By Herp News

On October 2nd, WWF released camera trap videos of Sumatran rhinos surviving in Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo. The conservation organization had already announced in April that they had evidence of at least one Sumatran rhino in the province, but the new images confirmed what is likely to be a small surviving population. While this is good news for an animal on the edge of extinction, Erik Meijaard, a researcher who has worked in Indonesia for over 20 years, says WWF has made a mistake publicizing the news around the world, noting ‘the last thing those rhinos need is publicity.’

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

By Herp News

On October 2nd, WWF released camera trap videos of Sumatran rhinos surviving in Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo. The conservation organization had already announced in April that they had evidence of at least one Sumatran rhino in the province, but the new images confirmed what is likely to be a small surviving population. While this is good news for an animal on the edge of extinction, Erik Meijaard, a researcher who has worked in Indonesia for over 20 years, says WWF has made a mistake publicizing the news around the world, noting ‘the last thing those rhinos need is publicity.’

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

If you ever needed proof that no good deed goes unpunished, just read this story of a Florida man bitten by a rattlesnake while helping a turtle get out of traffic.

From the Sun-Sentinel:

The 24-year-old man, whose name was not immediately released, and a friend were driving on Interstate 75 in west Broward County when they saw a turtle crossing the highway.

At a point west of the interchange, where I-75 meets Interstate 595, they pulled over. The man got out, grabbed the turtle and carried it to a grassy area on the side of the highway.

“When he reached down to put the turtle in the grass, that’s when the snake bit him,” said Capt. Jeff Fobb, of the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Venom Response Team.

Read the full story here.

Photo: Miami-Dade Fire Rescue …read more
Read more here: King Snake

By Herp News

On 10/10/13, Tortoise Energy Capital Fund's 3.95% Series C Mandatory Redeemable Preferred Shares (NYSE: TYY.PRC) will trade ex-dividend, for its monthly dividend of $0.0329, payable on 11/1/13. As a percentage of TYY.PRC's recent share price of $10.15, this dividend works out to approximately 0.32%. On an annualized basis, the current yield is approximately 3.87%, which compares to an average …

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

By Herp News

This Halloween season, one animal above all else is sure to sport one of the best costumes around. With skin boasting a variety of colors and patterns, the leopard gecko never needs to play dress up because …

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

For 50 years, the Pinocchio anole, Anolis proboscis, was believed to be extinct. Now researchers have confirmed the species still exists in the forests of Ecuador.

From Mother Nature News:

After searching for the long-nosed animal for three years, a team of photographers and researchers found the lizard recently in a stretch of pristine cloud forest in the northwest part of the country, said Alejandro Arteaga, a co-founder of the educational and ecotourism company Tropical Herping, which conducted the search for the lizard.

Also called the Pinocchio anole (an anole is a type of lizard), the animal is named after a certain dishonest wooden puppet and was first discovered in 1953, Arteaga said. But wasn’t seen between the 1960s and 2005, when an ornithologist saw one crossing a road in the same remote area in northwest Ecuador. This is only the third time scientists have spotted it since 2005, Arteaga added.

Read the rest here.

Photo: Alejandro Arteaga/Tropical Herping …read more
Read more here: King Snake

By Herp News

LOS CABOS, Mexico – Far from the bikini-lined beaches and booze-fuelled bars of Cabo San Lucas, I lie elbow deep on the sand of some remote Mexican dunes waiting for the sun to near the horizon, a growing nursery of baby turtles squirming beside me.

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

By Herp News

Covered in black and white spots, armed with sharp claws and spanning four feet in length, Florida Fish and Wildlife is on the prowl for an emerging invasive species known as the Argentine Tegu Lizard.

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

By Herp News

Long thought to be extinct, the long-nosed Pinocchio anole has been spotted in a cloud forest in northwest Ecuador.

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

By Herp News

Crocodiles were once so abundant along the rim of southern Jamaica that images of their toothy jaws and spiny armour crown the tropical island's coat of arms and are stencilled on the bumpers of military vehicles.Now the big reptiles…

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

By Herp News

EVAN BLEIER – UPI.com Pinocchio Lizard spotted by a team of Ecuadorian biologists for just the third time in the last 15 years.

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

By Herp News

Pinocchio anoles were thought to be extinct for about 50 years before being recently rediscovered in the cloud forests of northwest Ecuador. Alejandro Arteaga / Tropical Herping

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

By Herp News

VALHALLA, N.Y., Oct. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ – Turtle Beach, the leader in video game audio, today announced new additions to the company's executive team as the company continues to add senior talent to …

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

Check out this video “Het albino X Sunglow Litter,” submitted by kingsnake.com user robertmcphee.
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

A dead male Olive Ridley turtle washed ashore at Tiruvanmiyur beach on Sunday. The turtle bore injuries and strangulation marks, pointing to the possibility that it was trapped either in…

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

By Herp News

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Indonesia says the smuggling of sea turtle eggs in to Malaysia from West Kalimantan has drastically increased, triggered by the high prices of turtle eggs. “In Malaysia, each turtle egg can fetch 80 ringgit cents or about Rp 2,600 (s$0.28). Meanwhile, at local markets, they cost only Rp 1,500,” said turtle conservation coordinator of WWF-Indonesia for West Kalimantan …

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

By Herp News

A dead male Olive Ridley turtle washed ashore at Thiruvanmiyur beach on Sunday. The turtle bore injuries and strangulation marks, pointing to the possibility that it was trapped either in a…

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

By Herp News

Reptile rescue officers in Sonoma County, Calif., say tarantula mating season means people can expect to see more of the giant, hairy spiders until the winter rains begin. Don Ford of KPIX reports.

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

By Herp News

This ain't no lie: The Pinocchio lizard was thought to be extinct for 50 years, but has been rediscovered in the cloud forests of Ecuador.

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

By Herp News

A sub-adult loggerhead sea turtle was rescued Saturday evening, Sept. 21, at the Juno Beach Fishing Pier due to the responsible actions of a local family and friends.

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

When we talk about “snake handling” here on kingsnake.com, we’re not talking about religion. But today on National Public Radio, they are.

From NPR:

Worshiping with snakes dates back more than 100 years, but today, the major Pentecostal denominations denounce the practice.

There are an estimated 125 snake-handling churches scattered across Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas and Appalachia, where the tradition is strongest. Snakes in church are against the law everywhere but West Virginia, though in most states it’s a misdemeanor offense the authorities don’t bother with.

[…]

There are the five signs often practiced in snake handling churches, including the sipping of poison such as strychnine or lye as a test of their faith.

[Pastor Jamie] Coots has been bitten nine times by venomous snakes. Each time he refused medical attention. Half of his right middle finger is gone as a result of a fang from a yellow rattler. In 1995, a woman who was bit in his church refused to go to the hospital; she died on Coots’ couch while they prayed over her.

Such is the conviction of his belief that Coots has agreed not to call EMS if [his son] Little Cody is bitten. “He has been bit five times by cottonmouths, and he has already told me, ‘Dad, I’ll never go to a doctor,’ ” says his father.

Read and listen to the rest of the story here.

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

By Herp News

NEWPORT, Ore. – The female turtle that washed onto a beach in Lincoln City with a myriad of medical issues has died, despite efforts at the Oregon Coast Aquarium to save her. The olive ridley turtle, which was named “Furlough,” washed ashore Monday. Aquarium staff said the turtle arrived hypothermic, dehydrated, anemic and battered by the surf. She also had a scarred and chipped shell. Furlough …

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

By Herp News

NEWPORT, Ore. – The female turtle that washed onto a beach in Lincoln City with a myriad of medical issues has died, despite efforts at the Oregon Coast Aquarium to save her. The olive ridley turtle, which has been named “Furlough,” washed ashore Monday. Aquarium staff said the turtle arrived hypothermic, dehydrated, anemic and battered by the surf. She also had a scarred and chipped shell …

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

By Herp News

Two Japanese men have been charged with trying to smuggle 30 lizards out of Western Australia.

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

By Herp News

With its collapsed economy, entrenched poverty, and political tremors, one would not expect that a country like Zimbabwe would have the capacity to safeguard its rhinos against determined and well-funded poachers, especially as just across the border South Africa is currently losing over two rhinos a day on average. And indeed, without the Lowveld Rhino Trust (LRT), rhinos in Zimbabwe would probably be near local extinction. But the LRT, which currently manages around 90 percent of the country’s rhinos in private reserves along with aid from conservation partners and government officials, has proven tenacious and innovative in its battle to safeguard the nation’s rhinos from the poaching epidemic.

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

By Herp News

Sir David Attenborough, Bill Oddie and Chris Packham are supporting an effort to save the orangutan from extinction by raising £1m in just two weeks. Orangutans in their natural environment live in undisturbed ancient forests and for many years it was believed they shunned any other habitats. But researchers have discovered they can survive just as well and perhaps even better in forests that have been intensively thinned out by loggers, giving renewed hope for the species.

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

Cancer: It’s a word no one wants to hear. Especially when it happens to a family member.

As many members of the East Texas Herpetelogical Society (ETHS) in Houston know, a longtime member of their family and the herp community, Nathan Wells, has been fighting a battle with cancer since first diagnosed in the summer of 2012.

Nathan kept friends and family up to date with his battle throughout the year, posting updates of his fight from hospital bed describing his treatments and procedures, until he beat his cancer.

But as any cop will tell you, you may beat the ticket, but you never beat the ride.

Even with medical insurance, a long cancer fight is an expensive battle, one that continues long after the illness has passed, and Nathan and his family have been left with a pile of medical bills.

His family at ETHS pitched in during their 23rd Annual Conference and Breeders Expo over the weekend, and held a fundraiser with a goal of raising $10,000 for Nathan’s medical expenses. They continue to take donations on his behalf.

Nathan’s story, a story that can happen to any one of us, is detailed on the ETHS website this month. To read more about one herper’s incredible fight against cancer and for details on how to donate to his medical expense fund, click here.

…read more
Read more here: King Snake

Cancer: It’s a word no one wants to hear. Especially when it happens to a family member.

As many members of the East Texas Herpetelogical Society (ETHS) in Houston know, a longtime member of their family and the herp community, Nathan Wells, has been fighting a battle with cancer since first diagnosed in the summer of 2012. Nathan kept friends and family up to date with his battle throughout the year, posting updates of his fight from hospital bed describing his treatments and procedures, until he beat his cancer.

But as any cop will tell you, you may beat the ticket, but you never beat the ride.

Even with medical insurance, a long cancer fight is an expensive battle, one that continues long after the illness has passed, and Nathan and his family have been left with a pile of medical bills. His family at ETHS pitched in during their 23rd Annual Conference and Breeders Expo over the weekend, and held a fundraiser with a goal of raising $10,000 for Nathan’s medical expenses. They continue to take donations on his behalf.

Nathan’s story, a story that can happen to any one of us, is detailed on the ETHS website this month. To read more about one herper’s incredible fight against cancer and for details on how to donate to his medical expense fund, click here.

…read more
Read more here: King Snake

Veterinary Practice News is reporting that reptile and exotic animal vet, author, and longtime kingsnake.com community member Dr. Kevin Wright passed away unexpectedly Sept. 26 after a brief illness. He was 50 years old.

Dr. Wright was a prolific writer on reptile and amphibian subjects, contributing over 300 articles to Reptiles magazine and other publications over the years, and was an original board member with the Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians.

A 1988 graduate of the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Wright was co-author of the 2001 manual “Amphibian Medicine and Captive Husbandry.” His career included work at zoos in Philadelphia, Miami, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C., and he owned Wright Bird and Exotic Pet House Calls, a mobile practice based in Mesa, Ariz.

He is survived by his wife, Marlene.

For more information, read the article on the Veterinary Practice News website.

…read more
Read more here: King Snake

By Herp News

Tortoise Power and Energy Infrastructure Fund, Inc. today announced that as of Sept. 30, 2013, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $230.2 million an

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

By Herp News

Tortoise Pipeline & Energy Fund, Inc. today announced that as of Sept. 30, 2013, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $389.4 million and its unau

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

By Herp News

Tortoise North American Energy Corp. today announced that as of Sept. 30, 2013, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $259.5 million and its unaudited

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

By Herp News

Tortoise MLP Fund, Inc. today announced that as of Sept. 30, 2013, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $1.9 billion and its unaudited net asset valu

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

By Herp News

Tortoise Energy Independence Fund, Inc. today announced that as of Sept. 30, 2013, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $448.9 million and its unaudi

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

By Herp News

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

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

By Herp News

Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Corp. today announced that as of Sept. 30, 2013, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $2.1 billion and its unaudited n

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

By Herp News

A loggerhead turtle tangled in fishing lines was rescued Monday off the Florida coast by a good Samaritan on a surfboard. The turtle was spotted struggling to stay afloat Monday Afternoon off Cocoa Beach on the state’s East Coast. Loggerhead Sea Turtle Gets Artificial Flippers…

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

By Herp News

In a country where most conservationists are still foreigners—either European or American—Nurzahafarina Othman stands out: not only is she Malaysian, a Muslim, and a mother of a young daughter, but she’s rapidly becoming a top researcher and champion for the world’s smallest elephant: the Bornean elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis). Although sometimes described as a pygmy elephant, they still weigh 2,000 kilograms (4,400 pounds). The origin of these ‘tiny’ elephants in Malaysian Borneo have baffled scientists for decades.

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com

Nine baby ocellate mountain vipers (Vipera wagneri) are helping their species stay off the brink of extinction, thanks to the efforts of the St. Louis Zoo.

From Scientific American:

In 2009, with populations down at least 80 percent and a new dam on the Aras River threatening to destroy a large portion of the snake’s habitat, the International Union for Conservation of Nature listed the ocellate mountain viper as “critically endangered.”

[…] The Saint Louis Zoo coordinates a Species Survival Plan (based on the programs created by the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums) for the ocellate mountain viper, which includes a cooperative breeding program among several zoos. There aren’t many zoos that hold these snakes, though. Saint Louis is one of only three in the U.S. with the species in their collections, and they have the majority: Including the nine snakes born on August 16, Saint Louis Zoo has 23 of the 28 ocellate mountain vipers in the U.S.

The snakes are considered critically endangered in the wild. Read the full story here.

Photo: Mark Wanner, Saint Louis Zoo …read more
Read more here: King Snake

By Herp News

This notice provides stockholders of Tortoise Power and Energy Infrastructure Fund, Inc. with information regarding the distribution paid on Sept. 30, 2013 and cumulati

Go to Source

…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com