls on his back after losing balance in the act and gets no second chance.

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Eric Hopton for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online It’s the middle of the night in the steamy rainforests of Ecuador and dedicated scientists wearing head lamps are shimmying up the slippery trees. They are trying to answer a burning question which is “Do females prefer males with larger appendages?” No, these guys are not driven by self-doubt. The particular appendage that sent these …

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The terrorist attack that killed at least 147 people at Garissa University on April 2nd was another tragic milestone in Kenya’s ongoing battle with the al-Shabab terrorist group based in Somalia. In response to several other brutal attacks on civilians, Kenya’s government recently passed and proposed harsh new laws that are alarming environmental activists, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the media, opposition politicians and the public.

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By Herp News

The terrorist attack that killed at least 147 people at Garissa University on April 2nd was another tragic milestone in Kenya’s ongoing battle with the al-Shabab terrorist group based in Somalia. In response to several other brutal attacks on civilians, Kenya’s government recently passed and proposed harsh new laws that are alarming environmental activists, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the media, opposition politicians and the public.

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Turtle Wax is headed to the big screen.

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A turtle in trouble is now safe thanks to a local captain who rescued it from a crab trap Thursday morning. 

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Could this coachwhip be any happier it’s the weekend in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user jodscovry!

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A long lizard nose is an important part of their social interactions and a unique aspect of the natural history of this remarkable lizard. Scientists say the more they know about its behavior, the better the chances they have to save it.

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Fitch Ratings assigns an 'AAA' rating to the following senior unsecured notes issued by Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Corp :

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( Virginia Tech ) A long lizard nose is an important part of their social interactions and a unique aspect of the natural history of this remarkable lizard. Scientists say the more they know about its behavior, the better the chances they have to save it.

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The Maritime Reptile Zoo in Burnside is closing due to financial woes, according to a post on the group's Facebook page. The zoo says its animals are alive and heading to other facilities in Nova Scotia and Ontario. In its post, the Maritime Reptile Zoo tried to quash a rumour that the Nova Scotia government shut them down and seized its animals.

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Not willing to let construction disturb the snakes they visit, several elementary school students organized to save them.

From the Delta Optimist:

The garter snakes had to be rescued as construction crews were scheduled to begin work on a section of the Boundary Bay dike. The students – Ben, Maya, Nic, Jude, Noah, Myles, Jasmine, Kaelyn and Lauren, who are in kindergarten through Grade 5 – were shocked when they heard about the impending construction.

All frequently visit the area to search out the snakes.

“We’ve all been going to the snakes since we were babies,” said Kaelyn.

During the spring and summer, the snakes are active in the area and the kids often visit the beach, for class and after school, to play with them.

“The snakes, to me, are sort of like family,” said Maya.

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Introduced to the Lower Keys from Cuba, when adult this tiny lizard is rather nondescript ashy gray in color. The color is actually a complex pattern of ash – sometimes in reticulations, sometimes as fine dots–over a ground color of olive-brown.

But when even tinier, as a 1 1/4 inch long hatchling, it is one of the most beautiful lizards in the United States.

Hatchlings have an olive green body that is often suffused with pale orange, a gray-green head, and a fire orange tail. The limbs are pale orange. Head and body bear precise bands of dark pigment. Dark blotches are present on the top anterior 1/3rd of the tail. Pretty? You betcha! The intensity of color and pattern fades with the lizard’s growth.

This is a common gecko on the Lower Keys but is most common on Key West and Stock Island. Hiding by day beneath debris or behind bark on both living and dead trees, it emerges at night and may then be seen on the walls of buildings, trunks of trees, or atop debris.
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Beauty abounds with this black milk snake in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user gerryg!

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Reptile wranglers have collected a shot glass full of venom when they milked Australia's biggest venomous snake on Thursday.

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Marine biologists were the first to continuously eavesdrop on marine mammals using a technique called passive acoustic monitoring (PAM). By simply listening to these animals’ sounds, researchers could collect valuable information about animal population density and distribution, population health, and responses to human disturbance. Given the challenges of studying animal communities as they migrate across the sweep of the world’s oceans, acoustic surveys gained popularity as a tool for gathering data from otherwise inaccessible study sites.

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By Herp News

Marine biologists were the first to continuously eavesdrop on marine mammals using a technique called passive acoustic monitoring (PAM). By simply listening to these animals’ sounds, researchers could collect valuable information about animal population density and distribution, population health, and responses to human disturbance. Given the challenges of studying animal communities as they migrate across the sweep of the world’s oceans, acoustic surveys gained popularity as a tool for gathering data from otherwise inaccessible study sites.

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By Herp News

Tortoise Energy Independence Fund, Inc. today announced that as of March 31, 2015, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $379.4 million and its unaudi

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Tortoise Power and Energy Infrastructure Fund, Inc. today announced that as of March 31, 2015, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $251.1 million an

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Tortoise MLP Fund, Inc. today announced that as of Mar. 31, 2015, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $2.1 billion and its unaudited net asset value

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Tortoise Pipeline & Energy Fund, Inc. today announced that as of March 31, 2015, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $415.9 million and its unau

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Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Corp. today announced that as of March 31, 2015, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $4.0 billion and its unaudited n

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KOTA KINABALU: A marine turtle anti-poaching task force was formed during an enforcement dialogue on marine turtle poaching and smuggling in Malaysia organised by the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) and WWF-Malaysia on March 24.

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US hospitality giant Delaware North will rebuild Lizard Island for a second time following the devastation of Cyclone Nathan.

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