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.
Tuesday, March 5 2019
This Milk snake is just hanging out our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user gerryg . Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/144128DSCF6604-med.JPG)
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
Monday, March 4 2019
This Pine Snake looks so velvety smooth in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Jack77 ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
![](/blog/uploads/Bush6.jpg) Small snakes, variable bush vipers are adult at from 18 to 24 inches in length.
Meet Africa’s non-eyelashed, muilticolored viperine answer to the crotaline Eyelashed Pit Viper of Central and South America! This is the variable bush viper, Atheris squamiger. An arboreal species, this 18 to 24 inch long viperine is most at home in forest shrubs rather than canopy reaching trees.
Although in some populations the color of the variable bush viper may be a rather standardized olive-green, in other locales the variations in coloration are nothing short of remarkable. In these latter the little snakes may be of some shade of green, orange, russet, cinnamon, blue, yellow, charcoal, or brownish. Some may even be of one color dorsally and a second color laterally. And on any of these colors the snake may or may not bear a vague or prominent dorsal pattern of dark-edged, darker than ground color, dorsal saddles or chevrons. The belly may vary from immaculate to heavily spotted. Have I yet described a variability sufficient to warrant the name? I would certainly think so.
Atheris squamiger occurs in tropical West and Central Africa
This snake will bite if threatened and envenomation has resulted in human death.
Continue reading "The Variable Bush Viper"
Friday, March 1 2019
Happy Rattlesnake Friday! How stunning is the red on this pygmy Rattlesnake ( Sistrurus miliarius miliarius), uploaded by kingsnake.com user Tamers1 ! This guy was found in extreme northeast North Carolina.. 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.
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/126770IMG_9292-med.jpg)
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
Thursday, February 28 2019
What a beautiful Cuban Knight Anole in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user StPierre68 simply could not be any cuter! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/192307albinocubananole-2014-abcedit-med.jpg)
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
Wednesday, February 27 2019
This young banded water snake being very curious in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user casichelydia ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/74956P9030119fasciatacloseup-med.jpg)
Upload your own and photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
Tuesday, February 26 2019
The gentle anaconda takes center stage in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user flboy21283! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
Monday, February 25 2019
What a gorgeous Reticulate Collared Lizard ( Crotaphytus reticulatus), the rarest Collared in the US, in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user reptoman ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/10558Laredo_Retic_5-25-08-med.JPG)
Upload your own and photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
A typical mole salamander, tigers spend most of their life underground.
Rain, rain, go away, come again some other day! Those are 10 words you'll probably never hear Jake or me say. We like amphibians, amphibians like moisture, therefore we welcome rain with the proverbial open arms. Not that we actually have much choice anyway. But on 14 December a wonderful frontal system decided we needed moistening. It pulled into the region on silent feet (meaning very little thunder and lightning) at 0200 hrs and slowly moved over us for the next 30 hrs, dumping as it passed up to 4" of water. So on the evening of 15Dec we went amphibian-ing. We were hoping to see and photo (our cameras love hard rain---not!) at least 3 target species--southern chorus frogs, ornate chorus frogs (more on these 2 anurans in later blogs), and tiger salamanders. We went, we looked, we succeeded--and that was noteworthy because we had failed on earlier occasions. The wonderful eastern tiger salamander, Ambystoma tigrinum, is the largest terrestrial caudatan in the east. Although it has an immense range, occurring from Long Island, New York to Northwest Minnesota, southward to East Texas and Northwest Florida, over much of this range it is of local distribution and the suitable habitats, containing the ephemeral ponds preferred as breeding sites, are being reduced by drought and construction on an almost daily basis. The reduction of the needed habitats, combined with commercial collecting for biological supply houses and the pet trade, can have disastrous and long term results on this species.
Besides the above mentioned problem, increased vehicular traffic has made access to their breeding ponds more hazardous, and in some cases nearly impossible, for tiger salamanders. Speaking for the Florida situation, recent observations seem to indicate that the breeding populations are now comprised of fewer adults, making each remaining individual of paramount importance to the continued success of the increasingly vulnerable populations.
Continue reading "Tiger Salamanders"
Friday, February 22 2019
Happy World Crocodile Day from this Cuvier's dwarf caiman in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user all2human ! Today we highlight crocodilians to spotlight their declining numbers in the wild! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/63809palpebrosus-med.jpg)
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
To learn more about World Crocodile Day, click here!
Thursday, February 21 2019
How adorable is this Newt in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user plagueguitarist ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/61560DSC01199copy.jpg)
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
Wednesday, February 20 2019
What a stunning female 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!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/139483Coastal_003.jpg)
Upload your own and photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
Tuesday, February 19 2019
This momma Suboc is guaring her fresh clutch in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user pecoskid ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/1489382011clutch10-med.JPG)
Upload your own and photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
Monday, February 18 2019
Grumpy Toad is judging you in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user galen will blind ya! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/41335SAFT-med.jpg)
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
Friday, February 15 2019
Happy Rattlesnake Friday! We hopped into the wayback machine to visit this C.ruber in the field in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user joecarroll ! 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.
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/8195608-30-2005_03;27;12am_(2)-med.jpg)
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
Thursday, February 14 2019
This vibrant Cape Gopher Snake ( Pituophis catenifer vertebralis) in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user pitparade will brighten your day for sure! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/190436Cape_Kingsnake_2012_Male_098-med.jpg)
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
Meet Juliet, a Sehuencas water frog recently collected from the Bolivian cloud forest. (Robin Moore, Global Wildlife Conservation)
A year ago, Romeo was trolling match.com looking for another just like him. The staff at Bolivia’s Museo de Historia Natural Alcide d’Orbigny in Cochabamba put an ad up on the dating site to help bring awareness and funding to help locate another Sehuencas water frog. They didn't find him a "date" on the site, but they gained the funding needed to locate 5 frogs, including an adult female who has been named Juliet.
Close to a waterfall, however, expedition leader Teresa Camacho Badani saw a frog jump.
“When I pulled it out, I saw an orange belly and suddenly realized I had in my hands the long-awaited Sehuencas water frog,” Badani, who works for the Museo de Historia Natural Alcide d’Orbigny in Cochabamba, tells Carrington. “My first reaction was to yell ‘I found one!’ and the team came running over to help me and pull the frog to safety. It was an incredible feeling.”
Researchers are still looking for more of the cricitcally endangered frogs to build an assurance population. Read more about this awesome expedition at Smithsonianmag.com.
Wednesday, February 13 2019
This little cornsnake must have been racing to get out of the egg ahead of his siblings in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cochran ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/96920tmpphpfJaLTu.jpg)
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
Tuesday, February 12 2019
What amazing colors Uros come in, like this ornate in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user plietz! Be sure to tell them you liked it here.
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
Monday, February 11 2019
Loving this Blue tongue skink just chilling in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user PatS . Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/7406hbts-med.jpg)
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
Friday, February 8 2019
For our 22 birthday, we go back to our roots, a stunning greyband in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user APLAXAR s! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/79240LAlterna1-med.JPG)
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
Thursday, February 7 2019
A True Giant. This Komodo Dragon takes center stage in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cowboyfromhell s! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/168714100_2286-med.JPG)
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
Wednesday, February 6 2019
How cool is this African Herald Snake ( Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia) in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user MVH4 . Gotta love colubrids of all types! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/183951100_6858-med.JPG)
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
Tuesday, February 5 2019
Follow the lead of these Water Dragons in our herp photo of the day and spend hump day with someone you love, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cochran !
Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
Be sure to tell cochran you liked it here!
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
Monday, February 4 2019
![](/blog/uploads/Shleg3.jpg) If any of their variable colors could be considered normal, it is this phase with the mossy green ground color.
I have always been enamored of arboreal vipers, be they of the America’s, Africa, or Asia. I was so infatuated with them that at one time Patti and I kept and bred, or at least tried to breed, 30+ species. But, truth be known, although I found all of interest and beautiful, over the years two of my favorites became and remained, 2 of the more commonly seen Central and South American species, the 2-lined forest pit vipers, Bothriopsis bilineatus, and the eyelashed pit piper, Bothriechis schlegelii. Why these 2? I just don’t know. But even between the two I favored one over the other, this being the eylashed species.
Perhaps it was the ease with which this variably colored snake could be housed, fed, and bred. Or perhaps it was the overall hardiness. Then again, I guess that it could have been the remarkable and entirely natural variability of color. You like ‘em green, the eyelashed viper comes in several naturally occurring phases that vary from a dusky forest green to pale green. If you like something different and don’t mind searching a little, you will likely be able to find an orange –red, a yellow-orange, a bright yellow (the latter is known as the “oropel” phase), or a yellow with greenish or dusky bands (the “tiger” phase).
It was many years after I had acquired my first trip of eyelashed vipers that Patti and I had an opportunity to meet this snake in the wild. We went to Costa Rica. Patti called it a Honeymoon. I called it a herping trip. On the first afternoon, after walking a rainforest trail and marveling at poison frogs and minute geckos, as we walked back to our hotel I glance at a small banana tree that edged the path and stopped dead in my tracks. I was looking at a small grayish B. schlegelii! I hadn’t even known they came in that color.
Since then I have seen a few others in the field. Admittedly, not many, but among those seen have been an oropel and one of mossy green. What wonderful snakes!
This snake has an interesting defensive display during which it opens its mouth widely and faces the perceived threat. The snake will bite if threatened and envenomation has resulted in human death.
Continue reading "A Snake of Many Colors, The Eyelashed Pit Viper"
This adorable pair of Tiger Salamanders in our herp photo of the day in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user persephonie are just popping out to see whats for dinner! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/50704Twinkies-med.jpg)
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
Friday, February 1 2019
We love everything that rattles, but today we give the spotlight to this baby timber rattlesnake in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user jameswv! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
Thursday, January 31 2019
We are LOVING this motley snow Boa Constrictor in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Sharkman20 ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/124493IMG_8679a-med.jpg)
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
Wednesday, January 30 2019
Amazon Tree Boas are some of the most photogenic snakes in our world, like this one in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user BPruett , always perfectly posed! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/10885fmtiger1-med.JPG)
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
Tuesday, January 29 2019
What a great looking pair of Australian water dragons in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cochran! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here!
|