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.
Monday, October 30 2023
There can be little more precious than a child and his pet Ball Python, like Markus and his snake in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user mikev ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/46660markusandalbinoball-med.jpg)
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Friday, October 27 2023
Happy Rattlesnake Friday! With the World Series in full swing, you know all herpers are secretly rooting for the Diamondbacks, like this Western Diamondback in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user kevinjudd! Of course EVERYONE knows the iconic Western Diamondback too! Loving this little peanut found near Portal, AZ.
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As always on Friday, we celebrate all of our venomous reptiles for their contribution to the world and to raise awareness for their need for protection.
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/202475_DSC9627-med.jpg)
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Thursday, October 26 2023
The natural sunlight makes this Rainbow Boa glitter in our Herp Photo of the Day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user curaniel! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Wednesday, October 25 2023
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)
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Tuesday, October 24 2023
A shout out to the little guys! Loving this Vinales Anole in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user macraei ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/125387PICT0161v-med.jpg)
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Monday, October 23 2023
This male Lacerta has his eye on you in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user danielk! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/22075headgoblenyoungmalelacerta2.jpg)
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Friday, October 20 2023
Happy Rattlesnake Friday! Even though this little Hairy Bush Viper in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user eekster26 isn't a Rattlesnake, it is one of our many venomous reptiles that need support! Their wild numbers are actually not quite known and they have recently been suggested for the ICUN Red List.Why should we protect them? Who knows what secrets their venom may hold for modern medicine!
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 and to raise awareness for their need for protection.
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/81993Picture_282-med.jpg)
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Thursday, October 19 2023
A True Giant. This Komodo Dragon takes center stage in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cowboyfromhell ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/168714100_2286-med.JPG)
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Wednesday, October 18 2023
Diamonds are a girls best friend and we can see why with this headshot of a Diamond Python in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user CincyGrady! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/17732420181225_121141-med.jpg)
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Tuesday, October 17 2023
Sonoma County has some beautiful Black Speckled Salamanders, just like this one in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user skyserpent ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/11409IMG_NEW_NEW-med.jpg)
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Monday, October 16 2023
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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Friday, October 13 2023
Happy Rattlesnake Friday! Did you know that the venom of the Copperhead like this one in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cochrancontains a protein called Contortrostatin which can bind Breast Cancer proteins and help in the fight against breast cancer? Now you do! 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 and to raise awareness for their need for protection.
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/96920copperhead_1.jpg)
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Thursday, October 12 2023
Loving this Dumeril's basking in the sun for a photoshoot in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user liljenni ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/165987533-med.JPG)
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Wednesday, October 11 2023
It is a whole lotta squee with this tpair 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!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/41851DSC07095-med.JPG)
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Tuesday, October 10 2023
These adorable Crested Geckos are just hanging around in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user MOC_Reptiles ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Monday, October 9 2023
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!
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Friday, October 6 2023
Happy Rattlesnake Friday! Could this Cobra in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user eekster strike a better pose?! 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 and to raise awareness for their need for protection.
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/109897sampson3-med.jpg)
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Thursday, October 5 2023
As fall descends, this mole king in the field in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cochran makes us already miss summer herping! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/96920tmpphpfH6iwM.jpg)
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Wednesday, October 4 2023
This garter in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Concinnitor proves they are anything but boring! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/165637xxxx_031_(Large)-med.jpg)
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Photo from Monroe County Sheriff's Office Animal Farm
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office Children's Animal Farm is a unique animal sanctuary located on the Stock Island Dentention center in the Florida Keys. It's 100% what it sounds like, a petting zoo at a jail, but that is only the outside of the story. The zoo started in 1994 with some ducks and chickens who were plaguing a local golf course and expanded from there as more special needs animals needed help. The Farm is run by one paid staffer and then the prisoners work the farm. Those prisoners get new skills doing work they never may have encountered in the real world, like their recent project. They built a new tortoise habitat for their Redfoots! To follow the farm, visit them here!
Tuesday, October 3 2023
What do you mean it is a lizard, it ain't got no legs! Check out this field shot of a Glass lizard in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user rosycorn found in Florida! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/109140Glass_lizard_cutout_1-med.JPG)
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Monday, October 2 2023
Over all the years, the Pied Ball Python, like this one in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user sf has remained the most popular of the ball python morphs! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/3623814_9_1_Pied_M-med.JPG)
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Friday, September 29 2023
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, September 28 2023
What a gorgeous blotched Kingsnake in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Mojihadi_CZ ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/222352LGG_1_samec_IMG_1951.jpg)
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Wednesday, September 27 2023
Gene Simmons ain't got nothin' on this Tegu in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user nick75 ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/31406tegutoung-med.JPG)
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Tuesday, September 26 2023
This Gharial is smiling in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Majorpat ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/67012gharial2.jpg)
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Monday, September 25 2023
![](/blog/uploads/canebrake_1.JPG)
A Canebrake Rattlesnake, large and irate, but not without reason.
The sun was well below the horizon. Darkness was being ushered in by the plaintive calls of Chuck-Will’s-Widows and a few Green Treefrogs. The warmth of the day was giving way to what had been forecast to be a cool evening and an even cooler night. One more round on the herping road and time to head home.
But I only made it half-way and decided that enough was enough. I reversed and headed for home, still some hundred dark miles southward. Ahha. Pavement! Progress. MPH? Let’s say 60. A thick cover of clouds added to the darkness.
I swung around a curve and—SNAKE. Big Snake. It was in the opposite lane and was moving steadily towards the edge, the long roadside grasses and almost impenetrable woodland blackberry tangles.
I stood on the brakes, safely reversed direction—and the snake had disappeared. Was it a cottonmouth? I had been able to see it was very heavy-bodied. I clambered out of the car headlamp a blaze, clampstick in hand, and almost at woodland edge saw the tall grasses moving sinuously.
On my first step towards it I got snagged by blackberries, went down, and lost my headlamp that went out when it hit the ground. I floundered around, retrieved the dropped utensils, said the heck with this, stood up and stopped in my tracks. That big snake had decided to ”talk”, not in the hisses of an angry cottonmouth, but, rather, in the whirring language of an irate rattlesnake. And in this area it almost had to be a Canebrake, Crotalus horridus atricaudatus.
From that point on, all went well. I sidled towards the ratcheting, finally saw the coiled and irate snake, got a couple of dozen photos, and left after estimating the length of the snake as well over a hefty length of 4 feet. A bit darker in color than most seen in the area, it was the highlight of the night, and quite probably for the season.
Continue reading "CANEBRAKE! A Big One!"
This Thorny Devil ( Moloch horridus) in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user frilly is certainly an awesome field find!! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/99320p1010076c_lo_res-med.jpg)
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Friday, September 22 2023
Happy Rattlesnake Friday! When you go looking for Rocks, these are some of the best to find! Love the Rock Rattlesnakes like this Crotalus lepidus in our photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user erindonalson ! 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.
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/228246IMG_8149a-med.jpg)
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Thursday, September 21 2023
What an awesome shot of this pair of Common Toads in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user Krallenfrosch ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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