The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is offering workshops to help people identify and report Burmese pythons, but not everyone agrees that the pythons are a problem.

From WUFT News:

“This horse has been beat so many times,” said Eugene Bessette, commercial snake breeder and owner of Ophiological Services, a snake farm on Archer Road.

Even though Burmese pythons are not indigenous to South Florida, Bessette said he feels they are ultimately not an ecological problem.

“Ignorance is the biggest problem,” Bessette said. “People form opinions before they get the facts.”

Bessette lost a substantial part of his business when new regulations put in place in 2012 banned the importation and interstate transportation of Burmese pythons and three other constrictor snakes.

Read more here. …read more
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This big mama blood python is holding tight to her eggs in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user AJ01!

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By Herp News

Five tons of frozen pangolin, 77 kilograms (169 pounds) of pangolin scales, and 96 live pangolins: that’s the grisly haul of the latest pangolin bust in Indonesia. Officials confiscated the illegal wildlife goods in Medan, Sumatra and busted the smuggler, who has only been identified as SHB. This is the largest pangolin bust in Indonesia since 2008.

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By Herp News

As it has become more difficult to buy illegal ivory from slaughtered elephants on places like eBay, Etsy, and Amazon.com, traders and buyers in the U.S. have turned to another venue: Craigslist. A new report by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) finds that the ivory trade is thriving on Craigslist.

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There’s no question that the pattern and colors of this snake are an effective – a very effective – camouflage.

In more than 20 years of tromping through the Peruvian rainforest, we have seen only two speckled forest pitvipers, Bothriopsis taeniatus, and so well did they blend with the background foliage that we almost missed seeing both of them.

Actually, I consider that low number very surprising. The only snake that we search assiduously for and have found fewer of is the emerald tree boa. Of that taxon we have found only one, and unlike the pitviper that one example was not on our normally utilized preserves.

This pitviper may have a ground color of tan or gray to forest or olive green. The pattern is complex and variable, consisting of flecks, blotches, and bands of darker browns, grays, and greens to a green much brighter than the ground color. This pitviper is a slender snake. Adults are often three to three and a half feet in length, but some may attain a length of a few inches over five feet. This snake may spend as much time on the ground as in the trees.

It is a live-bearing snake that reportedly has a small number of young. The neonates are more precisely marked than the adults.
Continue reading “Forest pitvipers: Well camouflaged or very rare?” …read more
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There’s no question that the pattern and colors of this snake are an effective – a very effective – camouflage.

In more than 20 years of tromping through the Peruvian rainforest, we have seen only two speckled forest pitvipers, Bothriopsis taeniatus, and so well did they blend with the background foliage that we almost missed seeing both of them.

Actually, I consider that low number very surprising. The only snake that we search assiduously for and have found fewer of is the emerald tree boa. Of that taxon we have found only one, and unlike the pitviper that one example was not on our normally utilized preserves.

This pitviper may have a ground color of tan or gray to forest or olive green. The pattern is complex and variable, consisting of flecks, blotches, and bands of darker browns, grays, and greens to a green much brighter than the ground color. This pitviper is a slender snake. Adults are often three to three and a half feet in length, but some may attain a length of a few inches over five feet. This snake may spend as much time on the ground as in the trees.

It is a live-bearing snake that reportedly has a small number of young. The neonates are more precisely marked than the adults.
Continue reading “Well camouflaged or very rare?” …read more
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After finding a turtle barely alive, two little girls insisted their parents take the turtle to a “turtle doctor,” and a local aquarium offered help.

From BizNews.com:

The aquarium was overseeing the rehabilitation of baby Loggerhead turtles found washed up along the Cape Coast predominantly in Struisbaai.

The family drove the turtle to the aquarium, where staff were on hand to meet them.

“Rosie was put into the rehabilitation tank along with the 178 other Loggerhead turtles currently in their care and by Sunday morning Two Oceans Aquarium staff confirmed that Rosie was doing well and appearing to be strong and healthy much to the delight of the Campbells,” Lambinon said.

He said of all the 179 Loggerheads found along the Cape coast to date, Rosie was the found the furthest south.

Read more here. …read more
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Check out this gorgeous Moluccan python, Morelia clastolepis, in all its shimmering beauty in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user krantz!

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Guys, I have an Indian Tent Turtle. He just refuses to use his basking platform! When the sunlight hits the turtle tank, he just goes and hides in the shade. Should I be worried? …read more
Read more here: Turtle Times

The kukri snake, Oligodon arnesis, isn’t very familar to snake lovers from the African and American continents. If you’re among them, you probably wonder where he got his name.

These snakes are called “kukri” because their teeth/fangs look like a Nepali weapon called the kukri.

Despite their weaponized name, these snakes are non-venomous. They are found in many Asian countries including China, Thailand, and Malaysia.

India is home to 12-13 species of kukri snakes amongst which the banded kukri is the most common — and probably why it’s also called the common kukri snake.

The body of the banded kukri is round with a short tail, and the body color is ash-or reddish-brown with black or brown bands. The underside is white and usually three black ‘V’ shapes are present on the head.

These beautiful snakes are found in ant hills, crevices in rocks, tree hollows, old houses, or heaps of stones. It’s a shy-natured snake and generally they don’t bite, but there’s no guarantee as I have been a victim of their painful bite. They feed on reptile eggs, geckos, skinks, and mice. These snakes constrict their prey with 2-3 coils before swallowing it. Size varies from 40-70cms in adults. They are oviparous by nature, laying 5-7 eggs in crevices.

It’s always a joyful experience during the rescue of these snakes as they are usually quiet and I love them, even though I still carry some fear because of that one bad experience.

Photo: Riyaz Khoja …read more
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Inspired by poison dart frogs, an engineering professor developed a new way to construct airplane wings that keeps them from becoming icy.

From CNET:

Rykaczewski, an assistant professor of engineering at Arizona State University, was inspired by the bad-ass dart frog to devise a new type of artificial anti-ice “skin” for airplane wings. His research, which was conducted with several colleagues, was included in the latest issue of Advanced Materials Interfaces, published this week.

In the same way that dart frogs hold their venom beneath their outer skin and release it when they’re in trouble, Rykaczewski’s skin has two layers. The bottom layer contains an antifreeze liquid, and the outer layer is made from a superhydrophobic material, which means it is crazy good at repelling water. The outer layer also has a series of pores in it through which the antifreeze can be released.

Read more here. …read more
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This Chondro seems to be saying “Give me 5 more minutes” in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user AJ01!

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India has 17 species of pit viper, mostly found on trees. The hump-nosed pit viper (Hypnale hypnale) is an exception.

Hump-nosed pit vipers are found in Goa and some parts of Karnataka, India. Like other pit vipers these snakes have hemotoxic venom, but mildly so. These snakes are not fatal to humans as they are very rarely found on rescues and they mostly spend their entire lives in forests.

Hump-nosed pit vipers are nocturnal by nature but sometimes are seen coiled on rocks near streams, low bushes, or under fallen leaves on the ground during day. The head of this snake is pointed and triangular with a tip curved upwards, giving it its lance-headed apperance.

The body color is grey or brown with dark brown bands and yellowish or reddish tail tip. What I like best about the young hump-nosed pit vipers is the way they wriggle their tails to attract lizards, skinks, and geckos.

The maximum size of hump-nosed pit vipers is 55 cm. These beautiful snakes are viviparous by nature and give birth to 4-10 young ones.

It was really an unforgettable experience encountering this beauty in the jungles of Goa while herping at 2 AM. I was so amazed to see this snake that I didn’t leave the place for 1-2 hours. I just sat on a rock and observed the snake until it disappeared in the dried leaves.

Photos: Riyaz Khoja
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Let’s follow the lead of this Saltie in our herp photo of the day and let it all hang out for the weekend, uploaded by kingsnake.com user croc2005!

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Everywhere and nowhere best describe where you may find this tropical American lance-headed snake. Certainly the fer-de-lance, Bothrops atrox, is one of the commonly seen venomous taxa on the Project Amazonas Biological Stations and in nearby villages, as well on trails far distant from all activity. Many seen are neonates or juveniles but some are 4 foot long adults.

Depending on weather patterns, this snake may be seen in some numbers on one day and night and then be absent, or at least not seen, for several days.

Such was the case on one rainy trip. Small puddles along busy trails on Madre Selva Biological Preserve had drawn sizable populations of breeding frogs and the presence of the frogs had, in turn, drawn the fer-de-lances. Day or night for two days following the storm, we could check the perimeters of the puddles and find 3 or 4 of these snakes, often with body distended by a belly full of frog. However, by the third night we found that they had mostly dispersed and by the following day we saw none.

Then there was the time when a fer-de-lance wasn’t present when we left the tambo (2-person cabin) to walk to the kitchen, but one was coiled tightly between the stepping stones when we returned a half hour later.

On another occasion, we hadn’t seen a fer-de-lanc in the week we had been at the station. But one evening one person (who later told me he hadn’t believed all of my warnings), was distracted in conversation with his son and almost stepped on one that was crawling slowly across the camp clearing.

We were sure glad it was “almost.”

As I say, these brown on olive-brown snakes are everywhere, and nowhere. If you’re in Amazonas use care – always. Plan ahead when out at night. Carry a flashlight and use it.
Continue reading “The incredible disappearing fer-de-lance” …read more
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Scientists recently discovered the first vertebrate that can change its skin texture.

From National Geographic:

On a nighttime walk in 2009, scientist Katherine Krynak spotted a well-camouflaged, marble-size amphibian that was covered in spines. But when she brought it inside, suspecting it was a new species, Krynak found a rather smooth and slimy critter.

“I was so mad at myself! I thought I had brought back the wrong frog,” said Krynak, who was surveying amphibian species in the Reserva Las Gralarias.

She hadn’t. When she tucked a small piece of moss in the frog’s container to make it more comfortable before releasing it back into the forest, the spines slowly reappeared.

“It was shocking. Vertebrates don’t do that,” she said. Inspired by its spiky physique, she dubbed it the “punk rocker” frog.

Read more here. …read more
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Often called the rubber eel, this Rio Cauca caecilian (Typhlonectes natans) looks quite content in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user chrish!

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Could Australian cane toads be shipped to China for medicinal uses?

From the Daily Mail:

Their venom could be effective in fighting cancer, researchers have discovered, and the potency of Australian cane toad’s venom is stronger than those in China.

This means that potentially millions of toads could be shipped to China, so they could have their venom extracted and turned into medicine, to be sold on the multi-billion dollar traditional medicine market.

Harendra Parekh, from the University of Queensland’s pharmacy department where the research took place, said this discovery could lead to a ‘potentially a very lucrative export market’.

Read more here. …read more
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Could Australian cane toads be shipped to China for medicinal uses?

From the Daily Mail:

Their venom could be effective in fighting cancer, researchers have discovered, and the potency of Australian cane toad’s venom is stronger than those in China.

This means that potentially millions of toads could be shipped to China, so they could have their venom extracted and turned into medicine, to be sold on the multi-billion dollar traditional medicine market.

Harendra Parekh, from the University of Queensland’s pharmacy department where the research took place, said this discovery could lead to a ‘potentially a very lucrative export market’.

Read more here. …read more
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Anyone involved in herpetoculture has seen one of these, or perhaps hundreds of these at reptiles shows stored in rows and rows of deli cups.

They are one of the most popular pet snakes in the world, coming in a variety of color morphs, so many that it’s almost impossible to keep up with all of them. As I write this, there is probably a new morph about to hit the market! However, this particular animal looks its best in its natural form.

I’m talking about a North American species we are all familiar with, the corn snake. The corn snake, Pantherophis guttatus, in its natural form can be somewhat variable in coloration depending on locality, but they all have a subtle beauty. Certain localities, most notably animals from southern South Carolina and South Georgia, can be absolutely stunning and rival any captive morph.

A corn snake’s ground color can range from brown through yellow or orange with large orange or red blotches, which produces an incredibly beautiful snake. In the wild, corn snakes spend much of their time on the ground but they are also excellent climbers, which is useful when raiding bird nests to feed on eggs or baby birds. They also feed on a variety of small mammals including rats, mice, shrews, voles, and even bats!

Hatchling corn snakes usually start out preying on much smaller prey, preferring small lizards and tree frogs. They are particularly found of green anoles and any Hylid tree frog.

Corn snakes are largely nocturnal during hot summer months but can also be seen during cool morning hours and late in the evening. Chances are, if you’re in the right habitat, you’re liable to see a corn snake at any time day or night!

For instance, I found my first wild corn snake stretched across a road at 4:30 a.m. on a warm December morning. It was a beautiful animal clad in yellow, orange, and red. As I approached, the corn snake immediately went into defense mode and began striking wildly. Wild corn snakes will bite and will stand their ground if cornered. They also have a foul smelling musk.

I nicknamed that animal “Thompson” after a store near where he was found. We took a few photographs and sent him on his way. Since then, I’ve found corn snakes from many other regions of the southeast, but I’ll never forget “Thompson”! …read more
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From a tiny range in Texas, the reticulated collared lizard (Crotaphytus reticulatus) seems to be plotting a world-wide reptile take over in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user reptoman!

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By Herp News

Although a large, attractive bird found across Latin America, scientists know almost nothing about the rufous-vented ground cuckoo (Neomorphus geoffroyi). Renzo Piana, the director of science and research with the Amazon Conservation Association, described the bird as “rare,” “cryptic,” “mainly solitary,” and “mostly silent”—much of which explains why so little is known about it.

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Do you live in Michigan? You can help the Department of Natural Resources inventory the state’s herps.

From the Detroit Free Press:

The state Department of Natural Resources is inviting people who see turtles, frogs, toads, snakes, salamanders and lizards to report the sightings.

Project coordinator Lori Sargent says information is needed on all species, no matter how common or rare.

The Herp Atlas Project is intended to document the distribution of Michigan reptiles and amphibians, collectively known as herpetofauna or “herps.”

Read more here. …read more
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Although eastern glass lizards, Ophisaurus ventralis, live in our yard, finding them on demand is a definite problem. I have never been able to do so yet! When it comes right down to it, whether I’m looking for them in my yard or elsewhere, I seldom succeed – at least on the first try.

There are 4 species of glass lizard (family Anguidae) in the United States. Three of the four, the mimic, the island, and the eastern, are restricted to the Southeastern United States. The fourth, the slender glass lizard, has two subspecies. The eastern subspecies is found from Kentucky and Virginia to Louisiana and Florida. The western subspecies ranges from a disjunct population in Wisconsin to Nebraska (barely) and southward to south Texas and west Louisiana.

Glass lizards are accomplished burrowers. In addition to making their own burrows when substrate is of the proper consistency, they may enter and follow a burrow pre-made by a small rodent or large insect. They also often seek seclusion beneath surface debris.

I have been fortunate enough to have found four eastern glass lizards in our yard, three beneath sheets of tin or plywood and one found about 12 inches below the ground surface while I planted a tree. The island and the mimic glass lizards seem a bit less urbanized and are most often encountered in open sandy woodlands or meadows.

Despite being seldom seen, of the four American taxa in this genus of oviparous lizards, only the mimic glass lizard is considered uncommon.
Continue reading “The hard-to-find glass lizard” …read more
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“Me? I’m just hangin’ out doing snake things in a tree,” is what this wild black rat snake seems to be saying in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user peaceodarock!

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By Herp News

While conducting a bird survey in the Ebo Forest Reserve of Cameroon, Scottish ornithologist Robin Whytock noted two uncommon forest raptors in a camp regularly used by commercial bushmeat hunters. The birds, a crowned eagle (Stephanoaetus coronatus) and a Cassin’s hawk-eagle (Aquila Africana) were notable sightings not only because they are infrequently spotted. Both raptors were dead, and their stripped carcasses lay discarded on the ground.

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By Herp News

Pets can pass diseases to humans, especially when a pet owner’s immune system is compromised. Here, veterinarians outline ways for families to avoid disease transmission by choosing the right type of pet–or making small changes in the ways they enjoy the pets they already have.

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“Pit viper” a very familiar name to all snake lovers across the world. India is home to 17 species of pit viper; I’m sure this is the largest snake family in the country. One can find pit vipers in all parts of India.

The bamboo pit viper, Trimeresurus gramineus, is the most commonly found pit viper in India. Studies say tree pit vipers are hemotoxic by nature, but their venom is mild compared to the vipers on the land. I guess this might be the reason for excluding pit vipers from the “Indian big four” venomous snakes. There is no proper evidence of any deaths caused by pit viper bite in India, and even I have not come across a case during my research.

The bamboo pit viper is moss-green, yellowish-green, or bright green, with a faint or distinct brown or black pattern on its back. This pattern is darker in juveniles. The head is triangular, flat, and broad, and the eyes have vertical pupils.

Pit-like sensory organs are present between each eye and nostril. Lip scales are yellowish, and the underside is pearl white or yellowish.

Pit vipers are found in hilly forests. They are slow moving, and it vibrates its tail when disturbed and may strike with mouth wide open.

Bamboo pit vipers feed on small mammals, mice, young birds, frogs, and lizards. The maximum length is 3.5 to 4ft. They are viviparous by nature and give birth to 5-15 young ones. A captive female in Maharashtra had given birth to 21 young ones.

As I have mentioned a couple of times in my articles, it’s very difficult to find tree snakes in my area as it’s a concrete jungle, so I never rescued a bamboo pit viper. But because they are somewhat easily found on herpings, I have come across these snakes many times, and these are one of my favourites — as I’ve said before, “I love the shade of green.”

I would thank my friend Riyaz Khoja for allowing me to share these beautiful photographs.
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Bradley Lawrence of the Dallas Zoo recently gave an interview to KERA news about the zoo’s antivenom supply.

From KERA News:

Interview Highlights: Bradley Lawrence

… on the Dallas Zoo’s stockpile of antivenom: “The reptile department goes back quite a while especially in the ’80s. We were pretty groundbreaking in research and learning how to take of all these exotic reptiles from around the world. Dallas was definitely groundbreaking at the time and we’ve continued it since then.”

Listen to the whole interview here. …read more
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This Leucocephalon yuwonoi looks as displeased as we are that it’s Monday in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user andystorts!

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By Herp News

A hundred thousand African elephants were killed by poachers for their ivory between 2010 and 2012. Now a new threat looms: a growing wildlife trade in baby animals to satisfy international tourism. Zimbabwe has reportedly taken 80 elephant calves from their mothers and families in the wild, and is currently holding them in two heavily guarded facilities in Hwange National Park and near Victoria Falls. The baby animals await transport overseas for sale to unidentified buyers, possibly in China or other countries, says the international elephant rights organization, Global Action Ending Wild Capture (GAEWC).

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By Herp News

It seems unnatural that a species could survive without having sex. Yet over the ages, evolution has endowed females of certain species of amphibians, reptiles and fish with the ability to clone themselves, and perpetuate offspring without males. Researchers have found that in species where females have evolved the ability to reproduce without males relatively recently, fertilization is still ensuring the survival of the maximum number of healthy offspring and thus males are still needed.

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The Günther’s racer, Coluber gracilis , (non-venomous), is one of the species of racer snakes found in India.

It is named after the great German-born British zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist Albert Günther.

Racer snakes are known for their speed and quickness; the Günther’s racer is also known for his beautiful appearance, with large eyes having round pupils, and grayish-brown body with narrow, black-edged yellow bands.

These bands are darker toward the head and lighter toward the tail. The head can be distinctively identified with a black-edged yellow inverted ‘V’ mark. The underside is white.

An average size of Günther’s racer that I’ve been familiar with was 30-50cms long. This beautiful, fast snake lives under dried leaves or stones and feeds on geckos and skinks. It is viviparous by nature and lays 4-7 eggs during May and June.

I’ve only had the opportunity to rescue these beautiful snakes three times. When I got the call about Günther’s racer, it was from someone I knew telling me a tiny snake entered her office. She even sent me its picture online, but before I had a look at the picture I was planning to transfer the call to another rescuer because the place was around 20 miles away. However, the picture was very helpful for me to recognize it was a Günther’s racer.

I decided to rescue this tiny creature myself, as it is very rare to find one. It was a very delightful rescue, as it was an average sized Günther’s racer which helped me a lot in my research as well.

Photo: Riyav Khoja
…read more
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Time to crack a cold one and celebrate the weekend. This A. c. contortrix is already a step ahead of us in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user AlexNevgloski! p.s. Always pick up the trash you see in the field.

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By Herp News

Frogs may flee from a ground predator and move towards an aerial predator, undercutting the flight path.

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By Herp News

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical used in food storage products and resins that line plastic beverage containers. Often, aquatic environments become reservoirs for BPA, and turtle habitats are affected. Now, a collaboration of researchers has determined that BPA can alter a turtle’s sexual differentiation. Scientists are concerned findings could indicate harmful effects on environmental and human health.

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As a herping youngster in New England, I eventually found several eastern milk snakes. On my first trip to the New Jersey Pine Barrens with my mentor, Gordy Johnston, I had seen several Coastal Plains milk snakes Asa Pittman’s, an at erstwhile dealer. But a drawing I saw of the southeastern scarlet kingsnake, (then Lampropeltis doliata doliata, now Lampropeltis elapsoides, but for a very long time between these two names it was known as Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides) ran continually through my young mind.

I finally met a scarlet kingsnake, again with Gordy, but this time in southeastern South Carolina at a place called Okeetee. Our encounter with the scarlet kingsnake might have been on our very first trip to Okeetee. If not then, it was on our second.

At the partially shaded edge of an otherwise sunny field, a long dead pine had toppled. Probably before its impact the bark had loosened in large sheets, and after impact had loosened even more. Bark had broken free in patches and fallen to the ground beneath the trunk. Other patches had merely loosened and were still lying atop or wrapped around the trunk.

Beneath one of these patches, I found the most beautiful snake I had until then seen – a 12 inch long scarlet king!

Since then I have seen dozens more but only this one, and the largest (a 25 inch monster found years later in central Florida), remain so firmly etched in memory.
Continue reading “You never forget your first scarlet kingsnake” …read more
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UK herp lovers are encouraged to create wildlife ponds to shelter newts.

From Express & Echo:

The Smooth Newt is the species most commonly encountered in garden ponds and we can all do our bit to help them, as Dr Wilkinson explains.

“Everyone can help by having a small, or large garden pond populated by native aquatic plants and kept free of fish which will eat young newts,” he said.

Amorous amphibians are a key part of UK springtime, so this year why not forgo the frogs and instead nurture a newt by digging a wildlife pond.

Read more here. …read more
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Speckles are always better than freckles. Just ask this Crotalus mitchellii in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user simus!

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Speckles are always better than freckles. Just ask this Crotalus mitchellii in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user simus!

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