Reptoman

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   Jan 29

Predator appreciation: how saving lions, tigers, and polar bears could rescue ourselves

By Herp News

In the new book, In Predatory Light: Lions and Tigers and Polar Bears, authors Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, Sy Montgomery, and John Houston, and photographers Cyril Christo and Marie Wilkinson share with us an impassioned and detailed appeal to appreciate three of the world’s biggest predators: lions, tigers, and polar bears. Through lengthy discussions, combining themes from scientific conservation to local community folklore, In Predatory Light takes us step by step deeper into the wild world of these awe-inspiring carnivores and their varied plight as they facedown extinction.

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Read more here: herpetofauna.com

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   Jan 29

A series of oil spills sully Caribbean paradise, coating mangroves and wildlife (photos)

By Herp News

On December 17th, officials first discovered a massive oil spill in the Caribbean-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. Since then, a series of oil spills have been discovered, coating beaches, sullying mangrove forests, and very likely decimating wildlife in Trinidad’s Gulf of Paria. The oil spills have been linked to the state-owned oil company, Petrotrin, which has claimed that sabotage is behind at least two of the spills. However Trinidad and Tobago’s Environmental Management Authority has recently slapped the company with a $3.1 million fine by for the damage, while some politicians have called for an independent investigation into the slew of spills.

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   Jan 29

'Snakes in a casino' dismissed as Facebook rumor

The Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem, Penn., is adamant that there are not now and have never been any snakes in their casino. Any rumors to the contrary, said a spokesperson, are just the result of a Facebook rumor related to the just-ending Chinese Year of the Snake; the only snake eyes at Sands are on the dice.

From LeighValleyLive.com:

State police, who operate the Sands Casino Station inside the South Side Bethlehem facility, report “absolutely zero snakes in this place,” Trooper William Ortiz said.

The rumor, as passed on to The Express-Times, indicates someone went to the doctor with what was believed to be a bite; the doctor said it’s a snakebite and asked immediately whether the patient had been to the Bethlehem casino.

Sands Bethlehem, owned by Las Vegas Sands Corp., issued a statement today saying, “There have been no reported incidents of snakes on our property. We do not allow any animals on property with the exception of service animals.”

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Read more here: King Snake

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   Jan 28

Rocky sanctuary now a local lizard haven

By Herp News

Hermann Frank is pleased lizards have a place they can call home in South Canterbury – but he has bigger plans in store.

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   Jan 28

WVDNR Issues New Reptile and Amphibians Regulations

By Herp News

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va.—The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources revealed a new Reptile and Amphibian Regulations brochure. The brochure is available online and can be found on the WVDNR home

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   Jan 28

Finding a heart for a herper

Can you help a long-time herper who needs a new heart?

West coast herp photographer and kingnake.com community member Dave Northcott has been notably absent from his usual place at herp events and shows over the last two years, suffering from heart problems that have progressively worsened. Now Dave’s doctors have given him more bad news: he needs a new heart.

Dave, a fixture in the community whose photographs of reptiles and amphibians have graced the covers and pages of countless reptile and amphibian magazines as well as dozens if not hundreds of books, faces months of rehab and recovery, and countless medical bills.

Faced with mounting medical costs that even with insurance will likely end up costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, his daughter Kait Northcott has set up a fundraiser at GoFundMe to raise money to help offset their rising medical bills.

As part of this fundraising effort to get Dave a new heart, kingsnake.com has donated $1000.00 and is asking other businesses in the reptile community to match our donation at the GoFundMe site.

If your business would like to match our donation, or if you would like to contribute as an individual, please visit http://www.gofundme.com/6g1rak. …read more
Read more here: King Snake

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   Jan 28

Over 2,500 wolves killed in U.S.’s lower 48 since 2011

By Herp News

Hunters and trappers have killed 2,567 gray wolves in the U.S.’s lower 48 states since 2011, according to recent data. Gray wolves (Canis lupus) were protected by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for nearly 40 years before being stripped of their protection status by a legislative rider in 2011. Last year total wolf populations were estimated at over 6,000 in the region.

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Read more here: herpetofauna.com

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   Jan 28

Feral crèches: parenting in wild India

By Herp News

The Wildlife Conservation Society-India has been camera trapping wild animals for over 20 years in the Western Ghats. The results reveal the most intimate, fascinating and sometimes comical insights into animal behavior and ecology. These mammals generally become secretive and protective during parenting, and therefore we seldom get to see little ones in the wild. But discretely placed camera traps have not only caught glimpses of these adorable wild babies, but also produced wonderful family albums!

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   Jan 28

Turtle Island Fiji Announces“Elope to Fiji” Contest Winner

By Herp News

One Lucky Couple from New Zealand Has Won an All-Expense DREAM Wedding to Turtle Island (PRWeb January 28, 2014) Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/01/prweb11528336.htm

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Read more here: herpetofauna.com

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   Jan 28

How to tell the difference between a baby and a snake

A good Samaritan in Brooklyn thought he’d found an abandoned baby in a duffel bag in a trash can. Turned out to be three boa constrictors.

Maybe if New York City wasn’t such an inhospitable place for herps and other “non-fluffy” pets, things like this wouldn’t happen.

The good news: A home is being sought for the snakes, instead of the usual deadly solution.

Photo (not of snake in story): kingsnake.com user minicopilot …read more
Read more here: King Snake

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   Jan 28

Tortoise Capital Advisors Announces Proposed Merger of Three MLP Closed-End Funds

By Herp News

Tortoise Capital Advisors today announced the Board of Directors of Tortoise’s closed-end funds approved a proposal to merge three of Tortoise’s MLP closed-end funds: Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Corp.

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Read more here: herpetofauna.com

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   Jan 28

287 amphibian and reptile species in Peruvian park sets world record (photos)

By Herp News

It’s official: Manu National Park in Peru has the highest diversity of reptiles and amphibians in the world. Surveys of the park, which extends from high Andean cloud forests down into the tropical rainforest of the Western Amazon, and its buffer zone turned up 155 amphibian and 132 reptile species, 16 more than the 271 species documented in Ecuador’s Yasuní National Park in 2010.

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Read more here: herpetofauna.com

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   Jan 28

Frankie Tortoise Tails – King of the Cardboard

If I haven’t said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times, sulcata tortoises don’t belong in the house. They are furniture-moving, wall-goring, floor-pooping, rug-peeing, shelf-toppling, bull-dozing menaces to interior human living spaces. ‘sit’s true.

Still Frankie is a regular visitor if not season snow bird and winter resident in my house….with all previous mentioned terrors that go with it.

I am a fan of Waffles the sulcata, our friend in the frozen North, and with every new photo I “awe” at the tiny Waffles’ cuteness. Concurrently there is this underlining horror as I image the 100 pound Frankie in the same photo. Run, Mango! Run!

I love Frankie as deeply as a human can love an animal friend so I do the stupid again and again, anticipating catastrophes as best I can and accommodating Frankie as reasonable as possible in spaces he should not be.

We are masters of cardboard when Frankie comes indoors.Posted Image

Cardboard is great. It practically free and often arrives by UPS delivery. One can even hang out at the recycling center to scout out special or extra larger boxes. Yea, I’ve sat in the City of Mobile’s recycling center parking lot skulking about until someone arrives with car full of boxes to recycle.

Frankie’s dogloo is too big for our new gecko room so I had to come up with some new kind of box shelter for the 100 pound shell with bulldozer like feet.

Usually it’s just a large box that Frankie can fit in head first. Frankie’s protruding backside gets covered with newspaper or an old beach towel.

A cardboard box can’t be too narrow otherwise Frankie will rip it open when he does his morning turn around from face-in-the-box to face-out-of-the-box position. I’ve looked and looked to find a box that is deep enough to get the whole of Frankie inside, snug enough so Frankie feels like he is deep in a cave, and yet wide enough so the morning turn around doesn’t destroy yet again another box sending me back again to skulk about the recycling center.

Oh, I found this one box. I got this warm fuzzy feeling when I saw it. It was about four feet tall, a square 20 inches on each side. I snatched the box up and ran for the car before the recycle clerk could get out the operation office’s front door.

When I got home I cut it in half. I then removed one side off the top half. Testing my engineering theory, I slid the three sided top over the back half of the box. Viola! New Frankie Cave!

I put the new cardboard castle on top of a large anti-fatigue rug (to shield Frankie from the cold cement floor), stood back and admired my genius.

Later that day Frankie rambled in from outside, smearing poop on a rug and knocking a new dent in a …read more
Read more here: Turtle Times

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   Jan 27

Amazing discovery in Antarctica: sea anemones found living upside down under ice (photos)

By Herp News

Sea anemones are supposed to sit on the bottom of the ocean, using their basal disc (or adhesive foot) to rest on a coral reef orsand. So, imagine the surprise of geologists in Antarctica when they discovered a mass of sea anemones hanging upside from the underside of the Ross Ice Shelf like a village of wispy ghosts. The researchers weren’t even there to discover new life, but to learn about south pole currents through the Antarctic Geological Drilling (ANDRILL) Program via a remotely-operated undersea robot.

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Read more here: herpetofauna.com

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   Jan 27

Galapagos tortoise lineages may be brought back from extinction

After the death of Lonesome George, the last known Pinta Island Galapagos tortoise, the extinction toll on the species seemed irreversible. That may not be the case, however, says Michael Russello, an associate professor of biology at the University of British Columbia.

From the Harvard Gazette:

The findings prompted a larger 2008 expedition, in which teams sampled 1,669 individuals, drawing blood, noting the locations, and marking the tortoises so they could be monitored after analysis. The work found 84 hybrids of Floreana ancestry — of which 30 were less than 15 years old — and 17 with Pinta ancestry. A follow-up expedition is planned for next year to search the area where those populations were concentrated, hoping to find pureblood individuals and bring them to a captive breeding center on Santa Cruz Island. If all goes well, those individuals will serve as founders of a restored population.

“Human activity may have led to the preservation of lineages of species thought extinct,” Russello said.

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Read more here: King Snake

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   Jan 25

Bats use water ripples to hunt frogs

By Herp News

As the male tungara frog serenades females from a pond, he creates watery ripples that make him easier to target by rivals and predators such as bats. He will stop calling if he sees a bat overhead, but ripples continue moving for several seconds after the call ceases. In a new study, researchers found evidence that bats use echolocation to detect these ripples and home in on a frog.

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   Jan 25

Tortoise beats rabbit in pet ski-off

By Herp News

A tortoise has beaten a rabbit in a skiing competition held for pets and their owners in northern China.

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   Jan 25

Herp Video of the Week: Regal Horned Lizard!

Check out this video “Regal Horned Lizard” submitted by kingsnake.com user variuss11.
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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   Jan 24

Veterinarians care for six blind, endangered sea turtles

Six endangered green sea turtles are being treated for the fibropapilloma virus, which has left them blind and unable to survive in the wild.

From NBC Miami:

“When the Fibropapilloma virus shows as tumors on the eyes, if it grows over the cornea on both eyes, the turtle has no vision and has no chance of survival,” said Bette Zirckelbach, manager of the Turtle Hospital in the Florida Keys.

Zirckelbach and others from the Turtle Hospital transported the animals in their ‘turtle ambulance’ to Pinecrest Veterinary Hospital for care with Dr. Lorraine Karpinski.

Read more here… …read more
Read more here: King Snake

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   Jan 24

Flying Lizard qualifies for Rolex 24 at Daytona race

By Herp News

#35 Flying Lizard Motorsports Audi R8 LMS: Seth Neiman, Dion von Moltke, Alessan … Keep reading

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Read more here: herpetofauna.com

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   Jan 23

New dolphin discovered in the Amazon surprises scientists

By Herp News

Researchers have discovered a new species of river dolphin from the Amazon. Writing in the journal Plos One, scientists led by Tomas Hrbek of Brazil’s Federal University of Amazonas formally describe Inia araguaiaensis, a freshwater dolphin that inhabits the Araguaia River Basin. It is the first true river dolphin discovered since 1918.

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   Jan 23

Plan to support research on mussels, earless lizard and desert snake

By Herp News

Texas Comptroller Susan Combs on Thursday announced plans to provide $5 million for research on three species that could potentially be listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as endangered or threatened. Species listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act could restrict the use of land and water, impact local and regional economies, decrease property values and add …

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   Jan 23

Micropredators may help amphibians fight off chytridiomycosis

A new study suggests microscopic organisms may help amphibians fight off chytridiomycosis.

From Phys.org:

An international team of researchers has made important progress in understanding the distribution of the deadly amphibian chytrid pathogen. In some regions, the deadly impact of the pathogen appears to be hampered by small predators, naturally occurring in freshwater bodies. These micropredators may efficiently reduce the number of free-swimming infectious stages (zoospores) by consuming them. This natural behavior will reduce the infection pressure on potential amphibian hosts and a goes a long way towards explaining the occurrence of chytridiomycosis, at least in temporal climatic regions. These results were published in the renowned scientific journal Current Biology. The team of researchers state that their results raise the hope of successfully fighting chytridiomycosis, nowadays one of the most deadly wildlife diseases.

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Photo: kingsnake.com user trinacliff …read more
Read more here: King Snake

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   Jan 23

Good news for the Hawksbill sea turtle

By Herp News

A hawksbill sea turtle has been recorded for the first time in the waters of Pakistan. The turtle was found entangled in a net by local fishermen and was later confirmed to be a hawksbill by WWF-Pakistan. It is estimated that there are less than 50,000 hawksbill turtles remaining worldwide. The global population has declined 80% over the last century and the IUCN Red List classifies the species …

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Read more here: herpetofauna.com

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   Jan 23

Starwood Hotels & Resorts to Debut Its Westin Hotels & Resorts Brand in Mauritius with the New Westin Turtle Bay …

By Herp News

Set to Open in Spring 2014, The Westin Turtle Bay Resort & Spa, Mauritius will be Located on the White Sandy Beach of Turtle Bay Offering Breathtaking Views of the Indian Ocean Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) today announced that it will soon introduce its Westin Hotels & Resorts brand to the island of Mauritius. Owned by Blue Ocean Park Ltd., The Westin Turtle Bay Resort …

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   Jan 23

Vic turtle on slow road to recovery

By Herp News

A green sea turtle is expected to make a full recovery after being found stranded on a Victorian beach on December 31.

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Read more here: herpetofauna.com

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   Jan 23

Constructed wetlands save frogs, birds threatened with extinction

By Herp News

Over the last few decades, several thousands of wetlands have been constructed in Sweden in agricultural landscapes. The primary reason is that the wetlands prevent a surfeit of nutrients from reaching our oceans and lakes. A study shows, in addition, that wetlands have contributed to saving several frog and bird species from the “Red List” -– a list that shows which species are at risk of dying out in Sweden.

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   Jan 23

Constructed wetlands save frogs, birds threatened with extinction

By Herp News

Over the last few decades, several thousands of wetlands have been constructed in Sweden in agricultural landscapes. The primary reason is that the wetlands prevent a surfeit of nutrients from reaching our oceans and lakes. A study shows, in addition, that wetlands have contributed to saving several frog and bird species from the “Red List” -– a list that shows which species are at risk of dying out in Sweden.

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Read more here: herpetofauna.com

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   Jan 22

One quarter of sharks and rays threatened with extinction

By Herp News

One quarter of all sharks and rays are threatened with extinction, according to a new study published in the open-access journal eLife. The paper analyzed the threat and conservation status of 1,041 species of chondrichthyans—the class of fish whose skeletons are made of cartilage instead of bone which includes sharks, rays, skates and chimaeras—and found this group to be among the most threatened animals in the world.

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   Jan 22

One quarter of sharks and rays threatened with extinction

By Herp News

One quarter of all sharks and rays are threatened with extinction, according to a new study published in the open-access journal eLife. The paper analyzed the threat and conservation status of 1,041 species of chondrichthyans—the class of fish whose skeletons are made of cartilage instead of bone which includes sharks, rays, skates and chimaeras—and found this group to be among the most threatened animals in the world.

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Read more here: herpetofauna.com

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   Jan 22

Flying Lizard enters Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona race week

By Herp News

#45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Audi R8 LMSPhoto by: Trevor Horn Following a very successful three day Roar Before the Rolex 24 test in which the team had the quicke … Keep reading

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Read more here: herpetofauna.com

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   Jan 22

Tortoise Capital Advisors Announces Tax Characterization of 2013 Closed-End Fund Distributions

By Herp News

Tortoise Capital Advisors today announced the tax characterization of 2013 distributions paid to stockholders of:

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   Jan 21

Tortoise Capital Advisors, L.L.C. Announces Release of 2013 Annual Reports for Closed-End Funds (NDP, NTG, TPZ, TTP …

By Herp News

Tortoise Capital Advisors, L.L.C., the adviser of NDP, NTG, TPZ, TTP, TYG, TYN and TYY announced today the release of 2013 annual stockholders' reports for each of these funds.

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   Jan 21

One lizard, four species: the collared treerunner

By Herp News

Now, that’s a horse of a different color. Or, in this case, a lizard of another species–four species. Recent research suggests that the collared treerunner (Plica plica), previously thought of as one widespread species, is actually four distinct species inhabiting diverse geographical areas east of the Andes in northern South America.

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   Jan 21

Frog fathers don’t mind dropping off their tadpoles in cannibal-infested pools

By Herp News

Given a choice, male dyeing poison frogs snub empty pools in favor of ones in which their tiny tadpoles have to grow in the company of larger, carnivorous ones of the same species. The frog fathers

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   Jan 21

Sorry goannas, you'll have to dine somewhere else

By Herp News

TWO environmental groups have joined forces to ensure turtle eggs stay off the menu of goannas which are destroying between 80%-90% of nests at Wreck Rock Beach near Agnes Water.

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Read more here: herpetofauna.com

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   Jan 21

Monroe turtle trafficker gets year in prison

By Herp News

In this Sept. 14, 2012, handout photograph provided by the Seattle U.S. Attorney's Office, a black-breasted leaf turtle is shown being examined in Gold Bar, Wash., as part of an investigation into illegal turtle smuggling by Nathaniel Swanson, 36. Swanson, former owner of Swanee's Exotics reptile store in Monroe, Wash., pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy and was sentenced Friday, Jan. 17 …

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   Jan 21

Monroe turtle trafficker gets year in prison

By Herp News

In this Sept. 14, 2012, handout photograph provided by the Seattle U.S. Attorney's Office, a black-breasted leaf turtle is shown being examined in Gold Bar, Wash., as part of an investigation into illegal turtle smuggling by Nathaniel Swanson, 36. Swanson, former owner of Swanee's Exotics reptile store in Monroe, Wash., pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy and was sentenced Friday, Jan. 17 …

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Read more here: herpetofauna.com

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   Jan 21

Vendor profile system launches in kingsnake classifieds

On Monday, kingsnake.com launched a new vendor profile system in the classifieds, allowing all classified account holders to have a permanent presence for their business in the classifieds, even if they don’t have any classified ads running at the time.

Available to both standard and enhanced account holders, the new vendor profile is an all-in-one marketing tool for reptile businesses, allowing them to maintain and re-list classified ads, link to their websiite and all their social media profiles, link to USARK and PIJAC, list upcoming trade show appearances, receive customer endorsements, and more.

Check out the huge list of features below:

The new vendor profile system allows you to:

– add a physical address and map
– add a store/shop image that pops up to a larger size when clicked
– add a large background image
– list all your classified ads
– list all the shows/expos you will attend (if in the kingsnake events database)
– display shipping options and package trackers
– display payment options
– add a lengthy business description
– add a FAQ/Terms sheet
– receive recommendations from kingsnake.com registered users
– link to your website
– link to your social media profiles (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn)
– display your years on-site (if more than one year)
– display your business verification button/info
– display info for multiple physical locations
– allow you to run a special offer/coupon in your vendor profile
– display your enhanced account banner (if applicable)
– view traffic stats on vendor profile visitors
– display a membership button for USARK and PIJAC
– display an embedded video
– search engine friendly URL (http://market.kingsnake.com/vendors/lllreptile, etc.)

The vendor profile system works whether you have a standard or enhanced classified account, and as long as your account stays active, the profile is visible and can be linked to from your own website, banner ads, Facebook, Twitter, and other sites.

Purchasing or renewing a 1-year account guarantees your profile is active year round, so even if you don’t have or maintain active classified ads your business can still have a presence in kingsnake.com’s popular classified advertising system.

To see a sample classified vendor profile, please visit http://market.kingsnake.com/vendors/lllreptile.

To update and view your own classified vendor profile, please log in at http://market.kingsnake.com/account.

To purchase or renew an existing standard or enhanced classified account, please visit http://www.kingsnake.com/shared/services/classified.php …read more
Read more here: King Snake

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   Jan 21

Conservationists branding shells of rare tortoises to thwart poachers

In an effort to deter poaching, conservations are permanently marking the shells of the rare ploughshare tortoise. Their goal is to brand every captive breeding animal, plus the estimated 300 wild members of the species.

From the LA Times:

The booming illegal international wildlife trade forced conservationists to do the unthinkable Tuesday: Brand the golden domes of two of the rarest tortoises on Earth to reduce their black market value by making it easier for authorities to trace them if stolen.

“It’s heartbreaking that it’s come to this, but it’s the right thing to do,” Paul Gibbons, managing director of the nonprofit Turtle Conservancy’s Behler Chelonian Center in Ventura County, said as he gently placed a 30-pound adult female ploughshare tortoise on a small table.

With a steady hand and an electric engraving tool, he carved an identification code on the high, rounded shell as the creature with weary eyes and gleaming carapace peered calmly into the distance. The tortoise was branded for life, which in her case would be roughly 160 years.

Read the full story here. …read more
Read more here: King Snake

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