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.
Join the Electric Company with this Lygodactylus williamsi and be blinded by beauty in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user jamesmatthews!
The common krait, Bungarus caeruleus, is a venomous snake found in India -- one of the four deadliest snakes of India known as "The Indian Big Four."
The krait is also included in the top five deadliest of the world, in part because of its silent killing ability. When a person is bitten by a krait, he or she won't feel pain because of the small-sized fangs; the bite pain is like a mosquito bite.
The common krait is a nocturnal snake; the kraits I rescued have all been rescued after 8 PM. It's difficult to find a snake during daytime rescue calls.
India is home to six or seven species of krait, and they're and also common in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and many other Asian countries. The bite rate for the common krait is lower in India as compared to cobras and Russells vipers because kraits are very shy by nature and usually do not bite. That is the reason I love them.
Kraits have smooth bodies and glossy scales; they are blue or black in color and sometimes dark brown. There are single or paired thin white bands on the shiny black body, which makes them more beautiful and is the reason I use the 'Black Beauty' to describe a common krait.
The ventral part is white and sometimes yellowish. They feed on snakes mostly and sometimes even other kraits. Occasionally they eat mice, frogs, and lizards. The average length of krait is 100-120 cms and the maximum length is 175 cms.
There are many controversies related to krait bite deaths in India. Often when people are bitten by a krait, it's night time and they don't realize it. And the symptoms of krait bite are not at all predictable. The symptoms might take 6 hours or even 48 hours to start. The symptoms have seven or eight stages leading up to death. The deadliest symptom is paralysis; the bite victim is not even able to move his or her fingertips. There have been cases where the victims were declared dead by doctors in the paralyzed condition.
Keeping the deadly part apart, I always loved kraits because they attacked me very rarely on rescue calls and always make my rescuing task easy.
Rainforest frog populations rely on feral pigs to create wallows, but with pig populations dwindling researchers have recreated the wallows using simple plastic bowls.
From Digital Journal:
To study the impact of these depressions on the reproductive success of the frogs, scientists based at the University of Vienna installed a series of plastic bowls to collect rainwater at regular intervals in a patch of rainforest in French Guiana and monitored frog populations in their test and control plots.
It was found that the frog populations expanded rapidly in both the areas with the bowls and nearby plots, from 148 frogs the season before the bowls were installed to 246 frogs two years later, while no increase was seen in plots far away from the man-made peccary wallows.
This close up on the eye of a Correlophus ciliatus is an amazing shot. This Crestie is keeping her eye on you in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user LizardWizard!
The family of the late Steve Irwin has come under criticism for their work with crocodiles and other animals.
From Smithsonian Magazine:
“It’s an honor and a privilege to work with the largest living reptile and largest terrestrial predator on the planet,” Robert tells me in the singsong tone of his television-ready family. “An awesome animal that roamed the primeval landscape for millions and millions of years.”
Daisy’s sawtooth tail whips the prone boy to the left. “The jaw pressure of the crocodile is incredible—3,000 pounds per square inch!”
Daisy’s tail whips him to the right. “I so admire the crocodile’s ability to kill with just its teeth. It’s quite amazing!”
Robert’s 16-year-old sister, Bindi, looks on solicitously. An actor, singer, game show host and, last year, a People cover girl, she’s confirming Daisy’s gender by inserting a finger into its cloaca and feeling around for genitalia. “It’s a girl!” she says. Her smile conveys a disarming buoyancy. “Here’s an animal that many people think is just a stupid, evil, ugly monster which kills people. That’s so not true!”
We spent only a few minutes flipping fallen palm fronds that lay on a grassy slope between a busy highway and a saltmarsh before we found the first of the several hatchling-sized ornate diamond-backed terrapins, Malaclemys terrapin macrospilota, we were to find that day.
After seeing several of the turtle babies while he searched the area for kingsnakes, Billy pointed out this tract of roadside habitat to us and, sure enough, the turtles were here. All were beneath the fallen fronds and all were at least partially dug into the sandy substrate.
Although it had probably been several weeks since they had hatched, all that we found during our search were still of hatchling size, and all but 1 or 2 were quietly tucked in, legs and neck withdrawn, eyes tightly closed. Since we still had weeks of warm weather ahead of us, it seemed strange that so many babies were this quiescent.
But compared to Mother Nature, what do we know?
The ornate is the subspecies of diamond-backed terrapin that is found along most of Florida's Gulf Coast. It ranges from the northern Keys to Okaloosa County on the panhandle. Of the many subspecies, the ornate is most consistently the prettiest having a black flecked light gray head and usually an orange center to each carapacial scute. Hatchlings are particularly pretty and usually have very prominent vertebral tubercles.
Do not expect to see diamond-backs in freshwater habitats. They are restricted to salt and brackish waters.
Fences designed to protect woodland habitats in Canberra are having unintended consequences for the herp population.
From ABC Australia:
Lead author Bruno Ferronato said more than 100 animals died because the fence restricted their natural movement patterns.
"Usually they will move to other ponds, usually during springtime, looking for ponds to feed," the University of Canberra researcher told 666 ABC Canberra.
"The fence is interrupting with the migratory habits of turtles. When they're trying to move between ponds they're hitting the fence and some of the animals are dying there."
Our Herp Video of the Week is the arrival of a new Iguana named Phoenix to the family.
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!
Unlike the eastern diamondback rattlesnake, eastern coral snakes have the same venom, no matter where they're found.
From Genes to Genomes:
In a recent issue of GENETICS, Darin Rokyta and colleagues reported the results of a large survey of venom diversity across two snake species sharing nearly identical ranges and similar habitats in the southeastern United States. As expected, the mix in one species—the eastern diamondback rattlesnake—varied considerably from place to place. But the eastern coral snakes told a completely different story. In contrast to its rattlesnake neighbors, no matter where a coral snake came from, its venom was always the same.
Rokyta says the team was shocked by this lack of variation. “This is the first time anyone has looked at venom variation at this scale, and everybody has assumed that the co-evolutionary arms race would cause local populations to diverge quickly.”
The results not only challenge this assumption, they provide crucial information for rattlesnake conservation and coral snake antivenom development.
The ringing peeps of a vocalizing ornate chorus frog, Pseudacris ornata, lack the upward slurring of the much more common spring peeper.
Although only one and one quarter inches in length, the ornate chorus frog, a heavy bodied species, looks larger. And this little frog of the southeastern United States, in some of its many colorations, is truly ornate. The ground color may vary from mud-brown, through russet, russet and green, to a clear pea green. There are often dorsal spots or stripes of a contrasting color. Black lateral and groin spotting is invariable and there is also a black eyestripe.
Despite its size, the ornate chorus frog can be perplexingly difficult to locate. It is ventriloquial to some degree, and a call that seems to be originating from close at hand may actually be originating from some distance away. On rare occasions, such as overcast, drizzly nights, ornate chorus frogs may sit on open muddy banks or float in the open while calling. But in most cases they call while tucked well away in tangles of blackberries or secluded in emergent grass clumps.
In some areas, such as its southernmost range on the Florida peninsula (the latitude of Lake Okeechobee), this frog is now present in reduced numbers (or extirpated). In fact, its current range in Florida may start well north of the Tampa Bay region. But in some more northerly areas it still seems common.
Take the time to look it up. It is a beautiful anuran.
The failure to reintroduce relic leopard frogs in a Nevada pond shows that conservation is a constant battle.
From the Las Vegas Review Journal:
Clark County and the Nevada Department of Wildlife spent about five years trying to get the rare frog to thrive at a pond along the Muddy River. But nearly 2,000 frogs later, the county scuttled an agreement Feb. 3 with state wildlife officials after multiple failed efforts. It’s likely now that no frogs live at the pond, county officials say.
In a way, frogs and other amphibians are a barometer of an area’s overall environmental health. Their moist skin doesn’t take kindly to environmental hazards in the air. Nor will frogs survive if water, the lifeblood of their natural environment, disappears.
The relict leopard frog’s plight isn’t unusual in the amphibian world. Amphibians throughout the U.S. and worldwide are in decline, according to a 2013 federal report.
But don’t count out this particular frog just yet. Officials aren’t giving up on the tiny 2-inch frog, believed to be extinct in the 1950s.
The county hasn’t put all of its frogs in one pond.
The grass snake, or green keelback, (Macropisthodon plumbicolor) is a common snake found in india and a beautiful one indeed. As I mentioned in my previous vine snake post, I'm attracted to green-coloured snakes, so without any doubt I can call this one of my favourites.
Grass snakes are relatives of the familiar garter snakes found in the United States. Grass snakes are also called "green cobra" by few local rescuers in India because the young ones raise their hood like a cobra -- and trust me, they look awesome in that position.
When you hold a grass snake in your hand you can feel its rough scales, which are why it is called a keelback. Grass snakes are toad lovers, so I guess these snakes are more eager for rainy season than any other animal. The sad part about their toad-loving habit is that many times grass snakes have been seen eating larger toads as relative to their length, and they die due to over-consumption of prey. Although grass snakes are non-venomous, their saliva is toxic to frogs and toads, so even if a frog or toad escapes from the mouth or jaws of a grass snake it will die in a short span of time.
The grass snake's body is green and stout with keeled scales and a short tail. It has large green golden eyes with black pupils. Adults are green in color and sometimes have white spots on the fore body. Young ones have a black inverted 'v' mark on the head, and blue-black bands on the body that disappear as the snake grows.
Grass snakes are found in grasslands and forests, and also in densely-populated cities like Pune. They are very shy and do not bite. I have never seen an aggressive green keelback, but it can be capable of giving a painful bite, although it rarely does. It is a viviparous snake and lays 6-7 eggs between March and June.
This was one of the snakes I used to handle during my early days of snake rescuing because it never used to bite and it helped me to elminate my fear of snakes. I'm always very grateful to these snakes.
Have you seen this amazing picture of a frog riding a beetle? The photographer tells the story of how he captured the incredible images.
From GMA News:
No, this is no camera trick: this frog is indeed riding this rhinoceros beetle, cowboy-style.
Indonesian wildlife photographer Hendy Mp captured the scene near his house in Sambas in Kalimatan Barat in Indonesia, UK's Daily Mail reported.
The Daily Mail report said the "rodeo"—in which the Reinwardt's Flying Frog jumped on top of the woodboring beetle and put its front leg in the air—lasted no more than five minutes.
These elfin spirits of woodland and prairie care not whether you call them peepers, chorus frogs, or treefrogs. They are the various species of the genus Pseudacris, a genus comprised of about a dozen species.
They include in their ranks the smallest frog of the United States, the southeastern little grass frog, P. ocularis, that is adult at only 5/8ths of an inch and the giant of the genus, the Pacific treefrog, P. regilla, that may be a full 2 inches long.
The majority of the species, however are adult at about 7/8ths inch to about 1 1/8th inches in length. In other words, all are diminutive.
Most of the chorus frogs have a vocalization that sounds like a fingernail being run along the small teeth of a plastic pocket comb. The pulse rate is slower and the frog's color darker when temperatures are cold. The trill is faster and the colors brighter when the frog is warm. Those that don't have an apparent ratcheting trill produce peeps. Truth be told though, if the pulse rate of the peeps were slowed you would again be listening to a very apparent ratcheting.
Even where populations of chorus frogs are producing boisterous choruses, the little frogs, usually clad in camouflage colors and patterns, can be difficult to see. More often than not they position themselves in a clump of grasses emerging from the shallows of an ephemeral pond (or roadside ditch), nose pointing almost straight upward, and when so positioned are almost invisible. If searching, it is often the inflated and vibrating vocal sac that is most apparent.
Of all chorus frogs, spring peepers, P. crucifer, and little grass frogs are the most arboreal. They may call from almost any available vantage position from water's edge to several feet high in vegetation.
I wish you happy hunting and much luck as you search for these little frogs. You will probably need it.
In India, the ornate flying snake, Chrysopelea ornata, is also called the "ornamental flying snake" because of its unique and beautiful colour combination.
There are five species of flying snakes found around the world. All of them are found in Asian countries and belong to the chrysopelea family. India is home to two of those species: the ornate flying snake and the paradise flying snake (Chrysopelea paradisii).
While the paradise flying snake is found in the eastern parts of India, the ornate flying snake is found in some parts of Maharashtra, Goa, and Karnataka, as well as some central and north eastern parts of India.
Many people think that this snake flies like a bird, but the truth is this snake does not fly, it glides from higher heights to lower heights. It is not able to fly from lower heights to higher.
I am seriously in love with the colour of this snake. Its body is greenish-yellow with black bands and red spots between the bands. The head is black with yellow bands on top. The underside is pale green. The size of the snake varies from 150-175 cms, and it is oviparous by nature.
I was the luckiest guy on the planet the day I found this snake while herping in the jungles of Karnataka with my friend Riyaz Khoja, a wildlife photographer and snake rescuer.
We were walking in the jungle around 8 AM and saw thin branches move like something had fallen on them. We ran to the tree and were surprised to see a good-sized ornate flying snake. I was so excited, I shouted like I had just won the lottery, and my voice echoed through the jungle.
We lifted the snake from the branches and kept him in a relaxed position on the tree. After Riyaz clicked these beautiful photographs, we left the snake where we found it.
The memory of finding this snake brings a smile to my face every time I think about it. There are not words enough to express how beautiful they are.
A soldier assigned to a Kenya naval station was killed last month by a venomous snake, reports military newspaper Stars and Stripes.
Pfc. Bailey Jerome Swaggart, 25, of the 4th Brigade, 1st Armored Division, died Feb. 19, a month after he was deployed to Manda Bay Naval Base. He was assigned to guard an air strip and got out of his Humvee to investigate a small brush fire nearby and was bitten.
The military treats more bite victims than many realize. According to a 2013 U.S. Army Research study , 17 cases of venomous snakebite, most in Afghans but including two U.S. service members, were brought to three U.S. military medical units in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2011; all survived after treatment. The median time between being bitten and receiving treatment was 2.8 hours.
East Africa has a wide variety of venomous snakes, including puff adders, cobras, vipers and mambas. Though it was unclear which type of snake killed Swaggart, it was thought to have been a viper or a black mamba.
We all know members of the military are exposed to the hazards associated with a war zone, things like snipers, ambushes, and IEDs. It may not always occur to us hey're also subject to the normal hazards of daily life, like car accidents, workplace accidents, and snake and insect bites. However, these dangers occur often enough to produce a significant casualty rate on their own, and often in areas of lesser or no conflict are the main cause of injury among service men and women.
Hundreds of toads in the UK die as they try to cross roads during migration, so volunteers for Toad Watch are getting ready to help them out.
From itv.com:
A training workshop is being held today in Midhurst in collaboration with the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust. The free raining will be provided on a number of aspects of toad conservation.
Common toads are very particular about their breeding sites, often returning to ancestral breeding ponds each year from hibernation areas. They will follow the same migratory route, often moving as an entire colony, which will inevitably lead to having to cross roads.
Our Herp Video of the Week is a tribute to Elvis and Priscilla, a pair of tree frogs.
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!
Are you going to Tinley this weekend? If not, never fear! Keep a close eye out on our Facebook page to see reports from our own Cindy Steinle. Our herp photo of the day features a look at the crowd in 2011, uploaded by kingsnake.com user PHFaust!
If someone asks me about my five favorite Indian snakes, I would include the cat snake.
Cat snakes, Boiga trigonata, are the snakes I always like to hold in my hand and play with them. A cat snake is basically a tree snake, so it is a slow moving snake like many other tree snakes.The best thing I like about the cat snake is that, if I hold its tail upside down,bit will slowly slowly coil back to its regular position.
There are 7-8 species of cat snakes found in the Indian sub-continent.The common Indian cat snake is the most commonly found amongst other cat snakes. Cat snakes are semi-venomous snakes which are also called rear fanged snake. Cat snakes are found across the world and in many places they are named as cat-eyed snake because of their vertical eye pupils which ressembles a cat's eye.
The common Indian cat snake is long and thin, and the body and tail are slightly compressed. It has large head with large cat -ike eyes and vertical pupils.
Colour is light brown with darker brown zig-zag markings. There's a brown streak behind each eye. The ventral part is yellow or white with small spots. The size varies from 100-125cms in an adult. As it is a tree snake it is mainly found on trees and bushes in grassland. It is a shy natured snake and usually does not bite but, when it is disturbed, lifts head to strike and vibrates its tail. Common cat snakes feed on lizards, frogs, geckos, small birds, and mice. It is oviparous and lays 5-8 eggs in tree hollows and it is nocturnal in nature.
I never got a chance to rescue a cat snake as they prefer hilly and dense jungle areas and unfortunately I live in a city. For every time I go out on herping I wish I could find a cat snake, it's like looking for a diamond in a coal mine.
The authorities in Mexico have stopped traffickers that were abusing and selling animals.
From Fox News Latino:
The discovery in Monterrey, the capital of Nuevo Leon, was the result of a joint investigation by Profepa and the Attorney General's Office.
Officers found a freezer containing 40 dead animals, among them 17 python regius snakes, two sugar gliders (Petaurus breviceps), two eastern grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), two black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus), one squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus) and one cotton-top tamarind (Saguinus Oedipus).
They also found one parrot (Psittacidae), two common kestrels (Falco tinnunculus), three water monitor lizards (Varanus salvator), two swamp crocodiles (Crocodylus moreletti), four Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus), one corn snake (Pantherophis guttatus) and red-eyed tree frogs (Agalychnis callidryas).
There is in South Florida, a salt marsh in which dwell some of the prettiest mangrove saltmarsh snakes, Nerodia clarkii compressicauda, I have ever happened across.
There are many, of course, that are rather run-of-the-mill, but there are some that are clad in scales that are the brightest red I have ever seen on a water snake.
Many evenings the search first turns up one or more mangroves that are the more traditional dull olive green with variably distinct dark markings that are also variable in shape--sometimes blotches, sometimes bands, and sometimes stripes. The latter, if present, usually on the neck and anterior body.
Although also variable, the red examples tend towards a solid, unpatterned color, be it a rather pale orange red, a medium red, or the bright red, the phase I search most eagerly for, for no reason other than I enjoy seeing it.
As an entity, mangrove salt marsh snakes are fairly common in coastal areas along the southern two-thirds of the Florida peninsula and the Keys. The farther north in their range you find them, the more apt they are to be of grayish ground color and have broken dark striping. At the northernmost end of the range on both coasts, there is a intergradation with the subspecies next northward. That is the Gulf salt marsh snake, N. c. clarkii on the Gulf Coast and the Atlantic salt marsh snake, N. c. taeniata, on the Atlantic Coast.