By Herp News
Tortoise Energy Independence Fund, Inc. today announced that as of April 30, 2013, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $409.9 million and its unaudi
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Tortoise Energy Independence Fund, Inc. Provides Unaudited Balance Sheet Information and Asset Coverage Ratio Update …
Tortoise MLP Fund, Inc. Provides Unaudited Balance Sheet Information and Asset Coverage Ratio Update as of April 30 …
By Herp News
Tortoise MLP Fund, Inc. today announced that as of April 30, 2013, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $1.9 billion and its unaudited net asset valu
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Tortoise Pipeline & Energy Fund, Inc. Provides Unaudited Balance Sheet Information and Asset Coverage Ratio Update as …
By Herp News
Tortoise Pipeline & Energy Fund, Inc. today announced that as of April 30, 2013, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $387.9 million and its unau
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Tortoise North American Energy Corp. Provides Unaudited Balance Sheet Information and Asset Coverage Ratio Update as …
By Herp News
Tortoise North American Energy Corp. today announced that as of April 30, 2013, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $259.7 million and its unaudited
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Tortoise Power and Energy Infrastructure Fund, Inc. Provides Unaudited Balance Sheet Information and Asset Coverage …
By Herp News
Tortoise Power and Energy Infrastructure Fund, Inc. today announced that as of April 30, 2013, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $237.2 million an
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Tortoise Energy Capital Corp. Provides Unaudited Balance Sheet Information and Asset Coverage Ratio Update as of April …
By Herp News
Tortoise Energy Capital Corp. today announced that as of April 30, 2013, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $1.0 billion and its unaudited net asse
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Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Corp. Provides Unaudited Balance Sheet Information and Asset Coverage Ratio Update as …
By Herp News
Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Corp. today announced that as of April 30, 2013, the company’s unaudited total assets were approximately $2.0 billion and its unaudited n
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Turtle nesting season begins
By Herp News
Turtle nesting season has begun in Florida and there are some things you'll need to know to avoid inadvertently harming the animals.
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13 year search for Taiwan’s top predator comes up empty-handed
By Herp News
After 13 years of searching for the Formosan clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa brachyura), once hopeful scientists say they believe the cat is likely extinct. For more than a decade scientists set up over 1,500 camera traps and scent traps in the mountains of Taiwan where they believed the cat may still be hiding out, only to find nothing.
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World’s rarest duck on the rebound in Madagascar
By Herp News
After a final sighting in 1991, the Madagascar pochard was thought to have vanished for good. But this diving duck was rediscovered in 2006 when a flock of 22 individuals was found on Lake Matsaborimena in northern Madagascar by conservationists during an expedition. Soon after Madagascar pochard eggs were taken and incubated in a joint captive breeding program by Durrell, the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT), the Peregrine Fund, Asity Madagascar, and Madagascar government, which recently announced that the population—both captive and wild—has nearly quadrupled.
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Frogmageddon?
As if the intense pressure on amphibian populations from climate change, habitat destruction, and disease wasn’t enough. Now a demand for frogs’ legs to satisfy the appetites of gourmets is being blamed for a spike in mosquito population, harm to frog numbers in the wild, and animal cruelty.
From FOX News:
The European passion for frogs’ legs is driving an international massacre of the reptiles which is endangering species and harming natural environments across south-east Asia. […]
The “Frogmageddon” has prompted questions from the European Parliament about what the European Commission is doing about the problem, and about the cruel way in which the reptiles are parted from their limbs.
Read more here. …read more
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Al Ain Zoo switches to summer evening hours
By Herp News
Night zoo features reptile month
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Tortoise Power and Energy Infrastructure Fund, Inc. Provides Section 19(a) Notice
By Herp News
This notice provides stockholders of Tortoise Power and Energy Infrastructure Fund, Inc. with information regarding the distribution paid on April 30, 2013 and cumulati
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Malaysia may loan Indonesia rhinos to save species from extinction
By Herp News
Conservationists and officials meeting last month at a rhino crisis summit in Singapore agreed to a radical plan to loan Sumatran rhinos between nations if it means saving the critically endangered species from extinction. The proposal, which could still be thwarted by red tape and political opposition, could lead Malaysia to send some of its Sumatran rhinos to semi-captive breeding facilities in Indonesia.
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Turtle Ridge holds benefit
By Herp News
The Turtle Ridge Wildlife Center is having its first New Beginnings benefit for the center.
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The underground adventures of the Mediterranean frog Rana iberica
By Herp News
Although many amphibians have been reported to live or spend part of their life underground, the Mediterranean frog Rana iberica, has never been reported dwelling in subterranean habitats until now. A new study marks the first record of all life stages of the species from a drainage gallery of Serra da Estrela Natural Park in Portugal.
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They Named Him Bob
In January of 2013, Patti and I were in Amazonian Peru with about 15 other herpers. We had spent five days on Project Amazon’s Madre Selva Biological Preserve on the Rio Orosa, and had just moved back upriver to their Santa Cruz Forest Preserve.
Since our last visit, a lazy creek I remember as barely flowing had been dammed and had flowed sufficiently to form a several acre pond in a low-lying clearcut before trickling over the dam to reenter the dense secondary forest. The pond, now two years old, had provided new habitat for spectacled caiman, fish, and in banana trees along the banks, for Bob; for many Bobs, in fact.
Bob, a treefrog, had been named by our gang for his call, “Bob”—not Robert, not Bobby, just plain old Bob, spoken in a guttural croak. Big, angular, with actions and reactions relatively slow, Bob and his brethren sat, usually one to a banana tree, on the leaf stems about waist to head high. Bob was forest green dorsally, grayish to buff ventrally, and laterally had a jagged line of dark rimmed light spots separating the dorsal and ventral colors.
Bob was (and is) a giant monkey frog, Phyllomedusa bicolor. Among the largest of his genus Bob was about 4 ½ inches svl (snout-vent length), had huge parotoid glands and when he moved he as often moved in a deliberate hand over hand fashion as by jumping.
Every night at dusk, Bob (all the Bobs, in fact) emerged from the axil(s) of the banana tree(s) to sit boldly on the stem(s) and call loudly into the night. That this seemingly harsh and unwaveringly repetitious call has been successful in bringing females to the various calling sites was amply displayed by the vast number of tadpoles in all stages of development that swam in the shallows of the pond.
The Bobs it seems, and the Bobettes, have found new homes. Long live them all!
More photos under the jump…
Continue reading “They Named Him Bob” …read more
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Conservation without supervision: Peruvian community group creates and patrols its own protected area
By Herp News
When we think of conservation areas, many of us think of iconic National Parks overseen by uniformed government employees or wilderness areas purchased and run from afar by big-donor organizations like The Nature Conservancy, Wildlife Conservation Society, WWF, or Conservation International. But what happens to ecosystems and wildlife in areas where there’s a total lack of government presence and no money coming in for its protection? This is the story of one rural Peruvian community that took conservation matters into their own hands, with a little help from a dedicated pair of primate researchers, in order to protect a high biodiversity cloud forest.
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Tortoise stolen from pet shop
By Herp News
Time could be running out for a rare dwarf Russian tortoise stolen from a Lancashire pet shop.
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The-Lizard-RNLi-lifeboat-launches-to-aid-stricken-gas-tanker
By Herp News
Byline: The Lizard RNLi lifeboat launches to aid stricken gas tanker Page Content: The Lizard Lifeboat launched into heavy seas this morning to the aid of the stricken Panamanian gas tanker Antigoni , adrift with macninery failure and struggling to anchor in a position 1.5 miles south east of Lizard Point. Upon arrival on scene, the lifeboat, under the command of Coxswain Phil Burgess, was …
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Turtles are even more unusual than we thought
Turtles are endlessly fascinating to scientists. Their biology is unique. They were around with the dinosaurs and survived the forces that led to their extinction. And now it turns out they have more in common with birds and those extinct dinosaurs than with reptiles.
From Science World Report:
It turns out that, surprisingly, turtles are not primitive reptiles as previously thought. Instead, they are related to the group that is made up of birds and crocodilians and also includes extinct dinosaurs. It’s likely that the turtles split from this group about 250 million years ago during one of the largest extinction events on the planet.
“Turtles are interesting because they offer an exceptional case to understand the big evolutionary changes that occurred in vertebrate history,” said Naoki Irie from the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in a news release. “The work not only provides insight into how turtles evolved, but also gives hints as to how the vertebrate developmental programs can be changed to produce major evolutionary novelties.”
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Photo: (Photo : Flickr/USFWS) …read more
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Volunteer-RNLI-crew-at-Lizard-say-‘cheers-for-the-donation
By Herp News
Byline: Volunteer RNLI crew at Lizard say ‘cheers’ for the donation Page Content: The fundraising appeal for a new all-weather lifeboat at the Lizard station received a boost from money raised at a local beer festival. Thanks to the second annual beer festival held at The Witchball Restaurant during, the summer Coxswain Phil Burgess received a cheque for £3,017.38 towards the appeal for the new …
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40th-wedding-anniversary-supports-Lizard-RNLIs-Tamar-lifeboat-appeal
By Herp News
Byline: 40th wedding anniversary supports Lizard RNLI's Tamar lifeboat appeal Page Content: Ernie and Sue Pursglove, from The Lizard, celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in classic style at the weekend when the professional Jazz and Flamenco band ‘TG Collective’ (www.tgcollective.com) in which their son Andrew is a key musician, arrived in town for a live concert and party, staged at …
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New rule limits desert tortoise ownership
By Herp News
As of Wednesday if you want to own a desert tortoise you can only have one.
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Early sea turtle nest found on Captiva
By Herp News
What biologists and sea turtle nest trackers believe is the first loggerhead sea turtle nest to turn up on the west coast of Florida, was found Sunday on Captiva Island.
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Sea turtles benefiting from protected areas
By Herp News
Nesting green sea turtles are benefiting from marine protected areas by using habitats found within their boundaries, according to a new study that is the first to track the federally protected turtles in Dry Tortugas National Park.
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Obama Administration to propose stripping protection from all gray wolves
By Herp News
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is proposing to end protection for all gray wolves (Canis lupus) in the lower 48 states, save for a small population of Mexican wolves in New Mexico, reports the Los Angeles Times. The proposal comes two years after wolves were removed from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in western states by a legislative rider on a budget bill, and soon after in the midwest. Since then hunting and trapping has killed over 1,500 wolves in these two regions.
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Molecular role of gene linked to blood vessel formation uncovered
By Herp News
Researchers have discovered that disrupting a gene that acts as a regulatory switch to turn on other genes can keep blood vessels from forming and developing properly.
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Cornwall: walking the Lizard peninsula
By Herp News
Along a scenic coastal path, Martin Jackson finds he is alone save for springtime flora and birds.
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New York illegal animal amnesty nets three alligators
Unwanted or illegal reptiles and amphibians, including three alligators, were turned over to the Suffolk County SPCA on Long Island in New York State in the state’s first-ever illegal animal amnesty.
From LongIsland.com:
The event, which took place at Sweetbriar Nature Center in Smithtown, allowed people to drop off illegal animals, no questions asked. Only reptiles and amphibians were accepted, and no penalties were given to individuals who handed over illegal reptiles, as the primary goal of the event was to prevent people from letting unwanted illegal reptiles or amphibians loose on Long Island.
The event was particularly valuable in that three alligators ended up in the safe hands of the SPCA. The alligators were 3 feet, 3.5 feet, and 4.5 feet long. Keeping an alligator is illegal, and includes a fine of up to $250, but releasing an alligator into the wild is a misdemeanor that can lead to jail time.
Just last week, four alligators were fished out of the Peconic River in Calverton near a boat ramp. The 2- and 3-foot-long alligators were sent to the Long Island Aquarium and Exhibition Center.
At least nine alligators were found on Long Island last fall, including two alligators that were found in a supermarket parking lot in Baldwin, one found on a golf course in Wading River, and another found in the parking lot of an Applebee’s in Shirley.
In a separate story, the New York Post reported the alligators were subsequently adopted by the Rainforest Reptile Show, to appear in educational exhibits. …read more
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MV-Ardgarry-disaster-remembered-at-Lizard-RNLI-lifeboat-station
By Herp News
Byline: MV Ardgarry disaster remembered at Lizard RNLI lifeboat station Page Content: One year on, following a hugely emotive memorial service and the un-veiling of a granite memorial stone at The Lizard Lifeboat station, Patrick Slattery has made an emotional return to visit many friends in The Lizard . Patrick’s father tragically perished along with 11 other crewmen when the vessel MV Ardgarry …
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Great tits unaffected by warmer springs
By Herp News
The population of a widely dispersed bird species is relatively unaffected by warmer springs, indicating that some species may be adapting to shifts caused by climate change, reports a study published in the journal Science.
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Tortoise named Hornswaggle found safe after neighborhood search
By Herp News
A Portland woman said her tortoise named Hornswaggle was found safe in her neighborhood Sunday afternoon after a two-day search.
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VIDEO: Silas waves goodbye: Cancer patient, 4, see namesake turtle released
By Herp News
Silas the loggerhead turtle made a beeline for the breakers Saturday morning, leaving no doubt where the rehabilitated turtle belongs. Silas Edenfield, the little boy he was named for, stared at the sea from a beach wheelchair on the water's edge as the turtle disappeared.
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Tortoise named Hornswaggle stolen from Portland yard
By Herp News
A Portland woman is searching for her tortoise named Hornswaggle that she says was stolen from a pen in her front yard.
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Turtle genome analysis sheds light on turtle ancestry and shell evolution
By Herp News
From which ancestors have turtles evolved? How did they get their shell? New data provides evidence that turtles are not primitive reptiles but belong to a sister group of birds and crocodiles. The work also sheds light on the evolution of the turtle’s intriguing morphology and reveals that the turtle’s shell evolved by recruiting genetic information encoding for the limbs.
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Turtle genome analysis sheds light on turtle ancestry and shell evolution
By Herp News
From which ancestors have turtles evolved? How did they get their shell? New data provides evidence that turtles are not primitive reptiles but belong to a sister group of birds and crocodiles. The work also sheds light on the evolution of the turtle’s intriguing morphology and reveals that the turtle’s shell evolved by recruiting genetic information encoding for the limbs.
…read more
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Turtle genome analysis sheds light on the development and evolution of turtle-specific body plan
By Herp News
( BGI Shenzhen ) The genome sequences of the soft-shell turtle and green sea turtle offer new clues to the development and evolution of turtle-specific body plan.
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Reptile amnesty event held on Long Island
By Herp News
Saturday, anyone with an illegal reptile or amphibian had a chance to surrender it to authorities on Long Island without being punished.
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Silas waves goodbye: Cancer patient, 4, see namesake turtle released
By Herp News
And hundreds who gathered for the release after the Tybee Turtle Trot watched both Silases with a mix of joy and sorrow. Silas Edenfield, 4, is in hospice care at his Lyons home for incurable liver cancer.
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