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.
It's the weekend and what better excuse to hang with your friends, just like the rhino iguana in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user spotsowner!
The Windsor-Essex Humane Society is decrying a violent attack on a northern watersnake, and asking the incident be taken as seriously as abuse against any other type of animal.
From the CBC:
Coulter said the Humane Society consulted a snake expert who said the snake died at the hands of a human and not another animal. She also said rocks didn't simply fall on the snake and kill it.
"It's a concern because, just because she's not a dog or cat doesn't mean she didn't suffer. She was attacked and left there to die," Coulter said. "If this was a dog or cat pelted with rocks and left to die, everyone would be horrified.
"While snakes may not be everyone's favourite animal, they are a part of our ecosystem and can suffer like any other animal."
This pair of horned lizards (aka horny toads) are just chilling like a pair of villians on their rock in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user radar357!
A veteran was reunited with Ba Cu, a Vietnamese pond turtle he rescued nearly 50 years ago and the oldest known example of her species.
From the Columbus Dispatch:
On Thursday, Lowery and Ba Cu met again in a visit arranged by zoo officials in honor of Memorial Day. Though Lowery, now 72, lives in Pickerington, he doesn’t often visit the zoo, he said, so he was glad to see the turtle.
“She sets a record every day,” he said.
Before he was drafted, Lowery had been studying to be a zookeeper and worked at the zoo’s reptile house.
In addition to the turtle, he sent back snakes and small mammals that he thought the zoo would be interested in. First, he had to persuade Vietnamese wildlife officials to let him take the animals, then he boxed them up and sent them to the U.S. on Pan American World Airways.
CHOW TIME! This female Parson's chameleon is just about to grab a bite to eat in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user rocknreptiles!
Missouri school children will be using stuffed animals and telemetry data to learn about box turtles.
From the KPLR News:
Monday evening more than 200 grade school students will track soft plush box turtles to better understand their ecosystem.
‘We’ll have some of those plush turtles that have those telemetry devices so the kids will take their parents out and track them which we’ll have hidden at the zoo,’ says Dean.
They’ll be using radio telemetry technology to help the state reptile of Missouri.
On a trip to New Zealand, Prince Harry met a Tuatara lizard named Harry who is over 100 years old.
From the Sunday Express:
The royal came face to face with a Tuatara lizard, also named Harry, during a welcome ceremony in the city of Invercargill.
The Prince came up close and personal with the 100-year-old reptile as it settled on his arm.
The Tuatara is only found in New Zealand where it is revered in native Maori culture as a messenger of the gods.
It was back to business as usual afterwards as Prince Harry then faced a crowd of screaming female fans - one of whom even managed to plant a kiss on the Royal.
Despite their reputation of being angry, the beauty of a Tokay gecko puts it front and center in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user stingray!
You think getting your kids to brush their teeth is hard, imagine doing it with a croc! Check out the dental care given to Jaws over at Madras Croc Bank in India in our Herp Video of the Week.
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!
A newly approved rattlesnake antivenom is being tested in Arizona.
From KVOA.com:
The Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy in Tucson and the Banner Poison and Drug Information Center at Banner-University Medical Center in Phoenix will be conducting a study to find the most effective way to use the two antivenoms.
"Arizona has the largest diversity of rattlesnake bites in the country and what we see in all these rattlesnake bites is an incredible diversity of patients and the kind of effects we see in the rattlesnakes themselves," said Keith Boesen, director of the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center.
Every year, there are between 250 to 350 rattlesnake bites in Arizona. Many of the victims credit antivenom for saving their lives.
What a great shot! Check out this close up of the eye of the dragon (a bearded one that is) in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user mecdwell!
Water management plans are making it difficult for alligators to find prey.
From the Sun Sentinel:
The Everglades alligators appear to be suffering from the artificial water management imposed on the area to drain land for cities and farms, he said.
Before the canals and pumps and other structures went up over the past century, he said there were sufficient dry periods to concentrate prey, allowing the alligators to find enough food. But now, some areas are flooded year-round, allowing fish, turtles and other prey to spread out over a wide area. That makes it harder for the alligators to find enough to eat.
"They are thinner," he said. "They're not getting enough to eat. We've been seeing that for a number of years, specifically in the Everglades and the water conservation areas.'
Baby shots are always a favorite! This Lampropeltis triangulum gaigeae grabs its first breath in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user nategodin!
The London Zoo has become the first zoo in the world to successfully breed an incredibly rare Lake Oku clawed frog.
From the Irish Examiner:
The Lake Oku clawed frog is native to only Lake Oku in Cameroon and, due to their unique history of evolution (including the loss of their tongues), the aquatic frogs are tottering on the brink of extinction.
A team of amphibian keepers at the zoo are the first to ever successfully breed the frog, sparking fresh hope of ensuring the survival of the species.
Zookeepers have been intent on maintaining perfect conditions for the amphibians to thrive and four of the zoo’s 13 tadpoles have already metamorphosed into young, colourful frogs.
This yearling Okeetee corn snake is just hanging out doing snake things, like climbing a tree, in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cochran!
Conservationists are working to make sure Florida has a great turtle season this year, and are on the lookout for green turtles.
From news-press.com:
Kelly Sloan, sea turtle program coordinator Sanibel/Captiva Conservation Foundation, also has plans to make this a good year for turtles.
"Coyotes are a problem," Sloan explained. "We are going to attempt to screen every nest this year. Hopefully that will keep the coyotes out."
Sloan is also hoping for lots of green turtles this year. They had a record number of greens, 23 of them, in 2013 and none last year. Sloan is also starting a big campaign with a slogan "After Nine it's Turtle Time," in an attempt to get people to turn off or conceal lights at night. Hatchlings use the lights from the horizon to find the water. Artificial light can lure them the wrong way.
Our Herp Video of the Week shares a herper named Zach and his Valentine's Day find of a bundle of ringneck snakes in the Bay Area.
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!
Recently discovered Brazilian frogs create underwater chambers to mate.
From the Daily Mail:
And when it comes to mating, this family of frogs has a unique trait not seen in other frogs.
They typically like to live near fast streams and, if a pair decides to mate, they will spend five minutes searching for a private spot.
‘The male quickly carves out a chamber by excavating the sand around small rocks at the bottom of the stream,’ said Agata Blaszczak-Boxe from New Scientist.
‘Then, like Christian Grey from Fifty Shades he invites his mate into his sex dungeon, which is only just big enough to fit the two amorous amphibians.’
Simply beautiful is the only way to describe this Mitchell's reed frog (Hyperolius mitchelli) taking center stage in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user arkherps!
Balls of tar have washed ashore on a Malaysian beach known for its nesting green turtles.
From the Star Online:
Lang Tengah Turtle Watch co-founder Raphe van Zevenbergen said he noticed clumps of tar balls washing up ashore along the 15m-stretch beach and immediately lodged a report with the marine park authorities.
“So far, we have collected some 13 bags of tar balls. We are concerned that the tar might seep into the sand. We have also asked for help from the nearby resorts.
“They have been very obliging in cleaning their own sections of the beach as we all await assistance from the authorities,” he said.
Lang Tengah Island, which is just under three kilometres in length, is popularly known as Turtle Bay due to its known turtle nesting population, predominantly the green turtles.
There is nothing common about these common frogs (Rana temporaria) taking the spotlight in our Herp Photo of the Day , uploaded by kingsnake.com user Krallenfrosch!
This rundown of snake fact and fiction may change some minds about the reptiles.
From Live Science:
Snakes play important roles in ecosystems, but they also terrify some people. That fear has led to many myths about snake behavior.
To get to the bottom of some of the assumptions about snakes in the United States and separate fact from fiction, Live Science talked to several snake experts. Here are some commonly held beliefs about snakes and whether they're true or false.
The Northern Leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens) is an fairly widespread US Native species that get a spotlight in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Terry_Cox!
Citizen scientists are helping researchers learn what rising temperatures mean for Joshua Tree National Park.
From USA Today:
Stortroen, an 82-year-old retired insurance claim center manager from St. Paul, Minn., has joined research outings in places ranging from Australia to South Africa. This was his first time assisting scientists in the Mojave Desert.
"I enjoy the teamwork. I enjoy working with nature," he said, pausing beside boulders while the group took a break and pulled out their water bottles.
Stortroen was one of 15 Earthwatch volunteers — American, British and Canadian — who helped with the research earlier this month in Joshua Tree National Park. The volunteers split up with park biologists and UC scientists to conduct surveys of plants, count birds and record the numbers of lizards and other reptiles.
The simple shot of a tree frog in a field of green is hard to beat! We hope you enjoy this shot of a Pseudacris regilla in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user emvee!
Our Herp Video of the Week is a sneak peek in how professionals extract venom! This flashback video shows the extraction of a king cobra by our friends down at the Kentucky Reptile Zoo. The venom is then used for cancer research.
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!