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.
Saturday, August 27 2011
 While not deadly, the sting from a scorpion can be amazingly painful, causing more severe issues in children, who are the most commonly stung. But that is all changing thanks to groundbreaking research by Leslie Boyer and her team.
"Without antivenom, if you've got that bad of a sting, you accept intensive care or you risk death," says Dr. Leslie Boyer, a pediatrician who directs a venom research center in Tucson.
Drug companies in the U.S. have little incentive to make antivenom, because it's expensive and there simply aren't enough patients to guarantee a profit. "We in Arizona felt very isolated; we felt abandoned," Boyer says. "This was an orphan disease."
That was until Boyer took a trip south of the border and discovered that Mexico has a far bigger scorpion problem.
In Mexico, a quarter of a million people are stung by scorpions each year. Some clinics in central Mexico can have dozens of scorpion sting patients per night in the summer.
"Mexico has been in the antivenom field for many years, and over many years we have accumulated a big experience on how to make good antivenoms," says Dr. Alejandro Alagon, a professor of biochemistry at Mexico's Autonomous National University.
Alagon says 20 years ago hundreds of people in Mexico would die each year from scorpion stings. Alagon is also an adviser to the Mexican drug company that makes the antivenom, which is effective against the same species of scorpion that exists in Arizona.
Congrats to one of the pioneering women in venom research. To read the full article, click here.
Friday, August 26 2011
 At the Yokohama Subtropical Tea Restaurent in Japan, reptiles aren't on the menu; they're staff.
It's a tea room for reptile lovers, and they have a mini zoo set up where people can get up close and personal with cold-blooded animals.
The 42-year-old Nagano opened Yokohama Subtropical Tea on the 4th of July and not only has his cafe proved popular, it's attracted an unexpected variety of customers, some of whom stay for up to 5 hours!
Nagano was also surprised to note that many of his customers were women who enjoyed talking about reptiles. One supposes that apart from the zoo, there weren't many places where reptilophiles (is that a word?) can go to share mutual interests... until now.
At present, Yokohama Subtropical Tea hosts as many as 30 different reptiles and amphibians including 11 different types of newts.
It also boasts a “free range” area at the back of the cafe where tortoises can roam about within a fenced area. Customers may touch the tortoises but afterwards are obliged to use the hand sanitizer on-hand, so to speak, for that very purpose.
For the full article, click here.
Wednesday, August 24 2011
 Congratulations to Ray Semlitsch on winning the 2011 Fitch Award for Excellence in Herpetology from the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists.
A leader of amphibian ecology and wetland conservation, Semlitsch is well-known for his research on the mechanisms of persistence of amphibian populations in altered habitats. His studies on the chemical contamination of farmlands have documented that tolerance to direct contaminants, such as insecticides, varies among species of amphibians, and that sub-lethal concentrations for amphibians have an indirect effect on food resources that cause mortality. He also established the ecological connection between aquatic and terrestrial environments for semi-aquatic amphibian species and defined the land around wetlands as an essential part of a species' "core habitat" and critical for management and protection.
"Dr. Semlitsch's research has spanned from basic ecology and life history evolution of amphibians to applied work on conservation of amphibians — work that will have a lasting impact on the way we will conduct science for years to come," said Michelle D. Boone, associate professor of zoology at Miami University, who nominated Semlitsch for the award.
Recently, he drew popular attention with research that showed that amphibian populations could thrive in properly buffered golf course ponds as well as in sustainably timbered forests.
To read the full article, click here.
Above photo taken from the University of Missouri College of Arts and Science facebook page. Ray Semlitsch, Curators’ Professor of Biology, receives the 2011 Fitch Award from J. Whitfield Gibbons, professor emeritus of ecology, from the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory.
Tuesday, August 23 2011
By
Tue, August 23 2011 at 17:35
Federal: Lake Erie watersnake no longer endangered
LAKE ERIE ISLANDS -- The Lake Erie watersnake, a nonpoisonous little fellow that slithers among a patchwork of islands in western Lake Erie, has been removed from the federal government's list of endangered and threatened species after a successful recovery campaign, officials said Monday.
http://www.thenews-messenger.com/article/20110817/NEWS01/108170306/Lake-Erie-watersnake-no-longer-endangered
OR: 4-H Champion Snake Stolen At County Fair
REDMOND, Ore. -- Unfortunately, the Deschutes County Fair wasn't all fun and games, especially for one young girl who got a rude awakening Friday morning.
http://www.ktvz.com/news/28795480/detail.html
NY: Pet store owner offers reward after burglary
Dominick Clemente has spent his life selling exotic animals, but he didn’t expect the jungle that his store turned into this weekend after someone broke in.
http://www.uticaod.com/latestnews/x655325859/Thieves-leave-paw-prints-all-over-pet-store-owner-offers-reward
HI: Illegal corn snake turned in to Hawaiian Humane Society
Someone turned a corn snake in to the Hawaiian Humane Society Sunday night under the state’s illegal animal amnesty program.
http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/Illegal_corn_snake_turned_in_to_Hawaiian_Humane_Society.html
MO: Exotic Animals, Excessive Noise Ordinances Approved by Hollister Aldermen
Hollister aldermen have given first-round approval to a couple of bills pertaining to exotic animals and excessive noise. The laws require permits and fees for the housing of exotic animals, and impose penalties for noise emissions that exceed 75 decibels. The law would affect residents and businesses that house animals like monkeys, tigers, wolves, alligators and venomous snakes that can attain a length of 8 feet or longer.
http://hometowndailynews.com/6944/exotic_animals_excessive_noise_ordinances_approved_by_hollister_aldermen_.html
AZ: Reptiles rescued from hoarder in northern Arizona
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Seven reptiles, including snakes up to 16 feet long, have been rescued from a home in northern Arizona.
http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/Reptiles-rescued-from-hoader-in-northern-Arizona-128226878.html
Sunday, August 21 2011
This weekend, the chondros are the hot ticket. Each time I saw any at a table, by the time I made it back for photos, they were cleared out. And I can see why:
The days are long at NRBE, and we tend to get a bit punch-drunk, but seriously, a lizard giving advice, Thushara? Maybe he's just telling you he needs a Power Sun for the weekend?
Saturday, August 20 2011
 I spent the day stalking Tom Keogan's booth at the National Reptile Breeders' Expo here in Daytona.
Forum regulars know Tom breeds an wide selection of pythons. I finally got close enough to drool over his fabulous captive bred white lip pythons, got him to promise to give me time to chat in the morning, and then he pulled out the stunning Coelens. Yeah, it's a hybrid, but dang, it's pretty.
 It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it. I'm talking about what goes on behind the scenes at the National Reptile Breeders' Expo, where the reality is anything but glamorous.
Just ask Chad Brown of Pro-Exotics. Here he is holding one of the most notorious of all poo-ers. Gotta love them blood presents.
So next time you wish you were part of the parties and wild times you imagine happen behind closed doors at the show, you might want to wish for something else.
 This morning I took a more leisurely walk through the exhibit hall than I was able to last night.
It took me almost an hour to complete the first aisle alone. Shawn Heflick's albino gators grabbed me each time I walked past their unbelievable cuteness.
Those who know me will find it amazing that it was not a python that also caught my eye. The cute little head of this pied Persica made me stop, turn and double back. Yep, I thought a colubrid was cute! I also think one of the leopard geckos I passed was flirting with me. Every time I turned to look, he would come to the front and smile at me.
A few photos after the bump, and you can find -- and upload! -- more in the kingsnake.com NRBE 2011 photo gallery.
Continue reading "NRBE: Saturday morning bling"
All I have to say is, either the door is going to be huge this year or everyone wanted to be there the minute it opened.
I don't recall this many people lined up for opening day in a few years, so it is great to see everyone turn out! Here are some shots looking one way down the corridor...
And the other:
 After arriving at the National Reptile Breeders' Expo in Daytona, I spent some time walking around the exhibit hall and hitting the talks.
I had so much trouble deciding which talk I wanted to go to, that I ended up bouncing between all three: the annual turtle talks, which are a regular hit and very popular; the boa talks along with a legal chat by Bill Brant, Dave Barker and Andrew Wyatt; and the Gecko Symposium.
 Afterward, Chris Law and I hooked up with Jason Hood, a friend from the Chicago Herp Society, for what we had hoped would be a night of herping.
But sometimes all you do is hope. A Vinegaroon later, we came up pretty with nothing more than a bunch of frogs bopping across the road. But hey, we hung out and I tested out my brand spanking new headlamp.
Maybe where we went wrong was I was actually prepared. Usually I have nothing more than my wits. This time I had everything: collapsible hook, flashlights, headlamp, and good friends. I guess I'll try leaving something behind next time -- but definitely not the friends!
Friday, August 19 2011
 I've finally arrived at the National Reptile Breeders' Expo. After getting delayed for an eternity by Delta in Atlanta, I rolled into the Hilton two hours late. Thanks to my driver and partner in crime for the day, Chris Law, I had a ride waiting for me. Check in and lunch at the Hog Wild BBQ then off to set up.
First in the door I got to see one of my favorite gals, Collette Sutherland. We had a meeting as to why herper girls rule. The reason? Because we are girls.
Set-up was pretty much done, but I did get to chat with Jeff Clark for quite sometime. We talked about a lot of the changes from over the years that we have seen. Changes in how people start, how they learn and what we have seen over the years. I felt like an old-timer here.
Here are a few shots of some stuff that I get excited about to tide ya over, under the bump. Tonight I am heading into the talks for a bit and then Chris and I are hooking up with some other friends and hitting the pavement. I am becoming a real herper; I remembered to pack flashlights and my brand spanking new headlamp!
Continue reading "NRBE: Friday set-up - and why girls rule"
 The flatworm parasite, Ribeiroia ondatrae, has been known for a decade to cause deformities. While distribution is not spreading, the location of this parasite in monitored sites has moved.
"We found that, although the distribution of Ribeiroia across wetlands changed, there was little net effect on overall parasite prevalence, with 31 percent of wetlands gaining the parasite and 27 percent losing the parasite," according to the study.
But "what was most intriguing," Johnson said, "was that the locations of hot spots had changed substantially over the last decade."
For instance, ponds where scientists had found few "grotesque" frogs in 1999 now had 30 percent or more frogs with deformed limbs, he said. Likewise, former hot spots now had fewer of the diseased amphibians, according to their results, which are not yet published in a journal.
Because some of the hot spots can house threatened or endangered amphibians, conservationists need to know where the parasite is moving.
Predicting future hot spots by keeping track of environmental factors—for example how land is used—may also help scientists figure out what's happening to amphibian populations.
"These severe malformations—even though it's not in the headline news—these continue to occur in a lot of amphibian populations in the western U.S.," said Johnson, who received funding from the National Geographic Society's Committee for Research and Exploration. (The Society owns National Geographic News.)
To read the full article, click here.
Wednesday, August 17 2011
 Much like the American Alligator, the Lake Erie watersnake ( Nerodia sipedon insularum) is no longer teetering on the brink of extinction.
The Lake Erie watersnake population had declined to about 1,500 adults by the mid-1990s because of human persecution and habitat loss from shoreline development. Federal and state agencies designated 300 acres of inland habitat and 11 miles of shoreline as breeding and hibernation grounds, while scientists led a public relations blitz to convince people the snake was nothing to fear.
The effort quickly paid off. By 2002, the snake had reached the government's minimum goal of 5,555 snakes. A census in 2009 estimated the population at nearly 12,000.
[....]
Exotic species generally are regarded as harmful to ecosystems they invade. The round goby has caused a number of native Great Lakes fish to decline. But it arrived just in time for the watersnake.
"This is an ironic example of where an invasive species actually helps fuel the recovery of an endangered native species," said Kristin Stanford, a Northern Illinois University researcher who also works for Ohio State University's Stone Laboratory on Lake Erie's Gibraltar Island. "Within the past decade, watersnakes are now growing faster, bigger, with more offspring and a higher survival rate."
To read the full article, click here.
 Beating all odds, this Loggerhead turtle is recovering nicely after being shot in the head with a spear and with the help of community outcry, perhaps the culprits will be caught. An increasing reward is being offered and currently sits at $10,750 cash and other items offered by community members.
"The whole community is so up in arms about it," said Richie Moretti, who founded the Turtle Hospital in Marathon in 1986.
The victim is a sub adult, 15 to 18 years old. Although the turtle is too young for its gender to be determined, its rescuers named it Sara, after a family member who was celebrating her 18th birthday.
Doug Mader, an expert reptile veterinarian who removed the four-foot, steel-shafted spear, said Sara is one lucky turtle.
The story began on Aug. 3, when father and son Charlie and Nicholas Borg, vacationing from Michigan, were returning to Big Pine Key from a fishing trip in the Atlantic. They spotted something floating, with flippers in the air, near Little Palm Island.
As they got closer, they discovered it was a sea turtle with a long spear protruding from its face. "I've seen turtles before that were hit by boats, but that was not anything I expected to see," said Nicholas Borg, 22.
"At first we thought it was dead, but it pulled its head up, took a breath and dove back down," he added. "We both looked at each other and knew we needed to do something."
[....]
He expects that Sara will be well enough to be released back into the wild within a month or so.
"I don't think it will have any permanent injuries, just a great story to tell its kids," Mader said.
To read the full article. click here.
By
Wed, August 17 2011 at 18:13
Federal: No federal protection for gopher tortoises under Endangered Species Act
MOBILE, Alabama — Gopher tortoises living east of the Tombigbee River deserve protection under the Endangered Species Act but will not get it because listing the species would cost too much and draw resources away from other threatened animals, federal officials said Tuesday morning.
http://blog.al.com/live/2011/07/no_federal_protection_for_goph.html
MD: Baltimore City Council wants say on school board members
Councilman Robert Curran introduced what he calls an overhaul of the city's animal control regulations. The bill appears to broaden the scope of potential violations and extends regulations to exotic and farm animals, though the proposed changes would not increase existing fines and penalties.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-animal-regulations-20110815,0,1477557.story
AR: Crittenden County couple faces 41 counts of animal cruelty
PROCTOR, AR (WMC-TV) - A Mid-South couple faces 41 counts of animal cruelty after investigators made a shocking discovery.
http://www.kait8.com/story/15274212/crittenden-county-couple-faces-41-counts-of-animal-cruelty
NC: Police arrest man who possessed dozens of venomous snakes
Police arrested snake owner Walter Clarence Kidd, 51, Monday night on charges that he illegally possessed venomous reptiles at his home at 65 Doe Trail, Hendersonville.
http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20110816/NEWS/110819824/1008/SPORTS?Title=Police-arrest-man-who-possessed-dozens-of-venomous-snakes
Northern Mariana Islands: Court accepts guilty plea in turtle poaching case
A man accused of poaching a green sea turtle in 2010 pleaded guilty Tuesday as part of a plea deal and was sentenced to six months in prison, all suspended except for three months.
http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?newsID=111919&cat=1
NY: Vanishing turtles and fish at Bowne Park pond stir up poaching fears among residents
Local residents say turtles that live in the park's pond have been disappearing at an alarming rate and that the park's fish population also has plummeted.
ttp://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/queens/2011/08/17/2011-08-17_vanishing_park_turtles_fish_stir_poach_fears.html
Tuesday, August 16 2011
By tskinc
Tue, August 16 2011 at 20:09
YES! once again we are going to be hatching out piebald clowns. Not sure how many are in the eggs but we are hoping for a few of them. This is only the second time piebald clowns have been hatched out. So this is a new morph that is sure to be the favorite of many. Stay tuned tomorrow for an update if we can see what is in the egg before we leave to Daytona for the big show.
Monday, August 15 2011
 Despite the fact that Florida is a battle ground for invasive pythons, thousands of reptile owners are preparing to land en masse there over the next few days.
To the reptile community, Daytona is the Mecca of our journey. Our very own forums here at kingsnake.com, Facebook and Twitter are buzzing with folks planning to meet up. With our community spread far and wide, this is the one time we often get to meet our "friends."
We'll be enjoying the chance to bring the show to those not able to be there. And if you are at the show, we will keep in touch with you as well. Live blogs of the talks, photos from the show floor, interviews with vendors and attendees as well as taking you along on any herping trips will all be happening.
A few ways to keep up with us this week are listed after the bump.
Continue reading "Daytona: kingsnake.com covers The National Reptile Breeders' Expo 2011"
Friday, August 12 2011
By
Fri, August 12 2011 at 14:25
New Rosy Book! Rosy Boas Patterns in Time. We have been waiting for this for a long time.
http://beanfarm.com/product_info.php?products_id=6064
Rosy Boas, Patterns in Time
Rosy Boas: Patterns in Time is the first book to depict 60 forms of the Rosy Boa that are found naturally in California, Arizona, and Mexico. It also includes 60 habitat images of where these animals occur in the wild, along with a range map where the four major naturally occurring groups of Rosy Boas can be found. The numerous morphs found in captive propagation programs are also dazzlingly displayed in their full beauty. Step-by-step procedures to successfully keep these wonderful animals in captivity are also detailed. The authors have over 100 years of combined experience working with these snakes. The techniques outlined for successful maintenance and captive propagation is the result of these many years of experience. This is the only book you'll need to learn how to keep these wonderful pets. 2011, SC 184 pgs. $29.00
Thursday, August 11 2011
 A Galapagos tortoise at the Dubbo Western Plains Zoo became a first-time mother and, as you can see by this pic, created one of the most adorable shots ever!
Slow to get started but T3 the tortoise is a mum at age 90.
And Galapagos tortoise T3 is also a cougar: the two possible fathers at Dubbo Western Plains Zoo are 40 and 41. It is the first time a Galapagos tortoise – the fifth longest-living animals in the world, with some being recorded as reaching 177 years of age – has been bred in captivity in Australasia.
T3′s baby, named NJ, will be alive long after every keeper, and the youngest human visitor to Dubbo Western Plains Zoo, has passed away.
For the full article, click here. Video after the bump.
Continue reading "Galapagos tortoise becomes first-time mother at ninety"
Wednesday, August 10 2011
Kyle and I shot a video clip of my original "Karma" female wrapped around a pile of eggs.......10! It seems like just yesterday when she first emerged from her egg....wayyyy back in 2003 clutch # 14.
2003 clutch # 14
2011 clutch # 51 - Karma on eggs
Tuesday, August 9 2011
 One of the most interesting parts of any conference are the field trips away from the actual talks. At the International Herpetological Symposium, I was left in hysterics over one of them. Really, how many other groups would go on a field trip to look at dead things in jars? But for reptile folks, it just seems normal.
Stopping by Carl Franklin's office at the University of Texas - Arlington to see the state's largest specimen collection was definitely interesting. There were a few species I saw that I dont believe I would have seen alive. Carl has a great sense of humor and I will deeply regret missing him speaking at the Chicago Herpetological Society in August. The collection is used nationwide by researchers to learn more about genetics, locality specific data, taxonomy and much more.
After our visit with Carl, it was time for lunch. Dead things, check. Food and drink, check. Live things? Those, too.
Lunch was a trip to the Dallas World Aquarium. After we ate, we headed to the third floor and worked our way down. The aquarium is set up as a descending spiral that brings you different regions as you go. Not just fish, there a selection of mammals, birds and reptiles. Knowing our group, we could not contain ourselves walking through and educating along the way.
I'm telling ya, the Aquarium should have paid us for that day. Every step of the way, all members of our group worked with the general public on reptiles primarily, but everything we knew about. Our little community of gypsies is kinda cool after all. As the day wound down, we headed back to the hotel for the ice breaker party and to prepare for a day of talks.
Photos after the bump.
Continue reading "Field trip to UTA and the Dallas World Aquarium"
Monday, August 8 2011
By
Mon, August 8 2011 at 10:28
 The Fort Worth Zoo was the host facility for this year's International Herpetological Symposium, and while I know they have lions (could hear them roaring) I saw little else. However, what I did see mattered: "The Museum Of Living Art." What better name to give to a reptile facility?
Upon arrival, we grabbed drinks and ran like school kids through the exhibits, jostling to see who could take a picture first. The zoo was closed to the public, so we were not on our best behavior, which made it a bit more fun.
After the random scattering, we all sat down to a barbeque dinner overlooking the lovely Gharial exhibit, and watched a the female come right to our side of the enclosure. The closer the animal got, the less people were concerned with food and the more of us scooted over to the glass to shoot pics.
After dinner, the back of the building was opened. MOLA itself is huge for a reptile exhibit, but the back seemed like a giant labrynth. Rooms set up for each grouping of species and set to the species of those animals -- a tortoise room, amphibian room, more rooms, and a room that held several Boelen's Pythons.
Hard as I tried, those cages would not open, nor would Ari look away. But I guess I made his night when the excitement of what was in the cages hit me; when I'm excited I not only squeal, but I make great faces.
Another highlight there for me was the Ctenosaura bakeri, Utila Island Iguana. This was the project that first got me involved with conservation issues and the folks who are the driving force behind the International Reptile Conservation Foundation.
Photos from the night after the bump.
Continue reading "IHS Dinner at Museum of Living Art"
 After being injured by boat propellers last summer, Andre the loggerhead was returned to the same place he found a year ago.
"It's a beautiful thing to see a turtle who had overcome so many obstacles," Ranly said.
Last summer, Andre was spotted by beachgoers on a sand bar on just a few miles from Loggerhead.
Andre had been struck by two boat propellers and was near death. He had a collapsed lung, severe infections and three pounds of sand resting on his shell.
Andre's injuries were so serious, Bethlyn McCloskey, a Loggerhead volunteer, didn't think he was going to make it.
"I thought we were wasting our time," McCloskey said. "But this staff performs miracles."
Ranly said Loggerhead used a "wound vacuum" to draw out all infectious fluids. The center also used grafting material to repair Andre's spinal cord, which was exposed.
To read the full article, click here. Video of the release is after the bump.
photo courtsey of planet save.
Continue reading "Sea turtle released after year in captivity"
Saturday, August 6 2011
 A new ointment is proving to save lives by slowing the work that the venom does inside increasing survival rates by 50 percent in Australia.
In experiments on humans and mice, researchers in Australia showed that a class of compounds called nitric oxide donors delays the entry of toxins from potentially deadly snakebites into the blood stream.
Nitric oxide (NO), a molecule involved in regulation of blood pressure and the control of brain activity, has been shown to lower blood pressure in patients who suffer acute strokes.
The new finding is of more than academic interest: every year some 100,000 people worldwide die from snakebites, and another 400,000 must amputate limbs that have been injected with poison.
It has long been known that many snake venoms contain large molecules that transit the human body's lymphatic system before entering the bloodstream.
Separately, scientists have also established that nitric oxide slows down a pumping mechanism within the lymphatic system, a part of the body's immune system that carries a clear fluid -- called lymph -- toward the heart.
To read more, click here.
Thursday, August 4 2011
 After 48 months, the final battery may have died, but there is still hope for the snakes relocated in the Lenexa Rattlesnake Relocation Project in Kansas.
The first clue is when Walker calls timber rattlers "the puppy dogs of the rattlesnake world."
The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks has warm feelings too, listing them among the "species in need of conservation" — animals that cannot be hunted or killed unless they are threatening to attack.
But the little rattlers, living and let living for as long as 20 to 25 years, are mild-mannered.
"Timbers will rarely rattle, let alone strike. It takes a lot of energy to strike," Walker said, so the strike is saved for hunting and feeding. "Their first line of defense is to blend in."
Walker thinks the relocation project was unprecedented -- moving an entire nest of dozens to save them from ultimately fatal contact with humans.
Herpetologists and wildlife specialists from five surrounding states converged to help Walker and her research partner, retired KU professor George Pisani, now an adjunct with the Kansas Biological Survey.
"Our initial intent was to save as many as we could catch and move them," Walker said.
However, these were not a few slithering singles, but a serpent community, established over a decade.
"Snakes have family groups, are familiar with one another, and they recognize their den mates," said Walker.
To read the full story, click here.
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