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.
Continue reading “Kaznakov’s Viper” …read more
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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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Remember, we give a spotlight to all our venomous animals on Fridays to help raise awareness of their importance to our world. …read more
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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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Native Colubrids in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user xtranch are like a box of chocolates! So much good to choose from! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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What a gorgeous Abronia our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user SalS ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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This pic of a Rainbow Boa in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user mjmullis shows why we love them! That iridescence and that stunning eye! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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I think this Ackie our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user BryanD , as his tinder profile pic!! What a cool shot in black and white! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Adult male Florida Box Turtle
Of the 4 subspecies of Eastern Box Turtle, the Eastern, the Gulf Coast, the Three-toed, and the Florida, it is the latter that differs most in appearance from the other 3. While its relatives tend to have carapaces that are flattened dorsally and to be rather round when viewed from above, the Florida subspecies, Terrapene carolina bauri, is rather elongate and highly domed. Additionally, the carapace is usually black with precise elongate yellow rays radiating downward on each dorsal plate and a complete or interrupted yellow vertebral line. The head is black dorsally and olive in the temporal areas. Hatchlings are less precisely marked than the adults, but do usually have a complete vertebral stripe of yellow. Hatchlings are about an inch in length; adults may attain 6 inches. Like other box turtles, this beauty is omnivorous when adult but primarily carnivorous when a hatchling. Earthworms, insects, and arthropods are all eagerly consumed.
This pretty, terrestrial turtle with the hinged plastron was once common on peninsula Florida from the Georgia state line to the southern Keys. Today it seems a bit more difficult to find. Although not entirely protected, it cannot be commercialized in the state and a limit of 2 in your possession is strictly enforced. Continue reading “Florida Box Turtles” …read more
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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! Fantastic picture of a Mojave Rattlesnake, found in Puebla, Mexico, in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user OXYUMAURUS . Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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What a stunning shot of a Satanic leaf-tailed gecko we have as our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user zmarchetti!
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Through massive conservation efforts, the wild population of Jamaican Iguanas may have a chance at becoming established once again!
Through work with the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) and the Jamaican Iguana Recovery Programme, they hope to release 1,000 of the endangered iguanas back into the wild by 2026. Working with in-situ efforts such as predator management and nesting site management as well as the ex-situ headstart program.
Read more about this amazing recovery effort of a once believe extinct animal https://jamaica.loopnews.com/content/nepa-plans-release-1000-iguanas-hellshire-hills!
Inset Photo: A Jamaican Iguana labelled for tracking in its natural habitat in the Hellshire Hills of St Catherine. (Photo: NEPA) …read more
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