By Herp News
With flatback hatchlings continuing to dig clear of the nests lining Cemetery Beach to begin their lives at sea, turtle monitors are hailing the latest nesting season a success.
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It’s our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user marksherps!
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By Herp News
A pet bearded dragon lizard has died after her owner drove the reptile more than 1,700 miles to a Florida Keys veterinarian for a surgical procedure to remove a massive cancerous tumor. Sandra Mitchell of Portland, Maine, made the trip with 8-year-old “Beardie” because she said airlines refused to let her carry the reptile in the same aircraft she would have flown in and air freight was not …
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By Herp News
Teo was returned to Puxton Park Farm, only to be pinched along with the farm's second tortoise, Taylor, hours later
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By Herp News
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — The founder of the Kentucky Reptile Zoo was hospitalized after being bitten by a rattlesnake while extracting venom from the reptile. The Lexington Herald-Leader ( http://bit.ly/1BKqtUu ) reports that Jim Harrison, director of the Powell County facility, was bitten Friday when the snake broke a restraining tube and bit his left wrist. Zoo curator Kristen Wiley says the …
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By Herp News
After two and a half decades, a major Drumheller tourist attraction may be forced to close it doors.
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By Herp News
This notice provides stockholders of Tortoise Power and Energy Infrastructure Fund, Inc. with information regarding the distribution paid on Jan. 30, 2015 and cumulativ
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By Herp News
In the visual displays of certain types of lizards, the order of movements is important for passing meaning along. The post In Lizard Visual Displays, Order Matters appeared first on WIRED .
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India’s wall-climbing extreme athlete is also its cutest snake: The wolf snake, Lycodon aulicus.
These snakes are quite aggressive and quick to bite, but they are non-venomous and their bite is just a prick — which I know because I’ve been bitten many times. In fact, most of my friends think the wolf snake is “cute” when he bites!
The common wolf snake is brown with white stripes on the back and beautiful irregular stripes on the sides. Some common wolf snakes are also black in colour and have yellow stripes instead of black, and their length varies from 50-80 cms. Many rescuers would agree with me that these snakes are quite restless, almost like a toddler running around,curious to find new and interesting things. In fact, their childlike nature is, to me, their most endearing quality!
I recently rescued a common wolf snake from one of my collegue’s property. When I received the distress call, I guessed that the snake might be on the ground and it might be a rat snake or a cobra.
Upon reaching his property, I was told the snake was on the second floor and that it had recently eaten a gecko. I was sure it was a wolf snake. I reached the second floor and I peeked over the wall and saw the wolf snake coiled in a corner. I caged the snake and left it near a river bank in about 15 minutes.
It was a learning experience on the whole as unlike my previous experiences the snake didn’t attack much as it had ingested a good sized wall lizard.These non-venomous climbers are good predators and survivors, and to me, they are always beautiful and “cute” as well. …read more
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By Herp News
A children's book inspired by the turtle breeding season will be launched in Broome next week.
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Check out this video “Rabbit VS Snake!” submitted by kingsnake.com user Minuet.
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It’s our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user macraei!
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By Herp News
Tracking lions, photographing bats, collecting insects, bringing elephants home: it’s all part of a day’s work in Gorongosa National Park. This vast wilderness in Mozambique was ravaged by civil war. However, a unique and ambitious 20-year-effort spearheaded by Greg Carr through the Gorongosa Restoration Project is working to restore this rich and little-studied African wilderness.
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The calls of the various anurans were almost deafening as we maneuvered the motor canoe in and out of the beds of floating water lettuce and hyacinths. Pings, squeaks, grunts, groans, beeps, and clicks of various pitches and intensities intermingle and require stopping and listening intently to sort out. Most of the callers were hylids (treefrog family) but occasionally a few leptodactylids (tropical frogs) would also call.
Three of the frog species we were searching for were prominent in this chorus. They were the the 3 taxa of hatchet-faces, treefrogs of the genus Sphaenorhynchus. Although a rather silly analogy, I have come over the years to think of the 3 as the “3 bears” with Baby Bear being the 1″ long S. carneus, Mama Bear being the slender 1 1/2″ long S. dorisae, and Papa Bear being the robust 1 3/4″ long S. lacteus.
Despite being hylids, these 3 frogs are predominantly aquatic and large numbers of each may be found amidst the islands of aquatic vegetation (especially water lettuce) throughout the year. Besides the size difference, these 3 also differ in call and in appearance. The tiny S. carneus produces a series of rapidly repeated clicks and has reddish dorsolateral stripes. S. dorisae has a rounded snout and lacks striping and produces a series of pinging notes. And S. lacteus has a sharply pointed nose, white canthal (snout) stripes, and its call is a single cluck.
Renewing our acquaintance with these 3 taxa and their fellow songsters is always one of the most enjoyable aspects of our Amazonian tours. And of course there always the chance of seeing a black caiman as well.
This is herping at its neotropical best.
Continue reading “Hatchet-faced treefrogs are just right” …read more
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An 8th grader in Idaho is pushing her representatives to declare the Idaho giant salamander the state amphibian.
From the Spokesman-Review:
The young woman has been pushing the bill for five years now, and last year, it passed the Senate on a 33-2 vote. But it never got a committee hearing in the House. “In all fairness to her, we were really at the end of the session last year, and we had an awful lot to do,” Loertscher said. “It doesn’t mean that I’m going to vote for it, but in fairness to her, I thought it should be heard.” He said he’s expecting to set a hearing on the bill for early next week.
“I think that the Idaho giant salamander is the best candidate to represent our state,” Ilah told the State Affairs Committee this morning. “It has ‘Idaho’ in its name. The pattern on its skin looks like a topographical map of the Bitterroot Mountains. And it makes its home almost exclusively in Idaho.” She called the salamander an “intriguing animal” and said its designation as a state symbol could help engage students, like her, in learning about Idaho.
Read more here. …read more
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By Herp News
The ill-fated national airline could not have been more unfortunate over the past one year. Following the two shocking air crashes, MAS' website was intruded by hackers merely three days ago.
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By Herp News
Lizard Squad may have claimed to have taken down Facebook and its photo sharing property Instagram, but a source with knowledge of the matter tells Forbes it was almost certainly an internal error.
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By Herp News
The world’s migrating monarch butterfly population has bounced back slightly from its record low last year, but the new numbers are still the second smallest on record. According to WWF-Mexico and the Mexican government, butterflies covered 2.79 acres (1.13 hectares) in nine colonies this year in the Mexican forests where the insects overwinter.
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With a recent discovery of a new species, the total of different types of tree frog living in Vietnam is up to 73.
From Vietnam Net:
The new species is named Kurixalus motokawai to honor Dr. Masaharu Motokawa from Kyoto University. He is a researcher of mammals and has made many contributions to the study and conservation of biodiversity in Vietnam.
This is the second species of Kurixalus tree frog discovered in the Central Highlands in 2014, bringing the total number of species of tree frog in Vietnam to 73, accounting for 20% of all species of tree frogs of the world.
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It’s our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user gerryg!
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By Herp News
Yesterday, the seven men accused of brutally murdering Jairo Mora Sandoval on a beach in Costa Rica two years ago were acquitted of the crime. Sandoval’s murder shocked the Central American country—long known for the progressive protection of its lush rainforests and sweeping beaches—but the judge who acquitted the accused cited reasonable doubt and a investigation marred by mistakes.
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By Herp News
Fossilized remains of four ancient snakes have been dated between 140 and 167 million years old — nearly 70 million years older than the previous record of ancient snake fossils — and are changing the way we think about the origins of snakes.
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By Herp News
A loggerhead turtle that washed up on a County Donegal beach and was receiving treatment for hypothermia at an aquarium in Portaferry, County Down, has died.
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In 2014, West Virginia enacted a Dangerous Wild Animal (DWA) law that resulted in the proposal of a regulation/rule that would create an absurdly long list of DWAs. For example, the proposed DWA list initially included all turtles and salamanders (except native W. Virg. species).
Months of hard work by reptile, amphibian, and other exotic owners in the state and across the U.S. has resulted in an opportunity to overturn West Virginia’s DWA Act. On the third day of the 2015 legislation session, four senators submitted SB 247 to repeal the DWA Act. One of these senators had voted in favor of the DWA law in 2014. In a single sentence, SB 247 will remove every single word of the DWA Act as if it never existed. That will be a turning point for state legislation.
USARK and its associated chapter in W. Virg. have been coordinating efforts to fight against the state’s DWA law and proposed rule for approximately 10 months.
The opportunity to create a clear turning point in anti-reptile legislation is within reach. With their hundreds of millions of dollars, anti-pet groups like HSUS and PETA will certainly continue to campaign against your ownership of pet reptiles and amphibians. It is what they do. It is an integral part of their business model.
The repeal of the DWA law in W. Virg. would set a precedent that would be very influential in our continued battles against our extremist animal rights adversaries. This is an opportunity for the reptile nation to make a big statement. The question is whether the reptile and amphibian owners in W. Virg. and across the U.S. will capitalize on this opportunity by actively engaging in the legislative process.
How to help
If you are a W. Virg. resident, you should sign up to help repeal the DWA Act by sending your contact information to wvusarc@gmail.com. USARK will be posting action alerts for everyone to help with repealing the Act, as well as responding to proposed legislation and regulations across the country.
The first step for W. Virg. residents is to identify your senatorial district and your two senators. Please immediately call your senators and email them asking them to cosponsor SB 247. It would be helpful to add a note about how this law has upset your life.
Also, please ask at least two of your exotic animal friends in W. Virg. to do the same thing, and for them to ask two more people (and so on), so we create a pyramid and each of the state’s 34 senators is contacted multiple times by a constituent to sponsor SB 247. …read more
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Over a decade ago, a boy found one of the most complete reptile fossils of the Carboniferous era on his farm on Prince Edward Island.
From CTV News:
“This specimen is really rare,” said Modesto, who was the principal investigator of the project. “It’s the only specimen we know of from this particular part of the Carboniferous and it’s the only reptile from that slice of time.”
The research will be published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B on Wednesday.
Modesto said the fossil was discovered by a boy and his family on their farmland in Prince County, P.E.I., more than 14 years ago. It was taken to the Royal Ontario Museum in 2004 and about four years ago, Modesto and his team started their research.
The fossil, erpetonyx arsenaultorum, was named after the Arsenault family who made the discovery.
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Where there once was a seasonally flowing stream there is now a reservoir several acres in size. In this newly formed water body there are spectacled caiman, giant arapaima, neotropical water snakes, and a vast number of giant monkey frog tadpoles.
And somewhere on the far side of the reservoir, well away from the station’s buildings, perhaps in the shallows of the reservoir itself or maybe in a remote puddle, pond, or water-filled hollow log, there are probably barred monkey frog tadpoles, Phyllomedusa tomopterna.
At least there should be, for we have found several adults of this beautiful medium-sized hylid vocalizing from perches in reservoir-side shrubs and trees on the far banks.
Phyllomedusa tomopterna attains a length of about 2 inches. At adulthood, males are the slightly smaller sex. Although variable, the dorsum is often a forest green. The throat and chest are white(ish) and the belly is orange. The sides are a richer orange than the belly and bear broad vertical bars of purple-black. Each heel bears an easily noticeable calcar (heel spur). The soft clucking notes of the males do not have much carrying power.
These frogs are always eagerly sought on our tours and the search for them invariably introduces us to numerous other rainforest denizens. In fact, as you read this Patti and I will again be looking for this hylid in the rainforest of Amazonian Peru.
Wish us luck.
Continue reading “Fun as a barrel of barred monkey frogs” …read more
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It’s our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user MOC_Reptiles!
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By Herp News
A loggerhead turtle that washed up on a County Donegal beach is being treated for hypothermia at Exploris Aquarium in Portaferry, County Down.
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By Herp News
Myanmar is home to at least 1,114 bird species after researchers identified 20 previously undocumented species during recent surveys.
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By Herp News
The official website of Malaysia Airlines was hacked Monday by a group claiming to be from the “Lizard Squad,” which has previously taken credit for past denial-of-service attacks, including the takedown of the Xbox Live and Sony Playstation Network last month.
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By Herp News
UPDATE: Malaysia Airlines has had its website targeted by a group called “Lizard Squad”, which made references to the Islamic State.
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By Herp News
The Malaysia Airlines website was commandeered Monday by hackers who referenced the Islamic State jihadists and claimed to be from the “Lizard Squad”, a group known for previous denial-of-service attacks. The website's front page was replaced with an image of a tuxedo-wearing lizard, and read “Hacked by LIZARD SQUAD — OFFICIAL CYBER CALIPHATE”. The Lizard Squad is a group of hackers that has …
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By Herp News
Message “404 — plane not found” was temporarily plastered on website.
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One of the advantages of living on a farm in rural Southeast Alabama is we often find snakes right here at the house.
One such snake is the gray rat snake, currently known by taxonomists as Pantherophis obsoletus spiloides and “oak snake” or “chicken snake” by locals.
We typically see rat snakes in the rafters of our barns, in our well pump house, or, more often than not, inside our chicken coupe coiled somewhere off the ground waiting for one of the hens to lay a fresh clutch of eggs. They’re also a species regularly seen crossing roads late on a hot summer evening, and are one the most common large snakes found in our region.
Gray rat snakes range over much of Alabama, South Georgia, and North Florida, and one color phase from Northern Florida dubbed the “white oak” gray rat snake by herpers can be extraordinarily light in coloration and is quite beautiful.
Gray rat snakes are constrictors, and are also excellent climbers. They feed on a wide variety of small mammals, birds, and their eggs, and will often take refuge high above the ground in tree hollows. We sometimes see a gray rat snake sticking its head out of an old bird house in an oak tree at the back of the property, where it will usually flick its tongue out a few times in response to our presence and then draw its head inside.
We enjoy finding and seeing them here, and although we may lose an occasional chicken egg or two, we don’t mind because the service they provide by ridding us of countless rodents makes up for it! …read more
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By Herp News
Thyroid hormone receptor alpha plays an important role in hind limb development in frogs, scientists have found. With new gene mutation technology, researchers were able to successfully mutate the gene in the tadpole models, discovering the value of tadpoles as ideal models for studying the role of hormones in development because of the timely metamorphosis from tadpole to juvenile frog, and because that transition is completely dependent on hormones.
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One man got more than he bargained after he discovered a live snake in his grocery bag.
From the Chronicle Live:
Dean thinks the snake may have been curled up in a pair of thick socks which he had also bought on Saturday’s shopping trip.
He added: “I think it’s maybe been keeping warm in them before coming out once I arrived back.”
Wayne Mailer, who runs Dragons Den Exotic Pets in Newcastle, said: “Looking at the picture, this appears to be an Amery Corn Snake.
“I think it’s probably only a hatchling maybe only a few weeks old . At the minute it doesn’t appear to be in the best of health, probably due to the cold weather.
“More than likely, it is an escapee pet.”
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By Herp News
The Malaysia Airlines website has been attacked and the Lizard Squad, one of the groups that claimed responsibility on Monday, threatened to soon “dump some loot” found on the airline’s servers. The airline said in a statement on its Facebook page that its Domain Name System (DNS) was compromised and as a result users trying to access the URL www.malaysiaairlines.com were being redirected to a …
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By Herp News
It also carried the headline “404 – Plane Not Found”, an apparent reference to the airlines' puzzling loss of flight MH370 last year with 239 people aboard.
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