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.
Wednesday, October 21 2015
![](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/727c70bbd2153b93493cce03595b3b09fd0aa3b2/465_549_5224_3136/master/5224.jpg?w=620&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=e3bcc327bd06d600f4a8472f186792d7) Photo: Annette Ruzicka/Bush Heritage Australia
The habitat of the Australian Legless Lizard population in Canberra is set to be razed in preparation to build an RV park for tourists to rest their weary heads. Conservationists from Bush Heritage Australia are working to save one of the last remaining groups of this species.
To capture these legless lizards – the name comes from legs that disappeared through evolution leaving just a scaly protrusion – Bush Heritage has purchased roof tiles in bulk.
About 800 have been strewn across the area for the proposed caravan park. The idea is simple but effective. Reptiles like to press themselves against heated surfaces to get warm. As the sun heats the tiles, legless lizards will wriggle underneath them.
To read the full article, visit The Guardian.
The name says it all. Check out this stunning Cherry Bomb Blood Python in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user jsignoretti every once in a while! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Tuesday, October 20 2015
One of the most common amphibians out there, this Albino Clawed Frog is just hanging around in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user bradtort every once in a while! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Monday, October 19 2015
![](/blog/uploads/ScreenShot2015-10-19at10.16.52PM.png) Photo: Inside EditionA pair of conjoined twins were able to be successfully separated by their breeder.
"To my surprise, the reason the baby couldn't exit was because it was attached to its twin," he told INSIDE EDITION. "I helped them out of the egg and discovered they were joined at the yolk sac which is basically the equivalent to an umbilical. Immediately we knew we had a bit of a challenge on our hands."
To read the full article and see the video, visit Inside Edition.
What better way to start out this week than with this cute Nile Monitor in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user Mantafish every once in a while! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Sunday, October 18 2015
![](http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/f6971d504a6d894cb7944de3d383c26c5c6bb869/c=0-0-533-401&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/2015/09/30/USATODAY/USATODAY/635792284854121661-635792168345837837-Gator-Turtle-ColonialCC9.30.15.jpg) Photo: The News-Press
Despite being an apex predator, one unlucky Alligator learned there are things scarier than him, like a golf cart.
The gator's plan for a nice meal was all set in motion when the turtle found itself surrounded by the alligator's teeth. The turtle remained incarcerated by the alligator's gaping mouth until a golf cart scooted close enough to scare the gator back into the lake, Backman says.
To read the full article, visit USAToday.
Saturday, October 17 2015
![](http://media.graytvinc.com/images/353*278/StevenDavidJohnsonCowKnobSalamander.JPG) Photo: StevenDavidJohnson.com and Wild Virginia
A Virginia pipeline may need to change it's route to avoid potential impact on two special of Salamanders, the Cheat Mountain salamander and the Cow Knob salamander.
It recommends changing the route of the pipeline to avoid as much of the salamanders' habitats as possible, possibly going south of South Sister Knob and Chestnut Ridge or north of Romney, West Virginia.
Another proposal would have the pipeline construction crews bore through Shenandoah Mountain, but that would not eliminate impacts on the habitats of the two species.
To read more visit Newsplex.com.
Friday, October 16 2015
Happy Rattlesnake Friday! All venomous snakes need our support! This Cottonmouth is screaming it from the field in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user BowieKnife357 ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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![](http://a57.foxnews.com/global.fncstatic.com/static/managed/876/493/660_king-cobra-snake.jpg?ve=1&tl=1) Photo: Fox News
Despite their best attempts to track global venomous snake bites, many Asian countries are unable to properly count the number of people envenomated annually. Due to the lack of available health care in some regions as well as the inability to pay for it leads many bites to not be counted.
Citing new evidence from a study in India and Bangladesh, the experts said around 46,000 people died annually of snake bites in India, plus another 6,000 in Bangladesh. The WHO estimates the annual death toll in India from snake bites is 10,000.
"Snake bite ... is almost completely ignored and grossly underestimated," said Alan Harvey, head of the International Society of Toxinology, who led the meeting.
"WHO and governments need to ... rank snake bite where it belongs -- as a very real public health and medical concern which needs funding, training and focus."
To read the full article, visit Fox News.
Thursday, October 15 2015
Hope you enjoy a little something out of the wild with this Mud Snake in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user Godfrey every once in a while! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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![](http://www.earthisland.org/elist/graphics/tinyTurtle.jpg) Photo: Don Lyman
Despite being listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List, the Blanding's Turtle is not federally protected in the US, although some states have regulations in place. Biologist Jared Green of Assabet River National in Hudson, Massachusetts, however wants to help increase their numbers in his state. The program hit a major milestone this spring releasing their One-thousandth turtle.
Biologists hope that building a strong population of Blanding’s turtles at Assabet River will help offset population losses being experienced by the turtles elsewhere.
Although there are some big Blanding’s turtle populations in the Midwest, most populations in the Northeast are less than 50 turtles, Butler says. The only large population is at Oxbow NWR, where an estimated several hundred Blanding’s turtles make their home. “That’s virtually unheard of east of the Mississippi,” explains Butler.
Read more at Earth Island Journal.
Wednesday, October 14 2015
What a great shot of this clutch of subocs in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user pecoskid ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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![](http://cdn.phys.org/newman/csz/news/800/2014/aphotoobtain.jpg) Photo: A photo obtained from the Christian-Albrechts-Universitat of Kiel shows a South-American horned frog (genus Ceratophrys), waiting for its prey
Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-06-super-sticky-frog-scientists-tongue-tied.html#jCp
It was previously thought that a frog's tongue got it's stickiness from the saliva, but recent research suggests something completely different.
"The experimental data shows that frog tongues can be best compared to pressure-sensitive adhesives that are of common technical use as adhesive tapes or labels," according to the study published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Read more on this study at Phys.org.
Tuesday, October 13 2015
Everyone feels just like this little chameleon does here in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user 1Sun every once in a while! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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![](http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/6822472-3x2-340x227.jpg) Photo: The News-Press
University of Queensland has decided turtles look good in clothes. They have altered the design of rash vest to fit both hatchling and adult sea turtles to learn a bit more about the dietary needs of Loggerheads by collecting a full fecal sample.
Mr Coffee said the information could be used to identify and protect habitats.
"The idea is that I'll be sampling nesting females as well," he said.
"So I'll be taking blood and skin from nesting females over the summer period at Mon Repos and Heron Island and be hoping to use ... analysis on those and figure out where they were foraging before they came to nest.
To get the full poop on this article, visit ABC.net.
Monday, October 12 2015
![](http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/files/2015/09/53A0037-watermarked-1024x592.jpg) Photo: Robin Moore/ILCP
Called the "Golden Wonder" by conservationists, the Jackson’s Climbing Salamander, Bolitoglossa jacksoni, has not been seen since 1977. This field report chronicles the search for the Golden Wonder, as well as many other great and rare amphibian finds.
“When I spied that oh so familiar pose of a Long-limbed Salamander basking in the rain with feet splayed and spine bent with that beautiful long tail hanging down, I was thrilled. It really brought back much of what it had been like in ‘76; going out night after night in the rain. Finding this salamander is as rewarding as it was years ago.”
To read the full account, visit National Geographic.
This sassy lil watersnake had to stop and eat a toad in the yard before the photographer captured it for our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user dinahmoe ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Friday, October 9 2015
Happy Rattlesnake Friday! We are seeing red with this gorgeous shot of a Pygmy Rattlesnake our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user Tamers1 ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Thursday, October 8 2015
Is there any thing more classic than this chameleon tongue shot in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user 1Sun ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Wednesday, October 7 2015
![](http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/f5165edfa19bcf273643df7b3770f5690bca06dd/r=x404&c=534x401/http/cdn.tegna-tv.com/-mm-/e3e5039fca757a7adbd71f73fc2037341d68e1d2/c=114-0-1887-1333/local/-/media/2015/10/01/GGM/MarineCorpsTimes/635793354731107027-Marines-Desert-Tortoi-Weig-1-.jpg) Photo: Lauren Kurkimilis/Marine Corps via AP
Near Twentynine Plams Marine Corps Base, 35 Desert Tortoises were recently released in an effort to repopulate the Mojave Desert at a ceremony with Marine Corps officials, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and researchers from the University of California Los Angeles.
Biologists have been raising tortoises over the past nine years at a six-acre facility to help boost the population that was nearly decimated by a respiratory virus in the late 1980s.
Read more at Marine Corps Times.
This great shot of a pair of Bufo bufo in the middle of amplexus helps ring in this Wednesday in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user Krallenfrosch ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Tuesday, October 6 2015
This stunning Trimeresurus vogeli is just hanging around in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user Vittorio_K ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Monday, October 5 2015
![](http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/99146jhfku_012-med.jpg)
A python, reported to be 20 feet in length, critically injured a pet store owner in Newport Ohio in an apparent feeding mishap. According to media reports store owner Terry Wilkins was feeding the snake when it latched onto his arm and wrapped around his head, neck, and torso. Wilkens was not breathing when officers arrived to free him but he did resume breathing before he was taken to University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
"It was only by the grace of God that one of the officers knew how to deal with snakes," - police chief Tom Collins
The owner appears to be recovering after two officers pried off the 125-pound python that was wrapped around his head, neck and torso, according Collins.
The snake is currently alive and being held at the store where the incident occurred. Police are working with animal control to determine if the animal will need to be removed from the shop.
Click here to read more at WCPO Gallery photo by ahas
![](http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/f3b1c16a85723a8d45d2fb5c42494b820018fa40/c=23-0-555-400&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/2015/09/30/USATODAY/USATODAY/635792435742719319-rattle-100202-rattle3-es.jpg) Photo: Eric Sharp, Detroit Free Press
Despite being up for consideration of listing on the Endangered Species Act since 1999, the Eastern Massasauga has remained unprotected. Now it appears that will change. Known for their docile nature, the massasauga rattlesnake has it's greatest known population density in the state of Michigan, but as with most endangered species, habitat destruction has started putting extreme pressure on the current populations.
The biggest threat to the snake, across its range from Missouri to New York, is loss and degradation of habitat, Kingsbury said.
"The snakes don't travel as far as other animals do from habitat patch to habitat patch," he said. "Anytime you have paved roads, a farmer's field, a residential area, they will be barriers to the snake, and it will turn around and head back from where it came."
Read more at USAToday.com.
Is it any wonder that Bearded Dragons are still one of the most popular pets in the reptile community? Not when you see this cute guy in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user JFKDragons ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Friday, October 2 2015
A great shot of a live (as they should be) Pygmy Rattlesnake on concrete in the field in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user JARHEAD1969 ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Thursday, October 1 2015
![](https://media2.wnyc.org/i/620/413/l/80/1/ACLF3.JPG) Photo Credit: Matthew Schlesinger, New York Natural Heritage Program
Carl Kauffeld believe there were two very different species of Leopard Frogs, but he did not have the means to prove it. Thankfully we now do! With the help of a geneticist, a team of researchers recently proved Kauffeld's belief to be true and named the Atlantic Coast Leopard Frogs after the herper great, Rana kauffeldi.
"There might have been some jumping up and down," recalled Dr. Matthew Schlesinger, the head of zoology at the New York Natural Heritage Program, who was part of the team. "There might have been some high fives going around."
...
Now, with virtually nothing known about this animal, the team trying to track and learn about its range and habits. "It's like we're trying to write the page of the field guide that's devoted to this species," Schlesinger said.
Learn more at WNYC.
This gorgeous closeup of a Painted Turtle also shows a bit of old fashion home grown cage decor in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user trachemys ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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Wednesday, September 30 2015
An wonderful shot of this Indigo Snake in the field in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user ACO3124! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
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![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CFKwEJUVEAAZeCR.jpg) Photo via Twitter user @MeghanCArnold
San Francisco is having an invasion of sorts on their public transit. It seems many owners of Green Iguanas are taking over, bringing their pets on the bus. While we wish it weren't causing such a stir, looking at these photos, we can certainly understand why!
When transporting your reptiles, be it via train, plane or automobile, it is wise to properly secure that animal. Dogs have leash laws and many places have a law banning releasing cats, it is only wise for us to contain our reptile pets. Looking through these photos, it is clear that if the animal tried hard enough, there is no protection to keep them with their owner.
The other issue is there are people with fears of dogs and cats, but there are many more that fear reptiles. As one Muni rider tweeted:
Guy with large iguana on crowded MUNI picking dead iguana skin off his iguana
Outreach is great, sharing our pets is wonderful, but pushing limits can bring upon strict rules. Practice safety at all times when transporting your reptile pets, not only for the safety of others but also for the safety of that animal.
Read the full article at City Lab.
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