By Herp News
The chances of long-term survival for the Pacific gecko have been boosted with the release of 54 of the threatened native reptiles on pest-free Motuihe Island / Te Motu-a-Ihenga in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana.
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By Herp News
Two reptile dealers were sentenced to prison for trafficking animals out of the state. Prosecutors say, between 2006 and 2008, the men collected protected snakes from the wild in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
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By Herp News
It all went to hell when Jane Goodall started handing out bananas. Within a few years, the previously peaceful chimpanzees she was studying split into two warring tribes. Gangs of males from the larger faction systematically slaughtered their former tribemates. All over the bananas. Or so the argument goes.
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By Herp News
The PSN went offline Sunday night, with hacking group Lizard Squad taking responsibility for the attack.
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By Herp News
Sony has once again seen its online services taken down by outsiders
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By Herp News
The average animal cell is 10 microns across but why? Bioengineers take their story of gravity in cells one step further, describing how cells manage to support thousands of membrane-less compartments inside the nucleus.
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The snot otter, or eastern hellbender salamander, may get special protection in New York.
From Tech Times:
To achieve their goal, the environmentalists filed a petition with the Department of Environmental Conservation, citing several reasons why the eastern hellbender should be provided protection allocated for other endangered species.
“Hellbenders face numerous threats in New York, including sedimentation, low water quality, lack of habitat, and disease. Significant declines in hellbender populations in both the Allegheny and Susquehanna watersheds suggest that this species, without protection, could become extirpated in the near future in the Susquehanna drainage, and may also disappear from the Allegheny drainage,” summarized the petition.
Endemic to New York, the eastern hellbender was given the “special concern species” status by the state’s conservation officials back in 1983.
Read more here. …read more
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It’s our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user pythonas!
Leaf-tail Gecko, uploaded by kingsnake.com user pythonas” />
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In the end, for the balance of the turtle and tortoise ponds I concluded a simple pond, made out of concrete, would be the best option for now.
Unlike the first pond, this one would not have a concrete frame, and in essence would be just a dished out area of dirt, covered in an inch of concrete, with a sump and a drain. They would be round and roughly the same size as the 3-foot kiddie pools, but not nearly as deep.
With a gentle slope on all sides and the middle being the deepest spot at between 6-10 inches, these ponds provide enough water to completely immerse but are easy to get into and out of. Generally speaking, they resemble super-sized bird baths.
These ponds, roughly 3-4 gallons each, took very little time to excavate, with the augering of the sump area taking up most of that. Each pond used between 1 and 1-1/2 60-lb bags of quik-crete, providing a base that was 1-2 inches thick.
I formed a small lip around the edge of the pond to allow rainwater to flow around the pond instead of into it. I did not use any reinforcing wire or mesh with the concrete, and I am certain that someone standing on them would likely crack them. But they were designed for turtle foot traffic rather than human, and if I decide on a better “ultimate pond” later, they can be readily broken up and removed.
These have worked well so far, but winter arrived more quickly than anticipated, so I was unable to do much analysis before the turtles started burrowing for the winter. With spring only a few months away, it won’t be long before they are put to the test. …read more
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By Herp News
Hacker group Lizard Squad may be at it again. After temporarily disrupting Xbox Live Friday night, the group claimed responsibility for disrupting the PlayStation Network Sunday night. PSN Login #offline #LizardSquad
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By Herp News
Turtle was released in Gran Canaria last week after recovering in Galway
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By Herp News
Turtle Rock Studios answer fan questions about balancing, eSports, and more.
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By Herp News
The venomous white cobra captured in Thousand Oaks in September is soon to emerge from quarantine at the San Diego Zoo and go on exhibit.
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By Herp News
The clever turtle confuses the tiger shark with its dizzying manoeuvres, evading the predator's jaws in fascinating footage shot off the Cocos Islands, near Costa Rica.
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Another turtle and tortiose pond idea I tried out was to use the large concrete mixing tubs available at home improvement stores. Suggested by long time kingsnake.com contributor Bonnie Keller, this option was one she had used one with the edges cut down at an angle to provide a slope down to a deep end.
At $14 a tub, I wanted to try one straight up because modifying 96 of them would be tough. And I was already looking beyond plastic ponds as likely the ultimate solution.
A rectangular tub that holds just over 20 gallons, it was smaller than the kiddie pools, but still so deep that it required more excavation time than I wanted to expend. I again excavated with a shovel and water hose to seat the tub properly, and again used the auger to great a sump area for drainage, and added a drain plug to the tub.
Though the ends of the tub had a gentler slope than the kiddie pools sides, it was still too steep for the turtles to get a footing to exit the tub. Again I added rocks to provide them entry and exit, but the Eastern Box Turtles had the same problems getting in and out. They would flop about, frustrated, fighting to get out until they found purchase on the rock pile.
Again this proved to be a “workable” solution that on a small scale could be usable once the issues were overcome, but scaling it to 96 pens would be problematic. This pond too, while still in use today, will be replaced by what turned out to be the eventual best solution.
Watch for part 4! …read more
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By Herp News
The clever turtle confuses the tiger shark with its dizzying manoeuvres, evading the predator's jaws in fascinating footage shot off the Cocos Islands, near Costa Rica.
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Road cruising for herps on a cold, rainy December night might sound like insanity, but it can be the best time of year for spotting the unusual.
When heavy rains descend on the southeast during the autumn and winter months, it’s the perfect time to find many species of Ambystomatid salamanders, particularly Ambystoma tigrinum the eastern tiger salamander.
My first eastern tiger salamander was found in Northeast Alabama, in an area where historically hundreds could be seen during their winter migration. After dark we cruised back and forth slowly on one stretch of road in the pouring rain.
Finally, after many passes and more than an hour, we found a single individual, an adult female walking across the wet pavement like a baby alligator. We also found two other individuals later that night, an adult male and another female.
Seeing these animals in the wild, doing what they’ve done for ages, left a lasting impression on me. Now, looking for them and trying to find new populations has become a yearly tradition. …read more
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Check out this video “Why Leopard Geckos Make Great Pets,” submitted by kingsnake.com user Minuet.
Submit your own reptile & amphibian videos at http://www.kingsnake.com/video/ and you could see them featured here or check out all the videos submitted by other users! …read more
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It’s our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user paul_k!
Leaf-tail Gecko, uploaded by kingsnake.com user paul_k” />
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By Herp News
THE first tagged female flatback turtle to be released at Eimeo Beach has been sent on her way.
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By Herp News
THE first tagged female flatback turtle to be released at Eimeo Beach has been sent on her way.
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By Herp News
A large reptile has been removed from a Galveston home after a nearby animal control officer noticed a “Beware of alligator” sign.
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By Herp News
GALVESTON — A large reptile has been removed from a Galveston home after a nearby animal control officer noticed a “Beware of alligator” sign.
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One lucky animal narrowly escaped being a meal for a hungry crocodile.
From the Express:
The tiny turtle was thrown into the air by the predator, but managed to slip from its mouth and back into the water thanks to the wet surface of its shell.
Later, the lucky terrapin was spotted chilling out on a nearby rock after its near miss.
South African safari guide Mario Moreno, 49, snapped the exhilarating incident when visiting Lake Panic in Kruger National Park.
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Which amphibian is so slender and attenuate that it looks like a hefty nightcrawler, has two tiny eyes, four legs that are so short and slender that they are easily overlooked, and only one toe on each foot?
If you guessed that it is an amphiuma, you were right on target.
It is the third and least known of the amphiuma species, a foot long nocturnal caudatan, the one-toed amphiuma, Amphiuma pholeter, that lives out its life in deep beds of soupy mud of slurry-like consistency. Although it was described in 1964, it has been only for the last two decades that this taxon has become known to many.
Many of its habitats are on posted private land or in state parks that require permits carry on a search. Found in Florida’s Big Bend counties, the Florida panhandle, extreme southwestern Georgia, southern Alabama, and southeastern Mississippi, the one-toed amphiuma is a Gulf Coast specialty and one that I am always happy to see.
Continue reading “The third amphiuma” …read more
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By Herp News
A large reptile has been removed from a Galveston home after a nearby animal control officer noticed a “Beware of alligator” sign.
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It’s our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user draybar!
Blackbelly Salamander, uploaded by kingsnake.com user draybar” />
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By Herp News
Evolve, the four versus one shooter from Left 4 Dead creators Turtle Rock, is a bigger game than you think. It's not just a game of hunting down a giant monster (or hunting as a giant monster), it's also a game of rescue, MOBA-like base defense and egg-smashing strategy, the developer has revealed. Turtle Rock's shooter is also a game with a story that's told dynamically, featuring a cast of a …
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By Herp News
OMAK — The Reptile Man is bringing his educational program to town today. The event will recognize youth and substance abuse prevention, and that family perceptions play a role in youth use of substances, Omak Middle School Principal Kathleen Miller said.
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By Herp News
Charles Darwin noted more than 150 years ago that animals on the Galapagos Islands, including finches and marine iguanas, were more docile than mainland creatures. He attributed this tameness to the fact that there are fewer predators on remote islands.
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By Herp News
The Anjouan scops owl—an elusive owl found only on its tiny eponymous island—was once considered among the world’s most endangered owls, and even the most threatened birds. However, the first in-depth survey of the owls on the island finds that, in fact, the population is far larger than initially estimated.
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By Herp News
Lizard Squad hackers have warned Xbox Live customers that the brief service disruption they experienced Monday was only a preview of more widespread outages they plan to carry out on Christmas.
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By Herp News
Baby sea turtles vanish after they scamper into the ocean. Years later, juvenile turtles may pop up thousands of kilometers away, but often scientists don’t see them again until they return to their birthplaces to nest on the beach. Now, using tiny tracking tags weighing no more than two watermelon seeds, a team has followed newborn loggerhead turtles during their first critical hours at sea, revealing how they evade predators and hitch rides on the ocean’s currents.
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The obvious solution for my turtle and tortoise pond dilemma was simple: hard plastic kiddie pools. They’ve been used uncountable times for this and similar situations, and for most people, they’re the preferred option.
While they have some immediately obvious, and a few less obvious, problems, I still ended up trying this pond idea in a pen just to see how difficult the issues were to overcome.
Even though it was beyond “pool” weather for the year, I was able to track down some 3-foot round “dog washing pools” at Petco for $10 that were the right size and shape, even if they had a giant bone imprinted on the bottom. I probably seemed a little odd buying 12 of them, but they were almost out for the year and I wanted to be prepared if this was the best choice for all the ponds. If not, they would still be useful as temporary turtle and tortoise pens.
The first, and most obvious issue, is that kiddie pools have steep plastic sides made of hard plastic that would be difficult if not impossible for a box turtle to climb out of on its own. One suggested fix was to use rocks piled up in the pool to provide entrances and exits, and in the end this is what I did.
While finding enough of the right sized rocks for one pond was easy, it took no time at all to determine that I would be buying a truck full of rocks if I had to do this in 96 ponds. And while replacing the rocks with concrete was a solution, again I saw myself having to buy a truckload of concrete, as well as 96 kiddie pools at $10 each, and 96 drain plugs.
The second major issue was that it took four times as long to excavate all the dirt required to seat the pond in the ground, as it was substantially deeper and larger than the first pond. I did this with a shovel and a water hose. Again I used the auger to create a 3-4 gallon sump in the excavation, but as the pool holds 20 gallons of water or more, it takes a while to drain out.
Once in place the Gulf Coast Box Turtles used it, but the steep sides made it difficult for them to enter and exit. Often they had to splash around, frustrated, until they gained footing on the rocks. While I am still testing the kiddie pool as turtle pond, it is likely to get replaced over the winter. While this is a “workable” solution for one or two ponds, it doesn’t scale well to my needs.
In part 3, I’ll try another solution! …read more
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Western pond turtles have great friends at Sonoma State.
From the Record Searchlight:
Every year as a part of what’s called a “Head Start Program,” a team of researchers from Sonoma State collect turtle eggs from a pond, hatch the babies and send them to Turtle Bay, the San Francisco Zoo and the Oakland Zoo. Crews care for the babies until they’re big enough to avoid becoming another animal’s lunch.
“It gives them a bit of a push out there, a little more of an advantage because there’s so many invasive species of turtles that are pushing them out because they’re so much bigger than them,” Turtle Bay animal trainer Adrienne John said.
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It’s our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user chrish!
Blackbelly Salamander, uploaded by kingsnake.com user chrish” />
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By Herp News
SAN MATEO, Calif., Dec. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – Marketo Inc. (MKTO), the leading provider of engagement marketing software and solutions, today announced that Turtle Bay Resort has selected Marketo's engagement marketing platform to more deeply understand the customer lifecycle and deliver personalized communications to build and nurture lifelong relationships. Prior to implementing Marketo …
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It was several decades ago, when most of Florida’s caves were open to human intrusion, that I first met Florida’s little blind salamander.
A friend took me to cave (that I then thought huge) in Calhoun County. It was by far the biggest cave I had ever been in, and soon after entering I was not at all sure that I really wanted to be there. But I had been told that it was a prime locale for the little Georgia blind salamander, Haideotriton wallacei, a ghostly pale neotenic species that I badly wanted to see.
After I entered I stood contemplating the all surround darkness and probably would have continued standing had not one of my companions (they were all spelunkers familiar with the cave) called from far ahead “Dick, there’s one here. In fact, there’s two. I’m going to turn my light out so I don’t spook them.”
I chose an area that looked like it would be easy to walk along and moved as quickly as possible towards the disembodied voice. Fortunately there were no forks or hidden chambers and soon I could see Ed standing quietly awaiting my arrival.
And I got to see the little plethodontid.
Today, although these salamanders have now been found in many additional underground sites, the closures of many locales to human intrusion has made it more difficult for field herpers and hobbyists to see them.
I’m glad that I had several opportunities.
Continue reading “Florida’s Blind Salamander” …read more
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An alligator recently killed in Mississippi had Civil War era musket balls in his hide.
From the World News Daily Report:
A group of Mississippi hunters who shot and killed an alligator weighting 910 pounds (413 kilograms) on Sunday, were amazed when they discovered that the animal already bore injuries caused by musket ammunitions from the Civil War era. A total of 9 spherical projectiles was found, and the various tests and analysis realized on them have confirmed that they were indeed fired at the animal in the 19th Century.
Nine of the wounds on the animal are believed to have been caused by Enfield Pattern 1853 rifle-muskets. These old injuries were concentrated around the animals tail and hind legs, suggesting that the reptile could have possibly been used as a target for shooting practise by Confederate troops.
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It’s our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user dickvisser!
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