By Herp News
SAN DIEGO, April 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Turtle Beach, the leading audio brand in the games industry, today announced a new addition to its lineup of gaming headsets for the PS4 ™ . The Ear Force® P12 …
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Will the ‘family fun’ that is the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Round-Up in Sweetwater, Texas, ever be stopped?
From CNN:
The Jaycees, short for the U.S. Junior Chamber, bills itself as a group that gives young people “the tools they need to build the bridges of success.” The Sweetwater branch has been holding what it calls “The World’s Largest Rattlesnake Round-Up” for 56 years on the first weekend in March, and the tool for success that it teaches young people is that it’s fun to kill and torture animals.
For weeks or even months, rattlesnakes are stored in crowded barrels until it’s roundup time. The snakes that have not suffocated under their kin arrive hungry, dehydrated, and sick from gasoline that was sprayed into their burrows to flush them out.
After a tour of the roundup, Michael Smith wrote an article for “Cross Timbers Herpetologist” in which he recalls noticing “…an unusual smell … like bad cologne and also like something gone bad.” Throughout the tour the smell keeps coming back to him, he writes, until he realizes what it is: “…the musk, feces, and blood of a thousand terrified snakes, half-covered with sprays of deodorant from Jaycees working the pits.”
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By Herp News
Turtle Beach's i30 Bluetooth headset is not the coolest-looking device on the market, but it has some nice features that may help the company extend its appeal beyond gamers
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By Herp News
Something that caught a Baton Rouge, Louisiana resident’s eye led to the rescue of an enormous alligator snapping turtle.
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Everywhere it’s greening-up. Temperatures are warm so grass is on an all out burst of spring growth that says, finely, it’s spring. Thank the shelled god. I don’t know if I can take it anymore.
Oh, it’s green all up and down our street but not yet in Frankie’s yard. Everyday, every single day, I have to take Frankie on “grazing walks” through our neighborhood so he can graze on fresh green spring grass.
Every single day Frankie reminds me there is no grass in his yard. Several times. Loudly. Frankinator style.
If it’s cold I get in the car and drive to places where grass and weeds and clover grow abundantly. There I am, little old lady, hunched over, picking grass next to busy city streets. I try very hard not to wave my derriere too high at passing cars but I just know everyone is getting an eye full of my rear. As always I wonder if they think I am homeless. Or mentally unstable. Well, at least I am not homeless.
On warmer days Frankie get’s walked instead. Down the driveway, turn East, take a pick of the next two yards. The first is green with winter rye grass with tiny clovers budding underneath. Next yard down, the house for sale, is abundant with weeds.
Once we are headed East I give Frankie his pick of yards. I hold vigil while Frankie munches away. Occasionally I have to turn him back to the yard or drag him out of the bushes. Monday was a great day so I really didn’t mind spending an hour tidying up the yard (my offering/trade for Frankie’s graze time).
Frankie seemed a little extra restless so after the hour is up I led him East down the street so we could walk the cul-de-sac before going home.
Frankie resisted the Eastward direction to the point where I just let him turn around and head home. He wanted to walk so I let him walk. Until we got to our driveway.
At our driveway I gave him the turn toward home cue by putting myself between him and the direction West he is walking. He proceeded to walk over my feet to continue West.
I don’t care if he wants to walk a bit more but West is not where we are going because that is a busy throughway street and not a friendly neighborhood. I grab Frankie by the shell and turn him back toward the drive.
The walk up the drive turns into a battle of wits, strength and guile. I got in front of him, turned him about and otherwise pushed him up the drive. Frankie was going West regardless. There wasn’t two steps taken that wasn’t part of the battle of direction.
Finely I win because there is a short fence between my house and my neighbor’s house and Frankie can no longer turn West. I can tell …read more
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Can the conservationist and the cowman be friends? Not if you’re Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who posted a challenge to the BLM on his ranch’s website protesting efforts to save the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), saying, “They have my cattle and now they have one of my boys. Range War begins tomorrow.”
From ABC News:
Bundy’s beef with federal land management officials dates back to 1993, according to federal officials, when Bundy’s allotment for grazing his cattle on public land was modified to include protections for the desert tortoise. Bundy, who told the Associated Press his family has been ranching this part of Nevada since the 1870s, did not accept the modified terms, and continued to let his cattle graze anyway.
After legal maneuverings on both sides, a Nevada district court judge in 2013 permanently enjoined Bundy’s cattle (some 900, by the government’s count) from grazing on public property. The judge reiterated that decision in 2013 and authorized the U.S. government to impound the cattle.
The first phase of that impoundment started Saturday, with 58 head of cattle being removed from BLM land, federal officials said in an online statement. As of Monday afternoon, that number had risen to 134, BLM spokeswoman Kirsten Cannon told ABC News. Removing the rest of the trespassing cattle should take another 21 to 30 days, she said.
Bundy disputes the federal government’s authority to take such action. The Nevada Sheriff’s Office, he contends, is the only entity empowered to impound his cattle. The Bundy Ranch website calls the federal agents “cattle thieves.”
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By Herp News
UPDATE 2pm: LIZARD Island Resort has been evacuated and Cairns northern beaches closed in preparation for Cyclone Ita’s onslaught.
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By Herp News
ALBY the albino python will be one of the many snakes on display at the largest reptile show in Australia this Sunday.
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By Herp News
Annie Martin LOS ANGELES, April 8 (UPI) — Promotion for the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” reboot has begun ahead of the film's release this summer.
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By Herp News
U.S. Geological Survey Dramatic distribution losses and a few major distribution gains are forecasted for southwestern bird and reptile species as the climate changes, according to just-published research by scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of New Mexico, and Northern Arizona University. Overall, the study forecasted species distribution losses – that is, where species …
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By Herp News
With climate change come several dramatic shifts in species distribution within the United States. The U.S. Geological Survey in concert with the University of New Mexico and Northern Arizona University have recently projected distribution losses for nearly half of the 5 examined reptile species including the locally famed chuckwalla. Breeding bird ranges, however exhibited broader expansions …
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A South Carolina community is feeling the fear after shed snake skins found near an apartment complex were identified as coming from the Gaboon viper, a venomous snake from Africa.
From ABC News:
When a pest control company came last week to do a regular checkup on the bait boxes at the complex, the exterminator found snake skins nearby, took a picture, and reported it to the management office.
“The skin was still moist, indicating it was freshly shed,” Jennifer Bailey, an employee at the Harbor Pointe Apartments, told ABC News today.
To identify the snake, the office contacted a snake expert hours later who came in and said that the skin came from a Gaboon viper, an exotic snake not indigenous to the U.S. Another local herpetologist confirmed the identity through a photograph the pest control took, Bailey said.
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By Herp News
Dramatic distribution losses and a few major distribution gains are forecasted for southwestern bird and reptile species as the climate changes, according to new research. Overall, the study forecasted species distribution losses — that is, where species are able to live — of nearly half for all but one of the 5 reptile species they examined, including for the iconic chuckwalla.
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By Herp News
Dramatic distribution losses and a few major distribution gains are forecasted for southwestern bird and reptile species as the climate changes, according to new research. Overall, the study forecasted species distribution losses — that is, where species are able to live — of nearly half for all but one of the 5 reptile species they examined, including for the iconic chuckwalla.
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By Herp News
Summary: Dramatic distribution losses and a few major distribution gains are forecasted for southwestern bird and reptile species as the climate changes, according to just-published research by scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of New Mexico, and Northern Arizona University. Southwestern Bird and Reptile Distributions to Shift as Climate Changes Contact Information …
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By Herp News
Scientists have studied the widely distributed freshwater turtle, Mauremys rivulata. In spite of geographical barriers, the turtles are genetically very similar throughout their vast distribution range. This would indicate that that animals cross hundreds of kilometers of sea.
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By Herp News
VALHALLA, N.Y., April 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Turtle Beach, the leading audio brand in the games industry, today announced a new multi-year licensing agreement with Blizzard Entertainment around the highly anticipated Heroes of the Storm™ multiplayer game. As part of the agreement, Turtle Beach will develop PC gaming headsets for both elite and recreational players. Turtle Beach is the gaming …
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A San Antonio TV station is questioning whether the rattlesnake in a field of bluebonnets featured in a viral Facebook photo is alive, or a taxidermied and posed dead snake.
Given that the topic “snake in bluebonnets” has its own section on hoax debunker website Snopes.com, and it wouldn’t be the first time a taxidermist has claimed to play this particular prank. it’s a valid question.
From KSAT:
The picture, submitted to a news station’s Facebook page in Austin, shows a rattlesnake coiled among bluebonnets.
The picture has many reconsidering their annual trip to take pictures in the bluebonnets, believing it may be too dangerous.
Some experts, however, are questioning the validity of the picture.
“It’s a real picture,” said Blaine Easton, a snake expert with the South Texas Herpetology Society. “I’m not sure that snake is alive. I think the snake is dead and mounted by a taxidermist.”
According to Easton, it is the snake’s neck position that causes him to question the picture. Easton said it did raise a valid concern.
“I have found in the middle of bluebonnets, on some ranches, rattlesnakes sitting there,” said Easton.
After all, Texas is home to 113 species of snakes. The moral, according to experts, is to just be cautious.
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By Herp News
Tortoise Capital Advisors today announced the introduction of the Tortoise Select Opportunity Fund, an open-end mutual fund that has a dedicated focus on select opportunities acros
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By Herp News
The island night lizard was delisted as an endangered species in the US this week, after three decades of restoration efforts. Its recovery highlights an increased success rate in reestablishing endangered species.
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By Herp News
The island night lizard was delisted as an endangered species in the US this week, after three decades of restoration efforts. Its recovery highlights an increased success rate in reestablishing endangered species.
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By Herp News
Island night lizards and arroyo toads are bouncing back from peril, wildlife officials said.
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By Herp News
Climate change is contributing to a slew of global problems, from rising seas to desertification. Now, researchers have added another repercussion: shrinking salamanders.
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By Herp News
One of the world's largest crocodiles, suspected of eating six people, has been caught in Lake Victoria, Uganda. Terrified locals demanded officials hunt the reptile after it devoured its most recent victim, father-of-two Bosco Nyansi. The 1,000kg crocodile is also thought to have seriously injured other fishermen. Officials in Uganda believe the reptile is 80-years-old and weighs only 47kg less …
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Check out this video “Turtle Cam,” submitted by kingsnake.com user JoJoMang.
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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By Herp News
SAN DIEGO, April 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – Turtle Beach, the leading audio brand in the games industry, today announced that it will host two tournaments during PAX East, a major consumer video game event held in Boston from April 11 to 13. Major League Gaming (MLG), the global leader in eSports, will hold the playoffs for its Call of Duty: Ghosts league in the Turtle Beach booth. The booth will …
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Frogs aren’t well-equipped to migrate safely through the rush of automobile traffic. Last year, hundreds of protected northern red-legged frogs met their doom trying to cross an Oregon roadway. This year, things were different.
From Oregon Live:
After witnessing the N.W. Harborton Drive frog slaughter with his friend, Shawn Looney, Rob Lee started making calls and e-mailing biologists and herpetologists.
“I started trying to find the appropriate people to tell about this – that something was going on that we should be paying attention to,” he says.
He also approached Jane Hartline, a retired Oregon Zoo marketing director and conservation advocate with a knack for organizing.
No one knew whether the great frog massacre of 2013 was an anomaly or, more likely, an unwitting annual death march. They were determined to find out, to help the frogs if they could, to precisely document everything they observed and to contribute to the scant science on the Forest Park red-legged frog population.
Liz Ruther, a habitat conservation biologist with ODFW, granted Lee, Looney and Hartline a permit to handle the frogs. Without one, it’s illegal to touch or harass them, given the species’ sensitive-vulnerable status.
With help from The Forest Park Conservancy, Hartline rounded up about three dozen volunteers willing to rush to Linnton with little notice. Their task: spend hours intercepting frogs on wet, chilly nights when most Portlanders were tucked in at home, dry and cozy.
Photo: Walter Siegmund/Wikimedia Commons/Creative Commons License …read more
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By Herp News
Outdoor Tech is no stranger to the world of crowd funding. It's used Kickstarter to get past products like the Turtle Shell speaker off the ground. Now it's back with a bigger version of the Turtle that it calls, quite simply, the BIG Turtle Shell. This speaker brings more sound to the park and beach and packs enough power to double as a portable charger. .. Continue Reading Outdoor Tech grows …
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By Herp News
Tortoise Capital Advisors, L.L.C. Shares Insights on the North American Energy Revolution at Wealth Management's April 3rd Live Webinar
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By Herp News
At a time when Africa’s elephants are facing a relentless poaching crisis, one community has managed to safeguard their elephants in the most unlikely of places: Mali. In a country that has suffered from widespread poverty, environmental degradation, and, most recently, warfare, a collaboration between conservationists and the local community has kept Mali’s elephants from extinction.
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By Herp News
It is often difficult to decide whether two animals belong to the same or two distinct species. This can be especially challenging for animals which externally look very similar. In a recent study, scientists use genetic data and calls analysis to test if treefrogs from West and Central Africa belong to different or the same species.
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When the tiny island night lizard (Xantusia riversiana) was first designated as threatened, kids were still putting safety pins through their ears and “God Save the Queen” was just released. But today, for the first time since 1977, it’s no longer considred to be in danger.
The lizard is found only on four ilands — or three islands and an islet — off the California coast.
From KCET:
It hasn’t hurt that all of the islands the night lizard calls home are owned by the federal government. San Clemente and San Nicolas islands are owned and managed by the U.S. Navy, while Santa Barbara Island and its tiny neighbor Sutil Island belong the the National Park Service. That’s simplified tasks such as removing introduced predators and yanking out weeds.
In 2004, the Navy petitioned USFWS to delist the lizards on San Clemente and San Nicolas islands, claiming that each island’s population was properly considered a Distinct Population Segment (equivalent to a species under the Endangered Species Act) and saying that the population of night lizards on each of the two islands had recovered.
That prompted a 2006 status review for the lizard, and in February 2013 USFWS finally got around to its response: a proposal that the lizard be delisted throughout its range. With this new ruling, scheduled for printing in the Federal Register on April 1, that delisting becomes official.
According to USFWS, estimates of the lizard’s current population range from 15,300 on San Nicolas and 17,600 on Santa Barbara/Sutil, with an astonishing 21.3 million estimated for San Clemente Island. The estimates didn’t count lizards, but merely assessed the acreage of lizard habitat on each island and used mathematical models to extrapolate estimated total populations.
Photo: Ryan P. O’Donnell/Wikimedia Commons/Creative Commons License …read more
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Yesterday we made fun of the 49ers for banning reptiles from their new stadium. Now we feel bad, because apparently this is a thing: An Eastern brown snake turned up on an Australian rugby field the very next day.
From ABC Australia:
A one-metre brown snake on the NRL field at Robina took the ABC Grandstand commentary team by surprise, but it did not stop them from encouraging on-field reporter Zane Bojack to take a closer look, despite his professed herpetophobia.
You can read more and listen to the crowd and reporters here. …read more
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By Herp News
The Turtle Wax Label & Sticker Remover = WISEBUY, under specific circumstances.
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By Herp News
KOTA KINABALU : A report on the ‘turtle killing fields’ at Pulau Tiga (near Pulau Balambangan-Pulau Banggi Channel, north of Kudat) will be presented to the State Cabinet.
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By Herp News
In what is being hailed as an environmental victory for the U.S. Navy, the island night lizard has been taken off the list of federally endangered species.
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By Herp News
Tortoise Energy Independence Fund, Inc. today announced that as of March 31, 2014, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $465.0 million and its unaudi
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By Herp News
Tortoise MLP Fund, Inc. today announced that as of March 31, 2014, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $2.0 billion and its unaudited net asset valu
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By Herp News
Tortoise Pipeline & Energy Fund, Inc. today announced that as of March 31, 2014, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $422.8 million and its unau
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