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.
Friday, September 20 2013
This image of a Giant Leaftail Gecko, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Geckos_R_Me, is our herp photo of the day!
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Thursday, September 19 2013
![](/blog/uploads/Anniella.jpg) Four new species of legless lizards have been added to the one previously known member of the group Anniella, reports the journal Breviora.
From the LA Times:
Anniella are pretty small animals, about as thick as a pencil and rarely more than 8 inches long. They spend their lives wiggling beneath loose, sandy soil, snacking on bugs and larvae.
They don't move fast or far, and the researchers say they may spend their whole lives in an area about the size of your dining room table.
Aside from that, scientists still don't know much about them.
"They are one of the most poorly studied reptiles in California," [Cal State Fullerton researcher James] Parham said. "Because they live under the sand, you can't see what they are doing, and you can't even do a mark-and-recapture because you can't reliably capture these things."
Parham and his coauthor Theodore Papenfuss, a herpetologist with the UC Berkeley Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, have been scouring the state for legless lizards for 15 years. When they began their research, only one type of legless lizard was known to live in California.
One of the four newly identified species of Anniella, the Southern California legless lizard, was found under some dead leaves in dunes at the west end of Los Angeles International Airport.
The Bakersfield legless lizard was found in three vacant lots in downtown Bakersfield.
The southern Sierra legless lizard was spotted in three dry canyons on the edge of the Mojave Desert, and the Temblor legless lizard was found in the oil fields around the city of Taft, on the southwestern edge of the San Joaquin Valley.
To find these lizards, the scientists scattered 2,000 pieces of cardboard and plywood throughout the state to create moist, cool areas, which appeal to the lizards. Then they returned months later to see if any of the lizards had shown up.
Read the full story here.
This image of a Tegu, uploaded by kingsnake.com user MrSickle, is our herp photo of the day!
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Wednesday, September 18 2013
![](/blog/uploads/bigstock-Raja-Ampat-Indonesia-Pacific-O-49063379.jpg) The Eastern Pacific hawksbill turtle ( Eretmochelys imbricata), thought to be all but extinct, is making a comeback to Central America's Gulf of Fonseca. How did it happen? No one knows.
From Fox News Latino:
The Eastern Pacific Hawksbill sea turtle was considered critically endangered until about seven years ago, with many scientists considering the species extinct.
Scientists have now discovered that the turtles are once again arriving in the Gulf of Fonseca, a large body of water in western Central America that is shared by Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua.
"We know the Eastern Pacific Hawksbill turtle is arriving in the Gulf of Fonseca, but we do not know why, nor do we know if its life cycle has changed - if a large number stay in the gulf - or if it is due to food, nesting or even why they live here," [Honduran Natural Resources and Environment Secretariat director of biodiversity Rafael Amaro] Garcia said.
Climate change is one possible cause of the resurgence of the sea turtle population. Read more here.
Photo: An Indo-Pacific hawksbill sea turtle.
This image of an Arrow Frog, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Slaytonp, is our herp photo of the day!
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Tuesday, September 17 2013
![Dr. Jeremy Coleman](/blog/uploads/coleman.jpg) Fungal threats to honeybees and bats have been in the news lately, but they're not the only species at risk from these human-spread diseases. Snakes and amphibians, too, are facing catastrophic effects from these emerging pathogens.
From the Washington Post:
They are fungi, and they arrived in the United States from overseas with an assist from humans — through travel and trade. They prefer cold conditions and kill with precision, so efficiently that they’re creating a crisis in the wild.
The death toll on amphibians, bats and snakes from fungi represents “potential extinction events,” said [Dr. Jeremy] Coleman, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife research biologist who coordinates the government’s response to the bat-killing infection known as white-nose syndrome. It’s so large, he said, that it can’t be measured “as far as numbers of dead organisms,” and is “decimating populations as we know them.”
Read more here.
Photo: USFWS
When I saw my first living Western two-lined forest pit vipers, Bothriopsis bilineatus smaragdinus, in the wilds of Amazonian Peru, it was more or less because of a fortuitous rest, During that rest, a clutch of four neonates had been found coiled quietly on the broad leaves of a trailside shrub.
Patti and I were leading a herp photography tour, and earlier that day one of the participants had asked me what snake I had yet failed to see was highest on my list of "want to sees." My answer to her had been that it was this arboreal pit viper, a taxon that I had searched for on many other occasions but had failed to find.
In fact, I had seen this black-peppered green subspecies only two times before. The first time had been in the cages of a northeastern reptile dealer. The second time had been an adult that had been killed by a Peruvian villager. Therefore I knew that the snake occurred in the forests that now surrounded us. But time and again Patti and I had walked various trails and failed to see the creature.
Continue reading "Tree vipers in the night"
This image of a Sand Boa, uploaded by kingsnake.com user AlexNevgloski, is our herp photo of the day!
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Monday, September 16 2013
This image of a Hognose Snake, uploaded by kingsnake.com user AdamTheOdd, is our herp photo of the day!
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Check out this video "Female Nosy Faly Delivery," submitted by kingsnake.com user 1Sun.
Submit your own reptile & amphibian videos at http://www.kingsnake.com/video/ and you could see them featured here or check out all the videos submitted by other users!
Friday, September 13 2013
![](/blog/uploads/TurtlesButterflies.jpg) In what has to be the dreamiest, most romantic reptile-related news story, ever, scientists report that Amazonian butterlifes drink the tears of turtles.
From LiveScience.com:
The sight of butterflies flocking onto the heads of yellow-spotted river turtles in the western Amazon rain forest is not uncommon, at least if one is able to sneak up on the skittish reptiles. But the reason why butterflies congregate onto the turtles may be stranger than you think: to drink their tears.
The butterflies are likely attracted to the turtles' tears because the liquid drops contain salt, specifically sodium, an important mineral that is scant in the western Amazon, said Phil Torres, a scientist who does much of his research at the Tambopata Research Center in Peru and is associated with Rice University.
Unlike butterflies, turtles get plenty of sodium through their largely carnivorous diet.
Read the rest here.
Photo: Jeff Cremer / Perunature.com
This image of a Red Eared Slider, uploaded by kingsnake.com user scripta_elegans, is our herp photo of the day!
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Thursday, September 12 2013
Is the Prairie rattlesnake ( Crotalus Viridis) losing his rattle?
Terry Phillip, a naturalist at Reptile Gardens in Rapid City, thinks so. Check out this audio clip and transcript of an NPR story and tell us if you agree.
Photo by kingsnake.com user DKT.
All in all a spectacular night. Rained for the entire night. Periods of light rain then periods of driving rain. Driving rains dominated the night until about 22:00, and then light rains prevailed.
So the rains finally came, and within hours areas that during the drought had seemed seriously herp-depleted (and perhaps in what were pre-drought actual numbers they are) were transformed into seething masses of reptiles and amphibians.
It was wonderful to again hear the voices of frogs, toads, and treefrogs, voices long silenced by enduring drought, emanating boisterously from newly replenished waterways and roadside ditches and to see the anuran-eating snakes that are so dependent on the amphibians.
Although the seasonally expected (and hoped for) rains continued in some areas of north Florida, many nearby areas continued to suffer the effects of the long drought. Even where rain fell in reasonable amounts the levels of surface water were lowered quickly by the sponging effects of a substrate too long dry. There remains much catching up to do.
And now that the normal rainy season is behind us and dry weather is again prevailing we are again wondering about the true effects of the long prevailing drought? Has a degree of normalcy actually returned to our seasonal weather patterns or were the two rain events of this year nothing more than lucky quirks?
More photos under the jump...
Continue reading "A night with Tropical Storm Debby"
This image of a Leopard Gecko, uploaded by kingsnake.com user JannieWolf, is our herp photo of the day!
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Wednesday, September 11 2013
![The red-ear is readily identified by its red eye stripe. Photo by R.D. Bartlett.](/blog/uploads/RedEar2.jpg) We all know the red-eared slider. For years the quarter-sized hatchlings with the red eye stripe were popular items in pet stores and in the pet section of most department stores. Most were sold as a package deal, a twenty-nine cent baby turtle and a clear plastic turtle bowl with a remarkably kitsch-y plastic palm-decorated center island, both for just $1.50
"Popular" is a bit of an understatement. During the 1960s, U.S. hatcheries produced as many as 15 million red-eared slider hatchlings, all destined for the pet market. Although the vast majority of red-ears never survived the first year (we knew nothing about their food needs, the importance of calcium and phosphorus being unknown at the time), a few did. You can guess what happened to those young turtles that survived long to become wearisome to their youthful owners: plop into the nearest freshwater lake/pond. By and large, this freedom also offered unlimited swimming room, sunlight, few predators, ready access to vegetation, and with luck, interested red-ears of the opposite sex.
Then the US Centers for Disease Control determined that salmonella infections in children might be the result of turtle ownership, and the Food and Drug Administration got involved, ignorning the fact that this bacteria is found everywhere in our world -- outside, in dirt, on plant leaves, on garden tools, on car door handles and inside, on the floor, on counters, on eggs, on fruits and vegetables.
When the FDA created regulations forbidding the interstate sale of baby turtles in 1975, they selected a shell length of four inches as the arbitrary cut-off point. This decision was based, I kid you not, on the idea that a four-inch turtle was too large to fit into a baby's mouth. Never doubt that some governmental decisions are arbitrary.
With Louisiana, the main production state, looking at nowhere to sell their baby turtles but overseas, turtle production dropped to about two million hatchlings a year. Those babies were largely destined for Asia and Europe.
![Young red-eared sliders have distinctively marked plastrons. Photo by R.D. Bartlett.](/blog/uploads/RedEar.jpg) The 70- odd turtle hatcheries in Louisiana went to work and developed methods to hatch salmonella-free hatchling turtles. They did this by washing the newly laid eggs in a bleach solution and then incubating the eggs in temperature- and humidity-controlled incubation chambers. The hatchlings were then placed into clean, salmonella-free bins. These salmonella-free babies were still largely destined for export to Europe, Asia and China, where they were pets, good luck symbols, and raised up and used for human food.
A few young red-ears in Europe, Asia, and China also found their way to freedom in streams, ponds and lakes, and found the living good. They grew up, mated, and generation followed generation. It didn't take long until concerns were raised about competition with native species (sound familiar?), and in 1998 Europe banned the import of non-native turtle species. In Asia, entrepreneurial turtle farmers began raising their own supply of red-ears.
Today, red-ears are found in canals, ponds, and other waterways in Europe and Asia. Jim Harding, a herpetology professor at the University of Michigan, saw them in a pool at the Eiffel Tower (no, they were not wearing tiny berets) and in the Dominican Republic. A professor of sociology at the University of Florida proudly showed me his photographs of a "temple turtle" in China -- it was a red-ear. Red-ears are also found in Japan, Germany, Israel, South Africa, and the Mariana Islands. Their range in the US expanded from the southern environs of the Mississippi River and the Rio Grande River, part of Mississippi, Alabama and far western Florida to Virginia, Georgia, all of Florida, Arizona, California, Oregon and Washington state, and Michigan.
So the next time you see a red-eared slider, admire its ability to adapt. And go ahead -- it still makes a nice pet.
Photos: R.D. Bartlett
Continue reading "Getting to know the red-eared slider"
Congratulations to the Houston Zoo for their third clutch of Madagascar big-headed turtle babies to hatch -- another landmark in the first time this species has reproduced in an institution accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Check out more photos of the babies on the Houston Zoo's blog!
This image of an Anole, uploaded by kingsnake.com user macraei, is our herp photo of the day!
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Tuesday, September 10 2013
![](/blog/uploads/Copperhead.jpg) No matter how much you love snakes, this homeowner's plight might be too much for you.
From the Carroll County News:
Sometime after July 23, property owner Jess Christensen started noticing a lot of snake activity in the evening around his house, located on County Road 717 just north of Metalton.
"Really what really hit me was how close they were to the house," Christensen said. "I just looked at the statistics and knew that one day I will be bitten if I don't do anything, so I thought to get a professional opinion about it."
So he called Dale Ertel, who runs the educational exhibit Snake World and helps people remove dangerous snakes from their property. Ertel has been collecting snakes for over 50 years, he said. He got his first venomous snake when he was 15 and has been bitten by nonpoisonous snakes countless times. He has been bitten only once by a venomous snake, a diamond back that he still owns.
"The first time he called, he said he'd seen over a dozen in his yard," Ertel said. "So a friend of mine and I went out there the following night and we found over 12 that first night, and we have been back several times since, and it seems like every time we have gone back we are finding at least 12 [copperheads]."
Ertel's friend counted more than 118 snakes collected from Christensen's property.
Read the full story here.
Photo by kingsnake.com user cochran.
This image of a Green Mamba, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Annapinder, is our herp photo of the day!
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Monday, September 9 2013
Some days are just better spent sleeping late. Today Jake got me up and running early promising beautiful weather and herps unlimited. He came through on the weather. It was a cool morning then a warmish day that by noontime had turned nearly to hot.But the herp presence—well it was limited at best.
Our herp trip took us about 50 miles northwest of Gainesville, to a spot where both Jake and I had herped many-a-time over the years. We knew that the locale harbored a wide variety of herps -- lizards, a tortoise species, anurans, and snakes. I was kind of hoping for a pine snake sighting but anything, even a garter snake or racer, would keep me happy. Jake dittoed this (but he secretly seemed to be thinking hog-nose). And almost anything would be better than sitting and scanning slides.
Yellow seemed to be the color of the day. The sun was golden yellow, and shone down with an intensity belying the season. Yellow was the color of the flowers, goldenrod, butter and eggs, coreopsis, and others. All out-shone the surrounding woodlands that were adrift with falling leaves, and the remaining leaves were various hues of seasonally tired greens.
But what has all of this got to do with herps? Well, nothing, really, for although we drove slowly for several hours, scouring the roads ahead, to the left and to the right, there was an amazing absence of herps.
We saw some great birds, and were about ready to pack it in when Jake cried, "Snake!"
And sure enough, crossing the road ahead was a black racer ! Oh joy. My day was made! (That’s facetiousness, in case you don’t recognize it as such.)
Well, actually, I do like racers, so this snake was a welcome sighting. Then two adult gopher tortoises were seen feeding on roadside vegetation. Then a long period elapsed with no additional herp sightings until, again, "Snake!" All the while hoping for a pine snake, I looked down and saw the little snake that was lying quietly in the road. I knew Jake would be happy: It was an adult male southern hog-nose.
(More Southern hog-nosed snakes under the jump...)
Continue reading "Sighting the Southern hog-nosed snake"
This image of a Milk Snake, uploaded by kingsnake.com user sballard, is our herp photo of the day!
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Friday, September 6 2013
![](/blog/uploads/starbuckssnake.jpg) No matter how much you love snakes, finding one in the toilet at Starbucks is gonna give you a shock.
From Fox4kc.com:
Snakes in unexpected places can startle anyone. For Bruce Ahlswede the unexpected place was a San Antonio Starbucks bathroom, where he had stopped on Tuesday after a business presentation.
He froze for a moment thinking the snake, lying across the toilet, was a toy left by a prankster.
Then it started to move. He backed out of the room and found a store employee.
"I said "Hey you've got a snake in your bathroom and she’s kind of freaking out,'" Ahlswede told CNN affiliate KSAT. Bruce, his wife and store employees all crowded into the bathroom and watched as the snake, perhaps just as surprised as the rest, slithered around the toilet bowl and disappeared, the station reported.
While originally identified as a python (of course), knowledgeable experts believe it was a rat snake. Read more here.
This image of a Rosy Boa, uploaded by kingsnake.com user spoonersgirl, is our herp photo of the day!
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Thursday, September 5 2013
![](/blog/uploads/bigstock-Flag-of-Norway-Flag-series--13399406.jpg) When it comes to snakes, "protection" apparently equals "death."
Check out the final paragraph of a news story out of Norway today, about just under 200 pythons who were seized in a police raid in Oslo:
The snakes and other reptiles were turned over to animal protection authorities at state agency Mattilsynet, but were expected to be put to death.
Setting aside the blistering ignorance about snakes evident from the rest of the police statements, and the massive over-reaction to the mere existence of these snakes, and even setting aside the culpability of anyone who smuggles and keeps illegal animals, what exactly did the snakes do to deserve death?
Will Norwegian officials attempt to find some non-lethal solution? Will they appeal to the international reptile community for help?
And if not, could they at least stop pretending these animals were being "protected"?
This image of a Tree Frog Chillin' on a Lilly, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Christy Talbert, is our herp photo of the day!
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Wednesday, September 4 2013
![](/blog/uploads/FireSal.jpg) A mysterious disease wiped out nearly all fire salamanders in the Netherlands, even those taken into captivity to protect them. Now scientists have identified the fungus responsible, and warned it could spread to amphibians around the world.
From Scientific American:
But now the cause of the fire salamanders’ rapid decline has been revealed. According to a paper published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the fire salamanders in the Netherlands contracted a previously unknown fungus related to Bd, the fungus that causes chytridiomycosis. The paper dubs the new fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans spec. nov. It causes superficial erosions on the salamanders’ skin, followed by deep ulcerations and microscopic skin necrosis. Captive-bred amphibians which the scientists exposed to the fungus died in as little as seven days.
"At this moment we don’t know the origin of the fungus," says the paper’s lead author, An Martel of the Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases at Ghent University. "It can be an endemic species that became virulent or it can be an invasive species that was introduced in the Netherlands. Worldwide monitoring can give us an answer to this question. But still, if the fungus would spread a lot of amphibian populations are at risk."
Read more here.
Photo: kingsnake.com user caecilianman02
This image of a Juvenile Iguana, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cycluracornuta, is our herp photo of the day!
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Tuesday, September 3 2013
It was nigh on to one in the morning and I was meandering slowly along a rain-slicked and very muddy trail. The rest of the gang were long asleep on the tour boat.
It had sprinkled most of the day, poured for some of it, and was back to a sprinkle now. Lighting was probably slicing through the distant sky but the canopy obliterated the display. Only the rumbling and grumbling of thunder alerted me to the potential. Something was telling me I was going to get wet—probably very wet (again) very soon. And that something was right on target.
Soon the sound of the thunder was right overhead and rain could be heard in the canopy. It would still be a few minutes before it splashed its way earthward. I began an ascent up a fair incline at about the same time the rain began its descent. Within seconds the incline was slicker than the proverbial greased pig and I was concentrating on every footstep.
Upward, upward---SPLAT! Something big, slimy, and unexpected splatted onto my face. I screamed and as I slipped downward, I knocked it to the ground.
The rain now fell in torrents and I still had no idea what had hit me. But as I moved to the edge of the trail a big brown leaf leapt from the ground and stuck to an upright sapling about three feet above the ground.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I recognized this as a giant broad-headed treefrog, Osteocephalus taurinus.
Enough excitement! Time now to head back to the boat.
(More photos under the jump!)
Continue reading "Hey, treefrog! Get outta my face!"
This image of a Rat Snake, uploaded by kingsnake.com user alien_mermaid, is our herp photo of the day!
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