Reptile & Amphibian News Blog
Keep up with news and features of interest to the reptile and amphibian community on the kingsnake.com blog. We cover breaking stories from the mainstream and scientific media, user-submitted photos and videos, and feature articles and photos by Jeff Barringer, Richard Bartlett, and other herpetologists and herpetoculturists.
Thursday, October 31 2024
Tadpoles and adults of the extinct frog species Notobatrachus degiustoi (illustrated) lived in temporary ponds in what is the Patagonia region of Argentina today.
Illustration by Gabriel Lío
While searching for dinosaurs in the sediment and soft ash, Palentoligist Federico Agnolín and his colleagues kept stumbling across frogs at their site at Estancia La Matilde in the Santa Cruz province of Argentina. They were finding all adult Notobatrachus degiustoi, which is an extinct species. They believed that the frogs at the time did not have a tadpole stage, but they were about to learn otherwise in a very exciting discovery!
The researchers who described the fossil in Nature today estimate it to be between 161 to 168 million years old, beating the previous record holder by around 30 million years. The find provides solid evidence frogs have had a tadpole stage for at least that long. “It’s a beautiful confirmation of what many experts had suspected,” says herpetologist Alexander Haas of the Leibniz Institute in Bonn, Germany. Reconstructing tadpole evolution based on their diversity today, Haas and others previously predicted that tadpoles would have existed this early on.
The tadpole was surprisingly similar to modern tadpoles! To read the full story, visit National Geographic here!
Herpy Halloween from this little trick or treater in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user rosebuds ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Tuesday, October 29 2024
So bright and sassy, this little adorable little Pine is a bright spot in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user jodscovry ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Monday, October 28 2024
So simple and so beautiful. That is the black racer in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user ReptileProducts ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Friday, October 25 2024
Happy Rattlesnake Friday! Let's celebrate with this fantastic in situ Eastern Diamondback in Alabama, uploaded by kingsnake.com user SalS? Be sure to tell them you liked it here! As always on Friday, we celebrate all of our venomous reptiles for their contribution to the world.
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Thursday, October 24 2024
It is a whole lotta squee in this two for Tuesday pair of hatching Hognose in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user caracal ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Wednesday, October 23 2024
Beautiful shot of a blood python in the garden in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user grimlin ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Tuesday, October 22 2024
Our Herp Photo of the Day shows and amazing look inside the egg of a Russian Tortoise to be, uploaded by kingsnake.com user tortusjack!
Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Monday, October 21 2024
Saturday was Reptile Awareness day, so we wanted to show off how the Chicago Herpetological Society educated thousands on reptiles with this lovely rosy boa in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user PHFaust! Mike is sharing his years of knowledge and love of snakes with anyone who wants to stop. This moment may not seem like much but it changes minds! The Chicago Herpetological Society ran a wonderful event called Reptile Fest for decades until Covid. Are you a member of your local herp society? Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Friday, October 18 2024
Happy Rattlesnake Friday! How cool is this calico Pygmy Rattlesnake, uploaded by kingsnake.com user abyssus? Be sure to tell them you liked it here! As always on Friday, we celebrate all of our venomous reptiles for their contribution to the world.
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Thursday, October 17 2024
So precious! We love hatching photos, like this awakening Gecko in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user SA! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Wednesday, October 16 2024
Shiva has her eye on you in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user musicloverhoney! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Tuesday, October 15 2024
Love this shot! You can feel the texture and see the amazing variety of colors on this kingsnake in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Tony D ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Monday, October 14 2024
There is so much to love about Colubrids, so why not celebrate them with a big ole pile of beauty in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user xtranch ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Friday, October 11 2024
Happy Rattlesnake Friday! The detail in this headshot of an Atrox is amazing in our photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user scserpents ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here! As always on Friday, we celebrate all of our venomous reptiles for their contribution to the world. It is our goal to help dispel the fears surrounding our beloved venomous creatures.
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Thursday, October 10 2024
The Fire Skink in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user firereptiles is appropriately named! Pure FIRE! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Wednesday, October 9 2024
What a great shot of a Leopard Gecko in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user chrish! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Tuesday, October 8 2024
What a cute plated lizard in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user jungleemporium ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Monday, October 7 2024
What a sassy lil Tokay in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user mattcrum! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Friday, October 4 2024
Happy Rattlesnake Friday and Happy Breast Cancer Awareness Month! To kick off this month, we are bringing out the venomous snake that has a hand in fighting breast cancer, the Southern Copperhead in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user coolhl7 ! Did you know that there are proteins in the venom of the Southern Copperhead that have been shown to slow breast cancer growth? Contortrostatin has been shown to inhibit growth of breast cancer tumors in studies with mice and is working it's way towards helping people. Other compounds called disintegrins have also showed promise in preventing tumor growth. This is why venom is so important to humans. From blood pressure to cancer, their venom can and IS saving lives!
Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Thursday, October 3 2024
This awesome collage in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user bslugger551 shows some the amazing variety in Sinaloan milk snakes! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Wednesday, October 2 2024
This awesome field observation of a pair of Northern Gray Treefrogs in Amplexus in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user coluberking25 was a lifer of an experience for this herper! Be sure to click on the pic for his full observation here! You can feel his excitement! That is what it is all about!
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Tuesday, October 1 2024
"You're kingsnake.com, where are all the kingsnakes?" Right here in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user trevid ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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