By Herp News
Authorities in the Indonesian province of West Sumatra buried the rotting carcass of a critically endangered female tiger that died after being ensnared by a pig trap on a rubber plantation earlier this month. The creature, a mother who was probably teaching her young to hunt, was found covered in wounds, its neck entangled in wire.
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Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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The International Herpetological Symposium is creeping closer to its 38th annual event in San Antonio,Texas. Guest speakers include Tom Crutchfield on his Sal Salvador rock iguana conservation efforts and Jeff Barringer on night-time field herping.
I can barely contain my excitement. IHS plays an important role as a place herpetoculturists and herpers can come together, sharing an appreciation of everything from the husbandry and reproduction of cyclura with Nicole Atteberry and the extreme conservation role that The Orianne Society plays.
I’ll be leaving behind my old swamps, slash pine plantations, and red-clay baked roads of south Alabama to visit the rocky moutainous canyons full of cacti, shrubs, sand, and scattered mesquite to herp. We will be mostly targeting grey-banded kingsnakes (L. alterna) and Mexican milk snakes (L. t. annulata) in the rocky hot elements of the desert.
That will be a change from my usual eastern kingsnakes (L. getula) in more the wetland habitat of the east coast. As I am sure a few western diamondbacks (Crotalus atrox) will be found along the way of our herper expedition, who all knows what will come up in the world of the west for me!
Photo: Jeff Barringer …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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Water management plans are making it difficult for alligators to find prey.
From the Sun Sentinel:
The Everglades alligators appear to be suffering from the artificial water management imposed on the area to drain land for cities and farms, he said.
Before the canals and pumps and other structures went up over the past century, he said there were sufficient dry periods to concentrate prey, allowing the alligators to find enough food. But now, some areas are flooded year-round, allowing fish, turtles and other prey to spread out over a wide area. That makes it harder for the alligators to find enough to eat.
“They are thinner,” he said. “They’re not getting enough to eat. We’ve been seeing that for a number of years, specifically in the Everglades and the water conservation areas.’
Read more here. …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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Baby shots are always a favorite! This Lampropeltis triangulum gaigeae grabs its first breath in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user nategodin!
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By Herp News
The original snake ancestor was a nocturnal, stealth-hunting predator that had tiny hindlimbs with ankles and toes, according to new research. Snakes show incredible diversity, with over 3,400 living species found in a wide range of habitats, such as land, water and in trees. But little is known about where and when they evolved, and how their original ancestor looked and behaved.
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Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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The London Zoo has become the first zoo in the world to successfully breed an incredibly rare Lake Oku clawed frog.
From the Irish Examiner:
The Lake Oku clawed frog is native to only Lake Oku in Cameroon and, due to their unique history of evolution (including the loss of their tongues), the aquatic frogs are tottering on the brink of extinction.
A team of amphibian keepers at the zoo are the first to ever successfully breed the frog, sparking fresh hope of ensuring the survival of the species.
Zookeepers have been intent on maintaining perfect conditions for the amphibians to thrive and four of the zoo’s 13 tadpoles have already metamorphosed into young, colourful frogs.
Read more here. …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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The London Zoo has become the first zoo in the world to successfully breed an incredibly rare Lake Oku clawed frog.
From the Irish Examiner:
The Lake Oku clawed frog is native to only Lake Oku in Cameroon and, due to their unique history of evolution (including the loss of their tongues), the aquatic frogs are tottering on the brink of extinction.
A team of amphibian keepers at the zoo are the first to ever successfully breed the frog, sparking fresh hope of ensuring the survival of the species.
Zookeepers have been intent on maintaining perfect conditions for the amphibians to thrive and four of the zoo’s 13 tadpoles have already metamorphosed into young, colourful frogs.
Read more here. …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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In many areas where once common, the smooth green snake, Opheodrys vernalis, seem to have become hard to find. In various areas where I have searched – Michigan, Massachusetts, Virginia, West Virginia, South Dakota, and New Mexico among them – in locales where the taxon was known to have once been fairly common, I have often failed to find any. I may have found only one or two after extensive searches.
Jake, who grew up with smooth green snakes common on the family property in Maine looked long and hard for the last several years, finding none until in 2014 when he found one – just one.
The last ones that I saw were in the Black Hills of South Dakota (a single snake) and then, while returning to Florida, I found two examples in Missouri. The Black Hills example was beneath a recently fallen dead tree trunk of moderate diameter in a blueberry flat. The Missouri specimens were beneath pieces of cardboard at the edge of a pasture.
A friend who visits Wisconsin on fairly regular intervals has found this little snake to still be common in Door County, a peninsula jutting eastward into Lake Michigan. Not only is the smooth green snake still common there, but it occurs in at least 2 color phases, the typical leaf green and a gray-green.
And as I write this I’m thinking that it is long past time for me to visit Wisconsin.
And just as a “by the way,” smooth green snakes, known to be insectivores (perhaps arachnivores would be more accurate), have proven to be difficult to feed, delicate captives that are best left in the wild.
Continue reading “Desperately seeking smooth green snakes” …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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This yearling Okeetee corn snake is just hanging out doing snake things, like climbing a tree, in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cochran!
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Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
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By Herp News
The Mandarin Oriental hotel chain has landed in environmentalists’ crosshairs for the practices of its sister company Astra Agro Lestari, a rapidly expanding palm oil producer with fully developed plantations on an area larger than Singapore. The new She’s Not a Fan campaign – a play off Mandarin’s celebrity-fan endorsement drive – launched yesterday with a petition calling on Astra to stop destroying forests and elephant habitat. Multinational conglomerate Jardine Matheson owns both firms.
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Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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Conservationists are working to make sure Florida has a great turtle season this year, and are on the lookout for green turtles.
From news-press.com:
Kelly Sloan, sea turtle program coordinator Sanibel/Captiva Conservation Foundation, also has plans to make this a good year for turtles.
“Coyotes are a problem,” Sloan explained. “We are going to attempt to screen every nest this year. Hopefully that will keep the coyotes out.”
Sloan is also hoping for lots of green turtles this year. They had a record number of greens, 23 of them, in 2013 and none last year. Sloan is also starting a big campaign with a slogan “After Nine it’s Turtle Time,” in an attempt to get people to turn off or conceal lights at night. Hatchlings use the lights from the horizon to find the water. Artificial light can lure them the wrong way.
Read more here. …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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Conservationists are working to make sure Florida has a great turtle season this year, and are on the lookout for green turtles.
From news-press.com:
Kelly Sloan, sea turtle program coordinator Sanibel/Captiva Conservation Foundation, also has plans to make this a good year for turtles.
“Coyotes are a problem,” Sloan explained. “We are going to attempt to screen every nest this year. Hopefully that will keep the coyotes out.”
Sloan is also hoping for lots of green turtles this year. They had a record number of greens, 23 of them, in 2013 and none last year. Sloan is also starting a big campaign with a slogan “After Nine it’s Turtle Time,” in an attempt to get people to turn off or conceal lights at night. Hatchlings use the lights from the horizon to find the water. Artificial light can lure them the wrong way.
Read more here. …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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I’ve been rescuing snakes and other animals for a long time now, and I’m very well aware of the species found in my area. Nonetheless, my last rescue really surprised me.
Two days ago, somewhere around 7 PM or half past, I received a rescue call from a nearby area where I had rescued common trinkets twice before. The person said it was the same snake I had rescued previously, so I was sure it was a trinket.
When I saw the snake, though, I couldn’t believe my eyes: it was a Montane trinket snake, Coelognathus helena helena. I was never so surprised before while on a rescue, and for a minute I just stood there, wondering how it was possible, since these wild siblings of common trinkets prefer staying in the wild.
But it was real. It was a semi-adult Montane trinket, around 60-70 cms. I had to travel 30 miles to the jungle to release this snake where it belongs. The only places where I have encountered these snakes are the jungles in the outskirts of my cities, and I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would get this snake on a rescue in my urban area — but sometimes there are unexpected surprises in life.
Photo: Riyaz Khoja
…read more
Read more here: King Snake
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Not just any pine snake, but a pied black pine, gets the spotlight in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user pikiemikie!
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A salmonella outbreak in 16 states, linked to crested geckos, has been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although usually associated with turtles, salmonella in its various sub-types is found in all reptiles and amphibians. This outbreak is a reminder to all that proper hygiene is required after handling any reptile or amphibian.
According to the bulletin posted by the CDC:
As of May 13, 2015, a total of 20 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Muenchen have been reported from 16 states since January 1, 2014.
CDC is collaborating with public health, veterinary, and agriculture officials in many states and the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) to investigate an outbreak of Salmonella Muenchen infections linked to contact with pet crested geckos purchased from multiple stores in different states. Crested geckos are popular pet lizards that come in a variety of colors.
This outbreak is a reminder to follow simple steps to enjoy your pet and keep your family healthy. CDC does not recommend that pet owners get rid of their geckos.
It is very important to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water right after touching pet reptiles or anything in the area where they live and roam.
For more tips on how to enjoy your pet reptile and protect yourself and your family, please visit the CDC page at http://www.cdc.gov/Features/salmonellafrogturtle/.
Gallery photo by LSU_Tigress. …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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A Salmonella outbreak in 16 states linked to Crested Geckos has been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Though usually associated with turtles, salmonella in it’s various sub-types is found in all reptiles and amphibians and this outbreak is a reminder to all that proper hygiene is required after handling any reptile or amphibian.
According to the bulletin posted by the CDC:
As of May 13, 2015, a total of 20 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Muenchen have been reported from 16 states since January 1, 2014.
CDC is collaborating with public health, veterinary, and agriculture officials in many states and the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) to investigate an outbreak of Salmonella Muenchen infections linked to contact with pet crested geckos purchased from multiple stores in different states. Crested geckos are popular pet lizards that come in a variety of colors.
This outbreak is a reminder to follow simple steps to enjoy your pet and keep your family healthy. CDC does not recommend that pet owners get rid of their geckos.
It is very important to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water right after touching pet reptiles or anything in the area where they live and roam.
For more tips on how to enjoy your pet reptile and protect yourself and your family please visit the CDC page at http://www.cdc.gov/Features/salmonellafrogturtle/ …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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By Herp News
Market prices can provide an equally reliable indicator of wildlife declines as field data for a thirtieth of the price, according to a new study analyzing Sumatra’s pet bird trade. The researchers found that species that were increasing in price but decreasing in trade volume were likely to have been identified by the ornithologists they surveyed beforehand as undergoing population declines.
…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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The white-lipped pit viper, Trimeresurus albolabris, is one of the most common species of pit vipers found in southeastern parts of Asia, which includes some northern states of India. As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, India is home to 17 species of pit viper; among these 17, the white-lipped pit viper is most commonly found in northern and northeastern parts of India.
The white-lipped pit viper is green in color like other green tree vipers, and the ventral body is pale yellow or whitish yellow in color. A light ventrolateral stripe is present in all males, but absent in females. The color of the tail is reddish-brown or reddish-maroon. The size of these snakes varies from 2-2.7 feet, and these snakes are viviparous by nature.
It’s very difficult for a snake lover in the southwestern part of India to encounter such a beautiful snake, but I find myself very lucky because I’m native to Uttarakhand, one of the northern states of India. I found this snake during the summer of 2013 in Uttarakhand.
The thing that surprised me the most was that I always thought pit vipers are found only on trees and sometimes on land, but this fellow was enjoying himself in a stream.
When I picked him up I noticed that its belly was fully loaded with small fishes. This is one of the main reasons I love snakes as I’ve been studing them for a long time, but they never stop surprising me.
…read more
Read more here: King Snake
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Our Herp Video of the Week shares a herper named Zach and his Valentine’s Day find of a bundle of ringneck snakes in the Bay Area.
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
Read more here: King Snake
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This Phyllomedusa hypocondrialis is hanging on til the weekend in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Herpetologia!
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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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By Herp News
Trophy hunters may need to find another flight home, as South African Airlines (SAA) has announced a new ban on any wildlife trophies from their flights. The debate over trophy hunting in Africa is rising as many of the continent’s most beloved mammals—including lions, elephants, rhinos, and giraffes—face precipitous declines.
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Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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Awareness! There was such a thing as a horned frog, and a giant one at that.
My first awareness of this genus of frogs occurred at about 7 years old as I was, with parents, riding the rails – the rails of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford – home from New York. We had been to the Bronx Zoo and in my hand was a zoo guide, a thick paperback, devoted to identifying and discussing some of the creatures we had seen that day.
I scanned the mammal and bird sections and remember turning the pages to the reptiles and stopping at a picture of a horned frog in the amphibian section. I was dismayed for I had not seen this creature at the zoo, yet here it was, bigger than life, pictured in the guide.
I’m almost positive it was a giant horned frog, a Ceratophrys aurita, a horned frog about which to this day I know precious little.
The Brazilian horned frog is supposedly the largest of the genus, larger even that the biggest of the female ornate horned frogs. However, the very few breeders of “C. aurita” today have smaller frogs and believe that the actual size of C. aurita has been exaggerated or if not, that the species varies in adult size populationally and/or individually.
I know that having not seen one yet, I am anxiously awaiting the availability of a dinner-plate sized, long-horned, Brazilian horned frog in the pet trade.
Continue reading “Brazilian Horned Frog: Reminiscences and hopes” …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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Recently discovered Brazilian frogs create underwater chambers to mate.
From the Daily Mail:
And when it comes to mating, this family of frogs has a unique trait not seen in other frogs.
They typically like to live near fast streams and, if a pair decides to mate, they will spend five minutes searching for a private spot.
‘The male quickly carves out a chamber by excavating the sand around small rocks at the bottom of the stream,’ said Agata Blaszczak-Boxe from New Scientist.
‘Then, like Christian Grey from Fifty Shades he invites his mate into his sex dungeon, which is only just big enough to fit the two amorous amphibians.’
Read more here. …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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Simply beautiful is the only way to describe this Mitchell’s reed frog (Hyperolius mitchelli) taking center stage in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user arkherps!
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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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By Herp News
Indonesian researchers believe they have identified six new animal species in the newly declared Mount Tambora National Park on the island of Sumbawa. Their haul includes two bent-toed geckoes, two moths and and two amblypygids, a type of arachnid that resembles a scorpion crossed with a spider.
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Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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Spend Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday laid out on my back with excruciating back pain and muscle spasms. I was so seriously incapacitated that I was unable to pick up socks from the floor because if I was foolish enough to lean over involuntary screams could make my neighbor think I was being murdered by some intruder. I’ve taken to sleeping in our guest room because I groan and gasp so loudly every time I move it wakes my poor husband who has to get up early in the morning.
You know that Frankie has to be responsible for my latest injuries, right? He is now so remarkable large and heavy that simple tortoise maintenance like washing his shell or throwing out hay for him is bound to be a dangerous task, right? Well, this time Frankie is not the direct or indirect cause of my back injury.
I hurt my back raking leaves off the drive way and washing my car. Welcome, Leann, to your mid-fifties.
Remember back when you could pick up Frankie? Remember when you used to pick 50 pound bales of hay off the ground and throw them in the back of a pick-up truck? Remember when you could crawl over a chain link fence or climb your way over an eight foot picket fence? Yeah, I remember those days. I’m missing those days.
These days, especially the last few days, strength and mobility are not part of my life.
Yesterday I was laid out on the living room recliner, heating pad under my lower back, a pain killer finely kicking in, and I wasn’t going anywhere for nothing because it could cause my back to spasm again. I’m sitting there trying not to move, breathing shallow when suddenly I notice out of the corner of my eye the lawn chair walking by the back door.
The chair walked the entire length of door and came to an abrupt stop as it collided with Frankie’s outdoor shed. I couldn’t have turned my head to see the fate of chair or shed even if I thought I should. To my relief the chair did a very slow bumpy like turn and headed the other way. Just as the chair exited my view it suddenly reappeared as it tipped over and fell on its side.
The chair laid on it’s side for a while with no more animation. That was good. Then the blue folding ladder that was set up against the fence about ten feet from the back door started to move to a new location. The ladder did fairly well moving for about fifteen second when it started to wobble. The front section lifted and the heavier top section stole away the forward momentum causing the whole ladder to topple over on the grass.
Still, I couldn’t do much but watch from my peripheral view the moving objects in the yard and hope no real harm was coming …read more
Read more here: Turtle Times
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By Herp News
In the first four months of 2015, poachers killed 393 rhinos in South Africa, the epicenter of the rhino poaching crisis. This is an 18 percent rise from last year, which saw 1,215 rhinos butchered in total. Like previous years, the biggest hotspot was Kruger National Park where 290 rhinos have died so far.
…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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Balls of tar have washed ashore on a Malaysian beach known for its nesting green turtles.
From the Star Online:
Lang Tengah Turtle Watch co-founder Raphe van Zevenbergen said he noticed clumps of tar balls washing up ashore along the 15m-stretch beach and immediately lodged a report with the marine park authorities.
“So far, we have collected some 13 bags of tar balls. We are concerned that the tar might seep into the sand. We have also asked for help from the nearby resorts.
“They have been very obliging in cleaning their own sections of the beach as we all await assistance from the authorities,” he said.
Lang Tengah Island, which is just under three kilometres in length, is popularly known as Turtle Bay due to its known turtle nesting population, predominantly the green turtles.
Read more here. …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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There is nothing common about these common frogs (Rana temporaria) taking the spotlight in our Herp Photo of the Day , uploaded by kingsnake.com user Krallenfrosch!
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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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After a long, hard fight against cancer, former New Mexico state herpetologist Charlie Painter succumbed to the disease early this morning. His wife and partner, Lori King Painter, said, “Charlie lived his life with everything fiber of his being, and did not want to leave the world that he loved so much.”
Charlie’s contributions to herpetofauna over the years include authoring over 80 peer reviewed articles, serving as editor for Herpetological Review, and becoming the first state herpetologist for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, a role he held for over 25 years. Charlie authored the 1996 book Amphibians and Reptiles of New Mexico and, with the Museum of Southwestern Biology at the University of New Mexico, helped build and maintain one of the best herpetofauna collections in the nation.
Painter was the 2013 recipient of the Allison Haskell Award for Excellence in Herpetofaunal Conservation from his peers in the Partnership for Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, and his decades-long efforts working with students and herpers of all ages imparted a long-lasting legacy in the herpetology of the western United States.
Photo: Courtesy Lori King Painter
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Read more here: King Snake
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By Herp News
On a path flanked by thick woods, I first spied our quarry. When she appeared, far away between the long verticals of bare trees, I could hardly believe she was there. She was a ghost, a specter haunting this winter forest. Her horns were prettily curved, her face slender, her whole 400 kilogram (880 pound) mass framed by the trees.
…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
A new study published in mongabay.com’s open-access journal Tropical Conservation Science describes how the Harapan Rainforest was prior to extensive logging and compares it to its current condition. The authors call for the Harapan’s conservation because it is still very rich in species and holds rare habitats and many endemic plants.
…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
Poison dart frogs (Dendropatidae), named for their poisonous secretions used by indigenous tribes to coat blow gun darts, may possess another less deadly talent. According to a recent study, published in the journal Biology Letters, the curiously named brilliant-thighed poison frog (Allobatis femoralis) can use its memory to find its way home through the rainforest.
…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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Kenny and I agreed that it was a long way from North Central Florida to southwest South Dakota just to try to see one little snake, so time and again we delayed the attempt. But finally the time seemed right.
We were planning a salamandering trip that would take us along most of the Pacific Coast so we’d start at the north (Washington) and work our way southward to southern California, then eastward and towards home. By starting in the north we could travel through the Badlands and Black Hills of South Dakota, up into Montana. The time had come to try to see the Black Hills red-bellied snake, Storeria occipitomaculata pahasapae.
We allocated 3 weeks for the entire trip (and as it turned out we used every minute of it), allowing a couple of days to search out the Black Hills target.
Despite locales provided by a friendly researcher, finding the targeted “west of the heartland” red-bellied snake took more time and work that we had thought it would. It seemed that we had arrived a week or two later than was best and the little snakes had already left the hibernaculas. Not only had they dispersed, but seemingly most were already in subsurface retreats.
We persevered and after several hours of searching, Kenny found one of the reclusive and seclusive snakes. It was the only example of the subspecies found. Remembering how difficult it had been to justify the trip to the Black Hills, many more photos than were actually needed were taken.
Then westward, ho!
Continue reading “A Black Hills Venture: The search for a red-bellied snake” …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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This rundown of snake fact and fiction may change some minds about the reptiles.
From Live Science:
Snakes play important roles in ecosystems, but they also terrify some people. That fear has led to many myths about snake behavior.
To get to the bottom of some of the assumptions about snakes in the United States and separate fact from fiction, Live Science talked to several snake experts. Here are some commonly held beliefs about snakes and whether they’re true or false.
Read more here. …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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The Northern Leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens) is an fairly widespread US Native species that get a spotlight in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Terry_Cox!
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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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By Herp News
A compilation of new camera trap videos from Yasuni National Park shows off rarely seen species like the rufuos-vented ground cuckoo and the short-eared dog as well as odd behavior, like sloths licking salt from the ground. The compilation is produced by Diego Mosquera, manager and head of the camera trap program at Tiputini Biodiversity Station.
…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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By Herp News
Fifty miles out to sea from San Diego, in the middle of April, under a perfectly clear blue sky, fisheries scientists leaned over the side of a rubber inflatable boat and lowered a juvenile loggerhead sea turtle into the water. That turtle was a trailblazer — the first of its kind ever released off the West Coast of the United States with a satellite transmitter attached.
…read more
Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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Python! A snake that everyone is aware of because they are found on every continent of earth except Antarctica.
India has three species of pythons that are famous across the world: The reticulated python, the Burmese python, and the most common in India, the Indian rock python, Python molurus molurus. This is a snake that averages 13-16 feet in length, with a maximum of 25 feet. The body has dark brown blotches on a grey, off-white, or pale brown body, with an arrow-shaped incomplete mark on the head.
On a recent trip, our herping destination was Wayanad, a district in Kerala famous for a tea plantation. At around 8 in morning, our teacher, Iqbal Sheikh, my friend Axy, and I were heading toward the forest in our car. Suddenly we saw a crowd of tea farmers gathered on the edge of the road.
After some enquiry, our driver told us there was a big snake in the field, and the farmers were damn scared to enter it. After hearing the word “snake,” the three of us jumped out and entered the farm. I heard my driver saying that it’s a big snake, so I was desperately expecting a king cobra. When I saw the snake, however, it was a 10-foot Indian rock python.
It wasn’t an easy task to catch this fellow, but somehow we managed it. After coming out of the farm with the big guy in hand, everyone from the crowd gave us a big round of applause. The farmers also gave us fresh tea bags.
It was a great achievement for us. The python was a good natured fellow, which made our task easy.
…read more
Read more here: King Snake
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Citizen scientists are helping researchers learn what rising temperatures mean for Joshua Tree National Park.
From USA Today:
Stortroen, an 82-year-old retired insurance claim center manager from St. Paul, Minn., has joined research outings in places ranging from Australia to South Africa. This was his first time assisting scientists in the Mojave Desert.
“I enjoy the teamwork. I enjoy working with nature,” he said, pausing beside boulders while the group took a break and pulled out their water bottles.
Stortroen was one of 15 Earthwatch volunteers — American, British and Canadian — who helped with the research earlier this month in Joshua Tree National Park. The volunteers split up with park biologists and UC scientists to conduct surveys of plants, count birds and record the numbers of lizards and other reptiles.
Read more here. …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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