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.
I have been giving lectures and conducting workshops on reptile management and awareness for some time. I've never written about them until now because, to be frank, I never found anything special to be shared. That changed with my last workshop, however, and I would love to share it.
My soccer coach, Mr. Savio Dsouza, has always been supportive of my passion for snakes, and he was the one to organize the reptile management workshop. It was conducted in a boarding school named Rishi Gurukulam Ashram. The best thing about this school is that it is situated in a valley with only greenery and mountains to be seen.
The lecture was conducted by me and my partners Akshay Parahlkar (Axy) and Anirudh Rathod, and we had carried four snakes to show them: The common krait, the common trinket snake, the checkered keelback water snake, and the most common of all, the rat snake.
Snakes and Cats living together, it will be anarchy! Wait what? Nah it is just a nice shot of a Cat Snake (Boiga cyanea) in our Herp Photo of the Day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user ptahtoo! Be sure to tell ptahtoo you liked it here!
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Apparently the friend of your enemy is your enemy, when it comes to sea turtles -- at least in Florida, where a Vietnam veteran was allegedly shot with his own gun by someone who took exception to his efforts to protect a sea turtle nest.
From Local10.com:
A Vietnam veteran was shot while trying to save baby sea turtles at a South Florida beach.
Stan Pannaman, 72, of Tamarac, was shot Friday night near a sea turtle nest in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea.
Pannaman said he and Doug Young, a fellow volunteer trying to protect the nest, were confronted by Michael McAuliffe, who approached them and said he didn't like sea turtles.
"He got more aggressive and he got up and he came towards us and he started pulling the stakes away from the nest area," Young told Local 10 News.
This past winter, as a cold front came barreling through, I decided to make certain that all of the tortoises were snug in their heated winter houses. I quickly scanned the pens and saw only a few desert box turtles, Terrapene ornata luteola still out.
Although I probably needn't have worried about them I quickly shepherded all into their warmed quarters and then took a head count of the tortoises already slumbering soundly in the houses. Hmmmm. One missing leopard tortoise, Geochelone (Stigmochelys) p. pardalis, and 2 missing desert box turtles. Well, those shouldn't be hard to find so I began a search of pen. Under the ground level philodendron leaves? Nope. Resting quietly on the grassy substrate? Nope. Hidden by the few patches of tall grasses? Nope. No chelonians to be found. So I started over and again came up empty handed.
"Patti! Could you please help me find this tortoise?"
We both looked and we both failed. Still no star.
Then when I looked down I was standing right next to a patch of tall grass that was about 12 x 14 inches. Way too small for a 10 inch long leopard tortoise, right? But that's where it was, smack in the middle and all but invisible. Those camouflaging carapacial markings sure are sure effective. We didn't find the desert box turtles that night but they showed up again when the weather moderated. And I won't mention the several times I've looked for an hour or more for an Indian star tortoise in their 30 x 40 foot pen.
No longer just black and white, these snakes show some of the variety in color that the Black Headed Pythons have in our Herp Photo of the Day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Tom_Keogan! Be sure to tell Tom you liked it here!
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Reading the subject line on this post, most of my American friends might think I'm writing about the beautiful red, yellow, and black coral snake. Sorry, my dear friends; this is an Indian coral snake, and also a very beautiful one.
The slender coral snake, calliophis melanurus, is a species of coral snake found in India, and luckily it is also found in my state.
Because it's rare, I was never able to see this snake from the day I entered into reptile world and was very desperate to see this beauty. Finally my desperation ended happily when I met this sweet fellow on my herping two weeks ago.
The slender coral snake is a small and thin snake with the maximum length of 35 cm. This snake has a cylindrical body with smooth scales, and the color is light brown with black head and neck. The tail has two black rings. The underside of this snake is coral red, and the scales under the tail are greyish-blue and black. When the snake is disturbed, it curls up its tail. It usually feeds on blind snake/worm snake and lays 2-7 eggs under dried leaves or in crevices.
Finding this snake was so unbelievable that when my friends saw it, I asked them two or three times, "Dude, are you sure it’s a slender coral snake?” A very sweet and gentle snake, I can’t explain the level of happiness of finding this snake, but I would say that the last weeks happiness is still impacting me.
The Dorset Wildlife Trust has a message to herpers: leave tin alone.
From the BBC:
Reptile conservationist Gary Powell said: "If tins are disturbed outside of an official survey then it can affect the results of the research".
Disturbing protected species could result in breaking the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations Act.
Conservationists from Amphibian and Reptile Conservation and Dorset Wildlife Trust leave small pieces of tin and sometimes roofing felt at Upton Heath nature reserve in Corfe Mullen.
Kenny had already visited it. I had never heard of it. You'll love the Bruni dump he told me. Cool stuff. Really cool.
If you're a herper, you'll probably already have guessed that it was not the trash that was of interest to us. It was what had found their homes beneath the trash: the herps, and for me at least, the small mammals, that were the "cool stuff."
We jogged down a couple of short blocks, paralleled the railroad tracks for a block or two and voila, instant herp habitat. Even before we left the car we were able to observe the first herp, a group of very alert and active prairie racerunners, Aspidoscelis sexlineatus viridis.
We flipped a few pieces of trash and beneath a piece of tarp, we found the first snake, a beautiful Texas patch-nose, Salvadora grahamiae lineata. Cool indeed.
Beneath a small piece of plywood was a pair of flat-headed snakes, Tantilla gracilis. Then our luck dried up for a while.
But just before we left, beneath a huge torn and discarded tarp we found the prize of the day--a magnificent adult Schott's whipsnake, Masticophis s. schotti. Cool stuff for sure!
World Snake Day is a perfect time to reflect on why snakes are so amazing.
From the Deseret News:
It is incredible that any creature can crawl, swim, dig, climb, capture prey and in some cases, glide through the air, all without the benefit of limbs, fins or wings. Rather than fear them, we should be in awe of their beauty, mystique and diversity.
There are over 3,400 snake species in the world, ranging from the semi-frozen tundra of northern Canada to the steamy jungles of the equator and most of the world’s oceans. As highly effective predators, snakes play a vital role in maintaining the balance of nature in each of these realms.
Snakes have a prehistoric lineage, giving us a glimpse back to a prehistoric time when the earth was ruled by reptiles; modern reptiles are literally the living, breathing cousins of dinosaurs.
Why stop with one, when a pile of Drymarchs are so much nicer! Check out the great variety of these snakes in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user alanB!
One of the species rarely found in my area is the variegated kukri snake, Oligodon taeniolatus. A non-venomous snake also called Russell’s kukri snake.
I have mentioned in one of my previous posts these snakes are named as kukri snakes because of their fangs, which looks similar to a Nepali weapon called a kukri.
In India you can find 15 species of kukri snakes and I would definitely say that this is one of the largest families of snakes in India. Kukri snakes are also found in many other countries including China, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia.
The variegated kukri snake is small in size with a maximum length of 59 centimeters and has slender body with short tail. These snakes are found near human settlements and prefer living on ground. They feed on geckos and even eggs of other animals. This little fellow is oviparous by nature and lays 7-9 eggs around April.
It has been 5 years since I became interested in herpetology, but I never got a chance to rescue a variegated kukri snake. Luckily I have seen this snake a couple of times, thanks to the snake rescuers who showed me this beautiful slithering creature.
After suffering from habitat loss, the Blanding's turtle may move from "threatened" to "endangered."
From the Pioneer Press:
The sand dunes, marshes and backwaters of the upper Mississippi River, including the Weaver Dunes of southeastern Minnesota, hold one of the largest remaining populations of the Blanding's turtle, which the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources already classifies as threatened. A population in Valentine National Wildlife Refuge in northern Nebraska, where the species is classified as at-risk, is more secure but still vulnerable.
In response to a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental advocacy group, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last week began a formal assessment of whether 20 amphibians or reptiles found in various parts of the country, including the Blanding's turtle, and one plant species should be listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Such listings would give them greater protection.
The center says the fragmented, remnant populations of Blanding's turtles across their historic range aren't enough to sustain what's left of the species.
Tick Tock. The week passes quickly but today is easier starting with the smile of a Nile Croc in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user CDieter!
The desert sun was dropping quickly behind a sizable butte. Within minutes the searing heat of the day would begin to cool. The beauty of an orange sunset spread quickly over an orange land that would soon give way to dusk. Full darkness would follow soon and we intended to be road-hunting as the changes occurred.
From an afternoon temperature that had neared 100 degrees Fahrenheit, by the time darkness had fallen it was 10 degrees cooler.
We drove slowly in this land of cliffs and canyons. Snake! The first find of the night was a juvenile Great Basin gopher snake.
Snake! Snake number 2 was a very pretty night snake. Then nothing. We drove a few miles up and a few miles back. Again and again. Things had "dried up." One more run and we'd call it a night. Up to the turning point. Nothing. Back to where the cliffs almost hugged the road and... Snake!
2 feet of sand orange snake was crossing the road slowly. And there was no mistaking it. Rattlesnake. We had found a coveted Hopi rattlesnake, Crotalus viridis nuntius. Closer examination disclosed that this was a tagged (painted rattle segments) study specimen.
Today, we are told, if we were to find that same snake we should simply call it a prairie rattlesnake. Hopi has been "sunk," merged with the prairie. Subspecies are in disfavor. But guess what: it is still a Hopi to me.
Trunk-ground anoles removed from their trees find their way back home, but now one knows how they do it.
From the New York Times:
Several years ago, Dr. Leal was studying competition between two species. If he removed all of the trunk-ground anoles, he wondered, would the trunk-crown lizards extend their territory farther down the tree? He ran into a problem, however. He would take the trunk-ground lizards far from their home territory to make room for their upstairs neighbors, and then release them. But in a reptilian version of the children’s song, “The Cat Came Back,” the lizards wouldn’t stay away. “Lizards kept showing up in the territory that had just been scoured for lizards,” he said.
Dr. Leal wondered whether new anoles were appearing in empty territory or the old ones were returning. But how could a lizard that had never left home find its way back through 25 yards or so of dense rain forest?
First, he established that they do find their way back. A graduate student would take one, put it in a box, shake it to disorient the anole, walk about 80 yards or more away in a randomly chosen direction, shake the box again and let the lizard out. “The graduate students got lost,” Dr. Leal said, but not the lizards. It took them a few hours or a few days, but about 80 percent of them found their way back.
India is home to 13 species of wolf snake, so I would like to say that this is one of the largest family of snakes in India. The yellow-spotted wolf snake is a non-venomous snake found in Maharashtra and rarely found in my area. But luckily I found it twice!
Yellow-spotted wolf snakes (Lycodon flavomaculatus) are small compared to the common wolf snake (Lycodon aulicus). I have come across 2 to 3 species of wolf snakes and I find yellow-spotted wolf snake the most beautiful because of its color pattern. Just imagine, my friends, how beautiful a snake looks with a dark shiny black color and thin yellow bands on it.
The maximum length of these snakes is 52 centimeters and they are oviparous by nature.
These snakes are often mistaken by people thinking that it’s a common krait (highly venomous) because the color pattern is somewhat the same. The only difference is that the bands of a krait are white in color instead of yellow. It's similar to the scarlet kingsnake and coral snake: both look the same with a slight difference, but one is venomous and the other is not.
I would like to thank my friend Saleel Gharpure for allowing me to use this photograph.
Photo by: Saleel Gharpure
Staten Island University Hospital started an anti-venom sharing program to make sure anti-venom can reach people who need it, from zoo keepers to owners of exotic pets.
From NBC New York:
The anti-venom comes from a sharing program launched at Staten Island University Hospital by Dr. Nima Majlesi at Staten Island University Hospital, which unites the zoo, the hospital and toxicologists.
"We understand poisoning, we understand the treatment with anti-venom," said Majlesi.
The hospital understands the importance of having anti-venom stocked on the shelf, ready to help not just vulnerable zoo keepers but anyone in the tri-state region -- like those who keep venomous snakes as pets.
In our Herp Video of the Week we visit the wild deserts of Canada in search of reptiles. Wait! What? Deserts in Canada! You Betcha!
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New fossils reveal that the earliest ancestor of Jesus Lizards lived in tropical Wyoming 48 million years ago.
From ZME Science:
The lizard was named Babibasiliscus alxi, where babi means “older male cousin” in Shoshone Native American – a tribute to the local heritage. Judging from the fossils, the lizard was likely two feet long, was active during the day and likely spent most of its time in trees. Like other casqueheads, the lizard has a ridge over its skull that likely made it look fiercer to its prey. Its teeth had three points suitable for eating snakes, lizards, fish, insects and plants. The larger cheekbones suggest it also hunted large prey.
Based on phylogenetic analysis Babibasiliscus is closely related to the modern genus Laemanctus, which includes the famous Jesus Lizard. The Jesus Lizard likes to live near water, that way, when it is frightened by an approaching predator it can get to the water and run across the surface. The lizards can run on water because they have a fringe of scales on their hind toes which makes little webs that can trap bubbles of air and water beneath their feet. This keeps them from sinking into the water if they run quickly enough across. When they do stop running they don’t mind taking a little swim. It’s not clear whether Babibasiliscus also skimmed water.
Around us was sand in various hues of oranges and yellows and reds; above us towered sand stone cliffs in similar colors. A few miles distant we had encountered mesas, buttes, and dark, deep - perilously deep - sheer-walled canyons. Here and there a cactus, a succulent, a juniper, or a patch of drought tolerant composites was growing. But for the most part we were surrounded by miles and miles of sand and sandstone cliffs.
We were on a quest and the target was a tiny (up to about 3") lizard, the Utah night lizard, Xantusia vigilis utahensis. This was our second attempt. We tried a year earlier and had failed. But being either gluttons for punishment or dedicated, Kenny and I were back again. Same time of year, same place, but hoping for a different outcome.
As we searched, carefully turning loose chunks of sandstone, ahead of us we could see cars inching their ways in both directions along the section of 261 called the Moki Dugway. This 3 mile stretch of road consists of narrow graveled switchbacks having grades of 10% that carry you up or down 1,100 feet of cliff face with nary a guardrail to be seen, an interesting experience to say the least.
I was just about to comment to Kenny about a sizable truck coming down the dugway when he exclaimed, "lizard." And as I flipped a small chunk of sandstone in the shade of an overhang my turn came: "Lizard!" Mission accomplished or even exceeded.
Both of us had found a little sandstone-orange Utah night lizard. Time for photos.
Sometimes you need to look outside the box! This stunning Sunbeam Snake may not be the most colorful on first glance, but as you can see in our Herp Photo of the Day, they are a truly beautiful snake, uploaded by kingsnake.com user mecdwell!
Scientific Name:
One of the moments I love during my herpings is a ‘tea or coffee break’. It is really an enjoyable moment when you are sitting with your friends, sipping your refreshing drink, and recalling the adventures that took place during the herping.
This incident happened during a trip to the Western Ghats. After herping for 2 to 3 hours, my friends and I took a break and drove to the nearest tea stall. We were sitting on wooden tables and we just had a few sips of tea when I saw a lizard on the wooden plank next to us.
I ignored the lizard thinking that it might be an ordinary house gecko, but one of my friends who is studying lizards saw it and excitedly shouted, “Spotted leaf-toed gecko!” I took a close look at the lizard and it was really beautiful with an amazing color pattern.
Spotted leaf-toed gecko (Hemidactylus maculatus) is a species of large gecko found in Western Ghats of India. The best part is that I was able to get this gecko easily without doing any hard work!
My friend Riyaz Khoja snapped some pictures and we continued with our tea and snacks.
Speed, a Galapagos tortoise brought to America over 80 years ago, was euthanized last month.
From the LA Times:
At an estimated age of more than 150 years, Speed had been in geriatric decline for some time, with arthritis and other maladies. Keepers treated him with medication, hydrotherapy, physical therapy, even acupuncture.
Finally, a decision was made Friday to euthanize Speed, who had been at the zoo since 1933.
He was brought to the zoo as part of an early effort to preserve the endangered species from the Volcan Cerro Azul Island of the Galapagos Islands, off Ecuador.
A few years ago, for reasons that I can no longer remember, I decided to get an African mole snake, Pseudaspis cana, from Linda Switzer. It had been decades since I had last had one and as I remembered them they were big and savagely defensive.
They were in no way pleasant creatures to keep. They had come, I think, from either Lofty Whitehead or Jonathan Leakey, both of Kenya. The snakes, adults all, had been wild collected, and were not the least bit hesitant to show their unhappiness about the situation. I was equally unhappy.
So when Linda mentioned having a "nice" mole snake my first question was "how nice?"
"Handleable," she said, "easily handleable."
I wondered to myself whether the snake was actually alive.
But I purchased it and when it arrived, it seemed in perfect health. Not only was it "handleable," it was docile. The big constrictor took thawed and warmed rodents eagerly but gently from forceps, and overall acted about as non-mole snake-like as any mole snake I had ever seen or heard of.
As the old saying goes, you can't judge a book by its cover. This was a lesson well learned with this very atypical African mole snake.