Santa Kismet is checking on the Reindeer Greyhounds in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Really ! 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
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
These lil beardies are ready to have fun sledding in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user ginag! 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
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
The snake that was found in a bag carried by one of the guests at Immigration offices in Kampala recently. PHOTO/KARIM MUYOBO
When a man recently showed up at the immigration offices looking for services in Naguru, Kampala, security was stunned to find a large black snake in his bag. They were even more shocked to learn this large black snake was in fact a Cobra.
Mr Simon Peter Mundeyi, the spokesperson of the Internal Affairs ministry, said when the strange man was asked why he had carried such a dangerous reptile (a cobra), he said it is his “brother” and that he moves around with it wherever he goes
Remember, leave you snake at home when visiting government offices! To read the rest of the story, click here! …read more
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
An Hispaniolan Bark Anole on the ascent in A Florida Hammock.
In some cases this variable species might be referred to as “that other Florida anole.”
It seems that no one is 100% certain how this Hispaniolan/Bahaman species reached Florida in 1946, but reach it, it did, perhaps as a whim of Mother Nature, but more likely the result of multiple whims by humans.
The species history of the Bark Anole, Anolis distichus, might be termed as “active.” At one point in time the Bark Anole was overloaded with 18 subspecies. But people seemed unable to decide if several of these were truly subspecies or were actually full species. Today nothing is definitive (so who is surprised?).
There are probably 2 subspecies of the Bark Anole in Florida. Except for overall color a single description fits both equally well.
There is the always some- shade- of- dark- banded- brown- or- gray A. d. floridana , and the often some- shade- of -green A. d. dominicensis.The throat fan of the males may vary individually from pale yellow to light orange. In all, the dark banding is straight and most prominent across the head from eyelid to eyelid and on the tail. Dorsal banding is in the form of narrow, often difficult to see, chevrons.
Both anole subspecies are arboreal, predominantly tree trunk/low limb, species.
Bark Anoles are one of the smaller species attaining an adult size of 4 to 5 inches of which a little more than half is tail length.
In Florida these little anoles are often found in colonies, are wary, and can be difficult to approach.
Ants and other small crawling insects seem to be the favored prey of this species.
Continue reading “Bark Anoles” …read more
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
Garter snakes come together in communities led by older females, new research shows.ALL CANADA PHOTOS/ALAMY
The general belief is that snakes are solitary animals, but as more research into these animals happens we are learning that many have very developed social communities. In a first of it’s kind study of thousands of wild snakes, we learn that Garter snakes have a very complex community with social structures and a female based hierarchy.
Ecologists had long assumed snakes are antisocial loners that hang out together only for core functions such as mating and hibernation. However, in 2020, Morgan Skinner, a behavioral ecologist at Wilfrid Laurier University, and collaborators showed in laboratory experiments that captive garter snakes have “friends”—specific snakes whose company they prefer over others. Still, studies of wild snakes were lacking “because they’re so secretive and difficult to find,” Skinner says.
Then he learned that the Ontario Ministry of Transportation had funded an unprecedented long-term study of a huge population of Butler’s garter snakes (Thamnophis butleri) in Windsor, Canada. Ecologists began to monitor the flute-size slitherers in 2009 to keep them safe from nearby road construction. They regularly captured snakes in the 250-hectare study area, using identifying markings to track more than 3000 individuals over a 12-year span—about the lifetime of a garter snake.
The study goes into much more detail and deserves a look! To read more on this incredibly interesting study, visit Science.org here. …read more
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
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!
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
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.
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
No products found.
In the hottest and wryest region of Vietnam, deep in the dry lowland forest of Nui Chua National Park, researchers discovered a new species of blind skink. Searching around the leaf litter around the yellow-bellied termite mounds that these skinks preferred to dine on, the found 7 specimens. When they looked closer, they realized they had a new species, the Ninh Thuận blind skink ()
Ninh Thuan blind skinks have a “worm-like” body that can reach about 4.6 inches in length, the study said. Their eyes are “rudimentary” and “completely covered by scales.” They are also “limbless” with only males having “rudimentary” hind limbs that form “flap-like structures” near their tails.
To read more about this cool discovery click here. …read more
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
This Rainbow Boa is helping us celebrate Hanukkah in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user natsamjosh ! 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
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
This little Crestie is ready for the slopes in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user wendhend . Ok they really don’t ski and we all know that, but how about this festive lil gecko! 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
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
How cute is this baby Fox snake in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user TJ. ? 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
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
Garter Snakes hold a special spot for most herpers and our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user TomDickinson shows their awesome variety!! This proves they are anything but boring!
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
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
photo courtesy – Missouri Department of Conservation The male hellbender found in the Gasconade River
An Eastern Hellbender, reared in the St. Louis Zoo and then re-released as an adult in the wild was found to have been the first zoo reared animal to have reproduced in the wild having fathered 86 “well-developed” eggs in the Gasconade River.
Justin Elden, curator of herpetology and aquatics at the Zoo, said hellbenders are cryptic, secretive creatures. Numbers might be rising faster than known.
“If there’s one there’s likely many more,” said Elden. “It’s exciting stuff, and my hope and thought is that this is the first of many that we will find.”
This means awesome things for the future of hellbenders! Go check out the full story here! …read more
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
This little Chameleon is doing his best to look like an ornament in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user 1Sun! Is your tree decked out this cool?
Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
” alt=”” />
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
A Nanorana laojunshanensis, or Laojunshan slow frog, seen from the top and underside. Photo from Tang, Liu and Yu (2023)
Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article282426903.html#storylink=cpy
While studying the mountain range of Yunnan in China, biologists ran across 6 different frog species, and one of them turned out to be a brand new one!
Laojunshan slow frogs are considered “small,” reaching about 1.4 inches in size, researchers said. They have “robust” limbs, “oval” tongues and “rough” skin. Photos show the multicolored Laojunshan slow frog. The frog’s back is chestnut brown with dark brown-black splotches. Underneath, its belly is creamy white with “yolk-yellow” groin and armpits, the study said.
To read more visit here. …read more
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
Aquatic Anole, A. vermiculatusLet’s take a look at the anoles in general.
The Anoles are a huge grouping of small (Carolina Anole, Anolis carolinensis, 5 to 8 inches overall) to relatively large (Knight Anole sp., Anolis equestris 14-19 inches overall) sized New World lizards. Number-wise there are more than 275 (probably closer to 400) species.
Males are larger than females; males have dewlaps (throat fans), and both sexes have expanded toe pads. Most species are primarily arboreal, some dwell in canopy locations, others on lower twigs, many are at home on tree trunks, while a few are at least partially aquatic (A. aquaticus & A. vermiculatus are examples of this latter).
Most are insectivorous, some add fruit to the daily diet. Cannibalism by large taxa on smaller is well documented. Color-changing ability of some have led to the vernacular of “American Chameleon.” In some cases the color changes from green to brown or yellowish, gray, or brown may be accomplished in only seconds. Many other taxa can only alter the intensity of their normal coloration, let’s say from light brown or tan to deep chocolate brown being the norm.
Of the huge species number (most reside in the West Indies, Central and South America) we have in the USA only one taxon, the green or Carolina Anole, that qualifies as a confirmed native. Some folks consider a second, a subspecies of the Bark Anole, A. distichus floridanus, as a second native form, but this remains questionable.
But given suitably warm temperatures, such as those normal in central and southern Florida, several exotic species (I list these below) have been introduced and become established. To date, the most successful of these exotics has been the Brown (often called the Cuban or Cuban Brown) Anole,
Anolis sagrei. This species is now seen, at least sparingly, from the Carolinas to Texas. Established in southern Florida:
Anolis allisoni, Cuban Blue-fronted Anole,
Anolis.callainus, Dominican Green Anole (hold on – there are two more species with this common name)
Anolis cristatellus,. Puerto Rican Crested Anole
Anolis coelestinus, commonly known as the Hispaniolan Green Anole
Anolis cybotes, Large-headed Anole (Hispaniola)
Anolis distichus, Bark Anoles (originally 3 subspecies)
Anolis equestris, Cuban Giant or Knight Anole
Anolis garmani Jamaican Giant Anole (FL population now greatly reduced in numbers by unusual dips in winter temperatures.
Anolis peynadoi, Dominican Green Anole (1 of 3 species also known as as “Hispaniolan Green Anole)
Anolis porcatus, Cuban Green Anole
Anolis sagrei, Cuban Brown Anole
Continue reading “Anoles” …read more
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
The Snapping turtle in the aquarium at the scene, photo by author
When I saw the message pop up from the director of the shelter, I figured she wanted to let me know I might have a few animals to prepare for. My local news was filled with the story of a large confiscation of dogs in my city. I was not expecting what came next.
“Cindy, are you available to help us tomorrow? We aren’t done. Today was just the dogs and there are a lot of exotics and we need you to look at things. There are alligators.”
I was still under some restrictions from my shoulder surgery and they knew I was limited in what I could do, but they needed my eyes and knowledge more than my arm. I said the only thing I could. “What time and where do you need me”
Continue reading “Rescuer Struggles as Animal Abuser Gets off with Slap on the Wrist” …read more
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
Happy Rattlesnake Friday! All venomous snakes need our support, and this stunning Olmec Pit Viper (Atropoides olmec) in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user PeteSnakeCharmer is no exception! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
We celebrate #RattlesnakeFriday to celebrate the wonderful venomous species that contribute to making our world greater and also use it as a way to support conservation efforts to protect these species worldwide!
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
No products found.
Nile Crocodiles may be cool like this one in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cdieter, but take note of that enclosure around this animal! Don’t even think of buying a baby if you can not handle this enclosure set up NOW!
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
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
Sea turtle tracks coming up the beach and zig-zagging through the sand. Photo by CHNS.
A Green Sea Turtle nest found December 3 on Hatteras Island, NC is a record for the latest nest ever laid! The previous record was October 31! This year also marked the return of the Leatherbacks for the first time in 11 years!
The new nest also means that 2023 now boasts the second-highest number of turtle nests reported on Ocracoke, Hatteras, and Bodie Islands since data collection began.
The top three years for sea turtle nesting activity within CHNS have all occurred within the past five years, and are as follows:
2019 – 473 nests
2023 – 380 nests
2022 – 379 nests
Of these 380 nests in 2023, 324 were Loggerhead sea turtles, 52 were Green sea turtles, 3 were Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles, and one was a Leatherback sea turtle.
To read more about the track at Cape Hatteras National Seashore click here. …read more
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
So precious! We love hatchling photos, like this awakening Gecko in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user SA! 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
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
Looks like St. Beardie Nick is getting ready to work hard tonight in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user ginag!
Be sure to tell cochran you liked it here!
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
No products found.
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!
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
An adult male Saba Isle Anole. Anolis sabanus
Saba!
What is Saba?
Saba, it turns out, is a tiny upthrusting in the northeastern Caribbean. Only about 5 miles across, this tiny island has sandy beaches (expensive hotels), 4 main villages having descriptive names such as The Bottom (Saba’s capital), Windwardside, St. John’s and Zion’s Hill (aka Hell’s Gate), and even has some rainforest. Oh yes, it also has 3 indigenous and endemic reptiles, an anole, a Sphaerodactyline gecko and a Colubrine snake.
But initially it was only the anole that I found of interest. I had learned of this lizard through Jake, who had talked of both its homeland and beauty for months. In fact, Jake wanted to fly to this lizard’s dot of land to photograph it. But to me it seemed a long journey simply to photograph a single lizard species, and an anole at that.
Then Jake found an online pic and my attitude was swayed. I had just about made up my mind to opt into the “Jake’s Anole Expedition” when an online ad for that exact species popped up on my computer screen. Rather than take the trip. I bought a couple of the lizards…both gender. The live lizards that arrived were even prettier than the pix I had seen. The anoles are sexually dimorphic, the female lacking the polka-dots of the adult males.
Both the male and the female, seem to be doing well, eating tiny crickets and flightless fruit flies. Males have a beautiful, large, deep yellow throat fan. I hope you’ll agree that, although not one of the larger species, it is a species well worth looking at.
Continue reading “Saba and Its Anole” …read more
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
-med.jpg?w=250)
Happy Rattlesnake Friday! We hopped into the wayback machine to visit this C.ruber in the field in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user joecarroll ! 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.
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
No products found.
Presque Isle Co, MI, July 4, 2007, photo by kingsnake user ratsnakeheaven
The Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy is closing on 457 acres of property known as the La Grange Valley wetlands that is known as a “biodiversity hot spot” that houses a pair of nesting bald eagles and two endangered species, including the eastern massasauga rattlesnake.
The agency’s ultimate goal is to protect an important fen habitat with upland islands and tall hardwood trees that harbor a lot of wildlife, including several state threatened or endangered species like the Blanding’s turtle. And no, Hansen says, the agency’s not revealing the other federally endangered species — apart from the massasauga rattlesnake — out of a need to protect it.
To learn more about the project visit swmlc.org
To read the full article, click here.
…read more
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
Throwback Thursday to the early days of Blood pythons with this stunning Python brongersmai in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Rich_Crowley ! 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
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
Do you remember “Jawlene”, the alligator that was found without an upper jaw in Florida? Gatorland recently shared an update!
It has been such a blessing and a wild ride since this little angel showed up at Gatorland!
Jawlene is an incredible testament to the strength and resilience of the great American Alligator. From learning how she had adapted to living as a wild alligator to being patient and watching her show us how to best feed her so that she doesn’t get frustrated and give up.
She’s gaining weight, learning to trust us and getting stronger every day. Gatorland Global, our conservation arm exists for situations just like this one.
Jawlene has gained 2 pounds since being there and she is almost fully cleared of parasites. For the full story, with video, visit Fox35 here. …read more
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
How adorable is this Giant Ground Gecko in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user leighroomes ! 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
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
Photo courtesy of NPR article
With their new found popularity from Minecraft, almost everyone now knows the Axolotl with it’s goofy grin. The National Autonomous University is hoping that people love them enough to adopt one, well virtually at least! It might seem amazing with their popularity as a pet, but their wild numbers are on a rapid and drastic decline. Right now, they are running a campaign where you can virtually “adopt” an animal by naming one for a year, donating meals towards one or even donating towards habitat purchase!
Over two decades ago, there were about 6,000 of these tiny salamanders for every square kilometer in Lake Xochimilco in Mexico City. In the last count from 2014, there were only about 36 axolotls per square kilometer, according to Luis Zambrano, who was involved in the axolotl census.
“It’s gotten worse. They’re not completely extinct, but it’s worse,” said Zambrano, who is also an ecologist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
As always, the biggest threat to the Axolotls is humans, this time it isn’t the pet trade however. It is from the over expanding population in their native environment and the poisoning of the groundwater. We all know the importance this tells us about the stability of that area as a whole!
To read the full article, go to NPR here. …read more
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
This little cornsnake must have been racing to get out of the egg ahead of his siblings in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cochran ! 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
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
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!
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
This adult Inyo Mountain was about 4″ in total length.
I think I can move that boulder, Gary said. It’s the only thing I can see that’s blocking access.
I agreed with the 2nd of Gary’s statement, but the initial comment concerned me. It was a BIG boulder and neither Gary nor I were of boulder-moving stature. But move it he did, and we were again on our way along a tooth-loosening Jeep trail—and we were not in a Jeep.
It was an amphibian, a caudatan, that had brought us onto this sun-drenched trail. Around us stretched the peaks of the Inyo Mountains. Soon, no more boulders halting progression, we hoped this trail would swing a bit southward and then as it met with a tiny mountain stream, take us again eastward. And if we were then where we thought we actually should be, the stream would widen a bit, the moist banks would be surrounded by rock flakes, and beneath those flakes an interesting species of slender salamander, the Inyo Mountain Slender Salamander,Batrachoseps campi , was known to dwell.
As hoped for the Inyo Mountain Salamander we found was of the silvery phase. The presence of this salamander in an otherwise sere habitat proved the importance of even tiny trickles.
Guess what? Lady Luck was with us. We were right on target.
In a sudden turn the trail neared the trickle even more closely. The dried grasses gave way to tiny but beautiful orchids. And then the trail ended. We hopped out and carefully made our way to a stand of small shrubs interspersed with an occasional desert palm and sycamore. There the stream widened to a shallow 10 or 12 foot puddle, and along the banks were the rock shards we had hoped for.
As hoped, our careful search (of only a few minutes) turned up a salamander, one only, but this one was of the light phase. Photos were taken, the salamander replaced, and we left. A half hour later were back on the paved road, en route to another herp quest. Continue reading “Inyo Mountain Salamander, “ …read more
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
Black & White Tegu photo by user RamblinRose
Herp hobbyists in Georgia are running out of time to register their non-native reptiles with the Georgia Wildlife Resources Commission. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources board voted in 2022 that Burmese pythons can’t be bred in the state.
The DNR says the rules are set in place so invasive species don’t get released in Georgia. They can survive in the wild and impact the state’s native wildlife. Also included in the new law are some tegus, monitor lizards, and turtles.
By Dec. 4, the following reptiles and amphibians must be registered by their owners:
For more information see
Georgia Wildlife Resources Commission – Rules Pertaining to Wild Animals …read more
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
By Dec. 4, the following reptiles and amphibians must be registered by their owners:
For more information
https://www.13wmaz.com/article/news/local/georgia-law-changes-regulations-for-reptiles-heres-how-long-owners-have-to-register-for-their-pets-in-macon/93-dbedf900-7a4b-43ad-8b58-d2b5917a5164 …read more
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
It wouldn’t be Black Friday without a Black Tailed Rattlesnake in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user erindonalson! 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
No products found.
This pair of Mocquard’s Beauty Rat Snakes in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user RandyWhittington are feeling the love! 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
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
What an awesome shot of a shedding in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user tylerwork! Bet this Ball Python loves it’s new outfit! 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
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
What an awesome shot of a shedding in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user tylerwork! Bet this Ball Python loves it’s new outfit! 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
Read more here: King Snake
No products found.
