Some might wonder what is it with this Glass Lizard in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user rosycorn, but we all know what it is!

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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! Here’s lookin’ at you kid! Check out this gorgeous albino Southern Pacific Rattlesnake in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user lichanura . Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Proving that good things come in small packages, this field caught ringneck shines in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cochran!

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Check out this curious little Wood Turtle our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user kensopher! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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This curious little wild Rat snake is checking out the camera in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cmac107 ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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So small and precious, this baby Broad Banded Water Snake in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cochran is so very adorable! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Tropes, formerly called Dwarf Boas, are high on the lists of herps we hope to see. This is Tropidophis melanurus.
The beautiful Island Nation of Cuba. A mere 90 miles away, yet Cuba, with a climate about identical to our southern Florida Keys, but with a wonderfully different herpetofauna and avifauna, remains an “unknown” to many, if not most, Americans. But Patti and I are two of the lucky ones. We have each been to our neighboring island several times. And it is probable that as you read this, Patti and I, and a few other participants, are again in the air on an airliner, heading southeastward from Tampa.

But let me explain.

The previous times we’ve visited Cuba have been on birding trips. Despite this designation, we were able to get a bit of herping in. But this time, we’re have broadened our view a bit and designated our quests as both herping and birding. And if this trip goes well, we may attempt a later trip specifically for herping (but we’ll also look for birds) to a different destination. Just a thought at the moment, but the far western peninsula, Guanacahabibes, seems to be calling strongly to us. We’ll keep you posted both about our current and future trips. Continue reading “Cuba, Here We Come” …read more
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It would be pretty hard to tread on this Albino Atrox in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user krantz ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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This American Alligator is chilling like a villian in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user mwright82 ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Today’s herp photo of the day reminds us to always flip that tin! This five-lined skink was found with her eggs under a paving stone, uploaded by kingsnake.com user CDB_reptiles!
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Loving this Dumeril’s basking in the sun for a photoshoot in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user liljenni ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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There is no denying the extreme cute factor of this Xenopus laevis in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user Krallenfrosch ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Florida Scrub Lizards, male foreground, female rear.
The state of Florida has a fair number of endemic herp species. There are Florida sand skinks, Crowned snakes of not one but of 2 species, Florida worm lizard (that, with an example having been found in south Georgia just became non-endemic) and several others. But one that we don’t hear much about is the Florida Scrub Lizard, Sceloporus woodi. Once fairly common in 4 well defined but well separated locales, this little member of the spiny lizard (also known as “swifts”) clan now seems reduced in numbers and may even have been extirpated in some regions.

Having a body length of less than 3 inches (the tail will add another couple of inches), the Scrub Lizard is one of the smaller members of the genus. The Scrub Lizard’s dark lateral stripe makes differentiating it from the Fence Lizard, Sceloporus undulatus, that lacks the stripe, a simple task. This Scrub Lizard, agile and alert, is sexually dimorphic. Adult males lack most dorsal markings between the dark lateral stripes while females have rather prominent dark, wavy, dorsal crossbands.

If startled while basking or foraging on the ground the Scrub Lizard usually darts for the nearest tree and puts a trunk or limb between it and the interloper. Small, alert, and fast—3 requisites for survival in what can be a hostile home range. Continue reading “Florida’s Scrub Lizard” …read more
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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! We are seeing red with this gorgeous shot of a Pygmy Rattlesnake our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user Tamers1 ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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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.

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Here is to hoping this Northern Pine in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user orchidspider can cure any case of the blues!! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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“You’re kingsnake.com, where are all the kingsnakes?” Right here in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user trevid ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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The yellow groin differentiates the Pickerel Frog from the Leopard Frogs.Pickerel Frog or Leopard Frog? The shape of the dorsal spots will tell. Or perhaps they won’t. It would be convenient if the dark markings of the Pickerel Frog, Rana palustris, always complied with the description most often attributed to it—squared or rectangular dorsal spots— but the sad truth is that this is not always so. However, another field marking, that of having a yellow groin and underleg coloring does seem to be a constant. And you can always hope that the frog at which you are looking does have squared dorsal and dorsolateral blotches. Many do.

The Pickerel Frog is rather unique amongst the eastern ranids in that it produces a decidedly noxious skin secretion. The secretion can cause many human tears if the eyes are rubbed before hand washing. The secretion also seems sufficiently repulsive to render the anuran an unsuitable prey item for many snake species.

Overall, this brown spotted 3 ½” long, tan frog is common throughout its divided range. The eastern population ranges westward and southward from eastern Quebec to the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, then southward to northwest Alabama and southeast South Carolina. The western population ranges westward and southward to Western Wisconsin, then to east Texas and South Central Alabama, and Escambia County, FL. Between the two populations is a broad swath of what seems to be Pickerel Frog No Man’s Land.

The snoring call of this frog man be produced when the frog is fully exposed or when it is fully submerged. This frog may be encountered in moist meadows, near or in grassy puddles, bogs, and ponds, and may even enter caves. IOW it may occur wherever you would expect to find a frog and in some places that you might not expect one. They are not hard to find.

BTW, Lithobates is no longer the genus for the eastern ranids. They have been returned to Rana.
Continue reading “The Pickerel Frog” …read more
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This little Diamondback baby found Arizona is adorable in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user kevinjudd in the field! We can only imagine the excitement at this find! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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I’m a little green with envy of this Green Tree Monitor in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user roadspawn and her plans for a lazy day. Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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This young Green Anaconda is almost wistful looking in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user raul_o . What a ham! Part of the original “Big 5”, they were once under threat of being added to the Lacey Act. Now they are under the gun again! Let’s keep the fight going! Did you email your senator today?

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Levy County FL Corn Snake
Whether you call them Corn Snakes or Red Rat Snakes, this lithe constrictor is a wonderful and welcome species of the North American herpetofauna. Long before the advent of the Ball Python fury (perhaps 25 years ago), it was the Corn Snake that was the target of snake-keeper’s genetic manipulation. I make no pretense of remembering what color or pattern expression came first, second, or third, but there were soon dozens of choices that went from cheap to far more than I, being kind of a cheapskate, would ever consider paying.

But this blog isn’t about those days or hobbyist derived phases and morphs. Rather it is just to show you that Mother Nature needs no help when evolving beauty. These are 3 rather distinct corn snakes from southern Florida. One, kind of “cinnamony” from Levy County, one precisely marked form from the Everglades, and one, the old time “rosy Rat snake” from one of Florida’s southern Keys. I hope you enjoy seeing these as much as I enjoyed finding them. Continue reading “Corn Snakes” …read more
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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! Massive support is needed in the conservation of the gorgeous Massasauga Rattlesnake all across the country. That is why they take the spotlight today in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user ratsnakehaven ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Boas are a staple of our world, like this gorgeous one in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Sharkman20 . But they were once under threat of being added to the Lacey Act. Now they are under the gun again! Let’s keep the fight going! Did you email your senator today?

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This Green Iguana is chilling in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user ForestTime hoping they get white listed. Not very likely sadly! Let’s keep the fight going! Did you email your senator today?

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Seeing this Burmese Python in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user OrangeTurtle reminds me of winning against the feds for the Big 5 and seeing them back at shows! Let’s keep the fight going! Did you email your senator today?

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This little Retic has it’s eye on you in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Steve_Ray ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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The America COMPETES Act has passed the house on a very slim vote. It is imperative that each and everyone one of us reaches out to our senators to oppose the passing of this act. This will impact more than just reptile owners. IF your pet could survive in the everglades, your pet could be next. This measure does not ban ownership, however it bans transport across state lines. While this may be primarily aimed at the trade and sale, it will also effectively end the ability to keep your pets if you move out of state or even if your vet is in another state, you could not take your pet to receive veterinary care it needs. USARK has sample letters, directions on how to get your letter into your senator’s hands.

We added a portion of the original action alert after the bump with the info you need or you can visit USARK’s info page here. Continue reading “ACTION ALERT: NATIONAL: American COMPETES act to add species to Lacey Act” …read more
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“Squeeze” today. After 10 months of rehab he is able to use his legs again and is growing.
This little denizen of marshes, swamps, water carrying ditches, lake and pond edges and occasionally of backyard goldfish ponds ranges northward from Florida’s Key West to southern and central Georgia and extreme southeastern South Carolina. Adult Three-striped Mud Turtles, Kinosternon bauri, are normally 3 to 4 inches long, but may rarely reach 5 inches. Hatchlings are, as I describe them, about 17/25ths the size of a shiny new quarter. In other words, hatchlings are tiny. In fact, so tiny are they, and so close in color to the earthen nest from which they emerge, that unless they are moving it is very easy to step on and kill or debilitate a hatchling.

And that’s exactly what happened to “Squeeze”, a hatchling that had been brought, on the verge of death, crushed, with cattywampus legs, dehydrated, and misshapen, to Florida Wildlife Care. Eventually “Squeeze” wound up with us, and we began a restoration project that I felt sure would fail. It didn’t. But the resurrection took a long time—several months in fact, and on a small scale is still ongoing. It was only 3 weeks ago (Dec 2021) that Squeeze finally began using his (we of course have no idea whether it’s male or female) right front leg. Today, rather than swimming in circles he goes in a straight line—slowly but straight. And he has begun eating ravenously and has grown. Oh, his name? Patti called him that because his life had been so nearly squeezed out of him. But we now have hope, and I’m pretty sure that Squeeze does too. C’mon Squeeze!

Continue reading “The Three-striped Mud Turtle” …read more
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Lovely head shot of this Brazil Lancehead (Bothrops brazili) in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user neverscared ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here! We like to spotlight all our venomous creatures on #RattlesnakeFriday to help bring awareness to the need to protect and conserve these important animals in our world.

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How small are Viper Geckos when they are born? As you can see in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user JohnRobinson VERY small! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Curiosity doesn’t seem dangerous to this Nile Monitor in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user Mantafish every once in a while! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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This vibrant Cape Gopher Snake (Pituophis catenifer vertebralis) in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user pitparade will brighten your Monday for sure! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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USARK recently caught a few amendments being hidden in the 2000 page plus America COMPETES Act of 2022.

This brief run down of what could be impacted can be found on USARK’s page.

1. Provide that the Lacey Act bans the interstate transport of species listed as injurious. Specifically, it replaces Lacey’s current language ‘‘shipment between the continental United States’’ with ‘‘transport between the States.”
2. Create a “white list” of species that can be imported. This means that any animal (reptile, amphibian, fish, bird, mammal, invertebrate) that is not on the white list is by default treated as an injurious species and is banned from importation.
3. Create a new authority allowing FWS to use an “emergency designation” that becomes effective immediately after being published in the Federal Register unless an extension of no more than 60 days is allowed. That means no due process, public input, hearings, advanced notice, etc. for injurious listings.
4. Permit FWS to not allow importation if a species has not been imported in “minimal quantities” (to be defined) in the year prior to the enactment of this Act.
The effective date would be one year after the enactment of this Act.

This can and will impact more than just reptiles, so reach out to your friends and family that own things other than your normal dog and cat. If a species can survive in Florida, it may be targeted. Once a species is listed as injurious crossing state lines with the animal becomes illegal, even if it is for you to move OR going to a veterinarian! You will still be able to own it. However this also can impact our trade as well. This is is far more restrictive than the originally proposed “Big 5” that USARK was able to overturn with a lawsuit.

What can you do? USARK has given us everything we need! From their action alert:

Through Feb. 2, contact the House Rules Committee and your federal Representatives. Remember to be civil and professional at all times. Please personalize/edit your letters, if possible. If the bill passes the House with the amendments, then attention must turn to the Senate.

1. Call your Representatives’ offices (link below) and the Rules Committee at (202)-225-9091;
2. Email Representatives (link below);
3. Fax letters to (202)-226-9191 and your Representatives;
4. SHARE this and encourage others to complete the Alert!!!

The page also includes ways to find out who your representatives are as well as a form letter that you can copy and paste. You can find the action alert here. …read more
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Help fight off any case of the Mondays by welcoming this little ball python to the world in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user TerryHeuring brighten your day!! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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After emerging from the forest this 6″ long yellowfoot simply crossed the trail and disappeared on the other side.Patti and I were fortunate in being able to spend a good bit of time leading rainforest tours through various areas of the Peruvian rainforest. Depending on what our guests hoped to see we might have been following trails after dark in search of pit vipers, paddling kayaks in hope of seeing crocodile tegus, looking for green forest dragons in treefall areas, or simply meandering along forest pathways to see what we could see. All choices were wonderful, but I think I liked the daytime pathway walks the most. For it was on these we would occasionally meet one of my favorite herps, the Yellow-footed Tortoise, Chelonoidis denticulata.

In fact, it was only on these diurnal walks that we met these pretty chelonians. Sometimes they would be just sitting, legs mostly withdrawn, head and neck extended, soaking up the sunshine. At other times the tortoise might be strolling slowly along path edges nipping at whatever piece of forest vegetation that caught its eye. Sometimes they might only be bustling from one side of the trail to the other, leading us to the old why does a chicken cross the road query.

Despite being closely related to the red-footed tortoise, no variants have been designated for this species. Known to attain a straight measure of 28 inches, this tortoise is classed as the 5th largest land species.
Continue reading “Amazonian Yellow-footed Tortoises” …read more
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A great shot of a live (as they should be) Pygmy Rattlesnake on concrete in the field in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user JARHEAD1969 ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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What a gorgeous way to spotlight one of the underappreciated pythons! This lovely Olive Python poses perfectly in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user BNixon ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Martha, a Reeve’s Turtle, is just chilling out in the sun in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user kasie ! When this photo was originally posted in 2006, Martha was over 30 years old! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Despite their reputation of being angry, the beauty of a Tokay gecko puts it front and center in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user stingray! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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