By Herp News
A new study argues for treating endangered Sumatran populations in Borneo and Sumatra as ‘a single conservation unit’, lending academic support to a controversial proposal to move wild rhinos from Malaysia to Indonesia.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
Fans of the wing, burger, and craft beer mecca known as Winking Lizard Tavern will notice something different about the new Washington Square location. It’s much smaller.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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There’s a beautiful and deadly new species of green palm-pitviper in town, reports Zookeys, an open access scientific journal.
From Science Daily:
The gorgeous new species was discovered by scientists during two expeditions in 2010 aimed at studying the fauna of Texiguat Wildlife Refuge, one of the most endemism-rich and diverse highland forests in Mesoamerica. This beautiful, but highly toxic, snake represents the 15th endemic species occurring in the region. Texiguat Wildlife Refuge was created in 1987 to protect populations of wildlife such as the famous but elusive jaguar and Central America tapir, as well as howler and white-faced monkeys, sloths, and a variety of endemic amphibians, reptiles, and plants.
To draw attention to the dedication and sacrifice of many grassroots conservationists in Honduras and Central America, the new species was named in honor of Mario Guifarro of Olancho. Guifarro was a former hunter and gold miner who became an outspoken conservationist when he saw the vast rainforests of eastern Honduras being destroyed and converted to cattle ranches. After years of threats and multiple attempts on his life, Guifarro was ambushed and murdered on 15 September 2007 while on a mission to delimit a biosphere reserve for the indigenous Tawahka.
Read more here.
Photo: Josiah H. Townsend; CC-BY 3.0/ScienceDaily.com …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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kingsnake.com is happy to welcome a new featured contributor, longtime herper and author Patricia Bartlett, who will be writing about herp keeping, care, and breeding on a regular basis.
Patti Bartlett spent her formative years chasing lizards and butterflies in New Mexico. Although she has more than dabbled in museum management, Asian studies, and publishing, at the end of every day she goes home to a resident population of snakes, frogs, turtles and mammals. She is the author or co-author of some 65 books– most about reptiles.
For a list of her current titles, please visit her page in our bookstore …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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By Herp News
Shell shocked! A seemingly invincible pet tortoise in UK, who survived two world wars and even a bomb in the Blitz, has died aged 130 – after being bitten by a rat. Thomas, the oldest tor…
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
Washington, May 15 (ANI): An international team of scientists has identified a new species of ichthyosaur (a dolphin-like marine reptile from the age of dinosaurs) from Iraq, which revolutionises our understanding of the evolution and extinction of these ancient marine reptiles.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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This image of a Skink, uploaded by kingsnake.com user ilovemonitorliza, is our herp photo of the day!
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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By Herp News
A stunning new species of pit-viper has been discovered in the cloud forest of Honduras. The venomous snake is described in the journal ZooKeys.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
Scientists have revealed a new species of ichthyosaur (a dolphin-like marine reptile from the age of dinosaurs) from Iraq, which revolutionizes our understanding of the evolution and extinction of these ancient marine reptiles.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
The Turtle Beach Ear Force XP510 is what the company calls “the most advanced gaming audio system Turtle Beach has ever created.” I ran the unit through a vigorous gauntlet of cross-platform testing on console and mobile to test out this high claim about the company's latest offering in high-end gaming audio. After a month's worth of immersive testing, tweaking and observing the XP510 in action …
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
As the weather continues to warm up more and more some of my scaly friends have begun to show up around the office.Just today a lizard that darted away from the desk I was walking towards surprised me…
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
The bleached bones of seabirds are telling us a new story about the far-reaching impacts of industrial fisheries on today’s oceans. Looking at the isotopes of 250 bones from Hawaiian petrels (Pterodroma sandwichensis), scientists have been able to reconstruct the birds’ diets over the last 3,000 years. They found an unmistakable shift from big prey to small prey around 100 years ago, just when large, modern fisheries started scooping up fish at never before seen rates. The dietary shift shows that modern fisheries upended predator and prey relationships even in the ocean ocean and have possibly played a role in the decline of some seabirds.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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“Toonk, toonk, toonk, toonk.”
During a warm downpour I stood on the back porch for a few minutes listening and reveling at the sound.
The hollow “toonks” of H. gratiosa, the barking treefrog, were unmistakable. It was the third year I had heard this small chorus of the southeast’s largest native treefrog while standing on my back porch. They called from a small retention pond in an apartment complex a bit under a half mile from us. Only two or three had been heard in the spring of 2011. The number had grown to six or seven last year. And this year it sounded as if it had doubled again.
In their color-changing abilities, by the way, barking treefrogs are hylid chameleons. The same frog may be any one of several shades of green at one moment and tan or brown a minute or two later. The spots may be lighter or darker than the body color and be entirely of one color or dark-edged ocelli. Barkers often voice occasional calls from the canopy, but when breeding often vocalize while floating amidst dense emergent vegetation.
We had experienced a warm winter and were having a cold spring in northcentral Florida. It was now the third week of April and the winter frogs, the various chorus frogs and peepers, not yet realizing that seasonal warming was finally upon us, were still calling from suitable habitats. The green treefrogs that usually call from the tiny rubber-bottomed pond in our yard had not yet announced their presence. Although the southern toads had been foraging in the yard for weeks they had gathered at the pond to call on only one very rainy night a week earlier.
Only a moment earlier I had been exchanging Facebook comments with more northerly friends who were experiencing another spring snowstorm. Now I stood listening to a hylid that, to me, truly signified the advent of spring’s warming. I decided to pull up a chair and enjoy sounds nature offered, the sighing breezes, the steadily falling rain, and the treefrog chorus, for a while longer.
More photos under the jump…
Continue reading “Barkers and a balmy April night” …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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By Herp News
In March, two people were caught attempting to smuggle 54 ploughshare tortoises (Astrochelys yniphora) into Thailand. Listed as Critically Endangered, the tortoises’ wild population is down to approximately 400-500 animals in its native Madagascar, meaning the smugglers were attempting to move over 10 percent of the total population. Now, the Scientific American blog Extinction Countdown reports that nearly half of the smuggled tortoises have died of unknown causes.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
After a solid qualifying effort, Flying Lizard faced a long, uphill battle during the 4-hour American Le Mans Series race, including multiple incidents with other cars and significant damage to the No. 44 and No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars. … Keep reading
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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Dentists soon may be feeling a pinch in their profits, courtesy of lessons learned from alligator jaws.
From the UK’s Daily Mail:
To uncover the chemical mechanisms of tooth renewal Professor Cheng-Ming Chuong and colleagues studied repetitive tooth formation in American alligators.
Most vertebrates can renew teeth throughout their lives whereas humans’ are naturally replaced only once.
Alligators have an average of 80 teeth in their mouth at any one time – and 50 sets of replacements to last their lifetime.
Alligators have well-organised teeth with traits similar to those of mammals – such as secondary palates and implantation in sockets of the dental bones – and are capable of lifelong tooth renewal.
Through a combination of molecular aqnalysis and scanning techniques the researchers showed each alligator tooth is a complex unit of three components in different developmental stages.
These are structured to facilitate replacement once they are dislodged, says the study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Early on the alligator dental lamina forms a bulge at its tip that houses stem cells. Molecular analysis revealed that the initiation of the tooth cycle corresponds with the dynamic expression of an array of signaling chemicals.
The researchers believe the findings could help adults who have lost teeth or have ones that appear in addition to the regular number – a common condition called supernumerary teeth.
Read more here. …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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By Herp News
A sea turtle with a damaged spine is being kitted out with its own dive-belt to help it swim underwater.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
Gaming headset titan Turtle Beach has joined forces with video platform Twitch to become its official audio partner, providing kit for its eSports events.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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This image of an Eastern Red Spotted Newt, uploaded by kingsnake.com user DeanAlessandrini, is our herp photo of the day!
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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By Herp News
SAN FRANCISCO and VALHALLA, N.Y., May 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ – Twitch , the world's leading video platform and community for gamers, and Turtle Beach , leading audio brand in games, today announce an …
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
A man accused of neglecting his pets said he's an animal lover and educator.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
A kitten goes over-the-top crazy after a lizard sneaks up beside it.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
Even as concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere hit 400 parts per million (ppm) for the first time in human history last week, a new study in Nature Climate Change warns that thousands of the world’s common species will suffer grave habitat loss under climate change.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
The sunlight poured through the canopy, casting dappled shade over Makara, a large silverback mountain gorilla, as he cast his eyes around the forest clearing, checking on the members of his harem. A female gorilla reclined on a bank of dense vegetation of the most brilliant green, clutching her three day old infant close to her chest, and elsewhere, two juvenile gorillas played around a small tree, running rings around it until one crashed into the other and they rolled themselves into a roly-poly ball of jet black fluff that came to a halt a few meters in front of our delighted group.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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Is the increasing development of renewable energy sources harming reptiles and amphibians. That’s the subject of reseach for Jade Keehn, an award-winning biology post-grad student at the University of Nevada, Reno.
From the Nevada Sagebrush:
Keehn is focusing on research she was recently awarded the Regent’s Scholar Award for, which involves studying the effects of renewable energy on reptile populations and the ecosystem in general. Because she believes the transition to renewable energy is inevitable, Keehn began focusing on how renewable energy facilities affect surrounding ecosystems because the facilities take up mass quantities of habitat.
Though she hasn’t started her fieldwork yet, Keehn plans to soon so she can begin to understand how these huge facilities affect bird populations, plants, insects, reptiles and all other organisms involved.
“Because of the scale of impact from these situations, you aren’t going to lose species entirely, but it will impact our environment and affect the way things interact,” Keehn said.
Read more here.
Photo: Jade Keehn …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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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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By Herp News
There will be a reptile event at RSPB Radipole Lake nature reserve on Sunday, May 19.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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Check out this video “Northern Caiman Lizard,” submitted by kingsnake.com user quolibet.
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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This image of a Firebelly Toad, uploaded by kingsnake.com user radar357, is our herp photo of the day!
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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By Herp News
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) — The Las Vegas Reptile Expo was held at Santa Fe Station on Saturday and Sunday.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
One of the highlights of traveling to exotic planes is seeing mother animals with their babies so here is a collection of a some pictures I’ve taken over the years. They range from amphibians in Panama to orangutans in Borneo. I hope you enjoy. Happy Mother’s Day!
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
A tagged juvenile loggerhead sea turtle that traveled some 2,000 miles on ocean currents was expected to make a full recovery after being rescued off the Florida Keys, hospital officials said Saturday.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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A fence that can withstand the force of a large sulcata who wants on the other side is very important. Postponing the installation of such a fence can prove to be heartbreaking, I can attest to this. Before we installed a suitable fence, Frankie disappeared from his yard.
Without close supervision Frankie made a few “mini-escapes” into our neighborhood. As soon as he was missed the Frankie Neighborhood Alert would go out to everyone. All available neighbors would check their yards for the fugitive Frankie. One time he was found a couple of houses over under a swing and the next time he was found napping in a friends garage.
Luckily, Frankie was found quickly. Alert neighbors and quick timing saved the day
Still, the warnings were disregarded.
On this fateful day, Frankie was allowed outside his small temporary fence to graze. Frankie completely occupied himself with munching a huge amount of grass so it seemed safe to kick back on the patio and watch him graze.
The phone rang. Crom. I should have brought the phone outside with me. What a dumb-dumb. I run inside to answer it. A few moments speaking to a friend seems brief. Before I know it, 10 to 20 minutes have ticked away.
It hits me like ice water – dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb. Hang up phone, run outside and look around with great hope that he is grazing were I left him.
He isn’t. Frankie isn’t anywhere in sight. My stomach tightens. I have a gut feeling. Groan.
School is in session and adults are at work. A Frankie Neighborhood Alert is useless. This search is up to me. The area is big: my yard, all the neighbor’s yard, up the street, down the street, the apartments behind our house and a undeveloped wooded area. Time starts ticking. I have 30 minutes to find him.
Starting in Frankie’s yard, I look under every bush and tree. No luck. I check the front yard, then the neighbor’s house. I head down the street searching each yard, under every bush and every open area. No luck. No sign of Frankie.
How much time has passed?
I search the apartments behind my house. Nothing. Next is the dreaded undeveloped area next to the apartments. It’s not far from my house so he could have got in there. Bad news: it is thick with trees, bushes and vines. I look but there is no sign of Frankie.
It’s been more than an hour and I can feel my heart hollowing out and stomach filling with acid. I have to think. It takes Frankie 45 minutes to walk a mile. After an hour the chance of finding Frankie diminishes. In desperation, I revisit every square inch of my backyard. Again I check the whole neighborhood. Once more I search the apartments behind the house.
My stomach is not feeling any better. I am …read more
Read more here: Turtle Times
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By Herp News
A young turtle found floating in a weed patch off the coast of the Keys is expected to make a full recovery.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
An injured loggerhead turtle was saved by a group of good Samaritans, state wildlife police, U.S. Coast Guardsmen and Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers Sunday.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
May is the official start of sea turtle nesting season and Miami-Dade County is proud to have a new “Turtle Truck” this season to help in its conservation efforts.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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California AB 339 (the “swap meet” bill) has been amended to exclude reptile and aquatic trade shows. The bill has been amended in Assembly, read a second time, and re-referred to Committee on Appropriations. Thanks to your voices through USARK’s action alerts and collaboration between PIJAC and USARK, reptile and aquatic shows will now be safe.
This was a crucial amendment as all reptile shows, not just shows held more than six times per year, could have been affected. Thank you, Reptile Nation, for your support and action!
The new bill text can be viewed here.
If you have not already done so, you can still contact USFWS to voice your opinion concerning the unfinished rule possibly adding several snake species as injurious under the Lacey Act. Details and steps for action can be found here.
Continue reading “California “swap meet” bill amended to exclude reptile shows” …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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An Alaskan firefighter was fighting forest fires in Idaho last summer, and he, like some of his other firefighter buddies, caught a few snakes. He brought one, or possibly five, garter snakes home with him, in a “snakes on a plane” incident with varying contradictory narratives.
The upshot? While garter snakes are numerous in Idaho, and it’s legal to kill them, it’s definitely not legal to catch and transport them across state lines without a permit. In fact, it’s a Lacey Act violation that carries a potential $100,000 fine and one year in prison.
From the Alaska Dispatch:
Mayo, according to court documents, eventually confessed he’d brought the two-foot-long snake home with him, but said the other snakes on the plane belonged to others on the fire crew. Furthermore, he denied the claim that he had been told to release the snakes. And he revealed, according to the documents, “his snake had a baby in Fairbanks, but the young snake died.
“BLM agents took possession of the (mother) snake,” leaving Mayo snakeless.
Then began the American-taxpayer-funded prosecution and defense of the out-of-work firefighter. Public defender Haden on Wednesday admitted she’s been involved with few cases of less significance.
“I did have a client once who was charged with goose molestation on the (military) base,” she said. “You can’t pet a goose.”
She also noted that “every case is significant to the person charged.” There is no argument there. There is no telling what might have happened to Mayo without legal representation. He might have been headed for federal prison.
Lucky for him, Haden negotiated a plea deal with federal prosecutors, and Mayo is to be sentenced in Fairbanks on Friday.
Read the rest of the waste of money story here. …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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This image of a Water Dragon, uploaded by kingsnake.com user jeffb, is our herp photo of the day!
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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By Herp News
Biologists have created the first large-scale evolutionary family tree for every snake and lizard around the globe.
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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