By Herp News
What lures a lady frog to her lover? Good looks, the sound of his voice, the size of his pad or none of the above? After weighing up their options, female strawberry poison frogs (Oophaga pumilio) bag the closest crooner they can. This seemingly short-sighted strategy turns out to be the optimal mate choice strategy for these colorful frogs.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
Tortoise Pipeline & Energy Fund, Inc. ( TTP ) will begin trading ex-dividend on May 21, 2013. A cash dividend payment of $0.4075 per share is scheduled to be paid on June 03, 2013.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Corporation ( TYG ) will begin trading ex-dividend on May 21, 2013. A cash dividend payment of $0.57 per share is scheduled to be paid on June 03, 2013.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
Tortoise Power and Energy Infrastructure Fund, Inc ( TPZ ) will begin trading ex-dividend on May 21, 2013. A cash dividend payment of $0.125 per share is scheduled to be paid on May 31, 2013.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
Tortoise Energy Capital Corporation ( TYY ) will begin trading ex-dividend on May 21, 2013. A cash dividend payment of $0.4225 per share is scheduled to be paid on June 03, 2013.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
Tortoise MLP Fund, Inc. (NTG) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for May 21, 2013
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
Tortoise North American Energy Corporation (TYN) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for May 21, 2013
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
Tortoise Energy Independence Fund, Inc. (NDP) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for May 21, 2013
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
What started out as a small reptile rescue run out of a local couple’s home has bloomed into the Great Lakes Zoological Society’s “World of Discovery” center, an indoor amphibian and reptile zoo of about 100 animals, located just west of Ann Arbor.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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I think every reptile and amphibian keeper has experienced that sinking sensation upon noticing a cage top ajar.
No matter how you’ve set up your caging, if the animal escapes, your caging or the keeper has failed. If you’re an adult, you shrug and take steps to recover the creature. If you’re a kid, you know your parents aren’t going to be happy with the situation or your attempts to recapture the animal. Unless you find and restore your pet to its housing, this might be the end of your keeping herps for an extended period. If we’re talking about an escaped venomous reptile, you (and the animal) need a lot more help than this note can offer.
The big bad about being out of a cage is being away from water. Amphibians are particularly subject to dessication, and it’s a terrible way to die. You have maybe 12 hours, if you’re lucky, to find your escaped amphibian and restore it to its cage with its fresh water droplets or a bowl of water.
Frogs, salamanders, and newts deal poorly with being away from moisture. Frogs may hop their way into your maybe more humid bathroom, but don’t count on it. I never had one make it into the toilet, although I have wished they would. Reptiles are not as subject to desiccation, but the little guys, like anoles and snakes less than 24 inches long, don’t have a lot of body bulk for moisture storage.
So, where do they go and how do you find them?
Continue reading “Escaped!” …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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Check out this video “Logan giving Buddy a bath,” submitted by kingsnake.com user spotsowner.
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
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By Herp News
Washington, May 20 (ANI): A Russian capsule, which had mice and lizards as its occupants, returned to Earth on Sunday after spending a month in space.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
GRANDE RIVIERE, Trinidad (AP) — Giant leatherback turtles, some weighing half as much as a small car, drag themselves out of the ocean and up the sloping shore on the northeastern coast of Trinidad while villagers await wearing dimmed headlamps in the dark. Their black carapaces glistening, the turtles inch along the moonlit beach, using their powerful front flippers to move their bulky frames …
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
Gabon has agreed to help battle poaching in protected areas in the Central African Republic following an elephant massacre at a renowned World Heritage site, reports the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
What started out as a small reptile rescue run out of a local couple’s home has bloomed into the Great Lakes Zoological Society’s “World of Discovery” center, an indoor amphibian and reptile zoo of about 100 animals, located just west of Ann Arbor.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
What started out as a small reptile rescue run out of a local couple’s home has bloomed into the Great Lakes Zoological Society’s “World of Discovery” center, an indoor amphibian and reptile zoo of about 100 animals, located just west of Ann Arbor.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
Increasingly erratic rainfall patterns can lead to declines in southeastern frog and salamander populations, but protecting ponds can improve their plight.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
Gabon has agreed to help battle poaching in protected areas in the Central African Republic following an elephant massacre at a renowned World Heritage site, reports the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
What started out as a small reptile rescue run out of a local couple’s home has bloomed into the Great Lakes Zoological Society’s “World of Discovery” center, an indoor amphibian and reptile zoo of about 100 animals, located just west of Ann Arbor.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
A snapping turtle injured by a car in Ontario has been airlifted more than 400 kilometres to an animal hospital, and is now on a slow road to recovery.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
SARNIA, Ontario, May 17 (UPI) — A turtle that was hit by a car in Canada was airlifted nearly 250 miles for medical treatment, officials said.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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Scientists believe the black markings of the West African Gaboon viper may hold the secret to creating materials with a powerful ability to absorb light.
From The Age:
The West African Gaboon viper, one of the largest in Africa and a master of camouflage, has dark spots in the geometrical pattern of its skin that are deep, velvety black and reflect very little light.
Interwoven with white- and brown-coloured scales that are very reflective, this creates a high contrast that renders the snake difficult to spot on the richly-patterned rainforest floor.
A team of German scientists set out to find the secret behind the black spots’ ultra darkness, and found the scale surface was made up of tightly-packed, leaf-like microstructures covered in turn with nanometre-sized ridges.
AdvertisementOne nanometre is equivalent to a billionth of a metre.
Writing in the Nature journal Scientific Reports, the team theorised that the microstructures and nanostructures, which protrude at slightly different angles, scatter and trap incoming light.
“The structure based velvet black effect could also be potentially transferred to other materials,” the scientists wrote.
The complete article is here.
…read more
Read more here: King Snake
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By Herp News
Thanks to an animal rescue group, a snapping turtle hit by a car has a second chance at life. Earlier this spring, Porter the snapping turtle was hit by a car in Sarnia, Ontario. He suffered extensive facial injuries and … Continue reading →
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
A snapping turtle injured by a car in Ontario has been airlifted more than 400 kilometres to an animal hospital, and is now on a slow road to recovery.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
Climate change may have little impact on many species of tropical lizards, contradicting a host of recent studies that predict their widespread extinction in a rapidly warming planet.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) has announced the launch of their new, advocacy-based website. The interactive website reflects the organization’s mission to provide members and concerned pet owners with a voice in legislative issues affecting pets and pet ownership.
“Our new website is a strong advocacy tool, highlighting issues requiring immediate industry action,” said Mike Canning, PIJAC’s President and CEO. “Providing quick and easy access to essential information, the new PIJAC website ensures that the industry has a say in its future.”
According to Canning, the new design raises awareness and fosters engagement on issues, legislation, and PIJAC activities that affect the industry. New website features include:
“Designed by the top advocacy website designer in Washington, D.C., the new PIJAC website will engage our members and the industry to proactively address the issues that affect their bottom line with legislators around the country,” Canning said.
To check out the new PIJAC web site please go to, www.pijac.org, and stop by regularly for pet and reptile and amphibian regulatory updates.
…read more
Read more here: King Snake
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By Herp News
African frogs, originally imported for early 20th century pregnancy tests, carried a deadly amphibian disease to the US, according to new findings. African Clawed Frogs have long been suspected of spreading a harmful fungus called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. The earliest known case of the fungus was found in these frogs in their native South Africa. Now scientists have found the first evidence of the disease among introduced feral populations in the US.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
Twitch announced yesterday that the company has chosen gaming audio equipment manufacturer Turtle Beach as their official audio partner. The video platform and community for gamers hosts more than 34 million gaming enthusiasts and 600,000 active broadcasters every month, who view gaming tournaments, showcase their own gameplay and interact with fellow gamers of the Twitch community. In an …
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
Jaguars (Panthera onca) are the biggest cat in the Americas and the only member of the Panthera genus in the New World; an animal most people recognize, the jaguar is also the third largest cat in the world with an intoxicatingly dangerous beauty. The feline ranges from the harsh deserts of southern Arizona to the lush rainforests of Central America, and from the Pantanal wetlands all the way down to northern Argentina. These mega-predators stalk prey quietly through the grasses of Venezuelan savannas, prowl the Atlantic forests of eastern Brazil, hunt along the river of the Amazon, and even venture into lower parts of the Andes.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
Jaguars (Panthera onca) are the biggest cat in the Americas and the only member of the Panthera genus in the New World; an animal most people recognize, the jaguar is also the third largest cat in the world with an intoxicatingly dangerous beauty. The feline ranges from the harsh deserts of southern Arizona to the lush rainforests of Central America, and from the Pantanal wetlands all the way down to northern Argentina. These mega-predators stalk prey quietly through the grasses of Venezuelan savannas, prowl the Atlantic forests of eastern Brazil, hunt along the river of the Amazon, and even venture into lower parts of the Andes.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
Jaguars (Panthera onca) are the biggest cat in the Americas and the only member of the Panthera genus in the New World; an animal most people recognize, the jaguar is also the third largest cat in the world with an intoxicatingly dangerous beauty. The feline ranges from the harsh deserts of southern Arizona to the lush rainforests of Central America, and from the Pantanal wetlands all the way down to northern Argentina. These mega-predators stalk prey quietly through the grasses of Venezuelan savannas, prowl the Atlantic forests of eastern Brazil, hunt along the river of the Amazon, and even venture into lower parts of the Andes.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
A turtle which was hit by a boat and left unable to swim underwater is given a specially designed “dive belt”.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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Using the harsh cries of red-shouldered hawks, the excited cawing of crows, and the strident vocalizations of bluejays as an excuse to take a break from yard work, Patti and I walked across the street to see what was causing the avian uproar.
The birds were all gathered on the uppermost limbs of a big live oak. Responding to their distress calls, more birds were winging our way. The tree was tall and fully leafed. Although the birds, hopping and flying from limb to treetop limb, might have had a great view, we needed binoculars.
Binocs were found and Patti was the first to make out a sinuous shape — a snake shape — amidst the leaves of a slender outermost branch.
It was a yellow rat snake, Pantherophis obsoletus quadrivittatus, a big one, and the fact that it was being dive-bombed by a host of varied bird species seemed to bother it not at all. Eventually I snagged the binoculars and found the snake in the branches.
Birds screamed, dive-bombed, hopped about, retreated, and then began the ritual all over. The snake had coiled within a network of small diameter branches that the birds could neither land on nor penetrate while awing. After a half hour or so, as evening drew nigh, the avian horde decided they had better make nighttime preparations and all left.
Ten minutes after the hub-bub died down the snake began its descent. With the show now over and necks aching from craning upwards, we also returned to our temporarily forgotten yard work.
Yellow rat snakes are no stranger to our neighborhood. We usually see several a year and are led to many by the excited calls of birds. The snakes depicted here are of typical color and are from our backyard. The larger one could actually be the protagonist in this tale.
More photos after the jump…
Continue reading “A Tale of a Yellow” …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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Chytrid fungus infections are wiping out amphibians all over the world. Now, a new study may have pinpointed the origin of the disease.
From National Geographic:
“It did a really huge number on an entire genus of frogs in Central America,” said Marm Kilpatrick, a disease ecologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). The fungus probably caused several species of this harlequin frog (Atelopus) to go extinct, he added.
Chytrid is also largely responsible for endangering California’s mountain yellow-legged frog (Rana muscosa).
“It’s the single biggest threat to vertebrate diversity in the world,” Kilpatrick said.
The fungus, which seems to attack only amphibians, causes a thickening of the infected amphibian’s skin, preventing the animal from breathing properly and interfering with its electrolyte balance. The infection can eventually lead to cardiac arrest, although some frog species are better able to cope with it than others.
A new study delving into how this fungus spreads has now linked chytrid outbreaks in California—one of the more recent areas experiencing huge amphibian die-offs—to the spread of the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis).
And the study’s implications could extend far beyond California, providing scientists with a potential road map showing how a devastating infection continues to spread around the world.
Read more here.
Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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By Herp News
A turtle which was hit by a boat and left unable to swim underwater is to be given a specially designed “dive belt”.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
A new initiative that aims to increase awareness of the dangers turtles face and encourage human action to help them survive, kicks off at Kelly Tarlton’s SEA LIFE Aquarium this month. Turtle Fest, held from 18 May to 2 June, will commemorate World Turtle Day on 23 May and educate visitors to SEA LIFE aquariums across Australia and New Zealand on the turtles’ plight. Since 1991 Kelly Tarlton’s …
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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I walk into the backyard after a long unhappy morning of chores and errands…..(be honest, chores and errands are rarely ‘happy’)…..instead of entering the front or side door because about a mile from home the thought of Frankie pops into my mind and it’s the first happy thought to arrive today.
Frankie has beensettlinginto his summer life in the yard. He is busy selecting basking spots, checking out new plant growth, looking over new man-made items that landed there over the winter, and re-establish his dominance over boulders and tubs lest they forget who is the king of the yard.
I catch Frankie examining a pile of wood leaning against his shed. He spies asuspiciouslyevil looking white pipe that seems to have returned after he firmly expelled from the yard last fall. He is having difficulty getting to it as there are three plastic patio chairs lined up in front of pipe.
I see whats going on.
Frankie does not plow through the chairs to reach the offending pipe but instead he sits. It’s a pitiful looking sit. Frankie knows that pipe is there but lacks the “umph” to do anything about it. Hefinallyturns around and crawls under the chair I am sitting it. Wisely, I abandonthe chair.
Frankie just sits there. 3/4 of him is under the chair and the rest of him (legs and head) jut out from under the chair. Sulcata tortoises take upthis position when they plan to haul said furniture across the yard. This is why we call sulcata tortoisesFurnitureMovers.
But Frankie just sits.
Sensing somediscontent in that sit, I sit down next to Frankie so we cannotcommunicateabout what’s wrong. We both stare out into the yard. Me because I am miserable that there is no dark chocolate and ice tea to refresh me after errands, and Frankie, well, I don’t know what’s got him so preoccupied. He just stares out into the yard just like me.
I get an idea.
“Frankie. Is it Miss Umbrella Stand? Are you missing her?”
I dive under the patio where all kinds of yard items are stuffed during the winter. Half the stuff should have been thrown away but it was too cold to go outside and throw anything away. Those kinds of things are sitting under the patio along with Frankie’s stuff I just haven’t pulled out yet.
There she lay. Back against the brick house and covered by a garden hose Iretrievethe umbrella stand bought five years ago yet it has never held an umbrella.
I drag out the umbrella stand and set it under the Golden Rain Tree.
Frankie gets up and walks calmly to the umbrella stand. He stops right next to it andconsidersit for several minutes. He then half walks over it and stops so his back leg still holds on. A quick pivot and Frankie is on top.
He sits there. Maybe savoring the moment.
He …read more
Read more here: Turtle Times
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By Herp News
African frogs, originally imported for early 20th century pregnancy tests, carried a deadly amphibian disease to the US, according to new findings. African Clawed Frogs have long been suspected of spreading a harmful fungus called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. The earliest known case of the fungus was found in these frogs in their native South Africa. Now scientists have found the first evidence of the disease among introduced feral populations in the US.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
African frogs, originally imported for early 20th century pregnancy tests, carried a deadly amphibian disease to the US, according to new findings. African Clawed Frogs have long been suspected of spreading a harmful fungus called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. The earliest known case of the fungus was found in these frogs in their native South Africa. Now scientists have found the first evidence of the disease among introduced feral populations in the US.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
SOUTHAMPTON, England, May 15 (UPI) — European scientists say a newly identified kind of ichthyosaur, a dolphin-like marine reptile from the age of dinosaurs, gives new insights into the creatures.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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