What do you mean it is a lizard, it ain’t got no legs! Check out this field shot of a Glass lizard in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user rosycorn found in Florida! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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This Tiger Jag Coastal Carpet python in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user reelmassacre looks like he is hoping for snacks! Be sure to tell them you liked it here.
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We hope this stunning Diamondback Terrapin in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user RMGARABEDIAN brightens your Monday! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Our 5th Trope species of the trip, the Leopard (or Dark Spotted Brown) Trope.
We had looked for Tropidophis pardalis, the Leopard Trope (the genus was formerly recognized as Dwarf Boas) on at least 5 of our Cuban herping/birding excursions, but had never made a truly dedicated search. Although certain we were well within the range of this species we had flipped many rocks and fallen tree corpses but had failed on every occasion. We had seen birds galore—todys, trogons, lizard cuckoos and others, we had seen various lizards and some endangered plants, but zero dwarf boas.
But on this occasion, on the last day of our last trip of 2022, I elected to do something a bit different. The other trip participants again climbed the rather treacherous rock-strewn trail with our group leader, Dr. Luis M. Diaz, but I was going to remain near the entrance and search out turnable rocks on the very muddy substrate. I was positive, after having long discussions with Dr. Diaz and Nils Navarro, that Leopard Tropes were in residence and our failures to find them were merely the quirk of fate known well to all herpers.
My compadres were soon out of sight up the trail. I turned 1 rock, then the second. Only arthropods and oozing mud were seen. I walked slowly through the gate and was confronted with mud and puddles, and in the distance one mud-covered rock resting ankle deep in slurpy-mud. I sloshed over, managed to flip it, and before the water sought its depth there, saw a little brown mud-splattered ball—our first Leopard Trope! And as luck would have it, Luis found a second example higher on the trail. It, too, was beneath a muddy rock.
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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! Check out this gorgeous pair of Sidewinders in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user dvenom05 . Remember that on Rattlesnake Friday, we celebrate all our venomous creatures! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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How precious and tiny is this! This wee Gargoyle Gecko is delicately perched on a finger in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user madisyn74 ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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What a lovely pair of Mocquard’s beauty snakes , uploaded by kingsnake.com user RandyWhittington? in our herp photo of the day! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Does a kingsnake really need an intro for our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user trevid ? Nope, but hey nice grayband. Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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The Northern Leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens) is an fairly widespread US Native species that get a spotlight in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Terry_Cox!
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As well as being hardy, Standing’s Day Geckos tame readily.
Seems the best way to describe this Malagasy beauty is to simply call it what it was–the biggest and the best of that diverse genus. True, it might be equaled in length by a male Giant Day Gecko, Phelsuma madagascariensis grandis, but Standing’s Day Gecko, P. standingi, is bulkier. When properly fed, a captive lifespan of 15 to 20+ years is not uncommon. In this genus of bright green geckos, that it was not the most colorful was obvious. But color isn’t everything, and the hatchlings, with their green heads, red-banded body, and blue tail, more than make up for the muted greens, blues, and grays of the adults. Additionally, after gentle acclimatization this 9 to 11+ inch long gecko is of a relatively quiet, unafraid, demeanor and often allows gentle handling. All said, it is an ideal pet lizard.
Like other species in this genus of about 70 species, Standing’s Day Gecko is largely diurnal and arboreal. Two larger species once existed but are now considered extinct and the blame is laid on habitat destruction. In nature this gecko not only licks nectar and pollen and fruit, but also consumes a fair number of insects and an occasional small vertebrate. Captives will readily eat insects and prepared Day Gecko Food.
Ours were housed in a 65 gallon hexagonal aquarium set up with vertical and diagonal hollow limbs, growing plants, and an easily accessed feeding platform. They drank droplets of water from the glass. Not until their deaths at a ripe old ages did we part.
Several clutches were produced annually by adult females. Eggs may be produced singly or in pairs.
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This Black Tailed Rattlesnake is poised and ready in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user erindonalson !? Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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What amazing colors Uros come in, like this ornate in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user plietz! Be sure to tell them you liked it here.
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Climbing to greet the morning is this beautiful green tree monitor in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user roadspawn!
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These two boas are chilling in a fresh tub of water in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user BNixon ! I bet there were babies being made at some point here. Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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A whole lot of AWWWWS for this newborn Collared Lizard in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user the4thmonkey! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Yellow throat, paired chalk sacs, and flattened tail typifies the wonderful Flat-tailed Day Gecko.
The common name says it all. Unlike several of the medium-sized lookalike day geckos, there can be no question about the identification of this beauty. The flattened tail, present on adults of both sexes, is immediately discernible and diagnostic. Original tails are fringed, regenerated tails are flattened but not fringed. Hatchlings and juveniles have a rounder tail. Three red bars cross the head and 3 elongate red markings are present on the lower back. Always a hobbyist favorite, this species was never imported in large numbers. Like other members of this large genus, this species is diurnal and feeds on nectar and pollen as well as occasional small insects. It is said by some to be a rainforest dweller, but others say it is most common more in the open on coconut palms and occasionally on bananas.
In its restricted range in eastern Madagascar, the Flat-tailed Day Gecko is said to dwell in family units of a single male and a harem of several females. Apparently subadults of both sexes are tolerated by the dominant male until their maturity. Glaw and Vences have stated that even the hatchlings of this taxon are agonistic.
Males of this species attain a length of about 6 inches, females top out at about 5 inches. Several clutches are produced annually by adult females. Eggs may be produced singly or in pairs.
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They may be sassy but the beauty of a Tokay gecko is undeniable, like this one in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user stingray! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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This Reticulated Python is grabbing a drink and a little sunbeam in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user ChondroGTP! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Wary and keeping his distance, this agama is protecting his territory in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user aero_tiff ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Patti took this photo of the beautiful Cuban Side-blotched Curly-tailed Lizard.
Curly-tailed Lizards are well known to herpers and even non-herper visitors to southeastern Florida. They were purposely introduced in the 1940s in the hopes they would eradicate the sugarcane beetle.
They didn’t. But in one way or another Curly-tails made their way from the cane-fields to the Palm Beach area and found the sandy soil of that region much to their liking. Populations thrived and grew..From there they have spread westward and southward, and as far northward as winter temperatures would allow. The form found in Florida is a Bahaman subspecies, Leiocephalus carinatus armouri. When we had a chance to travel in Cuba, we had opportunity to see 4 additional species, some of rather plain coloration and patterning, but others that were quite strikingly colored.
Under the guidance of Dr. Luis M. Diaz, we have been able to see several species and subspecies of curlytails, some of which, by the way, do not curl their tails much at all. These have varied from several subspecies of Cuban Striped Curlytails, L. stictogaster ssp. to the Cuban Curlytail, L. cubensis, the beautiful Cuban Side-blotched Curlytail, L. macropus, and others. All species were amidst outcroppings, rock-fields, sidewalks (including downtown Habana) and/or sandy beaches.
The lizards of this primarily insectivorous genus are oviparous, with females having 2 or 3 clutches of 2 to 5 eggs during each breeding season. The clutches are about 2 weeks apart.
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In celebration of all things venomous, a photo of a bushmaster taken in the field graces our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user surgeon ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Beautiful shot of a Grandis Day Gecko in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user uggleedog brightens your day! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Hope this beautiful Sumatran Short Tail (aka Black Blood) in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user amaliamoran brightens your day! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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What a lovely looking pair of Chinese Water Dragons in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Agata ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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The Coelen’s python may be a hybrid, but they are still are so beautiful that they deserve a spot in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user JonathanH! Be sure to tell tem you liked it here!
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The beautiful White-chinned Giant Anole, Anolis flavigularis, is now a full species.
With 60 (plus or minus a few—the taxonomists are still at work!), Cuba, if you don’t already know, is “anole-central.” These vary from 3 ½ to 5-inch-long twig anoles, that, even if you’re looking for them are difficult to see, to the 12+ inch long giant and chameleon anoles that blend superbly with the foliage and trunks among which they dwell.
Following our very successful stop at Soroa,, our next venture took us westward to the beautiful town of Vinales. Although a great stop for both herping and birding, we were hoping to see at least 5 herp taxa on that first night, 4 Anolis species, and 1 snake. We succeeded on the anoles and the target snake plus 1.
The anoles included 2 in the subgenus Chamaeolis, the “gnarly” Western Bearded Anole, A. (C.) barbatus and the Short Bearded Anole, A. (C.) chamaeleonides, (these are big and different looking than “normal” anoles), plus 2 typical anoles, the big tree dwelling, white-chinned A. flavigularis and the smaller tan and blue, cliff dwelling A. bartschi. The “target” snake seen was the Broad-banded Trope, Tropidophis feicki, a species most wanted by our group. Additionally, a Guaniguanico Racerlet, Arrhyton tanyplectum, was found. This latter is, as suggested by its name, an alert and fast rear-fanged species of small size.
The weather was very dry and it was perhaps for that reason that we failed to see the big Giant Robber Frog, Eleutherodactylus zeus. But we’ll try again.
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In celebration of all things venomous, ciccada is on the menu for this Copperhead in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user coolhl7 ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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This hatching Cribo in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user alanB makes monday more bearable! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Get Naked! Ok maybe not, but this Ball python was slipping into something a little more comfy in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user tylerwork ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Alert and always keeping his eye on you, this Basiliscus plumifrons shines in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user kus! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Sitting at its front door, this E. zeus had an estimated snout to vent length nearing 6 inches.
Zeus–the Greek God who rules sky and thunder; who rules as king of the gods of Mount Olympus.
But no, it was not for this deity that our search took us to the mojotes in western Cuba near Vinales. We had looked for our Zeus on an earlier trip but perhaps due to the dryness then, had failed. Our Zeus, you see, was a frog, a rather spectacular frog that because of its restricted range and even more restricted habitat is not a well-known species.
The common name for this sought frog, Eleutherodactylus zeus, is Zeus’ Robber Frog. As suggested by its scientific name, it is in the family Eleutherodactylidae. It dwells in the perpetual dampness of caves and crevices, shaded by forests on the limestone mojotes of western Cuba.
And this time, with escarpments and caves still dampened by rainfall runoff, we succeeded, seeing not one, but a half dozen of the frogs. These varied from about a 2 inch svl (snout-vent length) to close to 6 inches.
Nearly as dark in color as the caves from which they had emerged, the first one seen was mistaken for one of the local giant toads. But its 3+ foot leap back into its cave—a length that no giant toad could equal–quickly gave lie to that assumption.
Within just a few minutes others were seen, photos were taken, and we departed, leaving these prodigious anurans in peace.
Like all members of the family, reproduction is by “direct development. There is no free-swimming tadpole stage.
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The ability to camouflage is impressive in some species, like this Uroplatus pietschmanni in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user mcamo3shows the awesome variety in their colors!! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! Let’s celebrate with this fantastic in situ Eastern Diamondback in Alabama, uploaded by kingsnake.com user SalS? Be sure to tell them you liked it here! As always on Friday, we celebrate all of our venomous reptiles for their contribution to the world.
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The only way this Diamond Python can be described is stunning in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user CincyGrady shows the awesome variety in their colors!! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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This cute little pile of Collared Lizards in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user pheve shows the awesome variety in their colors!! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Meet the Amazonian Toadlet, one of the smallest and most easily overlooked of the regions herpetofauna.
Truly a “Minuta”
At an adult length of just under 1”, the tiny, basically terrestrial, Amazonian Toadlet, Dendrophryniscus (Amazophrynella) minuta, is truly an anuran whose actual length is exceeded (dramatically!) by a scientific name that is, when printed, much longer than the amphibian itself. In some areas, such as in our “stomping grounds” north of Iquitos Peru, this is a rather common but easily overlooked component of the rainforest floor herpetofauna. Afterall, the dorsal color is “fallen leaf” brown, the orange belly color is not to be see unless the toad is in hand or peering at you from a trailedge shrub leaf that just happens to be face-high, it is literally minute, and is not overly active. The reddish soles of the feet will not be seen unless the toad is being held.
This tiny bufonid has an immense range, being found almost coast to coast from Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru northward to Colombia and Venezuela. It utilizes temporary waterholes for breeding in its rainforest habitat. The breeding call remains undescribed.
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Let’s go Hog Wild for this Eddy County New Mexico Locality Hognose in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user nearhoofm ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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This Mexican Pine Snake (Pituophis deppei jani) is ready for action in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user pitparade . Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! How cool is this calico Pygmy Rattlesnake, uploaded by kingsnake.com user abyssus? Be sure to tell them you liked it here! As always on Friday, we celebrate all of our venomous reptiles for their contribution to the world.
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Our Herp Photo of the Day shows and amazing look inside the egg of a Russian Tortoise to be, uploaded by kingsnake.com user tortusjack!
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