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, August 5 2014
It's our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Bigfoots!
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Monday, August 4 2014
How do you examine a snake's heart? With lots of help.
From BBC News:
Reticulated pythons are the longest snake species in the world.
So it took a team of eight handlers to hold the snake in order that it could be examined.
The huge reptile, named JF, is thought to be one of the biggest snakes in Europe - at 7m (23 feet) long, and weighing approximately 60kgs.
As well as ensuring the snake is healthy, the check-up was part of a cardiological research study.
Read more ...
It's our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user mfontenot!
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Friday, August 1 2014
Check out this video "Snake Shedding," submitted by kingsnake.com user PH FasDog.
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It's our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user JP!
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Thursday, July 31 2014
![](http://gallery.connectedbypets.com/data/147636kingsnake_add_3.JPG) Going where no gecko has gone before, Russia launched a research satellite filled with geckos who will, hopefully, mate in a zero gravity environment. The satellite briefly stopped responding to mission control's commands, but contact was restored three days later.
From the Washington Post:
At this very moment, a Russian satellite full of geckos -- (possibly) having sex -- is floating around in space -- and mission control has lost the ability to control it.
The Foton-M4 research satellite launched on July 19 with five geckos on board. The plan: To observe their mating activities in the zero-gravity conditions of Earth orbit. Several other earthly creatures, including plants and insects, were also placed on board for experiments.
But shortly after the satellite made its first few orbits, it stopped responding to commands from mission control. The equipment on board, however, is still sending scientific data back to earth, a spokesman for Russia's Institute of Biomedical Problems said.
Read more...
Photo: kingsnake user snake_lab
At first I thought it was just me, but when a half dozen of us each had the same problem with an array of different cameras, I'm now thinking the problem was digital. That's D-I-G-I-T-A-L.
We were all looking at the same Western two-lined forest pit viper, Bothriopsis bilineata smaragdina, and none of us was happy with the color rendition. This was a problem none of us had experienced with film. You'd point the camera, focus, snap the photo (or 10), and leave feeling confident that the camera and film had seen pretty nearly the same thing you had.
But now there was this. True, the snake, an adult, was lighter in color than most I had seen. But is wasn't yellow. In fact, it was a long way away from yellow. No matter how we tried, from all auto to all manual and every stop in between, our cameras were seeing yellow.
We changed apertures, speeds, every setting available. The snake was cooperating fully. After we all fiddled around, foamed and fumed for half an hour we gave up. We improved the scene from "almost" to "darn close," and it was time to take the pictures and move on. The snake was green when viewed from a distance. But the closer we got the yellower it became.
This gave us all plenty to discuss at dinner that evening. By the way, the pic of the neonates herewith was with film. The adult was not as intense in color as the juveniles, but it was brighter green than the pictures now detail.
More photos below...
Continue reading " Digital conundrums and tree vipers"
It's our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Madisyn74!
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Wednesday, July 30 2014
![](http://gallery.connectedbypets.com/data/33771copplow50805low5.JPG) Suburban homeowners in Georgia don't like sharing their backyards with native copperheads, giving rise to a disturbing trend.
From Slate:
Some people are trying to fight snakes with snakes. People in one neighborhood nearby, Druid Hills, which backs up to the Fernbank Forest, imported and released a bunch of black rat snakes into their yards. They hope the snakes will crowd out the copperheads and compete with them for the same food sources. The other day I attended my first-ever snake release party—complete with balloons on the mailbox, a local snake expert, and a kingsnake in a box—right in my own neighborhood after a small child was bitten on the foot while chasing fireflies.
This cannot be normal, can it?
To find out, I reached out to David A. Steen, a wildlife ecologist and research fellow at the Alabama Natural Heritage Program at Auburn University. (And a blogger and occasional writer for Slate.)
“Wow—I don't even know where to start with what's wrong with that,” he said of the snake release efforts.
Read more...
Photo:kingsnake.com user coolhl7
It's our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user caracal!
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Tuesday, July 29 2014
![Looks like he wasn't entirely enthralled by the presence of Gary and me.](/blog/uploads/GBS2.jpg) How far would you drive to see and photograph a frog?
Well, a toad actually. Or to be absolutely accurate, a spadefoot, a little burrowing anuran of the family Pelobatidae. How far? Not too far, you say. But that statement really means nothing. It needs to be quantified. Would you go 100 miles? Maybe. 200 miles? Well, for a good reason, maybe. But the reason would have to be good. 500 miles? Nope. Never.
I needed a photo of a Great Basin spadefoot, Spea intermontana, and I had already failed on two attempts, each of which entailed a drive from Florida to southern California and back. On the second attempt I had met up with Gary Nafis, Pacific Coast herper par excellence. Together we had failed, and I was looking at another 2,500 mile drive back home with a big X rather than a photo next to the Great Basin spadefoot listing.
So when Gary said he knew an absolutely 100 percent assured locale in northern Washington, I said "What the heck. Let's go!" It was only another 1,200 miles and maybe, just maybe, the X of failure would be replaced by a photo of success. Five minutes later we were heading northward. Total insanity! But just maybe.
And you know, perseverance paid. At about 11 PM the next night we rolled into a region of rolling sands. And by midnight on a dry, breezy night on which I would not have really expected any anuran to be active, Gary had directed me to a shallow cemented irrigation/runoff canal and we were listening to the 2-pitched quacks of the coveted Great Basin spadefoot. Success!
It was wonderful. Now I only had a drive of about 3,200 miles diagonally across the USA to reach home. Altogether the search had carried me about 10,000 miles! But that hated X was gone. Thanks, Gary. (And yes, Patti is still shaking her head about this search, LOL!)
Continue reading "The search for the Great Basin spadefoot"
![](http://gallery.connectedbypets.com/data/69328174101489CdyYLs_ph-med.jpg) As the organism that causes chytridiomycosis in amphibians threatens their existence worldwide, a study published in the journal Nature suggests that turning up the heat and the frogs' own immune defenses may hold the key to beating the fungus.
From the New York Times:
To find out, the scientists swabbed Bd onto the bellies of Cuban tree frogs. After the frogs became infected, the scientists cured them by taking advantage of a weakness of the fungus: it can’t survive for very long at high temperatures.
[University of South Florida chytrid expert Dr. Jason R.] Rohr and his colleagues kept their frog chambers heated to 86 degrees for 10 days, after which the fungi disappeared. The scientists then repeated this procedure three more times.
Frogs that had already been exposed to Bd produced a much stronger immune response to a new infection, the scientists found. They produced more immune cells, and the fungus produced fewer spores.
The exposed frogs were also much more likely to survive an infection than a frog exposed for the first time. What’s more, these effects became stronger after each exposure.
Dr. Rohr and his colleagues also found that amphibians can learn to avoid the fungus. In another experiment, they put oak toads in a chamber. One side of the chamber was contaminated with fungal spores, while the other was fungus-free. They found that toads that had never been exposed to the fungus would explore both sides of the chamber, becoming infected along the way.
But toads that had previous been exposed (and cured with heat) tended to avoid the side of the chamber with the fungus. If they were exposed more than once, they were even less likely to go to there. Dr. Rohr and his colleagues are investigating how the toads learn to avoid exposure to Bd. It’s possible that the toads can detect a chemical made by the fungus.
Read more...
Photo: kingsnake.com user Lachesis1
It's our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user plietz!
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Monday, July 28 2014
![](/blog/uploads/ninja.jpg) American Tortoise Rescue is asking parents not to let their kids get pet turtles just because they love the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.
From Today Parents:
Hundreds of thousands of live turtles were purchased after each of the previous movies in the franchise, with many later dumped, deliberately killed or flushed down the toilet, the group said on its website. It estimates 90 percent of the animals died.
“We're asking you to save a turtle's life and perhaps even your child's,” co-founders Susan Tellem and Marshall Thompson write in an open letter to parents.
Previous film versions of the lovable "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" story have led to thousands of pet turtles being purchased and ultimately abandoned or killed.
“Unfortunately, children do not realize that real turtles do not fly, perform stunts or do any of the exciting moves fictional movie turtles do. Parents, trying to please their children, purchased live turtles which ended up languishing in tanks.”
Read more...
It's our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user mesozoic!
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Friday, July 25 2014
![](/blog/uploads/FloridaVideo.jpg) Breaking news from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission:
The two teenage girls responsible for the viral video of them torturing a gopher tortoise have been arrested today. Thanks to your concern and tips, Danielle Susan Dionne, 15, and Jennifer Emoke Greene, 18, have been arrested on charges of felony cruelty to animals, a third-degree felony.
They were also charged with a second-degree misdemeanor: taking, harassing, harming or killing a gopher tortoise.
The FWC worked with the State Attorney’s Office of the Fourth Judicial Circuit to decide the appropriate charges related to the crime. State Attorney Angela Corey said, “We are committed to fully prosecuting those responsible for the torture and death of this vulnerable and threatened species.”
The video, which is highly disturbing, can be viewed on the FWC's Facebook page.
Check out this video "Bullfrog Calling," submitted by kingsnake.com user PH FasDog.
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It's our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user stingray!
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Thursday, July 24 2014
The very first Philippine crocodiles to be bred in Britain made their debut at the London Zoo.
From the Orange News:
The six new-born critically-endangered crocs - born over a 48 hour period - are among the world's rarest reptiles.
As they are native only to the Philippines the baby crocodiles were named after the islands they typically inhabit; Jolo, Luzon, Mindoro, Samar, Sulo, and Mindanao.
It is hoped that their arrival will help to boost the numbers of the species which has been hit by habitat loss and hunting for their skins.
The parent crocodiles. which play a significant role in the European breeding programme for the species, were born at a conservation centre in the Philippines.
Deputy Head of the Reptile House, Iri Gill, said: "The arrival of these six Philippine crocodiles at ZSL London Zoo is a massive cause for celebration for us, and we couldn't be more thrilled."
Read more...
![](/blog/uploads/scarlet1.jpg) The first time I ever saw a scarlet kingsnake, Lampropeltis (triangulum) elapsoides, I was in northern Georgia herping with Gordy Johnston.
On our way to Florida, we had stopped at a small patch of recently burned pine woodlands as much as for a break in the driving as for actually herping. We checked the environs of a small soot-edged pond, seeing only a southern leopard frog or two. Along the way we rolled a log now and again, finding first a slimy salamander and then absolutely nothing under the next several.
We gave up on the log rolling until we were almost back to the car and we were actually stepping over the outermost log before deciding to roll it. That proved a fortuitous decision, because after straining and tugging when the log yielded, coiled tightly on the ground, was the most beautiful little snake either of us had ever seen.
Red, black, yellow,black, red black...the pattern was repeated over and over. And the vivid colors actually ringed the 15-inch long snake. That was our introduction to the scarlet kingsnake, and the memory of that introduction remains with me until this day.
More photos below...
Continue reading "Meet the common but beautiful scarlet kingsnake"
It's our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Gnuby!
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Wednesday, July 23 2014
A 4-foot alligator was rounded up near Wisconsin's Sheboygan River.
From the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel:
A team of sheriff's deputies and Sheboygan police officers corralled and snared the snarling reptile in a ditch near the Sheboygan River after a brief search that started in the 2700 block of Indiana Ave. in the city of Sheboygan, Sheriff's Sgt. Matt Spence said Sunday.
The sheriff's office received a call around 10:30 a.m. Sunday of an alligator sighting in that block, east of S. Taylor Drive, Spence said.
After the gator's snout was taped shut for the officers' safety, the animal was turned over to a conservation warden with the state Department of Natural Resources, according to Spence.
Read more...
Photo: Sheboygan County Sheriff's Office
It's our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user casichelydia!
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Tuesday, July 22 2014
It had rained hard for much of the afternoon and the rainforest trails were muddy and very slippery. Trail-crossing creeks were running high, and some slopes, normally steep but safe, had become a true challenge. In other words, the rainforest weather we were experiencing was being very typical rainforest weather: rain, clear, rain, clear, rain...
I had about a half-dozen herpers with me and a few others were with Lorrie, who was either ahead of us or who had started her hike on the opposite end of the same loop trail. The boops, barks, and whistles of various treefrog species serenaded us as we walked slowly along, stopping to look at an insect here or a frog there.
By the time we had reached the intersection (right kept us on the short trail, left was the long trail where if we missed the next turn we could walk until the day after tomorrow) it had begun raining again. In front of us was a huge stand of bananas and a few of our hikers wanted to divert the rain by holding a big banana leaf over their head.
So into the bananas we went, and it was a good thing we did. Just past the first row, at a height of about 8 feet, was a beautiful, slender, red snake -- a red vine snake, Siphlophis compressus.
Rain or not, our night had then been made.
More photos under the jump...
Continue reading "Interlude with a red vine snake"
![](http://gallery.connectedbypets.com/data/17242Picture_305-med.jpg) As temperatures in their native ranges change, male reptiles may need to disperse to survive. That's according to a study published in the journal BMC Ecology.
From BBC Nature News:
Alligators, some turtles, and the tuatara - found only in New Zealand - all produce offspring whose gender is determined by temperature.
These species are considered to be especially vulnerable to climate warming, because at higher temperatures they produce only one sex.
Previous studies have suggested that the best way for reptiles to respond is to alter the temperature of their nest by seeking shaded areas, digging deeper nests and nesting earlier in the season.
But the authors say their study is the first to demonstrate that dispersal by the sex that occurs least in a population may be just as important, if not more so, in compensating for the effects of climate change.
Read more...
Photo: kingsnake.com user randyprobst
It's our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user zovick!
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Monday, July 21 2014
![](/blog/uploads/Uganda.jpg) Don't you just hate it when the tortoises turn on you?
From the BBC:
A police officer in Uganda has reportedly shot a tortoise dead after being attacked by the "aggressive" creature.
The incident happened in the Nebbi district in the north of the country near the Congolese border. The officer - named as Charles Onegiu by the New Vision newspaper - said the animal entered his home and attacked him while he was enjoying a post-work cup of tea. "I tried to scare it but the tortoise became very aggressive. I took a stick to chase it but it instead became more violent," he told the paper. After attempting to fend off the tortoise with a plastic chair, he said he "instinctively" drew his firearm and shot it dead. A local Christian group later prayed for Onegiu, "before burning the dead reptile to ashes."
Read more...
It's our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user StonedReptiles!
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Friday, July 18 2014
Check out this video "Chameleon changing color," submitted by kingsnake.com user PH FasDog.
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It's our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user rmgarabedian!
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