In an attempt to ban the keeping on non-native venomous animals in South Carolina, two bills had late stage amendments pushed through. These two bills were almost through the process to make them law with very little notice to owners.

A breakdown of what the amendments will do from USARK:

The bills vary slightly but both will:

ban all non-native venomous reptiles of the class Reptilia belonging to the families Elapidae, Crotalidae, Viperidae, and Hydrophiidae;
ban all non-native venomous reptiles in the genus Heloderma;
ban all non-native venomous reptiles in the family Colubridae belonging to the genera: Rhabdophis, Boiga, Dispholidus, Thelatornis, and Atractapsi;
make it unlawful for a person to import into, possess, keep, purchase, have custody or control of, reproduce, or sell a non-native venomous reptile, including transactions conducted via the Internet;
find that a person who possesses non-native venomous reptiles may be guilty of a felony and may be fined up to five thousand dollars or imprisoned up to five years.

There is an urgent phone campaign happening now and we need YOU to help! Please visit USARK here and make your calls today. The action alert has all the information needed!

During a recent research survey, a new species of marsupial frog in the Cordilleras de Colan National Sanctuary in Northern Peru.

The new species belongs to the Gastrotheca genus of tailless frogs found in South and Central America.

...

"This new species is distinguished by having a thick granular skin on the back, a green dorsal coloration without a pattern, turquoise iris and a belly without spots, specks or dots," said SERNANP.

To read more visit phys.org here.