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 Sometimes they would be just sitting, legs mostly withdrawn, head and neck extended, soaking up the sunshine.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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Red and black? Black and yellow? Mimics in nature are clear with this pair of South American hognose from the same clutch in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Longhitano!

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A cherry-head red-footed tortoise from Southeast Brazil.
As far back as I can remember (well, maybe not quite that far- LOL) Red-footed Tortoises, Chelonoidis carbonaria, have been available in the American pet trade. But although all have been readily identifiable as redfoots, not all have been exactly the same. The first I recall with any assurance of accuracy were imported from Colombia I don’t remember any “cherryheads” from this northern South American country, but when viewed from above all that I saw were reminiscent of a dumbbell—somewhat expanded at both ends but noticeably narrower in the middle. A few from Bolivia were brighter in color, seemingly larger than the Colombians when adult, had brighter facial pattern, but retained the dumbbell shape. Oh, the red on the legs was brighter too. And in fact some were what have become now known as cherryheads. But the “real” cherryheads came from Brazil. On this most redfoot enthusiasts seemed to agree. Then a few arrived from Paraguay and while some were a bit lacking in color, others were red-headed (and footed) knockouts. And now there are “Clown-faced” red foots from Venezuela. Oh, and occasional examples from various Caribbean Islands.

Genetic definitions: Not species, not subspecies, merely seen as slightly differing populations:

Northeastern variant: Head and legs light orange to red. Carapace black. Plastrons are mostly pale yellow. Range includes Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and northern Brazil.
Northwestern variant: They are similar to the above but their carapace varies from grey to brown. Their yellow plastron bears a dark central figure. They are found in southeast Panama and Colombia.
Northern variant: These are similar but smaller than the above. Range includes Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
Southern variant: can be identified by range, this being Paraguay, and northern Argentina.
Eastern variant: Plastron are mostly mottled with dark pigment. Heads and legs vary from yellow to the eagerly sought cherry-heads. Range includes east to southeastern Brazil.

Take your pick. The choice is often yours.
Continue reading “The Reign of the Redfoot” …read more
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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! What a lovely shot of a Guarico Rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus) in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user robnimmo ! 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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Awesome shot of a sassy Cane Toad in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Ravenousas! Be sure to tell them you liked it here.

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Herp Keepers with cameras, annoying our eating pets for decades like this bearded dragon in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user jdertinger ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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What an amazing headshot of a Diamond Python in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user CincyGrady is all amphibian! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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The red tongue is 1 criterion for determining an Everglades Rat Snake
Since that day some 65+ years ago, when on a herping trip with Gordy Johnston from our homes in MA to the FL Everglades, I first saw a Everglades rat snake, then known as Elaphe obsoleta rossalleni, it has been my favorite USA species.

Since that first sighting several adverse things have happened to the comparatively small range of the snake: the despoiling of the glades being one, the removal of an exotic tree species (Australian pines) that had been accepted by the big orange snakes, the draining of the water table, the advent of sugarcane and sod farms, and the resulting genetic pollution of the Everglades rat snake by the yellow rat snake, being others. Today it is almost impossible to find a truly orange rat snake that shows all of the characteristics that define the Everglades subspecies, but occasionally you can still be lucky. Continue reading “Everglades Rat Snakes” …read more
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What better way to celebrate “Betty White Day” than with Kelsey and Stubbs the blue tongue skink, best of friends in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user danielle4girls4 is all amphibian! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! To end the week, a whole lotta squee for these baby Death Adders for our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Oxyrhopus ! 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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Although often called incorrectly a rubber eel, this Rio Cauca Caecilian (Typhlonectes natans) in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user chrish is all amphibian! 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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Love the color variation that this mottled Mexican Redtail Indigo (Drymarchon m. rubidus) has in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user alanB ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Hang in there today just like this Borneo Eared Frog in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user tropicaltreefrog! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! We just love this close up of a Massasauga in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user venombill ! 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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Shiva has her eye on you in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user musicloverhoney! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Love this shot! You can feel the texture and see the amazing variety of colors on this kingsnake in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Tony D ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Poised and watching, what a stunning Mangrove in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user ptahtoo! Be sure to tell them you liked it here.

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An adult Fringed Leaf Frog, Amazonian Peru.
The frogs were there. There was no question about their presence in my mind. To find them we would be dependent on Lady Luck and suitably rainy nights. Would this be the night?

It had looked stormy for most of the day, had clouded entirely by late afternoon, and had begun raining in the torrents so typical of the aptly named Amazonian (Peru) rainforest by early evening. In herper’s terms, it looked like it was going to be a great night for amphibs—especially the hylids— that were so quiet between the storms that they seemed absent.

By the time it was fully dark, puddles had formed on the forest floor and frog-voices were echoing from treetops, tree hollows, puddles, and vegetated areas of the flooded oxbows.

Although I recognized many of the anuran calls, I was listening intently through the rain for a soft burping call, one with little carrying power.

But even if I couldn’t hear it, if I could by chance actually see the frog, I’d know it. The species? Cruziohyla craspedopus, the fringed leaf frog, a hylid that, unless breeding, was said by many to not voluntarily leave the high overhead leafy canopy (this thought may now have been contraindicated).

Adults of this leaf frog, moderately large and spectacularly pretty, are usually leaf-green dorsally. Metamorphs and juveniles are grayish. The continuity of the dorsal color is broken by irregular, pale, blue-grey lichenate blotches. The sides and inner surfaces of the legs are yellow with black vertical bars. The belly is yellow. The tarsi and outer toes are strongly and unevenly fringed. From this feature the common name is derived.

This remarkable frog descends to lower branches when breeding. Eggs are deposited in water holding concavities in fallen trees but may also be placed in ground-level puddles near a fallen tree.
Although we walked late into the night, startled by potoos and berated by owl monkeys, our goal frog eluded us. But the next day one of the hikers with us suddenly stopped as we were passing through a patch of broad-leafed vegetation, pointed, and asked “what kind of frog is this?”

And there flattened tightly, eyes closed, against a Heliconia leaf. was a beautiful adult fringed leaf frog.

All was well with the world. Continue reading “A “Fanciful” and Fancied Treefrog” …read more
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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! There is no need to wonder why they are called Rock Rattlesnakes (Crotalus lepidus), uploaded by kingsnake.com user erindonaldson! This guy was found in Portal, Arizona. 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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This Chameleon is working on her perfect pose in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user mattcrum is seeing how he measures up. Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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So tiny and cute! This young garter in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Scott_Felzer is seeing how he measures up. Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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What a gorgeous little Ameiva in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Agata ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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What a cute plated lizard in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user jungleemporium ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Patti Bartlett holding a juvie Cuban Croc at the Cuban Crocodile Farm.

Crocodiles, by the definition of most of the populace, are beasts bent on removing, by hook or by crook, much of the human population—or at least removing most among us silly enough to have anything to do with these wonderfully adapted, predominantly aquatic, beasts. At this point it behooves me to state that I am one who knows next to nothing about crocodiles.

Oh, in bygone years I’ve kept a few hatchlings of various species, but as soon as any got up to that 2 foot-mark, they were returned to the various origins. I’ve never been sorry for these self-imposed limitations. Rather than mention here ones that I have kept, I’ll simply mention a couple that I haven’t kept. These 2 were and are the Saltwater Croc, Crocodylus porosus and the Cuban Croc, Crocodylus rhombifer. The “Salty” is an immense beast, recorded as having attained a length of 23 feet, a weight of 2000 pounds, a man-eating attitude, and a huge range in the Old World. The Cuban Croc, on the other hand is, in size and range, exactly the opposite. It is adult at a length of about 7 feet (occasional individuals are said to push 11 feet), weighs between 200 and 500 pounds, and is critically endangered. It is now restricted to fresh water habitats in Cuba’s Zapata Swamp and Isla de la Juventud. It, as keepers have painfully learned, is an accomplished jumper and retains an overwhelmingly intolerant disposition and can move surprisingly quickly and accurately on land. It is, in fact, considered the most terrestrial of today’s crocodiles. Captive animals have displayed cooperative hunting behavior, and can be taught tricks.

This “mid-sized” croc is rather brightly colored in roughened black and cream colored scales. The head and jaws are proportionately large and there are large temporal ridges. Juveniles eat fish and invertebrates, adults consume fish, turtles, small mammals and birds.

Despite its relatively small size, the Cuban Crocodile is a highly aggressive animal, and potentially dangerous to humans.
Continue reading “A Bit on the Cranky Side, The Cuban Crocodile” …read more
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Caught ol’ Santa Chondro catching a nap before the big day in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user toshamc ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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This Gargoyle Gecko is looking to be part of the decorations in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user chrisvanaken ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Looks like someone is ready to head to grandma’s in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user rosebuds ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Santa Mango wants to know if you have been naughty or nice in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user rileysquared ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! How stunning is the red on this Speckled Rattlesnake (Crotalus mitchellii pyrrhus), uploaded by kingsnake.com user lichanura ! This Speck was found in Arizona. 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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This lil Crestie is waiting to hit the slopes in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user wendhend ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Wash away your winter gloom by falling in love with this hatchling Big Head Turtle (Platysternon megacephalum) 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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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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Edgar at age 20.
Species: Eastern Diamond-backed Rattlesnake, Crotalus adamanteus.

Photographed: 29 Oct 2021.

Age: 4 days over 20 years.

Current Length: 7 feet 2 inches.

Where: Off display but ensconced at the Central Florida Zoo, Sanford FL.

Comments by Nick Clark, Supervisor: “A bit overweight but very placid, Edgar’s namesake is Edgar Winter an albino blues musician. Most the kids nowadays have no idea who that is, so even when I explain the names origin I receive blank stares and any humor that was intended is lost.

For the “story of Edgar” Fred Antonio and I wrote a paper that was published in the 1st volume of “Biology of Rattlesnakes” Reproduction in the Eastern Diamond-Backed Rattlesnake, Crotalus adamanteus, under Optimal Conditions in Captivity.

It tells of Edgar’s birth and the following 3 breeding and birthing events.”

My comments: To all at the Central Florida Zoo who allowed me photographic access to Edgar, Many, many, thanks. Continue reading “Meet Edgar the Magnificent” …read more
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Kismet thinks Iguanas are better to lead Santa’s Sleigh in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Really! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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