Photo: (Photo: Andrea Stetson/Special to The News-Press)

Two locations in Florida are reporting record sea turtle nests this year, despite the actual numbers of hatchlings being slightly lower than last year.

Collier County and Sanibel Island in Lee County smashed the turtle nesting record for the second year in a row, with 1,510 nests laid on Collier beaches this season and 522 nests laid on Sanibel.

“We had a really good year” “At the end of July we had storms that lasted over a period of 3-4 days with extremely high tides so we did have some inundations and some washouts,” “Last year we didn’t have any storm issues at all.” – Maura Kraus.

The 2015 numbers on Sanibel and Captiva include 26 green turtle nests, which is a record for green turtles as most of the turtles that lay eggs on the local beaches are loggerhead turtles.

To read the full article, visit The News Press.
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Every year I try to do something in my snake rooms that I have never done before. One thing I tried this year that actually worked out was having one of my Children’s Python maternally incubate her clutch of eggs. I found her on her clutch on 27 April 2015, but I think she laid her clutch 2 days before while I was out gathering native snake data. I kept her in a 28 quart box inside a rack system with 11 inch heat tape mounted on the back wall of the rack and maintained by a Ranco thermometer.

She placed her clutch right up against the tape in the back of the box, and stayed coiled on her clutch, not accepting any meals during the entire process. The clutch began to hatch on 22 June 2015. I found this interesting because I have had clutches hatch much more quickly when incubating with artificial incubation. Sure enough, the babies from this clutch proved to be strong feeders and continue to thrive. I also got a pretty even split of males and females in this clutch. It was fun, I had a good time doing it, and got some nice healthy babies when the process was completed. …read more
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By Herp News

[dropcap]F[/dropcap]ew places offer a glimpse of Indonesia’s forlorn environmental track record like Meru Betiri, a 58,000-hectare national park tucked away in the southeast corner of Java island. The park is perhaps best known as the last-known sighting of the Javan tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica) before it was declared extinct in the 1990s. Today environmentalists and the local community are working on a pilot program that offers some hope of a change in direction. “The people living around the forest should be engaged to defend the forest,” Arif Aliadi, a community organizer with the Indonesian Institute of Tropical Nature (Latin), told Mongabay. “If they maintain the forest, then they benefit. It’s not just money from produce, there is also the sale of carbon.” Indonesia’s vast land mass spanning three time zones was almost entirely covered in forests at the beginning of the 19th century. Today around half of its tropical forests has disappeared, with an estimated 6 million hectares lost between 2000 and 2012. A moratorium on new logging concessions on virgin “primary” forest was announced in 2011, but the evidence indicates it has failed to stop the rot. Meanwhile annual dry season fires have erupted on 2 million hectares of land this year as the El Nino weather phenomenon prolongs the annual burning season. Meru Betiri National Park in East Java. Photo by Petrus Riski Latin is one of a clutch of environmental NGOs trying to prune Indonesia’s growth in forest loss. In Meru Betiri, it is…

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Sucha lovely contrast against the blue, this Angolan Python takes the spotlight in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user EdCB ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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By Herp News

Species in Southeast Asia are in crisis.  Compared with most other regions, Southeast Asian countries — Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam — have a higher proportion of species that are categorized as threatened on the IUCN Red List. Southeast Asia also harbors large numbers of endemic species, and faces the highest rate of habitat loss compared to South America, Meso-America, and Sub-Saharan Africa. In fact, some studies have estimated that Southeast Asian countries could lose more than 60 percent of endemic taxa by 2100. Moreover, achieving conservation goals in these countries remains a big challenge due to lack of resources and funding, corruption, apathy, poverty, and booming human populations. Sumatran Rhinos are critically endangered. Photo by S. Ellis | Wikimedia Commons CC BY 2.0. Given the staggering rate at which species are disappearing in the region, and the urgency to save them, the IUCN Species Survival Commission and other international conservation organizations have come together to form the Asian Species Action Partnership (ASAP!). The main aim of ASAP is to “mobilize support where it is urgently needed, drawing on the collaborative expertise of conservation practitioners; pooling resources, maximizing efficiency and influencing political will by communicating the issues to a global audience”. ASAP prioritizes conservation of critically endangered species in Southeast Asia, such as the charismatic Sumatran Rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), the Siamese Crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis) and the Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii), as well as numerous lesser-known, but critical species, such as Sir David’s long-beaked…

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Need an antidote to all the gloomy and frustrating environmental news? The new book No More Endlings: Saving Species One Story at a Time may prove just the thing. No More Endlings (an endling refers to the last individual of a doomed species) details 47 endangered species success stories. Told in the words of the passionate and heroic conservationists working to save their favorite species, the book crisscrosses the world in search of both the attention-grabbing charismatic species and the little-known underdogs fighting for their survival with little funding and less attention. “Ultimately, my aim is for No More Endlings to help people make the connection between all species, their importance within each of their ecosystems and their importance within our own lives,” the editor of No More Endlings, Allison Hegan, told Mongabay in an interview. “Animals and plants provide beauty in our world, food and medicine, pique our curiosity, inspire creativity and innovation, and enrich our lives in countless ways.” The book also walks the walk: fifty percent of proceeds for No More Endlings: Saving Species One Story at a Time will go back to conservation efforts to help save wildlife on the ground. In an interview with Mongabay, Hegan tells how a conversation on LinkedIn led her to start work on the book, how she chose the species and stories and the many ways in which wildlife make the world better. Hornbills are a focus of one of the chapters in the book. Knobbed hornbill…

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He may look relaxed here, but the Cuvier’s Dwarf Caiman in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user JeffP is forever alert and ready to pounce! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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A portrait of the Trans-Danubian Sand Viper
Like the herpetofauna of the USA, the nomenclature of the Old World herpetofauna is in great disarray. However, it seems that at the moment, at least, the beautiful Trans-Danubian sand viper (all of the several subspecies are often referred to as “nose-horned vipers” by American herpetoculturists) continues to be known as Vipera ammodytes montandoni. The Trans-Danubian sand viper is adult at from 24 to 34 inches in total length and is restricted in distribution to Bulgaria and southern Romania. Often differentiated by the shape of the rostral projection which is deeper than broad this sturdy viper is sexually dichromatic. Females are usually of some shade of fawn with a deep brown dorsal pattern while the ground color of the males is from a rather light gray to a dark olive gray and the dorsal markings are black(ish). And the keyt word here is “usually,” for some individuals in populations may be quite brightly colored.

This snake can vary as greatly in disposition as in coloration with some being placid and reluctant to strike while others will strike with very little provocation. The venom is complex and the toxicity has been found to vary populationally. This snake should be considered dangerous and if handling is necessary this should be accomplished with extreme care and a clear plastic restraining tube.

Continue reading “The Trans-Danubian Sand Viper” …read more
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Photo : Florida Atlantic University
Loggerhead sea turtles have been around for 60 million years and have survived through many changing environments, however, a new study has revealed the turtles survival is being threatened by climate change. Researchers from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) discovered that warming temperatures during incubation yield more females, while more males develop under cooler conditions.

“If climatic changes continue to force the sex ratio bias of loggerheads to even greater extremes, we are going to lose the diversity of sea turtles as well as their overall ability to reproduce effectively. Sex ratios are already strongly female biased,””That’s why it’s critical to understand how environmental factors, specifically temperature and rainfall, influence hatchling sex ratios.” – Dr. Jeanette Wyneken Florida Atlantic University

To read the full article, visit natureworldnews.com. …read more
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Hopefully the gorgeous blues of this Dendrobates auratus uploaded by kingsnake.com user amazonreptile will brighten your Monday. Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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While the IUCN lists The Panamanian golden frog Atelopus zeteki as critically endangered, it may in fact have been extinct in the wild since 2007, but thanks to efforts like the captive breeding project at the Maryland Zoo, they may have a better chance. For 15 years the program has been running with the tiny amphibians being bred and reared in the zoo, with hopes for eventual release into the wild.

“We’re the first institution to breed the frogs and we’ve been instrumental with a lot of the husbandry and medical side of things,” said Kevin Barrett.
Barrett is the herpetology collection manager and runs Project Golden Frog at the Maryland Zoo.

This year the Zoo is being acknowledged for it’s efforts with a conservation award from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

To read the full article and watch the video, visit CBS Baltimore. …read more
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By Herp News

Obama administration rejects Keystone XL pipeline [USA Today] After more than six years of review, President Obama announced on Friday that his administration has rejected the Keystone XL pipeline. He said the pipeline was neither a “silver bullet for the economy” nor “the express lane to climate disaster.” Checking food labels is good for health and forests [The Malaysian Insider] You may check the nutrition labels on your food for health reasons, but have you checked product labels for sustainability reasons? Experts say checking labels and purchasing the right products could make a difference in saving the world’s forests. These scientists are experimenting with growing ‘super coral’ [The Guardian (UK)] At a time when environmentalists are warning about the rapidly declining health of the world’s coral reefs, scientists have embarked on a quest to breed coral that can withstand the hotter and more acidic oceans caused by global warming. Purple coral in Wailea, Maui, Hawaii. Photo by Rhett Butler. China and France release joint climate commitment [Mongabay] France and China released a joint statement to “reaffirm their strong conviction that climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity” on the first day of French President François Hollande’s official state visit to China last week. How snakes are helping beetles to invade Guam [USA Today] The brown tree snake, one of Guam’s most notorious invasive species are assisting the Guam coconut rhinoceros in an unexpected way, making it easier for the beetles to breed in the…

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The effects of a global economic slowdown are finally trickling down to all of us lowly snake hunters. The prices paid for commodities are in steep decline, and this includes all metals, including the scrap tin loved so much by reptile collectors. I have been getting anecdotal reports about local metal scrappers being offered less than the cost of a tank of gas for entire truckloads of metals that weigh several tons.

Sadly, much of the damage has already been done as tens of thousands of metal pieces have already been stolen and scrapped. This snake hunter is taking great joy in hearing about how upset these metal thieves become when they find out they are not getting paid enough money after spending an entire day destroying prime snake collecting habitat and stealing from people like myself. Perhaps we will all have a chance to rebuild our old sites and it is my hope that the market in base metals does not recover for decades to come! If things go our way we will be finding downed barns with metal to lay out for years to come! …read more
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By Herp News

Despite widespread protests by conservation groups and citizens, Mauritius will start culling its native Mauritius fruit bats (Pteropus niger) tomorrow. These bats are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. According to a press statement released by Mauritius’s Ministry of Agro Industry and Food Security today, culling of 18,000 bats will begin on Saturday, November 7. The culling will be carried out from 6 PM to 6 AM in state forests — which includes national parks, nature reserves, mountain reserves, and river reserves — in collaboration with the Police Department and the Special Mobile Force. Media reports speculate that the bats will be killed using shotguns. The statement warns the public not to enter any state forest lands until further notice. ”The Ministry will not be held responsible for any incident which may occur as a result of non-compliance with this communique,” the statement said. While the Ministry did not spell out duration of the culling, conservationists speculate that it will be done over three weeks as planned by the Ministry earlier. Mauritius fruit bats. Photo from Wikimedia Commons. According to Mauritian media reports, the cull will be possible due to a new law that was passed recently — the Native Terrestrial Biodiversity and National Parks Bill — which allows “controlling” or culling of any species that has attained “pest” status “in the national interest”. The Mauritian government believes that fruit bat populations on the island have increased to over 90,000, which makes them a pest. By culling 18,000 bats,…

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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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The Endangered great hammerhead shark (Sphyrna mokarran) is restricted to continental shelves and highly valued for its fins. It only reproduces once every two years. Photo by Jake Mohan licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license [dropcap]O[/dropcap]n July 19, 2011, officers from the Galapagos National Park Service and the Ecuadorian Navy stopped the Fer Mary I, a long line fishing vessel out of the bustling Ecuadorian port of Manta as it sailed within the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR). They found more than just the crew on board; they also found 379 shark carcasses. Shark capture inside the GMR is an environmental crime under Ecuadoran law. The case made international headlines not only because of the illegal cargo; but also because of the initially outrageous response it received from the local judiciary, which annulled the case. That local judge was later suspended by the Ecuadorian federal government and the case taken up for review. This year, after a tumultuous four-year legal battle, the captain of the Fer Mary I was sentenced to two years in prison and each of the 12-member crew received a one-year sentence. Their example demonstrates both the growing legal tide against illegal fishing in the GMR, and Ecuador’s toughening stance against wildlife trafficking. A wake up call for Galapagos enforcers The Galapagos Marine Reserve is one of the world’s largest protected marine areas, covering nearly 133,000 square kilometers (50,000 square miles). It’s recognition as a global biodiversity hotspot is well earned,…

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Photo: AUREAPTERUS/ISTOCKPHOTO
A new study shows that the prehistoric amphibians were not all that different from their modern day relatives. Limb regeneration was found in animals estimated to be 290 million years old.

The findings suggest that some salamander ancestors had the ability to regenerate body parts nearly 80 million years before the first salamander existed.
The results “show that salamander-like regeneration is not something that is salamander specific, but was instead widespread in the evolutionary past,” says study coauthor Nadia Fröbisch, a paleontologist at the Museum of Natural History in Berlin.

To read the full article, visit Science News. …read more
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By Herp News

Several new species of amphibians and a reptile that lived in what’s now Brazil from 278 million years ago have just been discovered and described by a team of scientists from around the world, including Chicago’s Field Museum. Their paper helps fill in gaps in our knowledge about fauna in the southern tropics of Pangaea.

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On Tuesday, an overwhelming majority of Washington voters — around 71 percent — passed an anti-wildlife trafficking initiative called Initiative 1401 (I-1401) that bans trade in wildlife parts and products. Initiative 1401, backed by Microsoft co-founder and billionaire Paul Allen, makes it a crime to sell, purchase, trade, or distribute parts and products of any wildlife species covered under the initiative. The animals included under this initiative are elephants, lions, tigers, rhinos, leopards, cheetahs, marine turtles, pangolins, sharks and ray species listed in Appendix I or II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Treaty, or listed as as critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN’s) red list. “This is an enormous momentum-builder for the movement in the United States to shut down the commerce in trinkets, powders and pelts that are driving some of the world’s most iconic creatures to the precipice of extinction,” Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, said in a statement. “The animals need their tusks, horns, heads and hides more than we do, and Washington voters have given our movement a shot in the arm with this resounding vote.” Initiative 1401 bans sale, purchase and distribution of parts and products of endangered species like elephants, rhinos, tigers, leopards, lions, cheetahs, pangolins, marine turtles, sharks and rays. Photos courtesy of Mongabay. Violations are punishable either as a gross misdemeanor, or a class C felony, which…

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This Wood Frog in our herp photo of the day brings back memories of summertime herping. Uploaded by kingsnake.com user casichelydia . Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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This is a normally colored and patterned dusky pygmy rattler.
Dusky pygmy rattlers, Sistrurus miliarius barbouri, are among the most abundant snakes, including both nonvenomous and venomous—in Florida. I can remember finding these in such numbers beneath the Australian pines that lined the old Tamiami Canal west of Dade County that it was far easier to ignore them than to count them. They were nearly as plentiful in Broward, Lee, Collier, Charlotte, and Brevard counties. And they remain one of the snakes that we can be almost assured of seeing when weather conditions are reasonable in Union, Baker, and Liberty counties. Simply stated, although they can be absent from some locales dusky pygmy rattlesnakes are almost everywhere in Florida.

In keeping with the common name dusky pygs are usually just that, dusky in color and “dusty” in appearance. The dusty appearance is created by a varying overlay of melanin that may obscure the precise outlines of the dark dorsal and lateral spots. This nervous (even twitchy) little rattlesnake usually has a prominent but broken orange vertebral stripe between the dark blotches and often brightest anteriorly. Some examples, these often termed “anerythristic” by hobbyists, may lack the orange. Rarely—very rarely—the pattern of the dusky pyg may be lineate rather than blotched. On these examples the lateral blotches are usually entirely lacking and the orange vertebral stripe may be unbroken, bisecting both the gray ground color and the dark dorsal blotches. And now to the photos of this interesting little crotaline, click below…
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The Endangered Lear’s Macaw (Anodorhynchus leari). Birds, loved for their plumage and their songs, are among the most trafficked of all animal species in Latin America. Photo by Joao Quental licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. [dropcap]W[/dropcap]ith its spectacularly diverse ecosystems, rare and endemic species, remote terrain, often loophole-riddled laws, and sketchy enforcement, Latin America is a haven for a booming illegal wildlife trade. South and Central America’s diversity is a magnet for wildlife traffickers dealing in the rare and unusual. Brazil alone holds 15-20 percent of the planet’s biological diversity and reportedly supplies 5-15 percent of the global illegal wildlife trade. What is most notable about this unlawful trade is the range of species involved. Birds — particularly parrots, macaws and songbirds — are among the most trafficked. Reptiles, including iguanas and snakes are popular in the pet trade. Turtles are harvested for their eggs, meat, and shells; caimans for their skins. Also striking is the immense volume and high prices obtained for illegally taken seafood delicacies — ranging from shark fins, totoaba swim bladders, sea cucumbers, and queen conch meat. A remarkable variety of other animals are also trafficked, including jaguars, armadillos, monkeys, frogs, scorpions and spiders. A close-up of a seizure of tropical birds hidden within a car seat at the U.S. border in San Diego. Photo courtesy of USFWS. The breadth and complexity of the black market trade in wildlife complicates analysis of both its…

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Photo: Cuba HeadlinesScientists have announced the discovery of a new species of small frog only about 14 mm long, near Guantanamo, Cuba.

First found in 2014, scientists have now officially named the newly discovered amphibian Eleutherodactylus beguei.

“This vertebrate has close to brown coloration. Its natural habitat is the soil moist, hence its survival in this area of eastern Cuba where rainfall is abundant throughout the year” – Gerardo Begue-Quiala

To read the full article, visit Cuba Headlines. …read more
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This Nuu Ana Leachianus seems so very curious in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user MikeRusso . Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Scientists have for the first time determined the ratio of males to females in a wild foraging group of green turtles in the Eastern Pacific, which suggests that sea turtles may be vulnerable to feminization from the temperature rises expected with climate change.

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Photo by Dan England @greeleytribune.com
He doesn’t even have a name, but over the years a Bullsnake (Pituophis catenifer sayi) in a Greeley Colorado nature center has helped thousands of kids and adults overcome their apprehension and fear of snakes. The snake was given a permanent home at the center four years ago after repeatedly becoming ensnared in live traps the nature center puts out to monitor wildlife along it’s trails. Since then he has become a reptilian ambassador, seemingly as curious about these humans as they are of it. And to staff it seems the snake enjoys the interaction with both the staff and the public.

“If you interact with it,” “you realize you don’t have to kill it.” – Ray Tschillard – Poudre Learning Center

The snake did escape once, a couple of years ago, when a volunteer left his cage open after feeding him and was gone most of the winter, until he poked his head out from under a bookshelf. He had many chances to leave and simply didn’t take them.

Read the whole article at the Greeley Tribune. …read more
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How gorgeous is this Coastal Carpet Python in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user AJ01 ? Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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The U.S. government has stepped up its fight against wildlife trafficking. On Monday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Global Anti-Poaching Act, which aims to “support global anti-poaching efforts, strengthen the capacity of partner countries to counter wildlife trafficking, and designate major wildlife trafficking countries.” The anti-poaching bill was co-sponsored by 43 Republicans and 64 Democrats. “This legislation is a significant step forward in the fight against wildlife crime and demonstrates the continued leadership that the US Congress is taking on this issue,” Ginette Hemley, Senior Vice President of Wildlife Conservation at World Wildlife Fund (WWF), said in a statement. “Wildlife crime has traditionally been extremely high profit and very low risk. By officially designating wildlife trafficking as a serious crime, the risk may finally outweigh the potential reward. This could be a real game changer for the conservation of elephants, rhinos, and countless species illegally killed and traded around the world,” she added. Baby elephant in South Africa. Photo by Rhett Butler. The legislation notes that the same international gangs and criminals that smuggle weapons and drugs are involved in poaching and trafficking wildlife. So it puts wildlife trafficking in the same category as weapons and drug-trafficking, “making it a liable offense for money laundering and racketeering.” To support global anti-poaching efforts, the legislation aims to label countries that are found to be a “major source, transit point or consumer of wildlife trafficking products”. It also calls for a special designation for countries that have…

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It took a few tries but Lady Luck was finally with us: Brazos water snake.
It has been many years now since Kenny and I decided to look for, and actually did find, the two Texas water snakes that were then considered subspecies of the Harter’s water snake. These, then, were the Brazos water snake, N. harteri harteri, and the Concho water snake, N. harteri paucimaculata. Although of questionable validity studies have since elevated the 2 one time subspecies to full species.

At the time we sought these snakes we both lived in Florida so the initial distance between home and Palo Pinto County, TX was, shall we say, significant. Kenny is great at ferreting out valid locales for the taxa that we hope to photograph, but on the first attempt the water snakes did not cooperate. We searched upstream and downstream from a number of the riffles where they had formerly been seen. No water snakes—not even the rather common diamond-backed water snakes. We did find dozens of taxa to photograph on that trip but the target species was not among them.

But some months later, on the second trip, Kenny’s diligence paid off. On that occasion one of the rock-edged riffles disclosed its serpentine treasure and photos of the Brazos water snake were added to our library.

Next try would be for the Concho water snake.

More photos under the jump.
Continue reading “Meet the Seldom Seen Brazos Water Snake” …read more
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By Herp News

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n the waters off Madagascar, scientists have at last encountered living members of a species of whale known only from old, dead specimens. Shaped like a sleek torpedo, with unusual asymmetrical markings, the elusive Omura’s whale has for the first time been documented in photos, videos, and audio recordings. In the 1970s, scientists initially classified eimadaght whales killed by Japanese whalers in the eastern Indian and western Pacific oceans as Bryde’s whales (Balaenoptera edeni). Measuring between 33 and 38 feet long, the animals were considered smaller “pygmy” Bryde’s whales, which usually measure around 45 feet long. It wasn’t until 2003 that another team of researchers, examining DNA evidence from the eight whaling specimens and a stranded animal, concluded that the whales actually belonged to a new-to-science species that came to be called Omura’s whale (B. omurai). Subsequent studies have identified other stranded or hunted animals as members of the same species based on DNA and skeletal evidence. Up to now, however, there have been no first-hand observations of living Omura’s whales described in the scientific literature that could shed light on the animals’ behavior, biology, or ecology; only a handful of unconfirmed sightings. A never-before photographed Omura’s whale. Photo reproduced from Cerchio et al. 2015, courtesy of New England Aquarium. In 2007 a team led by Salvatore Cerchio, a marine mammal biologist then with the Wildlife Conservation Society, began studying cetaceans off the northwestern coast of Madagascar. Starting in 2011, they began spotting a few small rorqual…

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“I don’t know much about art, but I know what I like.”

Bill Flowers, an Australian artist based in Tasmania, knows what we like too. Thankfully he has taken it upon himself to edit some of the worlds greatest masterpieces and add the snakes that really should have been a part of the original work.

“I love snakes, and a few other humans on this planet also love snakes. Sadly there are so many humans that do not. I painted this series to make people smile.
Smiling is a positive thing. If I can get humans to have a nice fun feeling while looking at snakes, my job is done. – Bill Flowers”

To see more of Bill’s amazing work, check out his post on BoredPanda

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By Herp News

An up-close look at the baited remove underwater video (BRUV) camera. Copyright Global FinPrint. Out of the 100 million sharks caught each year, scientists estimate that up to 73 million have their fins sliced off (often while still alive) to make shark fin soup — a Chinese delicacy eaten as a luxury dish at weddings and other special occasions. A growing appetite for shark fins and meat is considered the leading cause of sharply declining shark populations. An ambitious project to conduct a global survey of sharks aims to find out how much is left of these top marine predators. Launched in July with $4 million in funding from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Global FinPrint is an international initiative that will assess the health of populations of sharks and rays — aka elasmobranchs — in 400 different locations over a period of three years. The project’s mission is “to produce the first globally standard survey of elasmobranch density and diversity across the world’s continental and insular shelves” in order to improve the understanding of the animals’ status and inform conservation efforts, according to the Global FinPrint website. “Because of a lack of consistent surveys, it is difficult to determine what pristine densities and diversities ‘should’ be to set restoration targets,” the website states. Coral reefs teem with an abundance of beautiful underwater life. Copyright Global Finprint. “This exciting three-year project began a few months ago and we look forward to…

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A Black-faced Spoonbill spreads its wings. Photo courtesy of the BFSA [dropcap]A[/dropcap]s autumn descends on the Korean Peninsula, Black-faced Spoonbills depart from nesting sites sheltered within one of the world’s most heavily armed borders. The Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea is off-limits to human incursion — and has been since the end of the Korean War in 1953. In turn, that 4 kilometer (2.5 mile) wide no man’s land has become a safe haven for the Endangered bird. Korea’s lingering Cold War stalemate at the DMZ has prevented coastal development from encroaching on crucial Black-faced Spoonbill nesting sites. Spoonbill population data from North Korea is limited — not surprising considering the two belligerent armies facing off across the DMZ, or considering North Korea’s closed society. But experts say that the DMZ remains the bird’s biggest breeding ground. Meanwhile, other important nesting habitat in northeast China — rocky outcrops from Bohai Bay to the Bay of Liaoning — are threatened, as are other wetlands critical to these transient birds in South Korea, mainland China and elsewhere in Southeast Asia — all areas under tremendous development pressures. A bird beloved in the midst of geopolitical conflict Black-faced Spoonbills (Platalea minor) wavered on the brink of extinction as recently as the 1980s. Scientists estimated that the population then had dropped as low as 288 birds. Today, the species remains Endangered. But their numbers have climbed steadily over the years. The results of the 2015 International Black-faced Spoonbill…

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Rainforests are full of bats, and with over 1,300 known species around the world bats really do come in all shapes and sizes. Each species has its own range of what ecologists call “functional traits,” which are an animal’s unique biochemical, physiological, or behavioral characteristics. Yet, like other rainforest-dwelling animals, bats are under great pressure as the landscape changes around them and their homes become more and more fragmented. Natural habitat perturbations play a role in these changes, but the greatest pressures often come from human activities, such as livestock production, agriculture, logging, mining, and dam construction. A recent study, published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, looked into how important functional traits are in enabling bats in the Amazon to survive in a human-modified landscape. It found that not all bat species cope with habitat fragmentation equally and that bats that are small, mobile, and vegetarian adapt better to fragmentation. Researchers handling a bat to photographing the wing to measure aspect ratio and relative wing loading (two components of the wing morphology trait). Photo by Madalena Boto. The study was led by a team from the Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes at the University of Lisbon, and conducted at the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project in the Brazilian Amazon. Over a period of two years, the team used mist nets to capture almost 5,000 bats from 59 different species in eight forest fragments. Focusing on the 26 most common species that could be…

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This Sulawesi Forest Turtle looks as thrilled as we all are with a Monday morning in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user andystorts reminds us of the variety in the most basic of “morphs”, the normal! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Laurie Marker’s passion for cheetahs was kindled far from the grasslands of Africa. In 1974, she got a job working for a new wildlife park in Oregon, and as she worked with the park’s captive cheetahs, her interest grew to their wild cousins back in Namibia. When Marker reached out to biologists and researchers, she quickly realized just how little people knew about the species, and decided to do something about it. As the founder and executive director of the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) in Namibia, Marker has essentially written the book on cheetahs, developing methods to re-introduce captive-bred animals, studying cheetahs’ habitat and movement patterns in the wild and discovering the species’ lack of genetic variation. She is now distilling the knowledge and insights gleaned in the past 25 years, developing strategies to solve the growing conflict between farmers and wildlife. WildTech sat down with Marker to learn about how she got her start, CCF’s work with cheetah and human communities in Namibia, her views on the future of conservation and tips for aspiring field biologists. Dr. Laurie Marker with Cheetah Conservation Fund’s famous late ambassador cheetah Chewbaaka. Photo courtesy of the Cheetah Conservation Fund. You pioneered a lot of the research to understand cheetahs and the factors at play in their conservation. Can you tell us about how you got your start working in the field? Well I had been running a wildlife park and breeding cheetahs in captivity, but nobody really knew much about…

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A fishy ghost story in time for Halloween [Nature] Ghost fishing, as it’s known, is when marine life is drawn into nets and traps by the dead and decomposing bodies of marine animals already caught in these fishing devices. This problem goes largely unnoticed yet the ‘dead’ gear is often responsible for more sea creature deaths than kills during active use. The inevitable climate fact no one wants to recognize [New Scientist] The UN’s analysis finds that our world’s nations have fallen short of what’s required to effectively limit greenhouse gases. It seems now that time would be better spent on preparing for a world that will become two degrees warmer than it is now. Universally cherished treat faces impending shortage [Christian Science Monitor] National chocolate day was October 28, but this treat, that is appreciated throughout the world, may become much harder to come by. Due to unsustainable supply chain models and climate change, chocolate is facing an impending shortage crisis. Cacao pods in Nosy Komba, Madagascar. Photo by Rhett Butler. Biased climate change reports aren’t beneficial for anyone [Mongabay] We’re all affected by climate change, so shouldn’t we all be informed about it? Especially people in places being affected the most? A recent study shows the opposite to be the case – scientific knowledge about climate change is geographically imbalanced and biased. These species were named after monsters [Treehugger] Halloween is right around the corner, making it a perfect time to check out the…

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[dropcap]M[/dropcap]urilo Reis was guiding a group of tourists on his private nature reserve in a remote part of northeastern Peru two months ago when he came across more than a dozen people who were digging up turtle nests on the riverbank to steal the eggs. When they refused to leave, he called in the police, but the law-enforcement officer sided with the poachers, and Reis told Mongabay he was powerless to stop the pillaging. He worries that illegal logging, hunting, and fishing not only jeopardize his tourism business, but also threaten an area that he is preserving as a refuge for animals fleeing illegal human activity in the forest. He is not alone. Although news reports have highlighted illegal logging and mining, drug crops, squatters, building of unauthorized roads, and poaching in government protected areas and on indigenous lands in the Peruvian Amazon, owners of private conservation areas face similar problems, but get less attention. “Much of the problem has to do with a lack of land-use planning,” Bruno Monteferri, director of the private conservation program of the non-profit Peruvian Environmental Law Society (Sociedad Peruana de Derecho Ambiental, SPDA), told Mongabay. That is often aggravated by conflicting land claims and lack of law enforcement. A Monk Saki (Pithecia milleri), one of numerous species of wildlife living on the Tapiche Reserve. Photo by Deborah Chen. Peru has more than 80 legally recognized private and communal conservation areas, covering some 250,000 hectares, Monteferri said. In addition, some landowners,…

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Reptiles are becoming increasingly popular as pets. The number of reptile pets, such as lizards, turtles and snakes, has doubled in the past ten years. Researchers recently showed that grasshoppers used as reptile food can be a source of allergies.

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Money brings many things. It can bring great happiness and it can cause great suffering. It depends on how it is used. Ethics are important. New prosperity following Vietnam’s accession to the World Trade Organization in 2007 has improved life for many in the country, but unfortunately Vietnam’s new wealth has brought great suffering for South Africa’s rhinos and the people who manage them. Consumption of rhino horn (sung te giac) follows new pockets of wealth. Vietnam’s rising tiger economy put more money in the pockets of the growing middle class who have become the world’s biggest consumers of rhino horn. Having lived in Vietnam for four years, my experience of the Vietnamese is as a deeply conservative and respectful people with a great appreciation for natural beauty. However, some interesting contradictions and tensions arise as a result of the utilitarian attitude toward wildlife that prevails in the country. A southern white rhinoceros in South Africa. The country is the last remaining stronghold of rhinoceroses, but is facing an unprecedented poaching crisis fueled by Vietnamese demand for the animals’ horns. Photo by Rhett Butler. Whereas people had traditionally used rhino horn to reduce fevers and to treat poisoning, today’s consumers use it as a general health tonic, a hangover cure, a status symbol, or an expensive gift. Governments generally also have a fairly utilitarian attitude toward wildlife. They aren’t very good at protecting the environment. It just doesn’t fit into their main concerns of preserving power and…

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