What a sassy Mex Mex Kingsnake in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user rod_mcleod ! 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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So simple and so beautiful. That is the black racer in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user ReptileProducts ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! This gorgeous field found Rock Rattlesnake (Crotalus lepidus), uploaded by kingsnake.com user Tom Anderson was found on the 277 back in the day! 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 Fire Skink in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user firereptiles is appropriately named! Pure FIRE! Be sure to tell them you liked it here! No offense USPS!

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This is a gorgeous corn snake in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user dallashawks ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here! No offense USPS!

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This is one sassy Mississippi Mud Turtle in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user Lyn! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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This was the “Big Guy.”Long known as Epicrates angulifer, this long and hefty boa is now, like other West Indian Boas, in the genus Chilabothrus. Its common name of Cuban Boa has not been changed and it remains well known to hobbyists. They are live-bearing and may have up to 20+ young.

This boa is the largest and heaviest of the genus and may attain an adult length of 15 feet and an age of 25+ years. It ranges in the forestlands throughout Cuba and Cuba’s immediate islands. Although on an earlier trip in the dry season we had missed seeing this iconic taxon, some rain had fallen between then and now and we hoped that we would see at least one. We did. In fact we saw about a half a dozen, and these ranged from about 2 feet in length to—well let me tell you a bit about the largest one.

The group had spent a couple of hours on a trail known by the name of “Enigma of Rocks.” You may have never seen this trail, but the name alone should give you an idea of the complexity of passage. And somewhere along the trail a 5 foot long Cuban boa had been seen. Our group were happy campers.

We had been making our ways slowly back to the bus and were about ready to board when Luis, who had been chatting with a Forest Ranger, said ”One more stop—if you want to see a big boa.” Of course we did and within minutes we were on another rocky forest trail. A 15 minute walk took us to a “bat cave” and in front of the cave lay coiled the biggest Cuban Boa any of us had ever seen. We all agreed that the snake was at least 10 feet long (and probably longer) and its normally substantial girth was swollen even more by the prey it had eaten. The forest ranger guessed the prey to be an adult Hutia (as mentioned, a big rodent) and said the boa had been lying at the cave entrance for 4 days and that he expected that it would remain for another 4 or 5 days while digesting its meal.

And except to say all in the group felt that this sighting was well worth the walk and thanks Luis, that’s the story of our largest Cuban Boa.
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A wonderful field find in Mexico of this Lyre Snake brightens your day in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user Chuck_Ch ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! This stunning Guarico Rattlesnake, uploaded by kingsnake.com user robnimmo is a thing of beauty to behold! 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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How high can you stack your dragons? Another pic overloaded with cuteness, uploaded by kingsnake.com user dedragons! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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May this wild Alligator on the Peace River in Florida in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user JonathanH bring you a peaceful day. Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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This Common Frog is up to shenanigans in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user kus and the backyard he was found in! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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This close up of a Rainbow Boa shows off their fantastic beauty so well our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user mjmullis ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Darker than many, this is an adult Scarlet Kingsnake.
Whether called Scarlet Kingsnakes or Milk Snakes, these mostly small-sized constrictors are so pretty that I can’t stop writing about them.

The Scarlet Kingsnake, Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides, is the sole tricolored kingsnake of the southeastern USA. It is a pretty snake, gaudily bedecked with triads of red, then black that separates the red from the yellow, rings, and it almost always (perhaps always, but aberrancies may sometimes happen) has a red nose. In this manner of nose color and ring assembly, the harmless scarlet kingsnake differs from the venomous Eastern Coral Snake, Micrurus fulvius, that almost always has a black nose and again, almost always, has the 2 caution colors, red and yellow, touching.

This is one of the smaller of the tricolored kingsnakes, with lengths of 17-20 inches being most common and lengths in excess of 24 inches being quite uncommon. Hatchlings are tiny, often being only 6 to 6 ½” in length. Although large adults may accept nestling mice as prey, throughout their lives this species feeds primarily on suitably sized lizards.

The last Scarlet King that I happened upon was found in moist microhabitat beneath a sizable, mouldering,pine limb. Others have been seen crossing roadways, beneath debris, and actually in moist leaf-filled crotches of still living trees.

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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! This prairie rattlesnake in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user DanL shows us exactly what a rattlesnake does in the wild if they feel threatened! First they warn and then they try to run away! Rattlesnakes are so very important to our ecosystem and it is so very important to understand that it is important to watch for them, respect them and give them their space for freedom. Despite the urban legends, they run away! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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A new ordinance is looking at being passed in Sioux City, IA that limits all animals in a household to three. Typically in the past these types of laws applied solely to dogs and cats, but the city restructured the definition of domestic animals and it applies to almost everything. From the USARK Action Alert:

Sioux City is taking steps to severely limit the number of animals that can be owned by its residents by redefining the term domestic animal (which currently only includes dogs and cats). As redefined, it would include most animals and limit the number per household to no more than three pets in total. This ban narrowly passed its first reading (3-2) so not all Council members approve of this legislative abuse. Local residents must voice their opposition immediately as the next reading and vote are scheduled for Monday, October 10.
…
The only pets excluded from this new ban would be hamsters, guinea pigs, and fish. It would be legal to have 300 hamsters but illegal to have three crested geckos or three lovebirds. Regardless of the species, the numbers assigned to these “pet limits” are completely arbitrary and capricious with no logical or scientific grounds to argue the merit. One person may responsibly and humanely care for seven dogs while another person may not be able to responsibly have one dog. The problem is isolated to the bad owners and not how many pets people have. Punishing responsible animal owners by claiming it will stop irresponsible actions by others is bad government at its finest through collective punishment.

For more information, please visit the USARK action alert page here. …read more
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You know kingsnakes are out favorites. Loving this Lampropeltis leonis our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Rod_McLeod ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Love is in the air for this pair of Gran Carania (Gallotia stehlini) our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user John-C ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Feeling a little Blue with this Grand Cayman hybrid (likely lewisi x caymanensis) our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user raptorick ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Back in the field as this lovely Fire Salamander takes the spotlight in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user NYgaboon ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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These are Italian Wall Lizards in NY.
No lizards of the family Lacertidae are native to the USA but as a result of the pet trade and deliberate introduction, 3 species now exist here. One, the Western Green Lizard, Lacerta bilineata, is restricted to the Topeka, KS region and is not discussed in this blog. The remaining 2 are both Wall or Ruin Lizards and are in the genus Podarcis. The species are the Italian Wall Lizard, P. siculus and the Common Wall Lizard, P. muralis, both common to abundant species in their European homelands.

Of nomenclatural interest is the fact that rather than subspecies, color and size differences in P. muralis are referred to as morphs, while P. siculus has been broken into so many subspecies that even the researchers can be confused.

Although subspecific/populational size differences can be seen in Europe, both species in the USA are of relatively similar length and overall appearance but generally differ markedly in color.

Both have an adult snout-vent length of about 3 ½” and a tail, if in its original form, of another 3 ½ or 4 inches. They are slender lizards that are of somewhat flattened appearance, especially on cool mornings when they are warming in the sunshine. Fortunately for observers the two do differ markedly in coloration as well as in current range in the USA. Both are habitat generalists, being equally successful in populating residential, agricultural, or dry fields or meadowlands. Both species can climb but the Italian Wall Lizard seems the more apt to use arboreal escape routes.

The Common Wall Lizard, P. muralis, is an overall sand tan and warm brown dorsally and laterally. Originally introduced in Cincinnati this little European lizard is now truly common in that area. It is also now firmly established in northwestern Kentucky.

The Italian Wall Lizard P. siculus differs from the Common Wall Lizard in having a green back and often some green on the sides. It is also at home in both residential and urban areas. It has been reported from CT, MO, KS, NY, CA, NJ, PA, but may now be absent in some regions and present in others.

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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! Today we bring you this serene headshot of a lovely Black-tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus), uploaded by kingsnake.com user MartinWhalin1 ! This guy was found in the wild in Arizona and as you can see, he was respected by the herpers and he gave them respect in return. 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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So precious! We love hatchling photos, like this awakening Gecko in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user SA! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Sometimes you need to look outside the box! This stunning Sunbeam Snake may not be the most colorful on first glance, but as you can see in our Herp Photo of the Day, they are a truly beautiful snake, uploaded by kingsnake.com user mecdwell! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Snakes and Cats living together, it will be anarchy! Wait what? Nah it is just a nice shot of a Cat Snake (Boiga cyanea) in our Herp Photo of the Day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user ptahtoo! Be sure to tell ptahtoo you liked it here!

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This Timor Python in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user carlovandunsure has her eye on you! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! We hopped into the wayback machine to visit this C.ruber in the field in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user joecarroll ! 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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What a stunning female Coastal Carpet Python in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user AJ01! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Loving this Blue tongue skink just chilling in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user PatS . Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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What more can we say but AMAZING! This is such a beautiful shot of a Desert Horned Lizard in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Brockn ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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This momma Suboc is guaring her fresh clutch in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user pecoskid ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Meet the Banded Knob-tailed Gecko, N. wheeleri cinctus.
Earlier we discussed the 2 most distinctive Knob-tailed Geckos, the Centralian and the Queensland Rough-skinned species. Today we’ll take a look at two species, the Three-banded and the Banded Knob-tails, respectively known as Nephrurus levis (three subspecies, N.l. levis, N.l. occidentalis and N.l. pibarenis) and N.wheeleri cinctus. As with other members of this genus, these 2 are capable of “barking” vocalizations.

The Three-banded Knob-tailed Gecko, Nephrurus levis, is the most widespread member of this genus on the Australian Continent. Two of the 3 subspecies of this species occur in westernmost Western Australia. The third, has a vast range throughout most of interior Australia. The reference of 3 bands refers to the three narrow light bands, often dark bordered, that cross the dorsum between the back of the head and the shoulders. If taken literally, the reference to smooth in a second common name is erroneous. It is meant only as a comparison to differentiate the relative skin texture of this species from the very roughened dorsal and lateral skin of other members of this genus.

This species has a rather long, somewhat flattened, knob-tipped tail. Counting tail, the length of this species would be about 5 inches. It, like other members of the genus is oviparous.

The more commonly seen of the 2 subspecies of Wheeler’s Knob-tail, is the northernmore form, N. wheeleri cinctus. It has been elevated to full species status, N. cinctus, by some researchers. It is also known as the Banded Knob tail Gecko. It is restricted to Western Australia.

It is a rough-skinned species with the dorsum being much rougher than the sides. Dorsal and lateral coloration is purplish with wide brownish bands.

This species seems to prefer vegetated rocky areas as habitat.

The Banded Knob-tailed Gecko has a rather long, flattened tail tipped with a small knob. Counting the tail, the length of this species would be about 4 ½ inches. It, like other members of the genus is oviparous.

Both the Banded and the Three-banded Knob-tailed Geckos have proven hardy captives and have been bred numerous times by hobbyists. Aridland terrariums are preferred, and several inches of clean sand is a suitable substrate. Watering is a bit of a chore. Besides not recognizing water dishes as moisture sources, their normal activities usually have dishes rapidly sand filled. It has been found that spraying the terrarium sides in the evenings when these lizards are active is the best solution to the watering question.

Continue reading “Two More Knob-tails (Geckos that is)” …read more
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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! We just love this close up of a Massasauga in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user venombill ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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What a stunning greyband in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user APLAXAR s! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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What was your first? For so many of us it was the same animal! All hail the mighty Garter Snake in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user TomDickinson for being so many of our first wild herp! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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This gecko in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user uggleedog is so bright we gotta wear shades. Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Happy Ratttlesnake Friday! This Crotalus tigris, found and photographed in AZ, is keeping her eye on you in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user kevinjudd ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Check out this in situ Iguana (Iguana iguana) in our herp photo of the day. It’s uploaded by kingsnake.com user cycluracornuta.
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Here’s to hoping this smiling albino fire salamander (Salamandra s. terrestris) in our herp photo of the day brightens up your morning! It’s uploaded by kingsnake.com user alessio.
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