This cute lil cham is getting ready to help decorate the tree in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user 1Sun! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
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Our Herp Photo of the Day shows and amazing look inside the egg of a Russian Tortoise to be, uploaded by kingsnake.com user tortusjack!
Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Next Gen Retics podcast recently invited Jon and Cindy on to talk about all things kingsnake! We chatted about Jon buying it, a little history, what is coming in the future and more! Catch it here!
We would like to offer a huge thank you to both Rodney and Spencer for inviting us to chat! Hit us up if you would like to have either Jon or Cindy or both on your podcast to talk all things kingsnake! …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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We love the close up of the Black Tailed Rattlesnake in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user bigdnutz! This lil beauty was photographed in situ in Arizona and was a very patient model. Be sure to tell them you liked it here! As always on Fridays, we take the time to spotlight our venomous friends to help raise the awareness for the need of conservation and protections of them as part of the #RattlesnakeFriday movement!
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more
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photo from photo gallery by user intuitivetype
Without the community there is no us, so we just wanted to toss out a thank you for being so supportive withour rebirth. On our socials today, we will be tossing this message up, but we have comment section open here on on our one blog, so feel free to participate here as well!
THANK YOU
We’re not even 4 weeks in with new ownership and the support from the community is amazing.
The shout outs, the calls and emails, sharing with your friends, and the memes have been excellent and we know there are more we haven’t seen.
So please share where you’re seeing people post about Kingsnake.
Post the memes below.
Check back later, and see what’s been added.
THANK YOU for your support. Kingsnake is coming back in a big way for all of you. …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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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!
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more
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We know we have been promising BIG things and just to prove it, here is a sneak peek! Remember, we have a lot to work on so things are taking time, but our first thing is about ready to go so we wanted to share that now! The thing you have been begging for! A better mobile experience!
WHAT?! Mobile update?!
Yes, you heard right, we gave a sneak peak of how our new mobile site is coming along. Very much a work in progress, but we thought you’d all enjoy a sneak peak.
BIG THINGS HAPPENING!
Thank you for coming back and supporting us in such a big way! We hope to go live very soon! …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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The close up on this Green Bottle Blue Tarantula (Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens) in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user VansXotics is just amazing! Did you forget we still have a spot for our inverts?! We didn’t! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more
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Look how well she manages blends in! Valkyrie is coming to get ya in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Ashteroid ! She may camouflage well, but her colors pop so hard here! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more
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The “Wrestle a Gator” educational show at Reptile Gardens from when Cindy visited. Herper Approved.
Reptile Gardens had a tragic overnight fire in one of their off display buildings that impacted all of their American Alligators from their educational program as well as their African Spur Thigh Tortoises and their Red Foot Tortoises, their other giant tortoises are houses in a different building for winter and are safe. Long time members of the site might remember that Reptile Gardens hosts me for a week several years back for an amazing behind the scenes experience that I was able to share with all of you, including sharing their tortoises and alligators and their show. You can see the photos here.
Our hearts at kingsnake are with the entire team at Reptile Gardens, most of all currator of animals Terry Phillip. You can feel the love he has for the animals he cares for in his statement. We have included it after the bump. Continue reading “Tragic fire breaks out at Reptile Gardens” …read more
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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! Check out this gorgeous Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user sluggo781 found near Perris, CA! Be sure to tell them you liked it here! Remember on Friday, we highlight our venomous species to help increase awareness about their conservation and celebrate #RattlesnakeFriday with everyone.
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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A snake in the hand is better than two in the bush! Loving this white-sided Sonoran Gopher Snake in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Colby! Bonus points for being so flipping WEE! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more
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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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Each Sunday USARK is reaching out to a new state and this week it is Kansas! They are trying to spread awareness about the organization and what work they do. From their post!
If you have a pet store, veterinary office, or public exhibit that works with reptiles or amphibians in Kansas, USARK will send you a FREE business package that includes brochures, stickers, and possibly more. Please tag any businesses that might be interested! Email vanessa@usark.org with your company name and address if you are in this week’s state and want to assist.
We will randomly draw a new state every Sunday. Please feel free to comment and show your support as a member, advocate, fan, or herp owner.
Get ahold of Vanessa and represent! You can view the original post here. …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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This Pied Bearded Dragon in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user dragomlover was originally bred by Liz at Satyrday Reptiles. I hit the wayback machine in our photo gallery for this one. As far as the notes on the photo say, it was unknown if this one was ever bred, but did not appear to have been. Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more
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What amazing colors Uros come in, like this ornate in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user plietz! Be sure to tell them you liked it here.
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more
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inset photo from our photo gallery by user da_great_jandini
kingsnake.com has always been about the community. Heck, we are the one who coined the phrase reptile community, eschewing the original “reptile nation” and avoiding using industry because we are more than just breeders! The community makes us.
Logically, we want to hear your feedback.
We are accessible, It’s easy for you to find us and provide feedback.
First and foremost, come on to the General Discussion forum here and join the discussion! We already outlined several topics and are looking for YOUR feedback on things! Your feedback is critical to the road map we’re creating for the future of kingsnake.com
You can email Jon directly at jon@kingsnake.com for feedback on the site, banner advertising, help with your account or just to chat about reptiles and amphibians.
Of course Cindy is here to get you back up and running with account access so you can get back up and running on the site. As always Cindy is here for anything you need. Email her at cindy@kingsnake.com
…read more
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Last night Jon sat down with David Levinson and JMG Reptiles on Trap Talk Radio with Cindy and our programmer Gerry there to back him up in the chat room to answer some questions about Kingsnake.com as well as just him personally! If you missed the broadcast you can check it out here!
…read more
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Many people talk about how snakes live a primal existence driven by instinct, but those of us who work with them know they do have the ability to learn routines and people in some sense, but exactly how does that work?
A recent study using corn snakes sheds some light on that!
In this study, corn snakes (Elaphe guttata guttata) successfully learned to navigate mazes and consistently found the correct route to reach shelter or prey. They also avoided areas where they had previously encountered stress, demonstrating their ability to store and recall experiences. This memory is not emotional or social, as seen in mammals, but functional; it allows snakes to adapt their behaviour to avoid threats, locate resources, and navigate their environment efficiently. Such findings challenge outdated assumptions about reptile cognition and highlight their evolutionary intelligence.
Im telling ya, this was a cool article with a link to the study. Take a little time this weekend with your coffee and check it out here! …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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Many people talk about how snakes live a primal existence driven by instinct, but those of us who work with them know they do have the ability to learn routines and people in some sense, but exactly how does that work?
A recent study using corn snakes sheds some light on that!
In this study, corn snakes (Elaphe guttata guttata) successfully learned to navigate mazes and consistently found the correct route to reach shelter or prey. They also avoided areas where they had previously encountered stress, demonstrating their ability to store and recall experiences. This memory is not emotional or social, as seen in mammals, but functional; it allows snakes to adapt their behaviour to avoid threats, locate resources, and navigate their environment efficiently. Such findings challenge outdated assumptions about reptile cognition and highlight their evolutionary intelligence.
Im telling ya, this was a cool article with a link to the study. Take a little time this weekend with your coffee and check it out here! …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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photo by kingsnake.com user MXHerper of a coral snake Micrurus laticollaris
We all know the rhyme, the one that has caused consternation to many an experienced herper but is just so catchy it sticks around. Red touch yellow, kill a fellow, red touch black, venom lack. Variations occur, but all of them are equally flawed. Plenty of highly venomous coral snakes across the western hemisphere fail to pay heed to that little saying, how rude.
I get the reason for the rhyme. In most of the US, the most commonly encountered tricolors do adhere to it. One may discern a harmless milk or kingsnake from a venomous coral snake by the pattern of colors…among a host of other features of course.
So why would a harmless snake look like a dangerously venomous snake? Mimicry. Let’s explore this for a bit. In ecology, mimicry is generally classified into two major groups: Batesian or Mullerian. Batesian is when a harmless species looks like a dangerous species, and Mullerian is when two dangerous species look similar to each other.
Here’s where the misconception comes in. Most of the time, we say a milk snake is “trying to look like” a coral snake, or a hognose snake is “trying to look like” a cobra. Think about that for just a second. Milk snakes know nothing about coral snakes. Hognose snakes certainly know nothing about cobras. The problem is in the phrasing. Mimicry is an amazing biological process that deserves so much more nuance and explanation than a Lamarckian sort of misconception like one species “wants” to look like another.
Instead, let’s actually be willing to delve into the convergence between two groups of organisms. Bright coloration, aka aposematic coloration, is ubiquitous in nature. Often used as a warning, like “eat me, and it might be the last thing you do,” this is obviously an effective survival strategy that’s been adopted by a ton of critters. Brightly colored bands on milk snakes and coral snakes both serve the same purpose: warning, justified or not, to dissuade predation. Mimicry is simply convergent evolution – groups of organisms stumbling upon similar survival characteristics. Bright colors like with the milk and coral, making yourself look larger like with the hognose and cobra, shaking a tail like with rat snakes and rattlesnakes – all are characteristics or behaviors that increase an organism’s odds of living long enough to reproduce – and that, ladies and gentlemen, is the name of the game.
So next time you’re discussing mimicry, give yourself and your audience the time and patience to delve into the nuance, and try not to fall back on easier phrases that perpetuate misconceptions. …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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This Horned Desert Viper (Cerastes cerastes) in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Gaboonviper1388is just peeking from its hiding spot! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
As always, on Fridays, we highlight our venomous animals as part of #RattlesnakeFriday to help bring awareness to their conservation status. …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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On Friday November 14 at 9 pm EST, our new owner, Jon Poff will be sitting down with David Levinson and Jeff Galewood of JMG Reptiles to talk about what is coming our way with the future of kingsnake.com on the Trap Talk Reptile Network!
This will be a live podcast with an open chat that you can ask questions in and steer the conversation. I will be joining along in chat and if possible I will help answer any questions too!
We hope you can join us live! Just click here to do it! Remember 9 pm EST Friday! …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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Loving this baby Henkli in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user gekkotaculture! This was the first one out of the egg!! I’m betting these guys will be on our classifieds very soon! Keep your eyes peeled! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more
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What a gorgeous rat snake in the field in Virginia in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Steve_Ray! Come back summer, I miss you! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more
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Blast from the past with this IJ Jag Carpet from Spitfire Reptiles in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user yasser! They used to be one of the leaders in Morelia! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more
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What a wee worm snake in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user corythreatt! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more
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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! What a cool field shot of a Timber in shed in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user seto2112!
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 and to raise awareness for their need for protection.
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more
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That’s a whole lotta bull. Bullsnake that is! Loving the colors on the one here in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user orchidspider has never missed a meal! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
Upload your own reptile and photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more
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Matt Jeppson / Shutterstock
Typically I would share REAL news here, but when I was doing a news search, in between the stories of the most infestest lakes or river and the largest and most deadly and scary stories, there was a click bait article that stood out.
10 Cutest Snake Species That Have Us Squeeing
I know a good batch of you are cringing right now but you know what? These pages help our cause. They make our animals seem less scary to those who have fears. They make them more approachable. They bring down the mystery, the danger and the scary level. This is important. This is something we need. While the world outside of us is still going crazy USARK is still fighting laws every day that restricts our pets and it’s the little things like that that help us.
It’s clickbait, so if you don’t want to go, to the site, the full list is after the bump, or you can go here to see it too! Continue reading “10 cutest snakes as determined by TEH INTERWEBS” …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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As herping wraps up for most of us, a visit with this lovely Virginia Salamander found in the field in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cochran helps get us through the long winter! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
Upload your own reptile and photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more
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As herping wraps up for most of us, a visit with this lovely Virginia Salamander found in the field in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cochran helps get us through the long winter! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
Upload your own reptile and photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more
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Hello there.
Rather surreal to be writing this…yes writing it, no ChatGPT…… Jeff and I came to an agreement, Kingsnake.com has a new owner and survives!!
Your 3 burning questions.
Who am I? Why in the world did I buy Kingsnake.com? What happens next?
Click below to find out or skip to the absolute bottom for the Too Long – Didn’t want to Read
Continue reading “I pickup the torch” …read more
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This beautiful Trans-Pecos Rat Snake is holding on to her most valueable treasure in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user pecoskid ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
Upload your own reptile and photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more
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Hello there.
Rather surreal to be writing this…yes writing it, no ChatGPT…… Jeff and I came to an agreement, Kingsnake.com has a new owner and survives!!
Your 3 burning questions.
Who am I? Why in the world did I buy Kingsnake.com? What happens next?
Click below to find out or skip to the absolute bottom for the Too Long – Didn’t want to Read
Continue reading “I pickup the torch” …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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I have had a lot of people reaching out who have forgotten their passwords or even usernames! I know it has been a while for some of you and with the changes, you aren’t sure who to reach out to!
If you need help recovering your account right now, please feel free to reach out to me at cindyatkingsnake @ gmail.com (remove spaces obvs) and I will be happy to get all things squared away for you! Remember, we are still working through the transition and rebuild so everything is still “classic” Kingsnake at the moment. As time goes on you will start to see changes, but for now enjoy the classic. …read more
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WE BACK BABY!
This is the first photo for the day for the new ownership and a hint to the new owner! This will also be probably the last time I upload from my own gallery! This is our new owner with one of his Chiapan Black Beaded (Heloderma alvarezi). THe new owner is one of the few people permitted to import these in the country. He is a herper and one of us. He has been a member of Kingsnake and didn’t want it to go away.
SO let’s welcome the new owner and his cute lil bulldog. You all know how I love my bulldogs. The name and official announcement is coming soon, but this is your tease. And you know I love to give you teases!
…read more
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This is literally me in the hotel at Tinley checking forums. Photo by former ks.com staffer Clint Gilders
There was going to be a final Herp photo of the day, but I couldn’t decide. Anything I post will have memories and a farewell anyhow.
For 28 years, I have started most of my days with Kingsnake.com I say most because well, we used to only have 10 hours of internet a week. I only visited a few times a week back then. My original username was faustcorpus and I read a lot and hung out on the original Iguana forums. You need to look back at our first archives. I was also a member of the original NRAAC for WI. I climbed the ranks here from volunteer to part timer to site coordinator/goddess/mom that you know and love. Jeff was the maser but I like to think I was (that hurts to say) the face, heart and soul of the site for a little over 2 decades. Even the short time I left, I still checked the site daily first thing each morning. My browser has 4 kingsnake windows open daily. My processor will be pleased tomorrow.
As the weeks have passed since the announcement I have been working on going through my things on the site. Searching for old posts, saving threads here and there, saving my photos. As I am in crunch time, I am looking back and remembering everyone again. All the people who we have helped, known, and some sadly lost. The kids who are not adults. The breeders who are no longer in the community. 28 years is a long time.
I want to thank all the volunteers that worked with us and all the chatters who were there. My forum pains in the butts who made my life spicy some days. And even those who came up to me every show to complain that they were banned again. I want to thank every single person that came to our chats, forums and classifieds. I want to thank everyone who read everything I wrote and posted all the time. WHo interacted with me at shows, traveled with me on this crazy ass trip.
From the forums to the field trips at conventions to the amazing auctions. I have laughed so much this past few weeks looking through the site but I have also cried a few times too.
Most of all, I want to thank you all for accepting a girl who never bred a single animal in her life as you mom.
While Jeff may be riding off into the sunset, you are not quite rid of me! You know exactly where to find me come March! But for now, the tears are flowing, my heart is hurting.
But as The Family Says… Cheers Mother F’ers. …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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There was a lot of waffling to decide who today was, it was the NRBE2009 gallery when I saw my face at the first time I met a komodo that I realized that it had to be Krakatoa!
If you notice, there was always a field trip, be it a convention or expo. Florida often had several depending on how I planned it and who I was traveling with. St. Augustine Alligator Farm was ALWAYS a favorite. We ALWAYS had the VIP experience. I do not zoo like you zoo. For me all zoos ARE petting zoos. My friends are the keepers. I know their dedication and love.
I also remember the stories of Sharon Stone and her husband. I wasn’t sure where these photos werem I knew I hadn’t taken them and I was worried they all may have been lost. Thankfully, as I was clearing I found them. If you are on my Facebook, get ready to see a lot of photos hit. OH EM GEE!
But oh Krakatoa. I had to write his obituary several years later. He died due to West Nile Virus, when that was pretty rampant. He was truly a special lizard who also would seek out the human touch. I am so honored to have had him in my life.
BE SURE TO GET ALL YOUR PHOTOS OFF THE SITE BEFORE WE GO DARK ASAP at gallery.kingsnake.com!
…read more
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Thanks to running this joint, I see zoos differently. I have loved every single one I have gone to and have many “boyfriends” around the country, but as I said, I started with Iguanas and I cannot forget the most Iconic Iguana I ever got to love on.
Gitmo was an awesome Cuban Iguana, but he wasn’t always the nicest of guys before he moved to the US. He was originally a nuisance animal at GITMO aka Guantanamo Bay Military Base and would terrorize the servicemen. There was a conservation programs in effect at the time and through some fancy footwork, he got transferred to the San Diego Zoo’s conservation Program which was later renamed to Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for Conservation Research. It was there I met him, along with my firsts of many iguana species. My very first pure Grand Cayman Blue iguana and I also met Marlon and Irwin, the Cyclura pinguis, which are an amazingly unique species to feel. But Gitmo, he stole my heart. He was used for a lot of outreach programs and was very people oriented. I broke the rules using a vertical photo (again, what’s the worst that is going to happen?) because it shows how amazingly wonderful he was with people. Gitmo interacted with you and connected with you. He loved belly rubs and chin scritches. Gitmo passed a few years back of natural causes. He came to the zoo as an adult, so his age was not known if I remember correctly. I got to visit with him a few times over the years, but this is when I feel head over heals for this lizard. Long live GITMO!
BE SURE TO GET ALL YOUR PHOTOS OFF THE SITE BEFORE WE GO DARK ASAP at gallery.kingsnake.com!
…read more
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