By Herp News
The world’s tropical forests are threatened by deforestation due to agricultural, industrial and urban expansion; as well as by drought, fire, and disease, all worsened by climate change. Human reforestation efforts are limited by budget and capacity, so the restoration of degraded habitats by means of animal seed dispersal is essential to the future of global forests.
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Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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Scientific Name:
One of the moments I love during my herpings is a ‘tea or coffee break’. It is really an enjoyable moment when you are sitting with your friends, sipping your refreshing drink, and recalling the adventures that took place during the herping.
This incident happened during a trip to the Western Ghats. After herping for 2 to 3 hours, my friends and I took a break and drove to the nearest tea stall. We were sitting on wooden tables and we just had a few sips of tea when I saw a lizard on the wooden plank next to us.
I ignored the lizard thinking that it might be an ordinary house gecko, but one of my friends who is studying lizards saw it and excitedly shouted, “Spotted leaf-toed gecko!” I took a close look at the lizard and it was really beautiful with an amazing color pattern.
Spotted leaf-toed gecko (Hemidactylus maculatus) is a species of large gecko found in Western Ghats of India. The best part is that I was able to get this gecko easily without doing any hard work!
My friend Riyaz Khoja snapped some pictures and we continued with our tea and snacks.
Photo: Riyaz Khoja …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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Speed, a Galapagos tortoise brought to America over 80 years ago, was euthanized last month.
From the LA Times:
At an estimated age of more than 150 years, Speed had been in geriatric decline for some time, with arthritis and other maladies. Keepers treated him with medication, hydrotherapy, physical therapy, even acupuncture.
Finally, a decision was made Friday to euthanize Speed, who had been at the zoo since 1933.
He was brought to the zoo as part of an early effort to preserve the endangered species from the Volcan Cerro Azul Island of the Galapagos Islands, off Ecuador.
Read more here. …read more
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Our Herp Photo of the Day features a cute field find of a Salamander, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cochran!
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CHRISTIE!!!!!!!!!
I am waiting for full ID on this animal so I am sure it is correct species. I will change the XXX to the proper name and delete this line and all else will stay intact. …read more
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Our Herp Photo of the Day features a cute field find of a XXX Salamander, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cochran!
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CHRISTIE!!!!!!!!!
I am waiting for full ID on this animal so I am sure it is correct species. I will change the XXX to the proper name and delete this line and all else will stay intact. …read more
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By Herp News
Police in Indonesia’s second city of Surabaya, a hotbed of wildlife trafficking, seized 16 eagles of various types from a trafficker who was using Facebook to connect with potential customers. A tip alerted the authorities to the trafficker. They used the Internet to confirm his activities before moving to arrest him at his house in Surabaya’s Bubutan area.
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A few years ago, for reasons that I can no longer remember, I decided to get an African mole snake, Pseudaspis cana, from Linda Switzer. It had been decades since I had last had one and as I remembered them they were big and savagely defensive.
They were in no way pleasant creatures to keep. They had come, I think, from either Lofty Whitehead or Jonathan Leakey, both of Kenya. The snakes, adults all, had been wild collected, and were not the least bit hesitant to show their unhappiness about the situation. I was equally unhappy.
So when Linda mentioned having a “nice” mole snake my first question was “how nice?”
“Handleable,” she said, “easily handleable.”
I wondered to myself whether the snake was actually alive.
But I purchased it and when it arrived, it seemed in perfect health. Not only was it “handleable,” it was docile. The big constrictor took thawed and warmed rodents eagerly but gently from forceps, and overall acted about as non-mole snake-like as any mole snake I had ever seen or heard of.
As the old saying goes, you can’t judge a book by its cover. This was a lesson well learned with this very atypical African mole snake.
Continue reading “A manageable mole snake” …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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A few years ago, for reasons that I can no longer remember, I decided to get an African mole snake, Pseudaspis cana, from Linda Switzer. It had been decades since I had last had one and as I remembered them they were big and savagely defensive.
They were in no way pleasant creatures to keep. They had come, I think, from either Lofty Whitehead or Jonathan Leakey, both of Kenya. The snakes, adults all, had been wild collected, and were not the least bit hesitant to show their unhappiness about the situation. I was equally unhappy.
So when Linda mentioned having a “nice” mole snake my first question was “how nice?”
“Handleable,” she said, “easily handleable.”
I wondered to myself whether the snake was actually alive.
But I purchased it and when it arrived, it seemed in perfect health. Not only was it “handleable,” it was docile. The big constrictor took thawed and warmed rodents eagerly but gently from forceps, and overall acted about as non-mole snake-like as any mole snake I had ever seen or heard of.
As the old saying goes, you can’t judge a book by its cover. This was a lesson well learned with this very atypical African mole snake.
Continue reading “A managable mole snake” …read more
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Shannan Yates discusses the powerful and life-changing adventure that is herpetological field work.
From National Geographic:
At a conference on Bahamian natural history, I met Shedd Aquarium’s Dr. Chuck Knapp, who oversees the conservation research program at Shedd and has spent decades researching rock iguanas in The Bahamas. At the time, I had been struggling with the decision of attending medical school. Would I make a difference working in a ‘normal career’, as in a sterile hospital wearing a white lab coat, be any different than working as a field researcher?
For me, Dr. Chuck helped to provide that answer. Without thinking twice, I accepted his invitation to accompany him on a citizen science iguana research exhibition to the Exuma Cays. My experience on that expedition–adjusting to the harsh weather and elements – proved to me that the white lab coat in some hospital was not going to be my career path. I found an unexplainable love for field research and the Exuma Cays Rock Iguana (Cyclura cychlura figgisi), in an experience that I will never forget.
Read more here. …read more
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This male Angel Island Chuck seems quite proud of himself in our Herp Photo of the Day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user reptoman!
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By Herp News
Animal vehicle collisions (AVCs) take an incredible toll on wildlife worldwide. In the United States, for example, as many as 1.5 million deer, moose, and other ungulates are annually involved in vehicle crashes, with all yearly U.S. wildlife collisions costing $1 billion and causing 29,000 human injuries. Still, drivers and the media tend to downplay these costs to world wildlife and automotive safety.
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Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
To protect natural ecosystems, some conservationists advocate ‘land sparing,’ in which farmers intensify agricultural practices to boost yields, theoretically enabling them to forgo expansion into natural areas. Others advocate ‘land sharing,’ in which farmers take over more land but use more environmentally friendly practices. Researchers studied the relative effects of the two approaches on biodiversity.
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The armored lizard Pappochelys rosinae may be the missing evolutionary link between early turtles and their contemporary counterparts.
From Science Magazine:
The findings are “a very important contribution in addressing who turtles are related to, as well as the evolutionary origin of the turtle shell,” says Tyler Lyson, a vertebrate paleontologist at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science who was not involved with the study. “These have been two vexing questions for evolutionary biologists for the last 200 years.”
About two dozen or so fossils of the creature have been recovered, all of them from 240-million-year-old rocks deposited as sediment on the floor of a shallow, 5-kilometer-long lake in what is now southern Germany. Most of the remains include only bits of bone and are from individuals of various sizes, says Hans-Dieter Sues, a vertebrate paleontologist at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. But between the two most complete specimens yet found, he and Rainer Schoch, a paleontologist at the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart in Germany, have put together a full skeleton and most of a skull.
Read more here. …read more
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The Sri Lankan painted frog is a species of narrow-mouthed frog found in India.
This frog is the first species of narrow-mouthed frog which I came across and thanks to its mouth, I found it a bit upset looking. But trust me, it was one of the cutest frogs in the world!
I met this fat fellow during my recent trip to northeast India. These frogs are usually found up to an altitude of 1300 meters, so it’s easier to find this frog in mountainous regions. I was able to encounter this frog with the help of my wildlife biologist friend Debaprasad “Dev” Sengupta.
These frogs are 7-8 centimeters in length and the color is greyish-black with a symmetrical pattern of reddish-brown patches. The under parts are pale yellowish-grey, mottled with black or brown. During the breeding season, males develop a dark throat patch. These frogs are also native to Nepal and Bangladesh.
I had some really amazing experiences during my trip to Northeast India which I will continue to write about. In my opinion, the reptiles and amphibians in the northeastern part of the country are the best amongst all in India!
If you visit India to check out some amazing reptiles, I will always suggest you to visit the northeastern part first.
Photo by: Debaprasad Sengupta …read more
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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!
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Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! …read more
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Two years ago these little monsters took over in a whole new way. In our Herp Video of the Week, a group of second graders, with the help of their teacher, try to remind us that snakes do not need fear and they are just “Born This Way”. Happy Snake Saturday, we hope you enjoy this flashback!
Submit your own reptile & amphibian videos at http://www.kingsnake.com/video/ and you could see them featured here or check out all the videos submitted by other users! …read more
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The Bird Snake (Pseustes poecilonotus) gets it’s first breath of air in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user SoLA!
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By Herp News
An independent researcher has described a spectacular red, white, and blue crayfish just in time for the fourth of July. The new species, named Cherax pulcher, was first discovered in Japanese pet shops by Christian Lukhaup before he finally tracked down the animal to creeks in remote West Papua, Indonesia.
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Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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Mez, an adorable little black monitor lizard, is the first born to any zoo in the United Kingdom.
From Pirate FM:
John Meek, curator: ” This is a very rare birth for us here at The Zoo and Mez is doing very well, being carefully nursed by our diligent keepers. Mez currently weighs twelve grams and we expect him to make steady progress.”
Black Tree Monitors are at risk due to habitat destruction and the illegal trade in reptiles for pets, so the breeding programme at The Zoo will ensure the conservation of the species.
The Black Tree Monitors at The Zoo originated from Pilsen Zoo in the Czech Republic over five years ago and have very specific humidity conditions to encourage them to lay their eggs. The female Monitor has already laid a further six eggs which are currently under incubation and they should hatch sometime in the next few months.
Read more here. …read more
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Jake said, “C’mon, let’s go hog-nosing.”
That’s not much of an incentive for me as hog-noses are just not my favorite critters.
But then Jake said “Good chance for a Florida pine, too.”
“Oh,” I replied. “You mean southern hog-noses, eh?”
Well, southerns are a bit better, and somewhere in the sandy country where they live Jake almost always runs afoul of sand-spurs, the latter occasion usually being an interesting interlude. Now we were looking at southern hog-noses, southern pine snakes, and sand spurs. Taken together this was a little more to my liking, so off we went.
And an hour and a half later we arrived. It was a dry, relatively cool, and very sunny day; the kind of weather which makes all good snakes active.
This hour and a half drive brought us to a grid of southern hog-nose, Heterodon simus, habitat that until recently was not well known to the herping community. Sadly (from a conservation viewpoint), one well known and very garrulous herper learned of the area and broadcast its potential far and wide.
This, of course, led to an influx of hog-nose hunters whenever weather conditions allowed. It led also to an adverse and vocal response from the homeowners who were suddenly faced with a notable change in traffic volume in their quiet, if sandy, community.
So, in the hope of avoiding controversy, Jake and I agreed to drive slowly, carefully, and to leave immediately if challenge seemed imminent. And not only did we follow these self-imposed rules, taking care that no roostertail plume of dust followed us, but we stopped and explained to a homeowner or two what we were doing (photographing wildlife) and that we would be very careful while looking.
This courtesy paid dividends. We spent an unchallenged hour and a half, found and photographed a beautiful adult male hog-nose, and left feeling pleased. Mission accomplished – uneventfully.
But, darn it! No sand spurs on this trip.
Continue reading “Hog-nosed snake with a side of southern hospitality” …read more
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What a stunning shot of a Satanic leaf-tailed gecko we have as our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user zmarchetti!
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By Herp News
A newly discovered, 48-million-year-old fossil, known as a ‘Jesus lizard’ for its ability to walk on water, may provide insight into how climate change may affect tropical species.
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Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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Prompted by a petition in 2012 by the Center for Biological Diversity the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is reviewing 10 species of reptiles and amphibians to consider them for federal protection under the Endangered Species Act, despite many of the listed species enjoying protection of state laws in their home range.
According to media reports USFWS will seek to collect additional information for a more thorough review of the following reptiles and amphibians:
According to the USFWS “For those petitions that will move on to a more in-depth review, that process will include the opportunity for significant input from states, partners, stakeholders, and the public.” To read more about this issue, view the original article on GulfLive.com. kingsnake.com will post more information on the public input process here as it becomes available.
Alligator Snapper gallery photo by kingsnake.com user LEESTOPCUT.
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“Crocodile,” is an animal which makes you think twice before entering a river or lake, an animal which is responsible for numerous deaths every year, and a reptile which freaks out people more than a snake. Just imagine my reaction when I came across this magnificent and deadly reptile in the wild.
India has a good number of national parks and Sundarban National Park is one of them. Sundarban national park is a tiger and a biosphere reserve located in West Bengal. Visiting this national park has given me some unforgettable experiences. I was lucky to be accompanied by Debaprasad “Dev” Sengupta, a renowned wildlife biologist and herpetologist in Northeast India.
The best part about being accompanied by Dev was that he was very familiar with the place and that was the reason I was able to see many things. After roaming for a couple of hours in the woods, we headed towards the riverbank to check out some birds.
As we stepped on the sand of river bank and walked a few steps, Dev told me to stop and pointed at something 12 to 15 meters away. I was thunderstruck for a minute and I was getting goosebumps -it was a 11 foot long saltwater crocodile basking on sand! Saltwater crocs (Crocodylus porusus) are the biggest species of crocodile on earth.
Dev changed his camera’s lens and clicked some amazing photographs while I observed the creature. We didn’t move until the crocodile crawled in the water.
We were standing at a safe distance and had an excellent view to enjoy the show. I hope life gives me a chance again to encounter this monster in the wild.
I would especially like to thank Dev for allowing me to use this amazing photograph.
Photo: Debaprasad Sengupta …read more
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An incredibly unusual two-headed bearded dragon stunned their owner after hatching in Liverpool.
From the Mirror:
Owner Stephen Evans, 34 has bred bearded dragon lizards for 17 years and made the discovery this morning after checking a clutch of eggs.
Originally, he thought there were two lizards in one egg but says he was shocked to discover it was actually a conjoined twin.
He told the Liverpool Echo: “Last night I’d checked the incubator, we’d seen two heads and assumed they were twins, which can sometimes happen.
Read more here. …read more
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One of these things isn’t just like the other! The Leucistic tadpole really stands out in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user retnaburner!
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By Herp News
A study published last week in Science showed that most of the ivory being trafficked today comes from two areas in Africa: savanna elephant ivory from southeast Tanzania in East Africa and forest elephant ivory from the meeting point of Gabon, the Republic of Congo, Cameroon, and Central African Republic.
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Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
A study published last week in Science showed that most of the ivory being trafficked today comes from two areas in Africa: savanna elephant ivory from southeast Tanzania in East Africa and forest elephant ivory from the meeting point of Gabon, the Republic of Congo, Cameroon, and Central African Republic.
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By Herp News
Conservation work is important not just in tropical rainforests, but also in snow-covered peaks and steep slopes, the home of snow leopards and a number of unusual ungulates, including blue sheep and Asiatic ibex. When these and other native prey are scarce, snow leopards may resort to eating more livestock, which turns herders against them.
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Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
The U.S. government has declared the Eastern cougar extinct more than 80 years after its a believed a hunter in Maine wiped out the last individual. Scientists still dispute whether the Eastern cougar was a distinct subspecies, but either way officials believe the original population that roamed much of the Eastern U.S. and Canada is gone—and has been for decades.
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Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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In 2014, what once was one became three.
The venerable alligator snapping turtle, Macrochelys temminckii once ranged in 3 apparently non-contiguous basically riverine populations westward from the northern peninsula of Florida and southern Georgia, to southeastern Kansas and eastern Texas.
The range extended northward in the Mississippi Valley to central Iowa and Illinois. The southeasternmost population (now the Suwannee alligator snapper, Macrochelys suwanniensis, ranges throughout the Suwannee River drainage of Florida.
The central population (now the Apalachicola alligator snapper, Macrochelys apalachicolae) occurs in the drainage of the Apalachicola/Chattahoochee Rivers of Florida, Georgia and eastern Alabama.
The western population (still referred to as simply the Alligator snapper, Macrochelys temminckii, ranges westward and northward from Florida’s western panhandle throughout the remainder of the large range.
The separation and erection of these turtles was based on genetic and morphological differences.
For more information read: “Taxonomic assessment of Alligator Snapping Turtles (Chelydridae: Macrochelys),” with the description of two new species from the southeastern United States in Zootaxa 3786 (2): 141–165.
Continue reading “The alligator snapper trio” …read more
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A massive frog die-off is the latest sign of extreme pollution in Lake Titicaca which threatens wildlife and humans.
From Fox News:
As human and industrial waste from nearby cities increasingly contaminate the famed lake that straddles the border between Bolivian and Peru, the native Aymara people who rely on it for food and income say action must be taken before their livelihoods, like the frogs, die off.
“We used to live off of fishing,” said Juan Quispe, a local villager. “But now we have nothing to sustain us.” The fish have moved farther and farther from shore.
On a recent Saturday, the 78-year-old Quispe joined a cleanup brigade to remove dead dogs, tires and other refuse from the shore of Cohana Bay where the lake meets the Katari River.
Read more here. …read more
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This adoreable Box Turtle begins it’s new life in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user norristhenut!
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By Herp News
On Friday, June 19, Philippine authorities raided a warehouse on the island of Palawan and confiscated more than 4,000 live, illegally harvested rare turtles, only days before they were to be shipped to foreign food and pet markets. The massive haul included over 3,800 critically endangered Philippine forest turtles – animals in very poor health and showing signs of severe neglect from long captivity.
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Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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After having problems flushing her toilet, a woman was stunned to find a live iguana in the pipes.
From ABC News:
“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” plumber Alisa Scott told ABC affiliate WPLG-TV. “This is the first time I pulled something like that out of a toilet.”
Scott says she used her tools to reach far down into the toilet. What she began to pull out was still alive.
“To my surprise, I pulled out that large iguana,” Scott said. “At first I thought it was a toy, and then it started moving around.”
Iguanas are common in that part of Florida, but they aren’t commonly found inside your plumbing.
Read more here. …read more
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In the city where I live, I have come across many snakes from the highly venomous to the non-venomous. The Russell’s viper (Daboia russelii) is one of the highly venomous snakes I confront. Rescuing Russell’s vipers and studying them has been one of my finest experiences in my herpetology career.
If I rescue 10 snakes a week, at least 4 of them are Russell’s vipers. While researching these snakes, I came to know many amazing facts about them. One such fact was actually so amazing that I never dreamed of witnessing it: “A female Russell’s viper brings 70 more venomous vipers in the world.”
Yes, my friends, you got it right. A few days back I saw a female Russell’s viper and all of her babies, which I rescued in their mini-hospital snake container. I was left awestruck for a few minutes after being told that it was really happening.
Though being in a large number, I could clearly see the babies with their mother, moving to and fro even though they weren’t in a spacious container. After seeing them a bit congested, I moved them to a larger crate where they were able to move freely.
I took some easy snaps, gave some privacy to this venomous family, and after some hours I released them into a suitable environment for the betterment of their future.
Continue reading “Russell’s viper: snake mama surprise” …read more
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This bearded dragon is looking forward to the short work week in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user dedragons!
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This female Cuviers’s is just waiting for the weekend in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cpipes!
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Who ever said you can’t teach an old dragon new tricks was certainly wrong. In our Herp Video of the Week, from the London Zoo, keepers are working with target training their Komodo Dragons!
Submit your own reptile & amphibian videos at http://www.kingsnake.com/video/ and you could see them featured here or check out all the videos submitted by other users! …read more
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By Herp News
Things appeared to be on the upswing in Cambodia’s vast Virachey National Park in the early 2000s. Conservation groups were surveying the area and the World Bank had committed $5 million in funds. But then the Cambodia government handed out a mining exploration permit covering 90 percent of the park.
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Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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