By Herp News

Someone heard a rumor that a tortoise was being shipped to Carleton through the post office, and I was determined to track down the mystery pet.

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It was mammoth, monumental. A tear-jerker….Frankiehadn’teven got in the car yet.

The story really began when Frankie was evicted from theFrankieCavea couple of days before we departed from home. The day was nice so Frankie sat up on the hill watching his beloved cave get gutted and cleaned.

A family of 150 Southern Cockroaches was evicted from inside his cave. The colony of fat snails gathered from under the cave was fed to the two box turtles.

Frankie’s compost barrel was cleaned out reveling hundreds of red wigglers worms. Frankie’s friend, Little Dude, got worms enough for a couple of weeks.

If I had known Frankie was this good at raising bugs I would have stopped buying insects years ago.

Frankie was slated to sleep that night in the garage in his dogloo. It took forever to get Frankie inside because he thought the dogloo was for ramming.

That same evening Greg departed with Frankie’s cave to the new house inMobile.

The next morning Frankie woke up at7:00 am. Not just awake but Frankie insisted on walking around the garage full of boxes and stuff. Then he demanded entrance into the gecko room. I had to accompany him as there were boxes of glass enclosures sitting on the floor. Frankie pushed boxes aside and wandered about.

At10:00 amFrankie went back into his dogloo and went to sleep. Okay. This is new. Wake up at seven and asleep by ten. What is he going to do on Moving day?

….which started at7:00 amthe next day. Two moving vans, five loaders and the driver. The first job for the movers was inventory and tagging: 1 lawn mover, 1 washer, 1 dryer, 1 HUGE TORTOISE…WHAT IS THIS!? …ARE WE MOVING IT!? No, sir, but when it’s time to load the dogloo would you mind helping me put the tortoise in the car. I would appreciate it.

I am sure this guy has seen a lot of strange things over the years in houses but he looked at me like I had won the Blue Ribbon of strange-things-we’ve-moved. I warned the movers a week ago. When I say “big turtle” they always think big box turtle. “Oh, sure, we’ll help you move that turtle. Sure.” I think he was hoping Frankie was an ice cube and would shrink to box turtle size in the next four hours.

As the temperatures increased over the next couple of hours I kept close eye on that dogloo in case Frankie made a daring escapee down the street or decided to pee all over the garage. You know what he did?

Nothing. Not a single thing. He would look to see what was going on then he would go back to sleep for a couple of hours. At 2:00 pm. When it was time to load the dogloo do you know what Frankie did? Nothing. We took him out andput …read more
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By Herp News

Evan Bleier Dec. 9 (UPI) — Repticon Orlando highlighted by “morphed” ball pythons and rare black dragon.

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By Herp News

Turtle Wax Inc.'s top management is in flux again, with the latest CEO exiting last fall after less than a year on the job and the company so far leaving the job unfilled.

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A robotic turtle, deveoped at the Tallinn University of Technology’s Centre for Biorobotics, premiered at Robot Safari at the London Science Museum. The robot is intended to be used to investigate shipwrecks, but after that will probably take over the world.

Read all about it here.

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Read more here: King Snake

By Herp News

Byline: The Lizard lifeboat was tasked last night (Wednesday) to carry out a search from Black Head on the Lizard Peninsular toward Lizard Point after a fisherman was reported overdue. Page Content: Falmouth Coastguard had received a 999 call at around 7pm reporting a man overdue from a fishing trip. The male had launched his small craft from Cadgwith during the early afternoon and had been due …

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By Herp News

If you are a big rat at the Repticon reptile show, you are frozen solid, sealed in a plastic baggie, and sold in a five-pack for $26. Rat pinkies, tiny and hairless, sell in baggies of 100 for $75.

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By Herp News

If you are a big rat at the Repticon reptile show, you are frozen solid, sealed in a plastic baggie, and sold in a five-pack for $26. Rat pinkies, tiny and hairless, sell in baggies of 100 for $75.        

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By Herp News

In our youth we are strong and healthy and then we weaken and die — that’s probably how most would describe what aging is all about. But, in nature, the phenomenon of aging shows an unexpected diversity of patterns and is altogether rather strange, conclude researchers.

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Check out our Herp Video of the Week, “Eastern hog defensive display,” submitted by kingsnake.com user wisema2297.
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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Check out this video “Eastern Hog Defensive display,” submitted by kingsnake.com user wisema2297.
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

By Herp News

TEN-MAN Lazy Lizard belied their name by sinking the Sailors Return at Redlands.

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By Herp News

After playing, feeding, and socializing in trees all day, some ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) take their nightly respite in caves, according to a new study in Madagascar Conservation and Development. The findings are important because this is the first time scientists have ever recorded primates regularly using caves (see video below).

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New research into the Cerataphora lizard, an endangered agamid lizard from Sri Lanka, suggests that the animal uses its horns to communicate.

From National Geographic:

Ruchira Somaweera, a zoologist at the University of Sydney and principal investigator in the yearlong field study, which is funded by the National Geographic Society, said the data is still being analyzed, but the primary hypothesis is that the horns are used in communication within specific species.

Somaweera and his team focused mainly on the critically endangered leaf-nosed lizards (C. tennentii) and found that on these and on rhino horn lizards (C. stoddartii), the males of both species can move their horns slowly at a 45-degree angle while opening their mouths in a threat display.

This may aid in communication between males, he said.

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By Herp News

Biologists have observed two crocodilian species — muggers and American alligators — using twigs and sticks to lure birds, particularly during nest-building time.

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By Herp News

TEN-MAN Lazy Lizard belied their name by sinking the Sailors Return at Redlands.

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By Herp News

Beginning next year, light planes and helicopters will undertake the first ever continent-wide aerial survey of Africa’s vanishing elephant populations. The hugely ambitious initiative, which will count elephant herds in 13 countries, is being funded by Microsoft founder, Paul Allen, through his Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.

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By Herp News

The montane rainforests of East Africa are little-known to the global public. The Amazon and Congo loom much larger in our minds, while the savannas of East Africa remain the iconic ecosystems for the region. However these ancient, biodiverse forests—sitting on the tops of mountains rising from the African savanna—are home to some remarkable species, many found only in a single forest. A team of international scientists—Michele Menegon, Fabio Pupin, and Simon Loader—have made it their mission to document the little-known reptiles and amphibians in these so-called sky islands, many of which are highly imperiled.

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By Herp News

Last Updated: 4:03pm, Dec 04, 2013PETALING JAYA (Dec 4): Pakatan Rakyat has accused the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry…        

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Students at Wichita State University have found chytrid, a fungus deadly to frogs, in Kansas ponds and streams.

From the Wichita Eagle:

Students working with (biologist Mary Liz) Jameson in her Wichita State University field ecology class over the last three years have confirmed the fears of anyone in Kansas who likes frogs: They found an amphibian-killing fungus called chytrid in streams and ponds of Kansas.

They found it in several streams and ponds near Wichita, and in Wichita at Chisholm Creek Park, near 32nd Street North and Oliver. WSU released a statement earlier this year outlining the basics of what Jameson and her students found, including a warning from one of her graduate students, Timothy Eberl.

Eberl said in the news release that this has implications beyond the death of frogs.

Read the full story here.

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By Herp News

Turtle Beach, which has made a name for itself in the video game arena, has released the Ear Force i30, a headset designed for mobile devices.

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By Herp News

Bigger than all of Brazil, among the harshest ecosystems on Earth, and largely undeveloped, one would expect that the Sahara desert would be a haven for desert wildlife. One would anticipate that big African animals—which are facing poaching and habitat loss in other parts of the world—would thrive in this vast wilderness. But a new landmark study in Diversity and Distributions finds that the megafauna of the Sahara desert are on the verge of total collapse.

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By Herp News

Legend has it that lonely sailors mistook them for beautiful, mythical mermaids. But as it turns out, the muse behind these beguiling sea nymphs was instead the dugong – a rather ungainly, gentle and mini-bus sized marine mammal, cousin to the manatees and part of the sea cow family. However, while they may have once fuelled stories for fairytales and Disney movies, their far-from-glamorous life is currently under serious threat in many parts of the world.

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By Herp News

Most of the species on Earth we never see. In fact, we have no idea what they look like, much less how spectacular they are. In general, people can identify relatively few of their backyard species, much less those of other continents. This disconnect likely leads to an inability in the general public to relate to biodiversity and, by extension, the loss of it. One of the most remarkable books I have read is a recent release that makes serious strides to repair that disconnect and affirm the human bond with biodiversity. Animal Earth: The Amazing Diversity of Living Creatures written by Ross Piper, a zoologist with the University of Wales, opens up the door to discovery.

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By Herp News

Parametric Sound Corporation , a leading innovator of audio technology and solutions, announced today the filing of the definitive proxy statement with the SEC for the special meeting of its stockholders …

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By Herp News

Scientists have developed a method to determine where animals obtain essential amino acids. They discovered that all life forms leave traces or ‘fingerprints’ in amino acids during biosynthesis. With these fingerprints, which are based on naturally occurring isotope variations, it is possible for the first time to distinguish between algal, bacterial, fungal and plant origins of amino acids through tissue samples. This discovery makes it possible to find out what animals have been feeding on without observing them directly or examining their stomach content.

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By Herp News

Biologists who have recently sequenced the genome of the king cobra, say that their work reveals dynamic evolution and adaptation in the snake venom system, which seemingly occurs in response to an evolutionary arms race between venomous snakes and their prey.

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Malaysian authorities are pointing fingers at each other after a documentary, The Return of the Lizard King, alleged that Anson Wong was still active in the illegal wildlife trading business after a high-profile arrest and conviction in 2010.

Wong was orginally sentenced to five years for trafficking wildlife including endangered species like snow leopards, pandas, and rare reptiles, but his sentence was reduced to 17 months.

From the Star:

(Election strategist Dr.) Ong (Kian Ming) claimed that there was an obvious question of corruption within Perhilitan (Department of Wildlife and National Parks) as public records show that Wong and his wife, Cheah Bing Shee still owned companies involving in importing and exporting wildlife.

He said there was a need to see if there was anyone who was helping them obtain the permits, despite the Government’s insistence that all of Wong and Cheah’s licenses had been revoked.

“This affects Malaysia’s reputation. Anson Wong could just be the tip of the iceberg. If Malaysia is identified as a possible transshipment hub for illegal wildlife activities, this will give us a bad reputation, ” he warned.

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By Herp News

Tortoise Energy Capital Corp. today announced that as of Nov. 30, 2013, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $1.1 billion and its unaudited net asset

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By Herp News

Tortoise Power and Energy Infrastructure Fund, Inc. today announced that as of Nov. 30, 2013, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $233.8 million and

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By Herp News

Tortoise Pipeline & Energy Fund, Inc. today announced that as of Nov. 30, 2013, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $392.8 million and its unaud

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By Herp News

Tortoise MLP Fund, Inc. today announced that as of Nov. 30, 2013, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $2.0 billion and its unaudited net asset value

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By Herp News

Tortoise North American Energy Corp. today announced that as of Nov. 30, 2013, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $267.5 million and its unaudited

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By Herp News

Tortoise Energy Independence Fund, Inc. today announced that as of Nov. 30, 2013, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $442.7 million and its unaudit

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By Herp News

Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Corp. today announced that as of Nov. 30, 2013, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $2.2 billion and its unaudited ne

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By Herp News

Delta is a 15-month-old loggerhead sea turtle that has found its home at the Tybee Island Marine Science Center for the past year.

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By Herp News

The Burmese python’s ability to ramp up its metabolism and enlarge its organs to swallow and digest prey whole can be traced to unusually rapid evolution and specialized adaptations of its genes and the way they work, an international team of biologists says.

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By Herp News

We've written about Cloud b's Twilight Turtle before. It's an adorable plush turtle toy whose shell softly glows, helping your child get to sleep at night. read more

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By Herp News

Little Ray’s Reptile Zoo and the Canadian Raptor Conservancy gave Thunder Bay residents a chance Sunday to get a close look at some exotic animals and learn about them at the same time.

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A former Animal Planet personality admitted he sold endangered lizards in a federal court last week.

From NBC Los Angeles:

Donald Schultz, 35, the former host of “Wild Recon” on Animal Planet, pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to violating the Endangered Species Act by offering to sell, and actually selling, two live desert monitor lizards (Varanus griseus) in interstate commerce, according to the U.S. District Attorney’s Office.

Schultz admitted that on July 29, 2010, he sold the lizards to an undercover agent with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who was posing as a prospective buyer, and shipped the lizards from Los Angeles to Buffalo, New York.

Schultz told NBC4 that he kept the lizards as pets, but decided to sell them because he was moving.

“Someone contacted me and asked to buy them from me,” said Schultz. “In retrospect, it was a stupid thing to do. I had no idea it was against the law.”

Read the full story here.

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