By Herp News

Tortoise North American Energy Corp. today announced that as of July 31, 2013, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $261.8 million and its unaudited

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By Herp News

Tortoise Energy Independence Fund, Inc. today announced that as of July 31, 2013, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $429.6 million and its unaudit

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By Herp News

Tortoise Power and Energy Infrastructure Fund, Inc. today announced that as of July 31, 2013, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $234.2 million and

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By Herp News

Tortoise Energy Capital Corp. today announced that as of July 31, 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 Pipeline & Energy Fund, Inc. today announced that as of July 31, 2013, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $390.4 million and its unaud

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By Herp News

Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Corp. today announced that as of July 31, 2013, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $2.1 billion and its unaudited ne

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By Herp News

In 1917, Joel Asaph Allen examined an innocuous species of shrew from the Congo Basin and made a remarkable discovery: the shrew’s spine was unlike any seen before. Interlocking lumbar vertebrae made the species’ spine four times strong than any other vertebrate on Earth adjusted for its size. The small mammal had been discovered only seven years before and was dubbed the hero shrew (Scutisorex somereni), after the name give to it by the local Mangbetu people, who had long known of the shrew’s remarkable abilities.

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By Herp News

In 1917, Joel Asaph Allen examined an innocuous species of shrew from the Congo Basin and made a remarkable discovery: the shrew’s spine was unlike any seen before. Interlocking lumbar vertebrae made the species’ spine four times strong than any other vertebrate on Earth adjusted for its size. The small mammal had been discovered only seven years before and was dubbed the hero shrew (Scutisorex somereni), after the name give to it by the local Mangbetu people, who had long known of the shrew’s remarkable abilities.

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By Herp News

Before the arrival of humans—with their dogs, cats, and wild pigs—the northern Bahamian rock iguana ruled its home range, being pound-for-pound among the biggest land animals on the islands. In these ecosystems, the iguana’s were the mega-grazers, the bison and elk of the Caribbean one might say. But hunting by humans, invasive species, and habitat loss knocked the king from its throne: pushing it into smaller habitats and decimating its population. Today the three subspecies of the northern Bahamian rock iguana (Cyclura cychlura) hang by a thread. And now a new threat is rising: poorly-regulated tourism, including iguana feeding.

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Turns out crocodiles have a sweet tooth — although unlike humans, they usually assuage it with fruit, not chocolate bars.

From New Scientist:

Reports that crocodiles have a taste for fruit go back decades, says Thomas Rainwater at the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Charleston, South Carolina. “But since these animals were long considered carnivores, no one paid much attention.”

In a routine analysis of American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) living in the Everglades National Park in Florida, Rainwater and his colleagues found fruit including pond apples in the alligators’ stomachs. They then turned up reports that at least 13 of the 23 living crocodilian species are fruit eaters.

Whether or not crocodilians actively go after fruit is debatable – especially as the predators are secretive and tend to do most of their foraging at night. A crocodile might simply eat an animal that has itself recently dined on fruit, for example.

But there is some evidence that fruit is consumed deliberately, too.

Read the full story here.

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By Herp News

The head of the Ottawa Humane Society says he's disturbed by reports alleging reptile neglect at an Ottawa big box pet store, and said he wants reptile owners to know his organization is equipped to come to the aid of exotic pets.

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By Herp News

This notice provides stockholders of Tortoise Power and Energy Infrastructure Fund, Inc. with information regarding the distribution paid on July 31, 2013 and cumulativ

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By Herp News

They still call the Balkans “the Powder Keg of Europe.” For good reason too: bloody ethnic and religious conflicts in the past decades have left hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced. As recently as 2001, the army in Macedonia was fighting with ethnic Albanians, many of them from Kosovo. However, in the past seven years a rare and charismatic wild cat – the Balkan lynx (Lynx lynx balcanicus)– is serving to unify countries with troubled historical and political relations. Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo and Montenegro are collaborating on a joint conservation strategy for the Critically Endangered animal.

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When firefighters entered a burning home in northern Utah, they found a roomful of snakes, some venomous.

From ABC News:

Among the snakes that were found were some of the most deadly, including five albino western diamondbacks and a Gaboon viper.

“The Gaboon viper is considered one of the most dangerous snakes in the world,” said Brad Hunt of the Utah Division of Wildlife. “It has very long fangs and very potent venom.”

The Gaboon Viper is indigenous to Africa, and anti-venom for the snake is not readily available in the United States.

Having venomous snakes is illegal in the state of Utah, and even native snakes must be registered and have permits. It is suspected that the owner, whose name has not been released but who officials believe is a snake professional or breeder, smuggled at least the Gaboon viper from out of state.

He was cited for possession of illegal animals, and Animal Control was in contact with an attorney to consider options for pressing any misdemeanor charges.

The snakes that he owned legally will be returned to him, officials said.

An animal control officer on the scene noted “the snakes were kept in ‘incredible condition’ and in ‘immaculate facilities.'”

Read the full story here.

Photo: Gaboon viper by kingsnake.com user viperkeeper. …read more
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The availability of captive-bred reptile and amphibian species to work with today is almost endless, with new color phases and morphs being discovered or created all the time.

Back when I was a hobbyist in the 80s and 90s, only a few species were being produced in captivity, primarily native colubrid snakes along with a small handful of exotics. The other species available, especially the exotic species, were almost invariably wild-caught imports, and even such animals as Honduran milk snakes, common in the captive-bred community today, were only available as parasite-infested wild-caught specimens whose survival was often questionable. Sports, or morphs, were virtually unknown, albinos truly rare, piebalds a holy grail.

With all the choices available today, just how do you pick which reptile or amphibian species to work with?

No matter what your interest is, there is something available for you, and that’s the first place to start: your interests.

Certainly there are other factors involved, not the least of which are space, cost, legality, etc., that all must be considered, but in the end, if you’re not interested in the species or morph, why work with it? Whether you want to work with Pacman frogs because you like Pacman frogs, or you want to chase the rainbow by breeding the latest and greatest ball python or hognose morphs, if you’re not working with something you’re interested in, you might as well be delivering pizzas instead.

My interests have been, and always will be, kingsnakes and milk snakes, and because that also happens to be the “branding” chosen for this web site long long ago, it’s a natural that I’ve started by breeding kingsnakes and milk snakes. With relatively easy care requirements, and a variety of species, sub-species, and color morphs to work with, they make excellent examples of “first time breeder” animals, one for which a ready market exists.

My business plan calls for acquiring several hundred kingsnake and milk snake hatchlings over the next 24 months, along with a few select adults, raising them up, breeding them, and then selling their offspring primarily into the wholesale market. As such it will be a full three years before I can expect to see any offspring in salable quantities, or the first returns on the investment, and as such will have to make very careful and wise decisions and good deals.

I plan to work primarily with less expensive snakes to start, California kingsnakes, eastern kingsnakes, Pueblan milk snakes, and a few others, avoiding the more problematic feeders or more collectible species such as graybanded and moutain kingsnakes, as well as avoiding the “man-made” morphs and sports such as albinos. Later as the operation expands I’ll look at adding more variety, but for now I’m going to focus on basics.

If you have these on your table at a show this year, or have them posted to our classifieds here, don’t be surprised to …read more
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By Herp News

A tortoise was denied boarding at an airport in China after its owner's attempt to sneak it through security checks in a KFC burger failed, state media said Wednesday.

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By Herp News

The head of the Ottawa Humane Society says he's disturbed by reports alleging reptile neglect at an Ottawa big box pet store, and said he wants reptile owners to know his organization is equipped to come to the aid of exotic pets.

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By Herp News

Reptile owners, handlers and some former PetSmart employees say they are shocked by how the animals are treated at large pet stores, saying the animals appear to be poorly cared for and malnourished.

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By Herp News

In 1917, Joel Asaph Allen examined an innocuous species of shrew from the Congo Basin and made a remarkable discovery: the shrew’s spine was unlike any seen before. Interlocking lumbar vertebrae made the species’ spine four times strong than any other vertebrate on Earth adjusted for its size. The small mammal had been discovered only seven years before and was dubbed the hero shrew (Scutisorex somereni), after the name give to it by the local Mangbetu people, who had long known of the shrew’s remarkable abilities.

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By Herp News

Bhilwara, July 30 — A lizard in the mid-day meal led to 78 students of an upper primary school in Rajasthan's Bhilwara district being hospitalized on Tuesday. The students complained of stomach ache, cramps and vomiting after consuming the meal.The incident happened less than two weeks after 23 students died after being served lunch laced with a deadly pesticide in a school in Bihar.Officials …

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By Herp News

76 students of a government school in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara district on Tuesday fell ill after consuming their mid-day meal in which a dead lizard was found. The children of the higher prima…

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By Herp News

79 children fell ill after a lizard was found in their mid-day meal at a government school in Bhilwara district, about 250 km from here, on Tuesday. 187 children of the upper primary gove…

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By Herp News

At least 76 students of a government school in Rajasthan's Bhilwara district today fell ill after consuming their midday meal in which a dead lizard was found.        

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By Herp News

The Headmaster of the school and mid-day meal in-charge were immediately suspended.

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In a new interview with National Geographic, Dr. Michael Hutchens discusses the hazards of working in areas where there are dangerous species of invertebrates and vertebrates, both on land and water — and how to protect yourself. During the interview, he tackles a topic that comes up constantly on kingsnake.com: the misuse of the terms “poisonous” and “venomous” when discussing snakes.

From the interview:

First let me address an issue that is a pet peeve of many biologists, and that is the difference between the terms “venomous” and “poisonous.” Many lay people use the terms interchangeably, when, if fact, they are very different. A poison is typically ingested, whereas venom is injected or actively introduced into the victim’s body. An example of the former is the cane toad (Bufo marinus)—potential predators of the toad are poisoned by toxic secretions produced by glands on the skin when they try to ingest the animal. An example of the latter is the king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), a large predatory snake that literally injects venom through its syringe-like fangs that are connected to venom glands. Some venomous species, such as rear-fanged snakes and gila monsters (Heloderma suspectum, one of the world’s few venomous lizards) must chew in order to introduce the venom, since they have no efficient way of injecting it. In addition, some poisons can be introduced through means other than ingestion, as for example, when someone with a cut on their hand picks up a poison dart frog, and the poison enters the blood stream through a skin abrasion.

Hitchens and NatGeo go on to discuss other herpetofauna as well as sea life and birds. It’s well worth a read. …read more
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By Herp News

Reptile owners, handlers and some former PetSmart employees say they are shocked by how the animals are treated at large pet stores, saying the animals appear to be poorly cared for and malnourished.

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By Herp News

Researchers have discovered a new — and critically endangered — species of lemur on the island of Madagascar. The primate is formally described in the journal Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.

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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 second quarter 2013 reports for each of these funds. The reports are available online at www.tortoiseadvisors.com.

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By Herp News

Amphibians exposed to insecticides early in life — even those not yet hatched — have a higher tolerance to those same insecticides later in life, according to a recent study.

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By Herp News

MIAMI (AP) — It's turtle-nesting season in Florida, when sea turtles lay their eggs and hatchlings head for the water.

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Check out this video “Soft Shelled Turtle,” submitted by kingsnake.com user freymann.
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

A two-headed turtle born last month at the San Antonio Zoo has become so popular that she has her own Facebook page.

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By Herp News

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A two-headed turtle born last month at the San Antonio Zoo has become so popular that she has her own Facebook page.

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By Herp News

REGINA – Here's something you don't see every day — a lizard that shoots blood out of its eyes.

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By Herp News

Pesticides commonly used in California’s Central Valley, one of the world’s most productive agricultural regions, have been found in remote frog species miles from farmland. Researchers have demonstrated the contamination of Pacific Tree Fogs in remote mountain areas, including national parks; supporting past research on the potential transport of pesticides by the elements.

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So, a python apparently capable of eating a T. rex got out of its cage at a Dartmouth frat house this week, and to hear the national media tell it, we’re just lucky Western civilization survived.

Oh, wait. Rather read the real story? Try this from the Hanover, NH, Valley News:

A small dog known to wear pink collars and matching sweaters made national headlines Wednesday after she discovered a ball python that had escaped on Dartmouth College’s campus last week.

Daisy, a 4-year-old Jack Russell/Dachshund mix, found the 3-foot-long snake while walking with her owner outside Tabard House, a coed Dartmouth fraternity, around 8 p.m. Tuesday night.

The snake’s disappearance had been picked up by the national news media when it went missing from its tank at the fraternity last week. Tabard President Connie Gong, a Dartmouth student who is watching the snake this summer, first noticed it was gone on Thursday.

The story erupted online again Wednesday, as the Associated Press picked up the scent. Other news outlets produced their own articles, including the Atlantic Wire, which dubbed the pooch “Hero Dog.”

[…]

[W]hile Hanover Police sought the public’s help in locating the snake, advising people to use caution if they came across it, [veterinarian Christine] Pinello said humans and animals alike were in little danger. Adult pythons can grow up to 5 feet, and they’re not poisonous. A python like the one that escaped Tabard would only eat small animals like mice, Pinello said.

“A 3-foot python really isn’t big,” Pinello said. “The python is probably scared.”

Hanover Police Captain Frank Moran said his department was aware that the snake had been found and the snake is now a “non-issue.”

He offered a joke, too: “The only thing that’s concerning is that now it’s 9 feet long.”

The Dartmouth reported Tuesday night that Gong said the python — named Lyude, and presumably still only 3 feet long — has been returned to its cage.

Read the full story here.

Photo: James M. Patterson/Valley News …read more
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By Herp News

An alligator-like reptile found roaming a New Mexico neighborhood has been sent to a reserve in southern Colorado.

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By Herp News

SANTA FE, N.M.—An alligator-like scaly reptile found roaming a Santa Fe neighborhood has been sent to a reserve in southern Colorado.

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By Herp News

Here's something you don't see every day — a lizard that shoots blood out of its eyes.

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By Herp News

Parks Canada is renewing their efforts to protect the greater short-horned lizard, a small toad-looking animal that is capable of shooting blood from it's eyes.

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