This female Kimberly Rock Monitor is just hanging out in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user bob! 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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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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Tiny but a lifer, a pint-sized example of the Mt. Lyell Salamander
More Californ-I-A
The next day was spent first in the beauty of snow-capped mountains and later at lower elevations on some saline flats.
We had found a few of the more common toad and treefrog species and Jake wanted to add at least one salamander species to the trip total. So with the help of Mike, Jake pinpointed a tiny montane creek in the upper elevations of the Inyos. Thanx, Mike, I think. I think the term “up, up, and away” applies here, because we ascended, leveled, then ascended some more. Black-billed magpies flew overhead. The road spiraled upward, getting narrower as it gained elevation. Temperatures dropped then dropped again, Rain—cold rain—began falling. Trees were largely replaced by talus slides. Finally Jake said “OK, stop here. There’s a path somewhere.”
OK, here we were and there was actually a freshet tumbling downward. Then Jake broke the news. It was the wrong creek. The one we needed to access was much further up the mountain and around in back of the next peak over. But we had to walk from here. Well, that certainly placed the locale beyond my current ability. But Jake was “gung-ho” so to speak. And away he went. An hour later he returned wet but wearing a smile. After looking hard and hoping for an adult, he has found only a 1” long metamorph. But no matter the size, it, an Owens Valley phase of the Mt. Lyell Salamander, Hydromantes platycephalus, another lifer for him.
Deep Springs area, a roadside oasis, provided another lifer, this time for both of us. This was the Panamint Rattlesnake, Crotalus stephensi. Except for tail pattern and facial scalation this pretty and variable rattler is remarkably similar to the speckled rattler, C. pyrrhus. In fact, for decades both were subspecies of what was then the wide-ranging C. mitchelli. Jake found the single example seen by us coiled half in the shade of some chaparral. We looked hard for an example of the Panamint alligator lizard, Elgaria panamintinus, but failed to find one of these early-risers. I had seen this pretty and locally distributed lizard on an earlier trip but it would have been a lifer for Jake.
Again we headed eastward, slightly downward, then wayyyyy upwards.
Continue reading “A Salamander and Panamint Rattlers” …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! Love this Harry Greene Approved field shot of a juvenile Timber in our photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user jameswv ! 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. It is our goal to help dispel the fears surrounding our beloved venomous creatures.
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Happy World Snake Day!
What is that? Well it is a day that is an easy one! It is a day to focus on conservation and education about snakes!
Snakes are one of the greatest fears in the world, but their importance to our environment as well as our health is enough reason to work to change minds. I grabbed a few fun articles for you to read and share today to help reach out and share the joy of snakes.
These articles give a breakdown on the holiday and the issues facing snakes. This post from RepublicWorld is a very basic breakdown that you can readhere. Another option is this article from Newsd. It has some fun little trivia tidbits and again very basic info and can be found https://newsd.in/world-snake-day-2020-here-are-some-snake-facts-you-must-know/.
Continue reading “World Snake Day 2020” …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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Happy World Snake Day!
What is that? Well it is a day that is an easy one! It is a day to focus on conservation and education about snakes!
Snakes are one of the greatest fears in the world, but their importance to our environment as well as our health is enough reason to work to change minds. I grabbed a few fun articles for you to read and share today to help reach out and share the joy of snakes.
These articles give a breakdown on the holiday and the issues facing snakes. This post from RepublicWorld is a very basic breakdown that you can readhere. Another option is this article from Newsd. It has some fun little trivia tidbits and again very basic info and can be found https://newsd.in/world-snake-day-2020-here-are-some-snake-facts-you-must-know/.
Continue reading “World Snake Day 2020” …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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Is this Irian Jaya Jag in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user StonedReptiles bright enough for you? Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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As you can see here in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user mjmullis , there is no doubt where the name Rainbow Boa came from! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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A whole lot of AWWWWS for this newborn Collared Lizard in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user the4thmonkey! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Jake’s lifer Red Diamond Rattlesnake
Californ-I-A
Once again before leaving AZ—we expended try number 6 for the white speckled rattlers and try number 4 for the Yuman sand lizards—we failed to see either. As of now I have officially given up trying. But the desert dunes did disclose several Goode’s Horned Lizards (these are one of the desert horned lizard clan) as well as an abundance of Desert Iguanas. The iguanas were so common that they seemed to outnumber the tiger whiptails.
Now westward again.
California was less than an hour away. In southern California, where we actually stayed for a couple of days, the temperatures moderated (read that “warmed”) just a bit allowing us to road hunt by both day and night.
That night on the desert flats we did a bit better, finding besides leaf-toed and banded geckos, Colorado Desert Sidewinders, Colorado Desert shovel-nosed snakes of both tricolor and bicolor phases, a Desert Glossy Snake, a beautiful Lyre Snake, and a classic desert phase California Kingsnake. Our luck finally seemed to be changing for the better.
The next day a group of avid local herpers (none were collectors) allowed us to join their party as they searched for (as Jake had hoped) red diamond rattlers and rosy boas. Both were found (along with a bonus Red Racer that had entangled itself in some lawn netting). The first (and only) red diamond rattler was found by Jake who barely avoided stepping on the quiet snake as it rested in deep grasses near a boulder. It was the only rattlesnake found but a single beautiful rosy boa was also located and photographed.
Later that day the group also provided a Southern Pacific Rattler (that we later turned loose) and a brownish phase speckled rattler that had been rescued from a swimming pool and was also later released.
Continue reading “California Desert Dunes, Desert Flats, and Rolling Hills” …read more
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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 Mondays!! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! This is such an amazing shot of an eyelash viper (Bothriechis schlegelii) in our photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user beckherps ! 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. It is our goal to help dispel the fears surrounding our beloved venomous creatures.
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more
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Most commonly known as the harlequin toad, this Atelopus barbotinitakes center stage in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user jamesmatthews! 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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Newborns are always something that cures a bad day. This little Ctenosaura palearis in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user ilovemonitorliza is just the cure for the blues! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Love the detail in this headshot of a Uroplatus fimbriatus in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user zmarchetti ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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A red diamond rattler was one of Jake’s target species. Done.
There’s simply no other way to say this. Jake’s and my primary target on our recent western jaunt—a jaunt that comprised nearly 9,000 miles—had been to photo not only a white speckled rattlesnake, Crotalus pyrrhus, but a red one and a blue one as well (the ground color of this species varies in accordance with habitat color). One by one we failed. Neither were a white nor a red found, but the only blue we managed to see was found by friends (thanx again Nick and Mike) who called us and allowed us to photograph their find.
Dismal? Well, not quite.
The one way trip from home to white rattler habitat is actually only about 2,625 miles. That makes the round trip a mere 5,250 miles. So how do we account for the other ~3,000 miles?
Well, we herped TX, other parts of AZ, CA, NV, & UT. Those miles added up quickly. And with the variety of species seen the trip was actually quite successful, especially for Jake for whom many were lifers.
Jake wanted to see a red diamond rattlesnake. We saw these and several other buzztail species. Ditto variable sand snake, Nevada and Desert shovel-noses. Some Glossy, Gopher, King, and Patch-noses. To the total we added a salamander and several toad species. Then we terminated the trip with a few eastern natricines. So I guess whether this trip was a failed attempt or a success depends on how much importance is placed on the various color phases of speckled rattler. But I’ll close by saying that Jake got about 10,000 pix and I got close to 7,000. It’ll be a while before we wade through all of them.
Continue reading “Failure or a Success? Your Call!” …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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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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How precious and tiny is this! This wee Gargoyle Gecko is delicately perched on a finger in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user madisyn74 ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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This sassy lil watersnake had to stop and eat a toad in the yard before the photographer captured it for our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user dinahmoe ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Starting July 1, 2020, Iguanas (Iguana iguana) and Tegus (all species in the genera Salvator and Tupinambis) are now added to Section 379.372, the Florida Statute that regulates species of concern.
This change will restrict ownership, however there is a grandfather clause for animals owned prior to July 1, 2020 as well as exemptions for education as well as breeders. To learn more about your special use permit, click here.
The draft rules will be presented at an upcoming meeting July 22-23 which will be held remotely and you can attend by visiting MyFWC.
To learn more, visit this USARK post. …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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Starting July 1, 2020, Iguanas (Iguana iguana) and Tegus (all species in the genera Salvator and Tupinambis) are now added to Section 379.372, the Florida Statute that regulates species of concern.
This change will restrict ownership, however there is a grandfather clause for animals owned prior to July 1, 2020 as well as exemptions for education as well as breeders. To learn more about your special use permit, click here.
The draft rules will be presented at an upcoming meeting July 22-23 which will be held remotely and you can attend by visiting MyFWC.
To learn more, visit this USARK post. …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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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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This Milk snake is just hanging out 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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Fallen pines and scarlet kingsnakes just seem to go together.
The salamander mentioned in the last blog having been found, I began the 60 mile drive back home. But about 20 miles into the drive I began reminiscing about a big eastern diamond-backed rattler I had seen crossing a forest road on my last trip. So I turned around and retraced my drive about 10 miles and turned into the forest. The area was a bit damper than when I had last wended my way, but I was pretty sure the diamondbacks wouldn’t mind, not that I actually thought I’d see one. But timing and temperature were on my side, so…
I drove slowly along a road once dry but now awash with rainy-season slushiness. Eventually the road ascended a few inches into pine and palmetto forest. Five minutes then 10, and still no snakes—of any kind. The next easily accessed turnaround spot was still a few minutes ahead so I continued. Sort of. But a big pine, long dead but newly fallen was lying across the road. Whoops. Turnaround was now unavoidable. But the dead pine, fully a foot in diameter, beckoned. Could I move it from the roadway? Probably not, but what the heck, it was worth a try.
And though moving the pine did prove impossible (for me) as I tried a slab of bark loosened and then slipped away. Fortuitous, yet unintended, as the bark slipped away it left behind a beautiful, 20” long scarlet kingsnake, Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides.
Pictures were taken, the snake was placed near some remaining loose bark, and before I left had again disappeared from sight.
This was a great ending to what had until then been a mud-flung day.
Continue reading “A Pine Tree and a Scarlet King” …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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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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With his nose peeking through the baby goo, this boa’s first moments are here in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user dpiscopo69,! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Climbing to greet the morning is this beautiful green tree monitor in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user roadspawn!
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By Turtle Times
I had a Florida softshell turtle lay eggs in my yard on may 22nd. Well about 1 month ago I had a coyote come into my yard in broad daylight and start digging it up. I was able to chase him off since he was in my yard,where my kids play. I have 16 eggs all with babies in them, he only ended up getting 6 eggs. Today is day 65 and there are still no babies, but i candled one last night and they’re alive! Has anyone ever hatched softshells if so how long did it take?
Answer 1:
Egg hatching varies so much with the temperature that it is hard to say. They should be getting ready to hatch. Do not rotate the eggs as they need to stay in the same orientation as they were laid. The coyote could have moved some so they may never hatch, but since you have candled them, you know they are alive. It’s a good idea to put an X or a dot on the top of the egg so you know how to put them back into the incubator without rotating them. Keep the eggs moist but not wet so they don’t dry out too much or grow mold if they get too wet.
You might want to get a nursery set up for those who do hatch.
An animal rehabilitator in your are can be of great help with specifics about softshells. They may be rare, and most of the turtles are best left in the wild, but since they are so small, they probably will need special help to survive. Contact a vet in your area to locate a rehabber or google to find one.
So many people do rescue eggs and shelter them in a hatchling state. That’s great that you did this.
Comment:
I use to have a neighbor that bred and sold turtles so i know quite a bit about the incubation process. They stay at 80-83 degrees and 80-90 humidity, none have been turned, i just wasn’t sure about hatching time as all articles i read said 59-60 days i guess they just need some more time. There are 3 that are flaking or peeling and almost all the rest have cracks but no piping. Thank you for your reply!
Answer 3:
I do think that since the eggs are changing in the positive with flaking, peeling and cracks, that you have live babies. I understand that some turtles actually take about 1 week to completely hatch. Then, they still have the egg sac under their belly/plasteron which cannot be disturbed since the little guys use this as a food pack for about another week. Then, they might start actually eating.
I would love to see pics of the baby softshells. Don’t know much about these kinds of …read more
Read more here: Turtle Times
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By Turtle Times
Answer:
Well to make it plain and simple, with the amount of livestock you have in your pond there is a huge amount of waste being produced. The waste gives off nitrates that aquatic plants including algae feed off of. So as long as you have that many turtles in there, there is going to be that problem. The way to get rid of it is going to be tough. In natural ponds you’ll see that a lot of them are very clear, this is because there are aquatic plants in the pond, after a while the larger plants compete with algae for the nitrate, eventually the bigger plant will win, the algae will slowly die off and the plant (Water Hyacinth for example) will multiple until there is a balance with the amount of nitrate being produced and the plants consuming it. I don’t know what you can do with trying to avoid your turtles from eating the plants, you can try netting off an area for the plants. Or buy a TON of the plants, place them in and see what happens.
Here’s a picture of my pond with a similar problem to yours. You can see the plants are very few.
And here over time five Water Hyacinth and five Water lettuce multiplied to about 60 in total.
Wow that is amazing! I think I will try to net off an area for the plants. I have some really nice ones that are multiplying like crazy in the other pond. Thanks!
You can also try using a UV light inline with your filter. I had the same problem and it solved it within a week. It’s been all summer now and no green water. Some algae grows on the sides but the fish like munching on it.
Where is the best place to buy a UV light? Thanks for your help! My turtles thank you, too. I just spent 3 hours wiping down their shells, and refilling the pond again.
just curious did you leave a receipt tag on the large plant or am I imaging it.
You can also get UV lights from Lowes and your local pond supply store. The down fall to UV lights for you pond is that they need to be changed about every six months just like the UVB bulbs you use over an aquarium. My pond was almost that green once upon a time and I ran down to my local pond store and picked up a animal friendly chemical to reverse the effects (the brand name escapes me right now) and wa-lah, my pond was crystal clear again.
the internet and your local pond store can be pretty helpful.
Also, UV clarifiers are really expensive. …read more
Read more here: Turtle Times
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By Turtle Times
The Testudines are the only shelled species of reptile or amphibians. All Turtles and Tortoises have a carapace (upper shell) and a plastron (lower shell) to some degree. Sea turtles have a very aerodynamic shell which is thoroughly connected while tortoises have large, dome-shaped shells which look quite cumbersome.
There are two main groupings of turtles. The Pleurodira and the Cryptodira. The Pleurodira include the Chelus and Pelomedusa species and retract their heads by bending their necks horizontally. Conversely, the Cryptodira, which comprise most of the Testudines, retract their heads by bending their necks vertically.
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By Turtle Times
Common Names
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Common Name |
Picture |
Care |
Snapping Turtles |
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Florida Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina osceola) |
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Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina serpentina) |
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Alligator snapping Turtle (Macroclemys temminckii) |
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Common Name |
Picture |
Care |
Box Turtles |
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Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) |
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Florida Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina bauri) |
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Three-toed Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina triunguis) |
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Gulf Coast Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina major) |
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Ornate Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata ornata) |
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Desert Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata luteola) |
Chinese Box Turtle Cistoclemmys flavomarginata caresheet
Yucatan Box Turtle, Terrapene carolina yucatana caresheet
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Common Name |
Picture |
Care |
Map Turtles |
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Barbour’s Map Turtle (Graptemys barbouri) |
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Yellow-blotched Map Turtle (Graptemys flavimaculata) |
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Common Map Turtle (Graptemys geographica) |
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Mississippi Map Turtle (Graptemys kohnii) |
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Black-knobbed Map Turtle (Graptemys nigrinoda) |
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Ringed Map Turtle (Graptemys oculifera) |
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False Map Turtle (Graptemys pseudogeographica pseudogeographica ) |
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Ouachita Map Turtle (Graptemys pseudogeographica ouachitensis) |
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Sabine Map Turtle (Graptemys pseudogeographica sabinensis) |
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Texas Map Turtle (Graptemys versa) |
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Common Name |
Picture |
Care |
Mud Turtles |
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Striped Mud Turtle (Kinosternon baurii) |
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Yellow Mud Turtle (Kinosternon flavescens) |
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Big Bend Mud Turtle (Kinosternon hirtipes murrayi) |
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Eastern Mud Turtle (Kinosternon subrubrum subrubrum) |
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Mississippi Mud Turtle (Kinosternon subrubrum hippocrepis) |
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Sonoran Mud Turtle (Kinosternon sonoriense) |
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Common Name |
Picture |
Care |
Musk Turtles |
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Razorback Musk Turtle (Sternotherus carinatus) |
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Flattened Musk Turtle (Sternotherus depressus) |
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Loggerhead Musk Turtle (Sternotherus minor minor) |
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Stripe Neck Musk Turtle (Sternotherus minor peltifer) |
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Common Musk Turtle (Sternotherus odoratus) |
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Common Name |
Picture |
Care |
Sliders |
(Trachemys decorata) Hispaniolan Slider
Trachemys decussata decussata Common Cuban Slider
Trachemys decussata angusta Taco River Slider
Trachemys dorbigni dorbigni Southern Orbigny or Brazilian Slider
Trachemys dorbigni brasiliensis Northern Orbigny or Brazilian Slider
Red-eared Slider, Trachemys scripta elegans caresheet
Trachemys scripta elegans Red-Eared Slider
Trachemys scripta troostii Cumberland Slider
Trachemys scripta emolli Nicaraguan Slider
Trachemys scripta venusta Mesoamerican Slider
Trachemys scripta chichiriviche Venezuela Slider
Trachemys scripta scripta Yellow-bellied Slider
Trachemys scripta cataspila Huastecan Slider
Trachemys scripta callirostris Columbian Slider
Trachemys scripta gaigeae Big Bend Slider
Trachemys scripta grayi Gray’s Slider
Trachemys scripta hartwegi Nazas Slider
Trachemys scripta hiltoni Fuerte Slider
Trachemys scripta nebulosa Baja California Slider
Trachemys scripta ornata Ornate Slider
Trachemys scripta taylori Cuatrocienegas Slider
Trachemys scripta yaquia Yaqui Slider
Trachemys stejnegeri stejnegeri Puerto Rican Slider
Trachemys stejnegeri maloney Inagua Slider
Trachemys …read more
Read more here: Turtle Times
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Everyone feels just like this little chameleon does here in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user 1Sun every once in a while! 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
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