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, August 26 2021
Get Naked! Ok maybe not, but this Ball python was slipping into something a little more comfy in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user tylerwork ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/222984snake_shedding_cropped-med.jpg)
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Wednesday, August 25 2021
Bearded Dragons are always such characters like these two in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user TazziesMommy is all amphibian! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/9910beardie_wave-med.jpg)
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Tuesday, August 24 2021
Look closely or you might miss the Uroplatus pietschmanni hiding here in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user mcamo3 ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Monday, August 23 2021
Look at what a good momma this blood python is 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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![](/blog/uploads/chileandwarftegu2.jpg)
During breeding or territorial disputes the throat of the male blushes to a brighter orange.
No, this attractive lizardis not extinct. But it has been about 35 years since this species has made an appearance in the American pet trade. But I still get inquiries regarding the lizard even though many of the askers are not old enough to have ever seen it.
As indicated by its common name, this 15 to 18-inch long (including the lengthy tail) is endemic to the lowlands of the Chilean Pacific coastal regions.
Of the family Teiidae, Callopistes maculatus is apparently of ancient lineage and is considered a forerunner of the tegus and other teiids. Dorsally it is multicolored, being bedecked in 4 rows of white-edged black spots on a brown back. Laterally there is a row of more poorly defined black-edged white spots. The gular region of males is orange and is brightest during courtship and aggressive interludes.
Food items include insects, other arthropods, small mammals such as nestling mice and rats, and carrion.
This is an oviparous species but little seems known about the breeding and hatching sequences.
And now to the pix of this pretty lizard.
Continue reading "Gone but not forgotten, the Chilean Dwarf Tegu"
Friday, August 20 2021
Happy Rattlesnake Friday! To end the week, a whole lotta squee for these baby Death Adders for our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Oxyrhopus ! 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, August 19 2021
Gotta love this stunning pair of Chondros in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user NYCMedic ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Wednesday, August 18 2021
Happy Wednesday from this pair of Crowned Bullfrogs ( Hoplobatrachus occipitalis) in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Slaytonp ! Yes they are "wrestling" otherwise known as amplexus. Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/30797Frog_Love-med.JPG)
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Tuesday, August 17 2021
Love the color variation that this mottled Mexican Redtail Indigo (Drymarchon m. rubidus) has in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user alanB ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/16634killer_mottled_rubidus-med.jpg)
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Monday, August 16 2021
Saturday may have been World Lizard Day, but to is EVERY day is a lizard day. This Utila Island Iguana is just chilling in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user s4sainz . Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/153436ewrge.jpg)
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![](/blog/uploads/eyelashviper1.jpg) This is the "Christmas Tree" Eyelashed Palm Pit Viper so favored by hobbyists.
Last week we discussed one of the more rarely seen of the Palm Pit Vipers, the Yellow-blotched, B. aurifer. This week let’s take a brief foray into the world of what is probably the best known and most variable member of the genus, the 2 to 3-foot long Eyelashed Palm Pit Viper, Bothriechis schlegelii. This is a slender snake with a strongly prehensile tail. The supraorbital “eyelashes” are legend. Despite being venomous, the variability of color and patterns and the fact that this snake is hardy attracts many hobbyists to this lowland Central American and northern South American pit viper.
Color? You name it. This snake can vary from the dullest of grays, with or without darker patterning, to the brightest of sunshine yellow, again with or without patterning. The gold-phase is often referred to as the “Orapel,” Spanish meaning gold and glittery. Then there are the greens, gray-greens, dull greens, or a hobbyist favorite, the “Christmas tree phase, this latter being a bright green with reddish patterning. The tiger phase, a golden snake with broad green banding is also a favorite.
This is a humidity loving snake that in its forested habitat may often be found at about face-level along bush and tree-shrouded watercourses. There it quietly waits for prey that includes small arboreal rodents, treefrogs, lizards and birds.
Along with the already mentioned attributes, hobbyists are now taking pride in designing enclosures for this quiet snake as rainforest replicas with living plants, perches, and occasionally with mini-waterfalls. Humidity is good, wetness is not.
I’ll close here by saying that although this is often a “laid back” and quiet species, as with any venomous snake, extreme care should be used when maintenance and or handling becomes necessary.
Continue reading "The Eyelashed Palm Pit Viper"
Friday, August 13 2021
The photo may be a bit blurry, but there is no mistaking that is a gravid Masssasauga in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user LetsConservate24 in the field! We can only imagine the excitement at this find! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/109583Gravid_Female_7-med.jpg)
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Thursday, August 12 2021
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!
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Wednesday, August 11 2021
What wonderful color contrast in this hatchling Mud Snake in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Godfrey ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/131795mudbaby21.JPG)
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Tuesday, August 10 2021
What an adorable little tree frog in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user redjiboia ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/81202Herpetologia_(208)-med.jpg)
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Monday, August 9 2021
![](/blog/uploads/palmpitviper3.jpg) Yellow-blotched Palm Pit Vipers remain comparatively uncommon in collections.
This montane, arboreal, venomous beauty, ranges from the state of Chiapas, Mexico to northern Guatemala. Like is congenerics, it is small (to about 30 inches) and slender in build. The tail is strongly prehensile. As with most snakes, both the common and the scientific name may be misleading. Although most examples are leaf-green with prominent black edging around the yellowish dorsal blotches and black facial markings, and some have black-edged green blotches that are nearly the same as the body in color. Others may be uniform green, lacking both dorsal and facial black patterning. Black, variably distinct, irregular vertebral striping may connect the dorsal blotches. If present this marking is often most discernable anteriorly. The belly of adults is usually marginally lighter than the dorsum and neonates are a pale green with the expected dark markings. Captives readily accept mice and it is expected that in the wild the diet may include small rodents, mouse opossums, and, for neonate vipers treefrogs and lizards.
The Yellow-blotched Palm Pit Viper, Bothriechis aurifer, considered by biologists to be a “vulnerable species,” is not frequently imported and is currently uncommon in both zoo and private collections.
Seemingly little is known, or at least has been published about the venom of this pit viper. I’ll close here by saying that as with any venomous snake, extreme care should be used when handling.
Continue reading "The Yellow-blotched Palm Pit Viper"
This isn't our forefathers Af Rock! This beautiful patternless African Rock shines in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user MEIER21288 ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Friday, August 6 2021
Happy Rattlesnake Friday! How stunning is the red on this Speckled Rattlesnake ( Crotalus mitchellii pyrrhus), uploaded by kingsnake.com user lichanura ! This Speck was found in Arizona. 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/13721Pyrrhus_red-med.jpg)
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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! This gorgeous Eyelash Palm Pit viper, uploaded by kingsnake.com user outonalimbo is so perfectly poised! 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/3214DSC_0020-med.JPG)
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Thursday, August 5 2021
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!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/216720snake_pets-med.jpg)
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Wednesday, August 4 2021
What wonderful field find in Mexico of this Lyre Snake our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user Chuck_Ch ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Tuesday, August 3 2021
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!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/105373100_3943.jpg)
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Monday, August 2 2021
What a wee lil Kinyongia tenue , commonly known as a Flap-nose Chameleon in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user pardalisberlin! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/94252tenue_weibchen_1200-med.jpg)
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Friday, July 30 2021
Happy Rattlesnake Friday! How stunning is the red on this Speckled Rattlesnake ( Crotalus mitchellii pyrrhus), uploaded by kingsnake.com user lichanura ! This Speck was found in Arizona. 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/13721Pyrrhus_red-med.jpg)
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Thursday, July 29 2021
These Uroplatus pietschmanni in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user mcamo3 ,show us what amazing masters of camoflague they truly are! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/101521jgfuky-med.jpg)
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Wednesday, July 28 2021
This variable kingsnake is on fire in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Rod_McLeod. Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/16731306-01-12f_(10)small.jpg)
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Tuesday, July 27 2021
Love is in the air with this pair of Gran Canaria giant lizards ( Gallotia stehlini) in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user John-C . Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/19756G_stehlini_Boss_Hog_&_Daisy__2-7-09-med.jpg)
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Monday, July 26 2021
Awesome feeding shot of a chameleon in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user 1Sun s! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/179996DSC_0025_2-med.JPG)
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![](/blog/uploads/SoutheasternSlimySalamander2.jpg) A profile of the Southeastern Slimy Salamander.
By Dick and Patti Bartlett
Plethodon grobmani, the Southeastern Slimy Salamander, is a creature of pinewoods habitats. It was once fairly common in our neighborhood. Today (2021) following several lengthy droughts and a major attack of pine bark beetles (and the resulting death of old pine stands), this salamander is almost unknown here. At the turn of the century I would go across the street, enter the pinewoods, and in a half hour search say “howdy-do” to about a dozen slimys. Compare that to my occasional searches over the last 10 years when my exact total was one—a single salamander-- and it was not in the best of shape. Of course, as already mentioned, most of the pine trees in that area are gone also, victims of the infestation of pine-bark beetles.
In other locales, where the pine bark beetle plague was less pronounced than here, this white-flecked black salamander remains easily found in pine and mixed woodlands. Like others of this, genus this salamander has no aquatic larval stage. The egg clutch is deposited in or beneath moist fallen pines and development, from the newly deposited eggs, through metamorphosis, to emergence as a miniature of the adults occurs in the egg capsule.
Continue reading "Comments on the Southeastern Slimy Salamander"
Friday, July 23 2021
Happy Rattlesnake Friday! How stunning is the red on this Speckled Rattlesnake ( Crotalus mitchellii pyrrhus), uploaded by kingsnake.com user lichanura ! This Speck was found in Arizona. 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/13721Pyrrhus_red-med.jpg)
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