By Herp News
MANILA – Three siblings died after allegedly eating turtle meat in Barangay Liang, Irosin, Sorsogon, police said Monday.
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3 siblings die after eating turtle meat
Giant lizard causes Arundel pile-up
By Herp News
A MAN’S day out with his pet lizard ended dangerously yesterday when the large reptile escaped from its box causing traffic chaos.
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No single explanation for biodiversity in Madagascar
By Herp News
No single ‘one-size-fits-all’ model can explain how biodiversity hotspots come to be, finds a study of more than 700 species of reptiles and amphibians in Madagascar. By analyzing the distribution of Madagascar’s lizards, snakes, frogs and tortoises, researchers find that each group responded differently to environmental fluctuations on the island over time. The results are important because they suggest that climate change and deforestation in Madagascar will have varying effects on different species.
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Herp community shows its generosity and compassion at NARBC
Usually, the NARBC show at Tinley Park is a fun time. Herpers connect and catch up, and we share our love for our hobby and animals.
This year, while there are still good times, the shadow of the loss of Rico Walder to brain cancer, has dimmed some of the good times — but not the spirit of our community.
At the event’s famed auction, $1,600 was raised to help Rico’s family pay the bills that mounted during his long battle with the disease that ultimately claimed his life.
Another $1,200 will go to the Texas Rattlesnake Festival, a competing event to the barbaric “Rattlesnake Roundup” held in Sweetwater each year. The Festival is educational and run by herpers, and is intended to make people aware of the important role rattlers play in the natural ecology.
The rest of the auction’s proceeds will go to fund the work of USARK.
Thanks to all who gave to generously from all of us at kingsnake.com!
Photo: Green tree python auctioned off for Rico’s family, taken by Cindy Steinle …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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VMNH Reptile Day
By Herp News
More than 1,300 people turned out to the Virginia Museum of Natural History (VMNH) for Saturday’s Reptile Day Festival, and attendees agreed that it was fun on an epic scale.
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Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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Fairbanks reptile rally connects animals with homes
By Herp News
FAIRBANKS — The reptile rally formed like a flash mob in the back of a Fairbanks pet store Saturday afternoon.
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Fitch Rates Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Pfd at 'AA'; Affirms Existing Ratings
By Herp News
Fitch Ratings assigns 'AA' ratings to the following mandatory redeemable preferred shares issued by Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Corp :
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Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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Herp Video of the Week: Northern Copperhead!
Check out this video “Northern Copperhead,” submitted by kingsnake.com user PH FasDog.
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
Read more here: King Snake
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Google, zoo to leverage ‘TV white space’ to monitor wildlife
By Herp News
Imagine watching a tiger stalk a sambar deer or catching a ghost-like glimpse of the rarely-seen saola—all from your desktop and in real time. Well, this may soon be possible under a new partnership with Google and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), which will test TV white space to monitor zoo animals as a trial run for real-time filming life in the wild.
…read more
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Snakes and snake-like robots show how sidewinders conquer sandy slopes
By Herp News
The amazing ability of sidewinder snakes to quickly climb sandy slopes was once something biologists only vaguely understood and roboticists only dreamed of replicating. By studying the snakes in a unique bed of inclined sand and using a snake-like robot to test ideas spawned by observing the real animals, both biologists and roboticists have now gained long-sought insights.
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Turtle Beach XO ONE Gaming Headset Now Available in Stores
By Herp News
SAN DIEGO, Oct. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – Turtle Beach, the leading audio brand in the video games industry, today announced that the XO ONE gaming headset designed for the Xbox One console is now available in stores and at online retailers. The XO ONE, which has an MSRP of $79.95, includes a new proprietary Xbox One audio controller that features mic monitoring and other chat features that …
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Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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'Copycat' Bearded Dragons Mimic Their Peers
By Herp News
Other bearded dragons then watched a video of the lizard opening the door, and scientists monitored whether the other animals imitated the behavior. All eight bearded dragons that watched the 11-second video of the demonstrator lizard followed suit. They opened the door in exactly the same manner as the bearded dragon in the video did, the researchers said. “The ability to learn through …
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Dragon's-eye view
Zoo keepers in San Diego are training a Komodo dragon with the help of a camera attached to his back.
From the Daily Mail:
The 9ft (2.7 metre) creature has been taught to walk towards a series of yellow targets, getting a treat if he manages to complete the task successfully.
Despite its terrifying reputation, this Komodo dragon often responds to its keepers call by waddling towards the targets.
As Komodo dragons spend most of their time resting in the sun, the training provides much-needed exercise for Sunny throughout the day.
And once he masters the trick, keepers can ask Sunny to move into a different area of the exhibit.
The training is also helpful if medical attention is needed, as Sunny could voluntarily move without the need for sedation.
Footage from the GoPro camera is currently being used to review the sessions and give an insight into how Sunny sees his training.
Read more… …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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Lizards in the Caribbean: How geography influences animal evolution
By Herp News
Researchers have enlisted a Caribbean lizard to help them find out on how geography can influence the evolution of animal species.
…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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Conservancy transfers loggerhead turtle into larger tank
By Herp News
Wednesday was an emotional day at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida as they transferred a loggerhead turtle into a larger tank –remembering the advocate she was named after.
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Good news on sea turtle nests
By Herp News
As of last month, 2,459 sea turtle nests were spotted within a 35-mile-long stretch of local shorelines from Longboat Key to Venice.
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INTERPOL launches African environmental crime unit
By Herp News
To help fight illegal poaching and trafficking, INTERPOL, the world’s largest international police organization, has launched an environmental crimes unit in Africa.
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The only solution for polar bears: ‘stop the rise in CO2 and other greenhouse gases’
By Herp News
Steven Amstrup, Chief Scientist for Polar Bears International, has worked diligently on polar bears for over 30 years. He radio-collared some of the first bears and discovered that annual activity areas for 75 tracked females averaged at a stunning 149,000 square kilometers. His recent work highlighted the cost of global warming to these incredible animals and the sea ice they so closely depend on.
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Snake found in only two states may finally get protected status
After being eligible for 15 years, a snake found in only a few counties in two states may be protected as a “threatened” species.
From AL.com:
According to the federal agency, the black pinesnake is found only in Mobile, Washington and Clarke counties in Alabama, and 11 Mississippi counties, including Jackson and George. It has not been seen in Louisiana in more than 30 years.
If deemed threatened under the Endangered Species Act, the government would impose certain restrictions on activities like the use of herbicides, controlled burns and some timber activities in the affected habitat areas.
“The black pinesnake is an important part of the longleaf pine ecosystem in southern Alabama and Mississippi,” Fish & Wildlife Southeast Regional Director Cindy Dohner said in a prepared statement. “Conservation efforts for the black pinesnake align closely with efforts already ongoing in this ecosystem for other wildlife like the gopher tortoise, eastern indigo snake, dusky gopher frog and the red-cockaded woodpecker.”
Read more… …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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Frankie Tortoise Tails – Sockless
Frankie ate my sock. Um-hum, it is a bit funny. Right now. Frankie eating my socks. Again.
Muddy yard work. It’s fall and yard work increases exponentially. Some mathematician is gonna get me for that comparison. It feels like it’s increased exponentially.
I finely broke down and bought two pallets of centipede sod. Ended up I got the wrong kind as Greg was recommending St. Augustine but I had spend a week talking to someone about Phelsuma cepediana (commonly called the Blue Tail Day Gecko). When I called for the sod I said I wanted “two pallets of cepediana…I mean ceppy, seppy,…what do you guys call it?” Hence I ended up with two pallets of centipede. It should be okay.
Right or wrong, the ultimate test belongs to Frankie. If Frankie eats the grass then the grass is okay. If Frankie doesn’t eat the cepediana……I mean centipede then my next door neighbor gets a free lawn make-over.
The centipede grass was a hit. As Greg and I install it in the back yard Frankie went to work grazing on it.
Don’t worry, we bought this from an organic farm. The sod is grown on soil that grew organic peanuts last year. To help keep the soil healthy, they rotate crops and this year they grew cepediana….I mean centipede grass.
I found about the sod was grown on a previously-peanut-field until the soil was delivered. All the peanut hulls and roots are on the bottom of the sod. I wasn’t worried about Frankie. I was worried about was Greg who is sensitive to peanuts. I warned Greg about it. Greg wasn’t worried about it since he wasn’t the one grazing on the soil.
So we laid the sod. Frankie taste tested each roll. We finely have a Frankie approved yard now almost fully grassed. Sod went down on 1/3 of the yard, 1/3 of the yard is the old grass and I’ve surrender the other 1/3 and call it Frankie’s slide, mud pit and worm farm. It works.
The hard work began after the sod was laid. Greg’s arms had swollen red welts that took days to return to normal (I warned him). We both would soak all the sod daily for up to two weeks regardless of how hot it is outside. In hot weather it’s like standing in your own steam bath while watering.
The greatest burden went to the grazer. Frankie had the difficult choice between the old St Augustine, Pensacola Bahia Grass, clover, weed, hay or the new cepediana…I mean centipede grass. It’s a burden Frankie doesn’t take lightly.
I can see it as he walks around the yard. It’s a bite of Bahia: light, crisp but a bit thin. A taste of St Augustine: short but stout but chewy. The small bitter clover is yummy. The plentiful new cepe..centipede grass is delicious with a slight peanut overtone. A return bite on the favorite Orchard Hay: …read more
Read more here: Turtle Times
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Lizards in the caribbean: How geography influences animal evolution
By Herp News
Researchers have enlisted a Caribbean lizard to help them find out on how geography can influence the evolution of animal species.
…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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An impossible balancing act? Forests benefit from isolation, but at cost to local communities
By Herp News
The indigenous people of the Amazon live in areas that house many of the Amazon’s diverse species. The Rupununi region of Guyana is one such area, with approximately 20,000 Makushi and Wapishana people living in isolation. According to a recent study published in Environmental Modelling & Software, a simulation model revealed a link between growing indigenous populations and gradual local resource depletion.
…read more
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Neknominate man ate live lizard
By Herp News
A man who swallowed a frog and a lizard for the Neknominate online drinking game, is ordered to carry out community service.
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Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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Virginia Museum of Natural History to host 'Reptile Day'
By Herp News
This Saturday, you can slither you way into a whole new environment at the Virginia Museum of Natural History.
…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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Petco Celebrates Halloween with a Reptile Rally
By Herp News
SAN DIEGO, Oct. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – Just in time for the Halloween season, Petco is educating families on a number of creepy crawly pets with another Reptile Rally event at all stores nationwide. This free, family-friendly event takes place at all Petco stores on October 11, 2014, from 1-3 p.m. During the event, current and prospective pet parents can learn more about unique cold-blooded …
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Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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Rare frogs fly back to Caribbean home
Years after their parents were airlifted out of the Caribbean, endangered mountain chicken frogs were released in their natural habitat.
From the Guardian:
A total of 51 Leptodactylus fallax, known as mountain chicken frogs because they reportedly taste like chicken and make a clucking-like noise, were released on the Jersey-sized island of Montserrat, a British Overseas Territory.
In 2009, conservationists rescued a population of the critically endangered frogs from the island to avoid them being wiped out by a chytrid fungus which has devastated amphibian numbers worldwide. The mountain chicken frog population has also dwindled due to people eating them – the species is the national dish in nearby Dominica.
Following a breeding programme with the rescued frogs by London Zoo and Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, which produced 76 frogs from just two females, 51 frogs in July were put in custom-built shipping containers, flown to Antigua and then by a smaller plane to Montserrat. On arrival at their remote forest home on the volcanically active island, they were kept in tents for several days to avoid being stressed by their new environment, before being released into the wild.
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Use of mammals still prevalent in Brazil’s Conservation Units
By Herp News
For as long as humans and animals have co-existed, people have utilized them as resources. Animals, and their parts, have been used for a variety of purposes, ranging from basic food to more esoteric practices such as in magical ceremonies or religion. A new study has found that the undocumented use of animals, particularly mammals, continues to occur in Brazil’s protected areas known as Conservation Units.
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Photos: Czech Republic publicly burns confiscated rhino horns
By Herp News
Late last month, armed guards escorted officials marching 60 kilograms (132 pounds) of rhino horns to a pyre for burning. The event, at the Dvůr Králové Zoo in the Czech Republic, was the first public burning of rhino horns in Europe. The Czech Republic burned the horns, which came from a government stockpile as well as from past rhinos held at the zoo, in a bid to help conserve rhinos.
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Early man worshipped pythons
Really like pythons? You’re not alone. Pythons were at the center of mankind’s earliest rituals.
From Science Daily:
The python is one of the San’s most important animals. According to their creation myth, mankind descended from the python and the ancient, arid streambeds around the hills are said to have been created by the python as it circled the hills in its ceaseless search for water.
Sheila Coulson’s find shows that people from the area had a specific ritual location associated with the python. The ritual was held in a little cave on the northern side of the Tsodilo Hills. The cave itself is so secluded and access to it is so difficult that it was not even discovered by archaeologists until the 1990s.
When Coulson entered the cave this summer with her three master’s students, it struck them that the mysterious rock resembled the head of a huge python. On the six meter long by two meter tall rock, they found three-to-four hundred indentations that could only have been man-made.
Read more… …read more
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Tortoise folklore as metaphor of national leadership
By Herp News
Regrettably, the virtue of selflessness which largely characterised public service at the dawn of Nigerian’s Independence in 1960, has since been replaced by the ignoble culture of greed and every man for himself. This sad transformation is aptly captured in an earlier article, published in November 2012, with the above title; this month as we… [Read More…]
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Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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Lizard's fate in middle of Texas oil boom
By Herp News
A petition seeking to protect a little-known lizard that makes its home in large portions of an area leading the way in the new Texas oil boom remains in limbo.
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Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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Lizard's fate in middle of Texas oil boom
By Herp News
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A petition to list as a federally protected species a little-known lizard that makes its home in large portions of an area leading the way in the new Texas oil boom remains in limbo. The San Antonio Express-News reports (http://bit.ly/1vEhf8o ) an environmental group has asked U.S. Fish and Wildlife to list the spot-tailed earless lizard as an endangered or threatened species.
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Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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In wake of drought and fires, turtle habitat becomes death trap
By Herp News
Biologists strode along the cracked, dry mud surrounding this evaporating north Los Angeles County lake last week, pausing periodically to pick up an emaciated turtle and wash alkaline dust off its head and carapace.
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Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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In wake of drought and fires, turtle habitat becomes death trap
By Herp News
Biologists strode along the cracked, dry mud surrounding this evaporating north Los Angeles County lake last week, pausing periodically to pick up an emaciated turtle and wash alkaline dust off its head and carapace.
…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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Judge dismisses lawsuit over rare lizard in W. Texas
By Herp News
A federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acted properly in 2012 when the agency declined to protect a rare tiny lizard in the West Texas oil patch as an endangered species.
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Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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Herp Video of the Week: Weekend Herping!
Check out this video “Weekend Herping,” submitted by kingsnake.com user smetlogik.
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
Read more here: King Snake
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Reptile Man prepares for big show
By Herp News
Reptile show continues to grow and widen its appeal.
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Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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What makes the jaguar the ultimate survivor? New books highlights mega-predator’s remarkable past and precarious future
By Herp News
For thousands of years the jaguar was a God, then it was vermin to be destroyed, and today it is the inspiration for arguably the most ambitious conservation effort on the planet. A new book by renowned big cat conservationist, Alan Rabinowitz, tells this remarkable story from the jaguar’s evolutionary origins in Asia to its re-emergence today as a cultural and ecological symbol.
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Climate change brings unusual turtle to Golden Gate
Fishermen outside Golden Gate caught and released the first green sea turtle seen in the area.
From the SF Gate:
Green sea turtles normally live in the Pacific’s warmer latitudes. Their numbers are dwindling because of development along the beaches they use to nest, and because they sometimes become snared in industrial fishing nets and drown.
Climate change has also affected the ancient reptiles. Because temperature determines their gender when they hatch, females vastly outnumber males these days. And the warmer ocean currents tend to take the turtles places they’re not accustomed to going, such as San Francisco Bay.
Read more… …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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Pollution linked to lethal sea turtle tumors
By Herp News
Polluted urban and farm runoff in Hawaii has been linked to lethal tumors in endangered sea turtles. A new study finds that excess nitrogen in the runoff accumulates in algae that the turtles eat and can cause the disease Fibropapillomatosis which is the leading known cause of death in endangered green sea turtles. The disease causes the formation of tumors on the animals’ eyes, flippers, and internal organs.
…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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