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, April 10 2015
This is what our community is about: our love of the animals. Happy weekend! We hope you enjoy you like your reptile pets as much as this man likes his snake in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Tom_AF_Guy!
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Thursday, April 9 2015
![](/blog/uploads/WikiTurtle.jpg) Remind your friends in Florida to leave nesting sea turtles alone, and avoid using bright lights near the turtles.
From WINK News:
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) asks people not to get too close, shine lights on, or take flash photos of nesting sea turtles.
Spring is the beginning of sea turtle nesting season in Florida. From now through the end of October, thousands of sea turtles will land on Atlantic and Gulf coast beaches to lay their eggs. With Florida hosting one of the largest loggerhead nesting aggregations in the world, this becomes an opportunity for residents and visitors to play an important role in conserving these long-lived reptiles. People can help by taking turtle-friendly precautions on the beach.
“Take care when you’re on a Florida beach at night and do not disturb the nesting sea turtles,” said Dr. Robbin Trindell, who leads the FWC’s sea turtle management program. “People can help save threatened and endangered sea turtles by giving them enough space and privacy to safely and successfully lay their eggs. It’s as simple as keeping your distance and avoiding shining lights or taking flash photos of the nesting sea turtles.”
Read more here.
Four Days Before Christmas, and all through the 'hood,
The rain was torrential, conditions were good.
Jake said, "It's the night. We really should go."
I checked the computer, barometer's low.
So off in the storm, wipers on high,
The rain still fell in sheets from the lowering sky.
Traffic was heavy on roads, wet and black,
But for 50 long miles we stayed right on track.
We turned toward the pond, it had been a long ride,
But the "sallys" were active. We're both glad we tried!
Road herping central Florida style with Jake: December 21, approximately 67 degrees Fahrenheit, and heavy rain.
Species seen: mole salamander, Ambystoma talpoideum; tiger salamander, Ambystoma tigrinum; spring peeper, Pseudacris crucifer. Also seen: southern toad, green treefrog, and southern leopard frog.
Continue reading "'Twas a great night for herping"
Two species that have been in the news as of late, anaconda and reticulated python, together as pets share the spotlight in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user hansbury!
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Wednesday, April 8 2015
![](/blog/uploads/GulfCoastBoxLeiren.jpg) As winter fades back into a dormant state until next year, spring means herps are on a journey to find the perfect mate for breeding season in the southeast. This means several things to different species that will all be simultaneously doing the same thing at once: moving.
We were traveling to southwestern Mississippi from Alabama in search of black pine snakes ( Pituophis melanoleucus lodingi) on a late March afternoon, and decided to stop at a rest area to stretch out our legs for a few minutes.
While walking around in this coastal lowland and surrounded by shallow swampy marsh habitat type, we stumbled upon a pair of Gulf Coast box turtles ( Terrapene carolina major) breeding, with the female completely flipped over on her back and the male upright, which apparently is nothing out of the ordinary.
Reaching sexual maturity anywhere between 7-10 years, box turtles breed in the spring and females start seeking out nests June-July to lay a single clutch of 3-8 eggs at a time. It is also more than very likely that the same Gulf Coast box turtle we came across will lay her eggs near the water she was found around, and nest several different times this year with more clutches.
This subspecies of North American box turtles is one of six others that exist, and also un-mistakenly the largest. They are generally described as being matte brown or almost black in coloration with a distinct yellow stripe down their backs, but can also have thin or thick blotches .
It is also noted that if you happen to see one trying to cross the road, please feel obligated to help it do so safely but to also not relocate it so that it doesn't get back into the road trying to go to where it was originally traveling to!
![](/blog/uploads/MadFrogs.jpg) Chytridiomycosis is present in frogs from Madagascar, but for some reason they haven't developed the disease.
From QZ.com:
Madagascar has the 12th highest rate of amphibian species richness in the world, with more than 400 species, 99% of which are indigenous to the region. But this biodiversity hotspot is already under severe pressure—a quarter of its species are under threat, according to the latest Global Amphibian Assessment. It’s rightly feared that the arrival of Bd, as reported in the journal Scientific Reports, could bring about mass amphibian decline—and even extinctions—as has been seen elsewhere.
Testing of the samples of the Bd fungus found in Madagascar reveals the strain is closely related to BdGPL, the hyper-virulent lineage behind all the known outbreaks of the chytrid fungus pathogen that have decimated amphibian populations. However, what’s interesting is that the rate of infection is extremely low and there’s no clinical signs of chytridiomycosis—the frogs have the fungus, but they haven’t developed the disease.
Read more here.
This Retic is keeping his eye on us in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user eschmit04!
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Tuesday, April 7 2015
For decades, attempting to ascertain whether this little Jamaican/Cuban gecko, Sphaerodactylus argus, has been extirpated from or remained extant in Florida has been problematic.
The ocellated gecko was first seen on Key West in 1944. It was probably introduced to Florida in produce or construction shipments. But from its first sighting until 2005, it was seen so infrequently that its continued presence here had been questioned by biologists. So infrequent were the sightings - in some cases the hiatus between sightings was nearly 2 decades - that in at least 2 cases it was surmised that the lizard had been extirpated from America's herpetofauna.
But we now know it's here, and there is a fairly robust population.
On Key West in 2005, I collected a half dozen adult ocellated geckos and several eggs that I only knew to be a Sphaerodactylusof some species. When the eggs hatched, I had 2 ashy geckos and several ocellated geckos.
Later in the year, another friend saw a dozen adults and a third person collected a large number for the pet trade. Within the last 2 years many more have been seen. It seems that for the better part of 7 decades this little lizard has been hiding in plain sight.
Continue reading "Hiding in plain sight: The ocellated gecko"
![](/blog/uploads/Loosepython.jpg) Wildlife experts suspect this python became too much for its owner to handle, so he or she released it into the English countryside.
From Sky News:
"There are specific offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act and Animal Welfare Act in relation to releasing a python and we would urge anyone with any information as to where the python came from to contact us.
"It is a possibility that the python may have outgrown its home and owners can contact Pip Reptile Rescue if they require any help or advice about caring for or rehousing reptiles.
"Similarly, we would urge anyone thinking about getting rid of their pets, particularly those which may pose a risk to the public, to contact an animal charity for advice so that they can be rehomed safely and responsibly."
Read more here.
The beauty of the anaconda is the spotlight of our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Flboy21283!
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Monday, April 6 2015
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/3559male_gen_stripe_retic-med.JPG) In a short unreasoned response, USFWS refused an extension request of the effective date (April 9, 2015) of the Lacey Act listing of reticulated pythons, green anacondas, Beni anacondas, and DeSchauensees Anacondas.
USARK had requested an extension of the 30-day period from the date of the Lacey Act listing in the Federal Register.
USFWS specified that it was rejecting the request for breeders and other sellers to try to minimize the economic impact of the listing of these species. USFWS has broad authority to set the effective date or extend the effective date of Lacey Act listings, but argued that an extension would undermine the purpose of the listing. USFWS also argued it did not have time to complete any process necessary to grant such an extension.
In response, USARK has filed for a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order to obtain the requested extension by an order of the Federal District Court already hearing the USARK case filed to challenge the listing of the Burmese python, yellow anaconda, and Southern and Northern African rock pythons (and amended now to include the reticulated python etc.).
The hearing will be held at 2 PM on Tuesday, April 7. USFWS'opposition will be filed by noon, Monday, April 6. USARK's reply will be filed by noon, Tuesday, April 7.
Although courts are reluctant to grant the extraordinary relief of a TRO and PI, USARK's memorandum makes a very compelling case. The memorandum sets forth in detail why USARK meets the requirements of "likelihood of success on the merits" and "irreparable harm" that will be suffered. In addition, the memorandum explains why USFWS would suffer little or no harm if an extension of the effective date was delayed until a final decision on the merits of the USARK case.
Photo: kingsnake.com user JonMIller
![](/blog/uploads/Forreal.jpg) The first reported case of black-and-white tegu necrophilia occurred in Brazil.
From the National Geographic:
The scientist returned to the same spot the next afternoon. By that time, the corpse was bloated and had begun to rot and smell.
But even the stench did not discourage another male black-and-white tegu from attempting to have sex with the dead body—this time for nearly an hour.
During this time, the new male embraced the dead female and bit her head, another courtship behavior. He rested on her body from time to time, taking breaks from the exhausting sexual activity, before finally flicking his tongue on the corpse and leaving, according to the study, published in January in the journal Herpetology Notes.
Read more here.
This reticulated python gets a little affection and help posing in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user DEATH!
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Friday, April 3 2015
Could this coachwhip be any happier it's the weekend in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user jodscovry!
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Thursday, April 2 2015
![](/blog/uploads/Snakesavers.jpg) Not willing to let construction disturb the snakes they visit, several elementary school students organized to save them.
From the Delta Optimist:
The garter snakes had to be rescued as construction crews were scheduled to begin work on a section of the Boundary Bay dike. The students - Ben, Maya, Nic, Jude, Noah, Myles, Jasmine, Kaelyn and Lauren, who are in kindergarten through Grade 5 - were shocked when they heard about the impending construction.
All frequently visit the area to search out the snakes.
"We've all been going to the snakes since we were babies," said Kaelyn.
During the spring and summer, the snakes are active in the area and the kids often visit the beach, for class and after school, to play with them.
"The snakes, to me, are sort of like family," said Maya.
Read more here.
Introduced to the Lower Keys from Cuba, when adult this tiny lizard is rather nondescript ashy gray in color. The color is actually a complex pattern of ash - sometimes in reticulations, sometimes as fine dots--over a ground color of olive-brown.
But when even tinier, as a 1 1/4 inch long hatchling, it is one of the most beautiful lizards in the United States.
Hatchlings have an olive green body that is often suffused with pale orange, a gray-green head, and a fire orange tail. The limbs are pale orange. Head and body bear precise bands of dark pigment. Dark blotches are present on the top anterior 1/3rd of the tail. Pretty? You betcha! The intensity of color and pattern fades with the lizard's growth.
This is a common gecko on the Lower Keys but is most common on Key West and Stock Island. Hiding by day beneath debris or behind bark on both living and dead trees, it emerges at night and may then be seen on the walls of buildings, trunks of trees, or atop debris.
Continue reading "Ashy Gecko: An elfin interloper"
Beauty abounds with this black milk snake in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user gerryg!
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Wednesday, April 1 2015
![](/blog/uploads/FrogWatch.jpg) A North Carolina aquarium is training people to help with FrogWatch USA.
From Star News Online:
FrogWatch USA, a citizen science program, is now recruiting trained volunteers to collect data about the calls of local frogs and toads at local wetlands sites now through August and submit the data online.
“Amphibians are important species to keep an eye on because they are very sensitive to changes in their environment,” said Andy Gould, aquarium outreach coordinator. “If we see them in our area, it means that our habitats are healthy and thriving. If we notice their absence, we may want to look further into potential causes.”
No scientific background is required to volunteer, and those who want to participate will receive a free, four-hour training session that includes hands-on demonstrations and other educational activities to help them get acquainted with the native amphibian species they might encounter in Southeastern North Carolina.
Read more here.
![](http://www.kingsnake.com/blog/uploads/MedGeck1.jpg)
In a surprising move this morning USFWS Director Dan Ashe has announced that the federal government will seek an immediate ban on the importation, interstate transport, and possession, of the Mediterranean House Gecko, Hemidactylus turcicus, an invasive species that has taken over in many states in the Southern U.S.
"Thousands of these geckos have been released over the years by pet owners into the everglades, and climate change will only hasten their spread. Without a multi-billion dollar taxpayer funded effort to eradicate these invaders, millions of American insects will be at risk, including the endangered Alabama blue nosed fly, and the Daytona bar hopper. That said I have instructed the service to add this species to the invasive species list and we shall immediately seek to ban their importation and ownership under the Lacey act statutes" said Director Dan Ashe. "Additionally we have instructed the service to draw up a multi-decade eradication plan that will use techniques used and successfully developed to combat other invasive reptiles such as the Burmese Python and Brown Tree Snake."
USFWS plans are said to include setting up an invasive gecko task force to bring together the many state and federal agencies working to resolve the issue, airdrops of millions of bait insects from helicopters across the U.S., as well as the issuance of powerful flash lights to all field agents over 5 feet in height. Homeowners across the U.S. are being asked to help in this fight, the service requesting that they immediately check the eaves and overhangs of their dwellings at night for the invasive geckos, and reporting any they find to their USFWS regional office. Homeowners found to be harboring geckos after the ban has been implemented face fines up to $250,000 under the current Lacey act statutes.
This parrot snake ( Leptophis ahaetulla) is glad it's "Hump Day" and looking forward to the weekend in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Herpetologia!
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Tuesday, March 31 2015
By
Tue, March 31 2015 at 06:06
![](/blog/uploads/sandboa2.jpg) There are many snake lovers all over the world who love pythons and boas, and since I've been writing for kingsnake.com, many of them have contacted me to ask that I write about Indian pythons and boas. So this post is for my python and boa-loving readers!
In India, you can find all kinds of snakes, from the smallest 20 cm worm snake to the largest reticulated pythons, from sea snakes to flying snakes.
India is home to three species of sand boa, and the common sand boa, Gongylophis conicus, is one I frequently encounter on rescue calls. The other two are the red sand boa (Eryx johnii) and the Whitaker’s sand boa (Eryx whitakeri), which is named after the renowned Indian herpetologist Romulus Whitaker.
The common sand boa is also called the rough-scaled sand boa because of its rough, scaled body. If you’re a touching a common sand boa’s tail you can get a feeling of rubbing a crocodile's back.
A common sand boa’s body is thick and fat. It has small, keeled scales on head, and the tail is short, blunt and rough. Eyes are small with vertical pupils, and nostrils are placed high on the head. Ventral scales are narrower than the width of the body. It is sand coloured or brown with darker brown blotches. The old time rescuers who did not have a book or Internet to refer to used to mistake it for a young Indian rock python or Russell’s viper.
Found in sandy areas, it prefers to live in crevices and burrows. A short-tempered snake, it coils and hides its head under its body when disturbed, and when provoked strikes with a jerky movement. Otherwise, it's a slow moving snake. 100 cm is the maximum length. Sand boas are viviparous by nature.
Once I had rescued a female adult sand boa snake and was carrying it in a snake sack to the releasing area . When I opened the sack to release this snake, I see to my surprise she had given birth to eight young ones! They were so cute and fat, as if they were working out in their mom’s womb. It was really a new and unforgettable experience.
![](/blog/uploads/Axotol.jpg) Invasive species and urban development are critically endangering the salamander
From Aljazeera America:
A recent study from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) shows in 1998 there were 6,000 axolotls per square kilometer in Xochimilco. By 2008 that figure had plummeted to 100. And in 2014 researchers found less than one per square kilometer.
There are at least three major causes for its decline: urbanization, water pollution and the massive invasion of exotic predator fish like carp and tilapia, introduced by the Mexican government in the 1980s to help feed local communities. From the first few thousands they introduced, there are now an estimated 900 tons of fish in these canals.
“It’s an amazing amount. About 98 percent of the biomass in the water is made up of just these two fish, and they destroy everything,” said professor Luis Zambrano, an ecologist at UNAM who studies Mexican salamanders and the deterioration of their environment. “The government didn’t know what they were doing. They’ve altered the food chain and the whole ecosystem.”
Read more here.
One of the turtle species that Ron and I encountered on the Colima trip was a semi-aquatic creature of primarily terrestrial habits. Known as the Mexican spotted wood turtle, the subspecies we happened across was Rhinoclemmys rubida perixantha, the more northerly of the 2 known forms.
We encountered 3 of this (as we later learned) uncommon little chelonian. All of these little brown turtles seen were active at night in a flooded field just east of the city of Colima.
The most conspicuous things about these turtles were the intricate and busy head patterns of broad, dark edged, yellow bars and spots. Although the yellow head patterns precluded R. rubida being mistaken for R. pulcherrima, at 6 to 8 inches in length the former were also of smaller size.
Very little is yet known about the diet of the Mexican spotted wood turtle. It is thought that like others in the genus the species eats a good amount of vegetable matter and is an opportunist feeder on invertebrates. It is known that captives relish worms, caterpillars, and land dwelling molluscs.
Hopefully, as the Behler Center works with their group we will learn more about this beautiful and delightful turtle.
Continue reading "Bright spot: beautiful Mexican wood turtles"
Big Mama! This Kankakee County bull snake shows off her natural instinct to protect her eggs in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user pitparade!
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Monday, March 30 2015
By
Mon, March 30 2015 at 05:44
![](/blog/uploads/sawscale1.jpg) The saw-scaled viper, Echis carinatus, is a venomous snake found in India and the smallest member of the Indian "Big Four" deadly snakes of India.
This pygmy snake is one of the fastest-striking snakes in the world, and definitely the fastest striking one in India. The thing I like best about this tiny creature is that when the saw-scaled viper is disturbed, it coils and rubs its saw-like scales together to make a noise like a wood-saw.
They are hemotoxic by nature as they are from viper family.
Another species of saw-scaled viper found in India is the Sochurek’s saw-scaled viper, Echis carinatus Sochureki, which is found in some western and central parts of India.
The saw-scaled viper's body is pale brown with a white-bordered zig zag pattern. The body is white underneath with tiny brown spots. Small scales are present on head, and a white or pale brown spear mark on top.
The eyes are large golden with vertical black pupils, and the body is rounded and has scales with saw-like keels. The tail is short.
Saw-scaled vipers are commonly seen in coastal areas and they are found under boulders and thorny bushes. Though nocturnal, they may be seen basking in the morning. They feed on scorpions, centipedes, and geckos. Viviparous by nature, they give birth to 4-8 young ones.
Usually there are few saw-scaled vipers in my area, but whenever I find one while herping, I am eager to hear the wood-saw noise. I find these tiny creatures very beautiful and attractive, but I always avoid bare-hand handling them.
![](/blog/uploads/HarlequinFrog.jpg) Sexually dimorphic species are less likely to go extinct, according to new research.
From the Costa Rica Star:
By examining research on global patterns of amphibian diversification over hundreds of millions of years, De Lisle and Rowe discovered that “sexually dimorphic” species – those in which males and females differ in size, for example – are at lower risk of extinction and better able to adapt to diverse environments.
Their work suggests the ability of males and females in sexually dimorphic amphibian species to independently evolve different traits – such as size – helps them survive extinction threats that kill off others, says De Lisle.
He says classic ecological theory would not have predicted that about amphibians, a class of vertebrates that includes frogs, toads, salamanders, newts and caecilians.
The conventional school of thought believes different-sized sexes of the same species take up more resources and are less able to adapt and diversify than species where ecologically relevant traits like size are basically the same between males and females.
Read more here.
This hatchling pink pastel hognose shares our feelings about Mondays in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user JoeTaffis!
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Friday, March 27 2015
Just let this panther chameleon clean that spot on your screen for ya in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user 1Sun!
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Thursday, March 26 2015
![](/blog/uploads/Lizard.jpg) Researchers aren't just looking at snake venom to develop potentially life saving medicine; lizard venom is also being mapped.
From phys.org:
Venom research is a large field, especially due to the pharmaceutical potential of the venom proteins. The idea here is that venom proteins are capable of affecting the body's cells. Excessive amounts can be harmful and even lethal in some circumstances, but if the right dose is used, the venom proteins can be used to treat certain diseases. Snake proteins that normally cause prey to bleed can be used in small doses to treat blood clots, for example.
In the same way, work is currently being done to develop spider venom proteins to provide pain relief. The Aarhus researchers focused on gila lizards, and these are currently being used in pharmaceutical contexts. Gila lizards produce exendin-4, a small venom protein used in the treatment of diabetes and obesity, which is a competitor to Victoza - produced by Novo Nordisk.
Read more here.
In his little Austin Healey Sprite, Ron and I zipped across the border in Brownsville, Texas heading into Mexico's interior. We had no idea where we were going or where we would stop. We were young, had enough time and hoped we had sufficient dinero to get us to wherever and back home again. We did. Barely.
As it turned out we encountered torrential rains in the Pacific Coast state of Colima, and with the rains there were herps--herps of kinds we had never seen before in the wild, and many that neither of us had seen anywhere.
The rain flooded low lying fields and now treefrogs of a half dozen species were vocalizing. Mexican wood turtles walked the wet roadsides and swam across larger flooded areas. Lyre snakes, parrot snakes, and our hands down favorite - brown vine snakes - were crossing or sitting quietly on the highway. We were surprised that the latter were active as they are considered diurnal species with poor night vision but it seemed probable that the heavy rains prompted divergence from the norm.
Although Ron and I were known for unplanned trips, this one was by far the longest yet (a longer trip, it too, unplanned, to southern Chiapas was to come later). This multi-thousand mile trip for 2 adults in a 2-seat Sprite from Tampa to coastal southern Colima was more than just a bit crowded. But now, 50 years later, I still look back on with fond memories.
Continue reading "Somewhere and back again"
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