This barking tree frog is just hanging out in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user viandy . Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! This certainly is not a rattlesnake, but it is a beautiful venomous creature. What a great close up of a Gaboon Viper, uploaded by kingsnake.com user magnum26 is full of sassy and potentially life-saving venom! 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.
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What a beautiful boa constrictor in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user biophiliacs . Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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What do you mean it is a lizard, it ain’t got no legs! Check out this field shot of a Glass lizard in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user rosycorn found in Florida! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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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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This young banded water snake being very curious in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user casichelydia ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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The most variable and arguably the prettiest of the three, this is a male Eastern Box Turtle.
The USA is fortunate in being home to 6 rather distinct box turtles, 2 in the Terrapene ornata group, and 4 in the T. carolina group. The latter 4 are the Eastern, Terrapene c. carolina, the Gulf Coast, T. c. major, the Three-toed, T. c. triunguis, and the Florida, T. c. bauri. Since we chatted about the Florida Box turtle just last month, we’ll exempt it from this blog. That leaves us with the 3 subspecies that are most similar in appearance, even if the most diverse in coloration, with the Eastern race being especially so.. These three have carapaces that are high-domed, may be flattened dorsally, and except for the slightly more elongate Gulf Coast subspecies, are rather round when viewed from above. Collectively they range from southern Maine, south to southern Georgia then westward to eastern Kansas and east Texas. Hatchlings are flatter and lack the hinged plastron for which this genus is famous.
From west to east we come first to the Three-toed subspecies. It is also the most uniformly colored of the three, its carapace usually being of some shade of brown to olive brown, with or without lighter dots and dashes. The face is variably adorned with orange and white, sometimes extensively so.
In southeastern AL the Three-toed Box Turtle intergrades with the largest of the subspecies, the Gulf Coast Box Turtle. In its purist form (Mobile Bay and the Florida Panhandle), this latter subspecies is big (to 8 ½”), often has a rather flat-topped carapace, and when adult is quite dark—blackish brown– in color. Old males may develop white patches on the face. Younger examples and intergrades are often light brownish-red.
Finally, we come to the most variable in overall appearance, the Eastern Box Turtle. It may be found east of the Mississippi River and north of Florida to the East Coast. Carapace, legs, and head are brown, but the markings on all, varying from few to profuse, may be yellow to bright orange. The latter produces a truly beautiful little chelonian.
Continue reading “The USA Carolina Box Turtle Group” …read more
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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! Let’s celebrate in the mighty southwest beauty of the Rock Rattlesnake here in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Janne ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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How adorable is this Newt in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user plagueguitarist ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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This blood python in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user jsignorettiis stunning! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Two for Tuesday with this totes adorbs pair of Caiman Lizards 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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This is a female Kaznakov’s Viper.
When Louis Porras told me he had a pair of Kaznakov’s Vipers for sale, I jumped at the opportunity to acquire them. For years this small, heavy bodied viper, Vipera kaznakovii, had been a dream species. But now the dream was to become a reality.
A woodland viper of the Caucasus (Turkey, Georgia and southwestern Russia), it had been seldom imported. In its homeland it is reportedly found near rocky upthrusts and associated scree deposits in rather open hardwood forestland.
The pair received, a black male and a black and orange female, were exactly what I had hoped them to be. At about 20 inches in length, the female was a bit larger than the male. They proved hardy, both feeding readily and steadily on small, thawed, mice.
During their second winter with me I cooled them noticeably but did not hibernate them. Meals then consisted of smaller mice and feedings were further apart. In early winter I noticed breeding behavior and by early April the female was obviously gravid.
All of the above comments are from a memory flawed by time. The computerized records disappeared when the harddrive of the computer I was then using burped and then whirled itself into nonrepairable deterioration. The truth is that computers and I are not in the least compatible.
But at least I have photos of these beautiful vipers and their progeny to share with you. Thanks, Jeff, for the opportunity.
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This crested gecko certainly has his eye on you in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user BryanD ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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It is both Rattlesnake Friday and Earth Day. This copperhead in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user AlexNevgloski reminds us to only leave footprints when out in the field! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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What a fantastic close up of a Schneider’s Smooth-Fronted Caimen in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cpipes ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Gallery Photo by user liamsherps
According to Stew Peters film ‘Watch the Water’ he makes the outrageous claim COVID-19 is snake venom.
“COVID-19 is a synthetic version of “snake venom” that evil forces are spreading through remdesivir, the COVID-19 vaccines and drinking water to “make you a hybrid of Satan.”
Seriously people. I don’t even know where to begin with this but I will try.
COVID-19 is a VIRUS, specifically one of the family of Coronaviruses. It attacks the respiratory system and is spread by person to person contact.
Snake venom is a TOXIN. It is a toxin that contains different levels of hemotoxins, which destroy tissue and cells, and neurotoxins which attack the nervous system. They can only be transmitted through direct contact with tissues, usually via snakebite.
Toxins and viruses operate completely differently in the human body, both can make you ill, or even kill you,
but neither will make you a “hybrid of Satan”. Whatever that is.
Read more here. https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/apr/19/watch-water/stew-peters-film-watch-water-ridiculously-claims-c/
I can’t believe I even have to address this. …read more
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Welcome to the world little one! This Mexican Conehead Lizard in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user all2human takes it’s first breaths of life! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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What more can we say but AMAZING! This is such a beautiful shot of a Desert Horned Lizard in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Brockn ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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This male veiled is hanging on tight for whatever is in store for him in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user GECKOPERSON ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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The Eastern Spadefoot, Scaphiopus holbrookii, is not a big anuran. It is adult at a length of about 2 inches, sometimes a bit smaller, sometimes a bit bigger. But for its size it does have a pretty-big voice. I’ve heard the vocalization likened to a burp. And at times it sounds like that to me. But I had to rethink the sounds of the spadefoot chorus being voiced in our flooded yard last July. Those calls reminded me more of abrupt purrs than of burps. But the calls apparently sounded just right to the females, for even before full darkness had fallen on that rainy day most males were amplexing visiting females. Even before morning light only the water and the eggs remained.
Our backyard used to be a railbed. Over the rails ran the local Gainesville to Gulf trains, a company now as extinct as the dodo. But the sunken bed, now devoid of rails, ties, and most spikes, remains, and at the lower end temporary flooding is common. We leave it as it is because the treefrogs, narrowmouths, and spadefoots breed there annually. These used to be called Eastern Spadefoot Toads, but today just Eastern Spadefoot will do. They are actually in an entirely different family than the toads. Eastern Spadefoots have almost smooth skin and tend to be a brownish color with a lyre shaped lighter dorsal marking. They have only a single digging spur (but they are very efficient and dedicated burrowers), lack or have very small parotoid glands, and have vertical pupils.
Now we’ll scoot ahead about 14 days. Some of the water had soaked in, but enough was left to allow several hundred tadpoles to grow and metamorphose into tiny spadefootlets. Our yard was temporarily untreadable as the hundreds of wee ones sought refuge well away from the railbed. To walk was to crush, so we kept to the front yard for a few days. But the inconvenience was well worthwhile, for now on humid summer and autumn nights the spadefoots, a burrowing species, emerge and seek repast. This is a cycle we and our neighbors enjoy.
An Eastern Spadefoots dorsal marking is in the shape of an hourglass.
Continue reading “The Eastern Spadefoot Toad” …read more
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We love everything that rattles, but today we give the spotlight to this baby timber rattlesnake in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user jameswv! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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If this axolotl in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user tadpoleo doesn’t make you smile, I am not sure what will! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Happy Wednesday from this pair of Common Toads (Bufo bufo) 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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A True Giant. This Komodo Dragon takes center stage in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cowboyfromhell s! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Happy National Pet Day from Baxter the Beardie and his mom Katt in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user katt_amoore! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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The colors of last years fallen leaves, the little Godman’s Pit Viper well camouflaged on the forest floor.
The little Godman’s Pit Viper, Cerrophidion godmani, was once readily available and rather inexpensive. Today it seems another of the species that has largely disappeared from the trade. It ranges through the southeastern Mexican mountains to the highlands of Guatemala. Those south of Guatemala are now known as C. sasai. This latter also being a highland species.
In appearance this little pit viper varies in color between the browns of newly fallen leaves to that of darker colored, older, wet leaves. Black outlined darker dorsal blotches (these may actually form a broad zigzag stripe dorsally) and lateral spots are present. There is a diagonal white stripe from the eye to the angle of the mouth. Below the stripe the facial scales, including the upper labials are often a variable russet in color.
Adult size is usually 18 to 24 inches, but some examples have been 30+ inches.
Although of subdued colors, I’m glad that I had opportunity to photograph a snake that might now be only a memory in American herpetoculture.
Continue reading “The Godman’s Pit Viper” …read more
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This Hagen’s Pit Viper wants to get up close and personal with you in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user knotsnake ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here! On Rattlesnake Friday, we celebrate all forms of venomous reptiles to promote conservation of them world wide!
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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!
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What a great looking pair of Australian water dragons in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cochran! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Barking tree frogs, like this one in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user draybar may not woof like a dog, but it is def as cute as a dog! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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This Vinales Anole (Anolis vermiculatus) in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user macraei must be looking for snacks! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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A beautiful subadult Boa Constrictor from the Miami population.
Yes, as with the pythons there are 3, but again only one is established. The established species is the Boa, or if you prefer, the Boa Constrictor. The population, in Miami, has been known for about 70 years but in no way can its presence be considered a threatening invasion by any but the most rabid conservationist. In its 70+ years, the population of these live-bearing snakes seems to have grown little if at all. BTW, the scientific name of this snake echos the common name, Boa constrictor, often with a subspecies tacked on. The range of the various subspecies of boas extends from northern Mexico to Argentina. Boas from the more northerly locales are smaller than those from the neotropics. In their homelands, depending on locale, most boas are adult at 5 to 9 feet in length but in the neotropics 12 footers have been recorded. The Boas in Miami are a mixture of 2, or possibly 3, neotropical subspecies. I am unaware of the maximum size of the Miami Boas but have seen several in the 4 to 6 foot range and an 8 foot long female was caught in early February. Like the pythons, boas can and will climb. The ground color is a yellowish to fawn with dark saddles. As it nears the tail the ground color becomes red and on the tail may be quite a bright red. It is, of course, from this that the name of Red-tailed Boa has been coined.
The other 2 boids of concern are both “Water boas,” Anacondas, the Yellow, Eunectes notaeus, and the Green, E. murinus. These 2 boa relatives turn up just often enough (primarily on the southern 2/3rds of peninsular FL) to make their status questionable. Like the Boa these bear living young that are well able to fend for themselves at birth. Adults are immense snakes that display notable sexual dimorphism with males being much the smaller gender. They are very much at home in aquatic situations and often seek prey near the shore. They are surprisingly agile when on land. Be smart and beware of large individuals, no matter where encountered.
Even at the best of times, Anacondas tend to be short-tempered. If you do see one, use care and common sense when approaching.
Male Yellow Anacondas are 5 to 8 feet. Females attain 11-13 feet. Neonates are about 20 inches in length. Green Anacondas are far larger and heavier than the Yellows. Male Greens are often 5 to 9 feet, while adult females attain 15 to 20 feet…and it’s all muscle! Neonates are 20-24 inches in length.
Florida. The land of the invasives!
Continue reading “Florida’s Three Boas” …read more
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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! Red Eyed Leucistic Monocled Cobra, in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user eekster . Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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We bring you this beautiful Collared lizard in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user the4thmonkey to brighten your day! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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This frillie looks a little angry our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user nydon ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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This little White’s Tree Frog has his eye on you in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user exoreds ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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We are loving this shot of a Black Milk Snake in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user gerryg ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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This is an adult male Mexican Spiny-tailed Iguana from the Miami population.Yes, it does seem that unwanted critters come in threes to Florida—three boa species, 3 python species, and 3 iguana species.
When mentioned at all, the subject of iguanas in Florida usually refers to the omnipresent Green Iguanas of the southern peninsula and the Keys. This is understandable for these are the most easily seen as they display in the trees, on abutments, on canal banks, and just about everywhere else. But besides this attention grabber, there are 2 other species that are actually present. These are both Spiny-tailed Iguanas, ground dwellers, very efficient burrowers, speedsters, climbers if necessary, and of very similar appearance. Both species are predominantly herbivorous but will accept animal matter if hungry.
In name they are the Mexican Spiny-tailed Iguana, Ctenosaura pectinata, and the Black Spiny-tailed Iguana, C. similis. Despite the reference to color, C. similis is very similar to C. pectinata. Both are big gray lizards with darker crossbands. Both are capable of considerable color changes, being lightest overall when warm and content, and assuming darker colors when being combative or cold. The actual difference can only be ascertained by the presence or absence of small scales between the dorsal spines and spiny tail whorls. Hatchlings are green, lack a dorsal crest, but caudal spines differentiate them from the green iguana.The presence of both is, like their green relative, the result of escapees or releasees.
If you see a big (4 feet long) gray lizard basking atop a wall or rock in southern FL, you are probably viewing a spiny-tailed iguana. Say “Howdy” for me. Continue reading “Spiny-tailed Iguanas in Florida” …read more
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Mexican Beaded Lizard gallery photo by Andrew Godambe
A Southern California man was accused of smuggling more than 1,700 reptiles into the United States from Mexico. Jose Manuel Perez, 30, was charged on Thursday with nine counts of smuggling goods into the U.S. and two counts of wildlife trafficking.
According to the charging document, Perez was crossing the border last month when a border patrol officer asked him if he had anything to declare for customs. Perez said he did not. After being referred for a secondary inspection, Perez admitted that yes, he had some animals but they were his pets. At the time, Perez had about 60 reptiles concealed inside his clothes, including 38 lizards and four Isthmian dwarf boas. He was arrested soon after.
Perez’s sister, 25-year-old Stephany Perez, is also charged in the indictment with conspiracy. Both have been living in Oxnard, California.
For the last six years, the Pererz siblings, along with three other co-conspirators, have allegedly smuggled in an array of reptiles and amphibians from Mexico and Hong Kong into the U.S., including Yucatan box turtles, Mexican box turtles, baby crocodiles and Mexican beaded lizards.
Social media played a key role in the enterprise. Jose Perez used social media to both buy and sell the animals. He advertised his creatures with photos and videos and used mobile platforms to haggle with customers, accept payments and even at times defend himself from accusations of unethical behavior. Perez was surprisingly open about both his criminal operation and his belief that there was nothing wrong with what he was doing.
To read the full article see https://www.courthousenews.com/man-charged-with-smuggling-thousands-of-reptiles-into-u-s-from-mexico/ …read more
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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! Beautiful picture of a Black-tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus), found in Portal, Arizona, in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user erindonalson . Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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