Nature's tiniest Chameleon has been discovered in Madagascar:

A species of chameleon small enough to easily perch on a match head has been discovered on a tiny island off Madagascar, a group of scientists has announced.

In addition to the discovery of Brookesia micra, now the tiniest chameleon ever discovered, the researchers also announced the discovery of three additional tiny chameleon species.

Adult males of the B. micra species grow to only just over a half-inch (16 millimeters) from nose to bottom, making them one of the smallest vertebrates ever found on Earth.

From nose to tail, adults of both sexes grow to only 1 inch (30 mm) in length.
Lead researcher Frank Glaw said the team already had experience finding tiny lizards in Madagascar, "but it was also good luck."

The team searched for the tiny lizards under the cover of darkness, using headlamps and flashlights to seek out the sleeping chameleons. All four species are active during the day, and at night climb up into the branches to sleep.

To read the full article, click here.

The proposed "Illinois Dangerous Animals Act of 2012, Senate Bill SB3264", a bill which would have eliminated and restricted the ownership of many pet reptiles in Illinois, was the agenda of a Senate hearing today at the state capital in Springfield. A group of concerned Illinois pet and business owners, led by the always fearless and outspoken Brian Potter, went to Springfield today to speak their minds on the proposal.

I had a chance to speak with Brian for a few minutes right after the hearing. He was kind enough to give us an update on the current situation in Illinois.
Click here to hear the interview with Brian Potter.

It was the other shoe dropping for our community. Four species of pythons have been added to the Lacey Act of the United States. On Tuesday, February 28, the Judiciary Committee will see another bill looking to include the remaining original species of snakes. From the House of Representatives webpage:

A BILL
To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit the importatiion of various injurious species of constrictor snakes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. IMPORTATION OR SHIPMENT OF INJURIOUS SPECIES.
Section 42(a)(1) of title 18, United States Code, is amended in the first sentence by inserting after ‘‘polymorpha;’’ the following: ‘‘of the Indian python of the species Python molurus, including the Burmese python of the species Python molurus bivittatus; of the reticulated python of the species Broghammerus reticulatus or Python reticulatus; of the Northern African python of the species Python sebae; of the Southern African python of the species Python natalensis; of the boa constrictor of the species Boa constrictor; of the yellow anaconda of the species Eunectes notaeus; of the DeSchauensee’s anaconda of the species Eunectes deschauenseei; of the green anaconda of the species Eunectes murinus; of the Beni anaconda of the species Eunectes beniensis;’’

This would be a good time to reach out to your representatives. Remember: always be polite. Explain that the recent Lacey Act Rule including the Burmese, the Yellow Anaconda and the Northern and Southern Rock Pythons has not taken effect nor has it proven to be a failed addition. Also point out that this bill will criminalize many responsible owners on such basic tasks as crossing the state lines for vet care or in the event the family moves. You can also touch on the job loss and the impact this will have on the economy. Make it personal, and do not refer to your animals as a "collection" but as pets.
Not sure who your representative is? Click here to find out. After the bump there is a list of those targeted as key members of the judiciary committee, however to reach out to the full list of committee members, click here.

Lamar Smith (R-TX)- 202-225-4236

Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI)- 202-225-5101

Howard Coble (R-NC)- 202-225-3065

Darrell Issa (R-CA)- 202-225-3906

Louie Gohmert (R-TX)- 202-225-3035

Jason Chaffetz (R-UT)- 202-225-7751

Trey Gowdy (R-SC)- 202-225-6030

Ted Poe (R-TX)- 202-225-6565

Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)- 202-225-5431

Blue Tongue Skins in Australia are develping resistance to the poisonous Cane Toad. From NewScientist.com:

Some blue-tongue lizards in eastern Australia can dine on the cane toads and live, though. Oddly enough, they might owe their immunity to another invasive species.

An ornamental plant native to Madagascar called mother-of-millions (Bryophyllum delagoense) is common in eastern Australia, and has also become part of the lizards' diet. The plants' flowers contain a poison similar to bufadienolide. Rick Shine at the University of Sydney, Australia, suspected that lizards which have already gained immunity to this toxin might be in a better position to withstand the toad toxin too.

His team caught 75 lizards that lived in areas containing either the toad and the ornamental plant, just one of the two, or neither of the toxic invaders. Shine injected toad poison into the lizards, administering a dose high enough to provoke a reaction, but not enough to kill the animal. His team then timed how fast the lizards could swim 50 centimetres.

Blue-tongue lizards from areas containing mother-of-millions were affected to a lesser degree than any others. This was true even for lizards that lived in regions of eastern Australia that contain no cane toads.

To read the full article, click here.

A beautiful lizard in the Andes, geckos in India, a family of Caecilians in North-east Asia and Sea Snakes in Australia.

First up, the Rough Scaled Sea Snakes in Weipa:

The snake has been given the scientific name Hydrophis donaldii to honour Associate Professor Fry's long-time boat captain David Donald.

“Quite simply we would not have found this snake without Dave's unique knowledge of the area. I told him we wanted to survey as many distinct types of habitat as possible and he guided us to the perfect spots,” Associate Professor Fry said.

The snake has been given the common-name ‘rough-scaled sea snake' to reflect the unique scalation.

“We don't know why it has been evolutionarily selected to have such unique scalation, but we will next study its ecology to learn more about it.”

Next the Caecilians:

These amphibians live below the soil and their discovery was after extensive research of five years. “The new family of amphibians from northeast India has ancient links to Africa,” said a study done by SD Biju of University of Delhi with co-researchers from the Natural History Museum, London and Vrije University, Brussels.

Biju said the remarkable discovery came following an unprecedented fieldwork effort of soil-digging surveys in about 250 localities spread over five years (2006-2010) in various parts of every Northeast Indian states (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim and Darjeeling district of West Bengal). “The work is the most extensive systematic program of dedicated caecilian surveys ever attempted”.

The legless amphibians lead a secretive lifestyle under soil making it extremely challenging to find them. They are reclusive and can be seen normally during rainy days.
It is believed that they separated from other species of caecilians more than 140 million years ago at the break-up of the southern continents (Gondwana). Their DNA was tested to reach this conclusion.

And then there is the new Geckos of Asia:

A new species of gecko, first found on a wall at Junagadh’s Vagheshwari Mata Temple, in the Girnar Hills, has earned Gujarat the distinction of having a lizard named after it.
But those who discovered the gecko say the state may host more new species while simultaneously warning human activity, especially tourism, could increase pressure on habitats.
The Hemidactylus Gujaratensis — which typically measures a little shorter than five-inches in length — was found in October 2007 by Raju Vyas and Sunny Patil, who are both members of one of India’s most prestigious nature organisations, the Bombay Natural History Society.

Lastly the newest lizard from the Andes:

Germán Chávez and Diego Vásquez from the Centro de Ornitología y Biodiversidad (CORBIDI) in Peru have discovered a new colorful lizard which they named Potamites montanicola, or “mountain dweller”. The new species was found in Cordillera de Vilcabamba and Apurimac river valley, the Cusco Region of Peru at altitude ranging from 1,600 to 2,100 meters. Their study was published in the open access journal ZooKeys.

“The new discovery raises some questions”, say the authors. This is the only member of the genus known to live at such altitude. It is yet unknown what biological mechanisms help the lizard to survive in this harsh environment, much colder than what it’s relatives in the genus prefer. Scientists also believe the lizard may be nocturnal, which raises the question of how it maintains its body temperature during night time. In some cases, individuals were observed swimming in streams, which is rather unusual behavior for the members this genus.

When it comes to conservation efforts, rattlesnakes can be a tough sell. The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy just took steps to protect the environment of a an endangered rattlesnake and preserve part of their ecosystem.

"They bring balance to the ecosystem, and they are part of our history in Pennsylvania and worth preserving," Ryan Miller, a zoologist with the conservancy, said about the snakes.

Miller wouldn't disclose the exact location of the property, only saying it was in the northwestern corner of Venango County. The conservancy said the property contains more than 12 acres of wetlands and 1,600 feet of stream.

"We know (the snakes) are in the area," Miller said. "They're very hard to find, they stay hidden in the grass."

Miller said it's unknown how many of the rattlers live on the Venango County land or in three other sites in Venango and Butler counties, but the numbers have been dwindling.

"One place is just a 2-acre area of grass," Miller said. "They are barely hanging on."

He added that the conservancy has tagged about 300 of the rattlers statewide with microchips, so they can be tracked. Miller said poaching is a concern, and law enforcement will be able to track the snakes with the microchips. He said some people believe that snake venom can help with medical problems, and has been explored for treatment of arthritis, polio and multiple sclerosis.

Miller said the snakes eat mice and rodents, which help balance out the ecosystem.

To read the full article, click here.

Proposed and actual bans on keeping various types of reptiles are spreading across the country, from the federal to local level. What can we do? Turn off our computers.

I see a million and one petitions circulating with people complaining that not enough people have signed them. But nobody cares about online petitions. It costs you nothing to sign them, and lawmakers and the media know it.

Ditto a bunch of us getting together to rant and rave about animal rights groups, politicians, and the media changes not one mind. It doesn't stop one law. It doesn't get a single article in a newspaper that presents our point of view.

Instead, get out in the public eye and talk with people who don't understand the appeal of keeping reptiles, and those who don't know about us, our hobby, or our animals. Go to your local pet stores, vet clinics, and dog parks. Network. Educate. Reach out to other pet owners, who you'll find are more sympathetic than you might imagine, once you talk to them as one pet-lover to another.

Carry pre-written letters with you if your state is under fire. Print out 20 copies of letters to our representatives. People are more likely to sign a letter and give it to you if you're willing to mail it for them! Remember, this was a major impact tactic that worked fighting HR669. Keep them on hand and mail them in. Remember, you should have the signer print their name and address on the form so that it shows residency.

Don't waste your breath trying to make people believe in the vast AR conspiracy. You aren't going to get anywhere with that approach, and run the risk of having them think you're a conspiracy theorist and just tune you out.

Instead, focus on educational outreach about herpetology and herp-keeping. I can’t stress this enough. People will not give a damn about these laws if they aren't given a reason to. Let your passion for our hobby and your love of your pets be that reason.

Remind the people you talk to that every classroom in America has lizards, frogs, and turtles in it. Talk to them about the wonders of the natural world, and of herpetological study.

Even if they don't personally want to start keeping reptiles, that may be all it takes for the tide of public opinion to start turning our way, even just a little.

Webster defines a pet as "a domesticated animal kept for pleasure rather than utility." So why does the reptile community have such an issue with the word "pet"?

Me, I have an issue with using the word "collections" to describe our animals. I collect comic books, but my reptiles are my pets. I provide their daily needs -- food, water and a clean enclosure. I give them enrichment items and interact with them daily. I keep them because they give me pleasure.

That doesn't change because breeding them and making money doing it; you are still gaining pleasure from those animals that you are raising in your home. You gain personal joy from doing it, you network with others keeping reptiles, and you build our community.

Before you complain our animals are not domesticated, check again. According to Webster, our reptiles are in fact domesticated. Domesticate: "To adapt (an animal or plant) to life in intimate association with and to the advantage of humans."

So tell me, why is saying you have a "pet snake" so wrong?

Amphibians are nature's barometer. When their populations are stable and healthy, their environment is, too:

"Amphibians were the first land animals and have a 350-million-year history. They are an environmental barometer and we can analyse the quality of our environment by studying them. We cannot imagine life without frogs. If there are no frogs, it would not be possible to grow anything in our fields," (researcher Dr. Sathyabhama Das) Biju says.

Biju, who works in the Systematics Lab of DU's Environmental Studies department, has been spending seven months a year in the forests of the Northeast and the Western Ghats for the past two decades. It's with this experience that he says the 'dream forest' cover of the Northeast will be lost forever in 20 years' time if urgent interventions are not made.

The scientist then makes a staggering claim: "India is yet to identify 50% of its flora and fauna." Many species of animals will become extinct, he says, without our even knowing they exist.

"For instance, 63 out of 350 amphibian species are no longer found. Amphibian conservation is less about money and more about rapid identification and management and creation of wetland and marshy areas. But we need to do this on a priority," he says. Biju is at present working on 28 new species of frogs which are yet to be described.

To read the full article, click here.

Every reptile keeper is familiar with it: Total incomprehension on the part of non-herpers as to why we keep the pets we do.

While others are off in Washington doing their work fighting this battle on the legislative front, the rest of us have our own battles to fight. I issued a challenge to the members of the reptile community in December to do education in libraries, schools, and public events like pet fairs, but we also need to do one-on-one education about the beauty and wonder of our chosen species.

Start by sharing with skeptical members of the public how beautiful you find animals like snakes. Their fluid movements, grace, and beauty enthrall me each and every day I am with them. Their bodies are amazing mechanically; their muscle movements enchant me.

We need to help people understand that yes, we have relationships with our snakes. I talk to each one that lives with me, calling then by name even though they never answer back. These are beautiful, low maintenance pets who make me smile each day; what could be wrong with that?

My lizards are much more personable. Osama answers to his name and is clearly my favorite. He greets me with a series of headbobs communicating his mood, much like a dog does with his tail.

I train my dogs, and I've also trained my lizards. Using treats to reward the behavior I want, I have successfully trained Osama to go where I want him to and remain hands free if I wish. He responds to my voice, not in the same way as my dogs, but in his own way. It's clear he recognizes my voice. He also responds to my touch and often reaches out to be held.

No, my reptiles don't follow me around the house like my dogs. They don't share scraps off my plate or cuddle with me on the couch -- but neither does my cat.

You may think you shouldn't have to explain to people that your pets are great animals and that you aren't a "freak" for keeping them. You're right; in a perfect world, that would be true. But in case you haven't noticed, this isn't a perfect world, and the more we get average pet-owners to understand that we love, respect and admire our reptile pets, the easier it will be to get them to oppose laws that would take our pets away or irrationally restrict our right to keep them, or to share this wonderful hobby with another generation of herpers.

So the next time you tell someone you keep snakes and they say, "Euwww," don't argue with them; educate them. Start today.

Photo of me and Osama Binguana, my beloved Grand Cayman Hybrid Iguana.

Researchers at the University of Florida think the Ozark Hellbender may hold clues to the decline of amphibians worldwide.

At more than 2 feet long, the Ozark Hellbender is the one of largest salamander species in the United States, with an unusual biological ability to regenerate injured or missing body parts.

"In the last 20 years we have been finding a tremendous number of injuries on these animals and those injuries are not healing," Nickerson said in a university release Monday. "Now the population is down to almost nothing and we are very worried about the species and the environmental changes around them."

In the study, microorganisms from abnormal and injured salamander tissue were examined for pathogens that may be causing a lack of regeneration and population decline among the hellbenders.

The Chytrid fungus has arrived in the Western Ghats.

“What we have detected is minimal, but it is very significant because this virus can threaten the already declining amphibian population in our forests to total extinction,” said RGCB scientist Sanil George, who along with Juha Merilla of the University of Helsinki headed the study.

With permission from the state Forest Department, the scientists had taken swabs off the frog’s skin from various locations in Kudremukh, Agumbe, Aralam, Athirapalli, Periyar, Munnar, Vellarimala, Ponmudi and Peppara regions of the Western Ghats.

This was the first such screening reported from the Indian sub continent, which until now, was generally believed to be free of the deadly fungus.

The ICUN Red List is finding that right now, amphibians are at the largest risk of extinction.

Professor Carsten Rahbek from the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate (CMEC) at the University of Copenhagen and his team identified various factors that put global amphibian diversity at risk, but noted that the spatial distribution of these threats and interactions are poorly known. Climate change, land use change and the fungal disease chytridiomycosis are some of the serious threats that the amphibian species face.

The researchers postulate that the greatest proportions of species adversely affected by climate change, what is probably the most serious threat, will be in Africa, parts of northern South America and the Andes. Their data also suggest that amphibian declines will probably accelerate in the 21st century, due to the multiple drivers of extinction that could threaten their populations more than previous, monocausal assessments have reported.

To read the full article, click here.

The Chelonoidis elephantopus tortoise was thought to be extinct, but the presences of its genes in hybrid stock tell a different story.

A genetic analysis, published in the latest Current Biology, found that DNA footprints of the long lost tortoise species, Chelonoidis elephantopus, exist in the genomes of its hybrid offspring. These tortoises turn out to be a mix of C. elephantopus and another giant tortoise from the area, C. becki.

While researchers have yet to isolate a purebred C. elephantopus individual, such tortoises must exist, based on the DNA data. The study marks the first time that a species has been rediscovered by way of tracking the genetic footprints left in the genomes of its hybrid offspring.

"This work also underscores the importance of museum collections in facilitating new discoveries," co-author Ryan Garrick told Discovery News. "Here, we were able to extract DNA from tortoise bones that were collected many decades ago, and use this DNA to characterize the gene pool of purebred C. elephantopus."

To read the full article, click here.

Kingsnake.com user Mark Haas is currently in intensive care after being shot while transporting animals for sale. Our hearts and thoughts are with Mark at this time for a quick and speedy recovery.

Mark L. Haas remains in intensive care with a collapsed lung at Crozer-Chester Medical Center after being shot Sunday in the parking lot of Woodlyn Shopping Center, said Ridley Police Lt. Scott Willoughby. His injuries are not life-threatening, he said.

Haas was supposed to sell the snakes to a buyer from New York, but police still do not know if the deal went bad or Haas was the victim of a random carjacking.

The suspect took off in Haas' car with two boxes of snakes inside and eventually hit a pole in Folsom, then ran away. Willoughby said police found the car and removed the boxes - one containing 20 baby pythons and the other a five- or six-foot python - back to the police station so they would not freeze.

To read the entire article, click here.

The Water Monitors (V. salvator) of Malacca are being hunted to extinction for meat, leather and medicine.

“Fifteen years ago, these reptiles could be easily spotted lazing along the river bank of scenic Malacca River. Now, they are hard to come by,” said city councillor Ronald Gan Yong Hoe.

“In some countries, monitor lizards are protected under Endangered Species Acts. We hope the state government will move to conserve our local reptiles,” the member of the Malacca Historic City Council said.

“If nothing is done, the extensive poaching of this reptile could lead to its extinction,” he said.

Gan said the local monitor lizards, known locally as biawak, are large water monitor species (varanussalvator) capable of growing up to three metres long and 25 kilos in weight.

He said that apart from their skin and meat, the reptlie was sought for a liquid from its body that was commonly believed to increase sexual prowess in both men and women.

To read the full article, click here.

Inset photo from our photo gallery, posted by VolleyBallJoe

Elvis, a Saltwater Crocodile at the Australian Reptile Park, decided that he didn't want his grass cut one day. And really, once an 1100-pound animal decides what it wants, very little can be done to change his mind.

"Before we knew it, the croc had the mower above his head," Mr Faulkner said. "He got his jaws around the top of the mower and picked it up and took it underwater with him."
The workers quickly left the enclosure. Elvis, meanwhile, showed no signs of relinquishing his new toy and sat guarding it closely all morning.

Eventually, Mr Faulkner realised he had no other choice but to go back in after the mower.

Mr Collett lured Elvis to the opposite end of the lagoon with a heaping helping of kangaroo meat while Mr Faulkner plunged, fully clothed, into the water. Before grabbing the mower, however, he had to search the bottom of the lagoon for two 3-inch teeth Elvis lost during the encounter. He quickly found them and escaped from the pool, unharmed and with mower in tow.

To see video footage, click here.

Recently an Australian family had an unwanted house guest. A 1.7-metre (around 5.5 foot) Saltwater Crocodile was lounging in their living room!

Jo Dodd said she was first alerted to the reptilian intruder by the frantic barking of their family dog.

"We opened the door to our bed-room and looked into our lounge-room area and there was a crocodile," Dodd said.

"It was the most freakiest thing - you don't usually see a crocodile in your lounge room. It was really a very surreal moment."

This croc was a wee baby; they can easily grow larger than 7 meters.

India is known as the land of the snakes, but "Land of Snakebite Deaths" might be more appropriate. With one of the highest mortality rates of snake bites in the world, what is India doing wrong? And can it be fixed?

Snakebite is a major occupational hazard in a country where farmers typically walk barefoot along field bunds. While we can exhort them to wear footwear, it will take years for this long-observed practice to change. People also tend to walk in the dark without a torch. For several decades, the price of disposable batteries was prohibitive for ordinary villagers, but the use of the new, affordable Chinese-made rechargeable torches may reduce the death toll. The other habit that puts rural people in harm’s way is sleeping on the floor. When farm economy is floundering, advising them to sleep on bedsteads will only elicit blank, uncomprehending stares. If people get bitten and are rushed to the hospital, the lack of doctors, trained in treating snakebite, as well as the limited availability and effectiveness of antivenom serum, jeopardize their lives further.

The only way to save a person from a lethal venomous snakebite is the administration of antivenom serum, even though too many people rely on superstition and alternative forms of medicine. Indians have had a surefire way of surviving a lethal bite as early as the 1920s, when the Central Research Institute began producing this life-saving drug commercially. Yet, almost a century later, despite snakebite continuing to be a major public health crisis, the availability of antivenom serum in small towns and villages, where bites usually occur, is limited.

To read the full article, click here.
After the bump, a video of a "snake girl of India" and her pet cobras. An example of non-medical treatments and improper animal management for the area.

To breed, of course! One warm and rainy night, Devich Farbotnik happened upon the migration. That was six years ago and he hasn't missed one since.

Farbotnik, an environmentalist, quickly realized that he had chanced upon - luckily, without also flattening - a surge of salamanders in the heat of their annual breeding rite. Jumping out of his truck, he kept oncoming traffic at bay as he shepherded the slithery paramours from one swampy side to the vernal pool on the other, there to hook up.

A half-dozen mating seasons have passed since then in upper Bucks County, and Farbotnik, now 31, has presided as crossing guard at each. On the first mild, rainy evening of late winter or early spring, he heads for the 518-acre Quakertown Swamp, a favored haunt of not only salamanders but also frogs, toads, birds, and muskrats.

To read the full article, click here.

In a departure from the usual, Hamilton's Animal Control in Ontario Canada, has relaxed some of their reptile bans, while keeping others in place.

Hamilton’s animal control staff has loosened their initial guidelines, and will allow residents to own anacondas, pythons, and non-poisonous tarantulas.

Under the proposed harmonized animal control bylaw recommendations councillors will be debating at their Jan. 12 special planning committee meeting, animal control staff will also allow people to own iguanas, except the dangerous Iguana iguana, non-venomous snakes under three meters long, and non-venomous lizards under two meters in length.

Other changes to the bylaw, which were made after a public meeting last November, include removing the number of pigeons a person owned from the original 40, and allowing people to own raptors in urban areas.

Also now allowed are three species of tarantula (the Chilean Rose, Mexican Red-knee and Pink-Toed) because of their more docile natures.

It's not what we've come to expect, but does give home that local laws can be changed for the better.

To read the full article, click here.

Photo courtesy of Desiree Wong

Rattlesnakes from the Albuquerque Bio Park are the newest research assistants in the fight against cancer. From KOAT in New Mexico:

“We know the protein out of the rattlesnake venom kills these cancer cells in their tracks. Cancers may become a thing of the past thanks to these rattlesnakes,” Doug Hotle, with the Albuquerque BioPark Zoo, said.

Four western diamondback rattlers are headed to a venom lab in Kentucky. The snakes’ venom will be milked, then freeze-dried and sent to scientists in France. Researches will take the venom and extract a protein that could eventually save lives.

“Venom as a whole can be a bad thing. Venom is made up of hundreds of individual proteins, but when we take these proteins apart and we look at what each protein does ... it is a great elixir of different compounds that could be used for biomedical research,” Hotle said.

Doug and the Bio Park are also organizing the 2012 Venom Workshop to help aid in research techniques, captive management as well as serving as a way to certify proper hours for private ownership. Check out the workshop here -- and kingsnake.com will be there!

Amazing biodiversity along the Mekong River in Southeast Asia has led to the description of 208 new species, including the adorable gecko to the right.

The newly described species include a "psychedelic gecko" in southern Vietnam and a nose-less monkey in a remote province of Myanmar that looks like it wears a pompadour.

"While this species, sporting an Elvis-like hairstyle, is new to science, the local people of Myanmar know it well," the Switzerland-based group said in its report.

The region is home to some of the world's most endangered species, including tigers, Asian elephants, Mekong dolphins and Mekong giant catfish, the group said.

"This is a region of extraordinary richness in terms of biodiversity but also one that is extremely fragile," said Sarah Bladen, communications director for WWF Greater Mekong. "It's losing biodiversity at a tragic rate."

The area is being pummeled by humans, however; habitat loss and deforestation are among the reasons biodiversity is threatened. To read the full article, click here.

As Iowa increases the number of endangered species it lists, Wisconsin is lowering theirs..

From the Des Moines Register:

Iowa’s short list of federally protected endangered species is in line to nearly double.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently listed a moth-like butterfly, the Poweshiek skipperling, as a candidate for the federal endangered species list.

Early this year, the agency also formally proposed endangered status for two types of freshwater clams, the sheepnose and spectaclecase mussels. And two other species already were on its lists of candidates for the endangered list: the massasauga rattlesnake and the Dakota skipper, a butterfly.

In Wisconsin, the Bulters Gartersnake is being delisted, along with 15 other species.

The 16 species proposed to be removed from the list are the greater redhorse, a small fish; the barn owl, snowy egret, and Bewick's Wren, the Pygmy Snaketail, a dragonfly, and two reptiles: Butler's Gartersnake and the Blanding's Turtle.

A Department of Natural Resources Blanding's Turtle review determined that there are large, stable populations and wide distribution throughout the state. In the case of Butler's Gartersnake, new information indicated greater abundance and range in the state than previously believed.

“Genetic analysis done by UW-Stevens Point researchers concluded that hybridization is not a threat to the species,” said Laurie Osterndorf, who directs DNR's Endangered Resources Bureau.

For the full article, click here.

While most male frogs have one-note calls, the Quang's tree frog sings like a bird.

"Quang's tree frog [...] has a hyperextended vocal repertoire—in other words, it doesn't just repeat the same call over and over, but has a number of types of calls. In fact, no two calls that I recorded were exactly the same, with each frog mixing clicks, whistles and chirps in no apparent order! It is the most variable frog call that I've heard of, and sounds a lot more like a bird song than a frog call [click here to listen to the frog's call]," lead author Jodi Rowley with the Australian Museum in Sydney told mongabay.com.

Unlike Quang's tree frog, Rowley says the majority of frog species stick to one note to attract females.

"[Most male frogs] call to attract females with a rather repetitive call (eg. the familiar "croak, croak, croak" or "chirp, chirp, chirp", for example). While each species has a different call (it helps prevent females attracting frogs of the wrong species!), most frog advertisement calls are of roughly one type of call, repeated until they get the girl."

To read more, click here.

From snake-bite kits to suction tubes, everyone always has some fail-safe method said to stop the spread of venom. Recently someone hit up The Straight Dope with a new addition: fire. No, his name was not Beavis.

Dear Cecil:
There’s a common belief that "sucking the poison out" is an effective snakebite remedy. I also heard journalist Stephanie Nolen talk about a man in Sudan who set his foot on fire after a snake bite, which he claimed saved him from the poison. Is either of these treatments effective? — Dyer

Cecil replies:

I treasure questions like yours, Dyer, because of the insight they give me into the human mind. Ninety-nine out of a hundred people, on hearing about some birdbrain who sets himself on fire to combat snakebite, think: what an amusing anecdote. Then there’s you, solemnly wondering: is this something I should try?

Quick answer: no. However, I don’t mean to make sport of you, for this simple reason. Although the Sudanese fellow’s grasp of the fine points left a lot to be desired, the therapeutic regimen to which he evidently subscribed was the standard treatment for snakebite for more than 2,500 years. It involved both suction and cauterization, which of course is the sober medical term for setting part of yourself (or someone) ablaze. We’ll refer to this overall approach as the suction method. Minus some of its more alarming features, it appeared in the Boy Scout manual until at least 1963.

Cecil actually goes into great detail on a lot of different methods, and it is an amusing blog post. My snake bite kit involves a cell phone and the telephone numbers of the Kentucky Reptile Zoo and the Florida Snakebite Institute. That is all I will ever need, no matter where I am in the world.

Inset photo courtesy of Terry Phillip.

An endangered Kemp's Ridley sea turtle named "Johnny Vasco da Gama" made his way back to the Gulf after three years and an exceptionally long journey. Found in the Netherlands, he was rehabbed in Portugal and just finished his final leg of rehabilition at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota before being released into the Gulf waters he was from. TampaBay.com reports:

The Kemp's ridley turtle was rescued in November 2008 in the Netherlands. The turtle was stabilized by the Rotterdam Zoo in the Netherlands and sent to the aquarium Oceanário de Lisboa in Portugal the following summer and was transferred to Zoomarine for rehab.

Zoomarine staff identified the turtle as a juvenile Kemp's ridley — a highly endangered species that spends this part of its life feeding in relatively shallow, warm waters of the western North Atlantic, particularly in the Gulf of Mexico, which is thousands of miles from where it was rescued. To return the turtle to optimum habitat, Zoomarine staff worked with NOAA Fisheries Service, FWC and Mote to obtain special import and export permits and arrange for the turtle's journey to Florida.

Sea turtles in Phuket are moving their normal nesting areas and have deserted a few of their normal lay spots. From the Phuket Gazette:

“Unfortunately, the turtles are not laying eggs on the usual beaches even though it is the nesting season,” (Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong, head of the Marine Endangered Species Unit at the Phuket Marine Biological Center) said.

The number of Leatherback, Olive Ridley and Green turtles are lower than before, a worried Mr Kongkiat explained.

“Climate is a major factor. It determines turtle population size as well as affecting the gender of the turtle’s offspring. The optimum temperature [for turtle nesting] is 29°C. If it’s too hot they won’t lay eggs,” he said.

An officer stationed at the Khao Lampi – Hat Thai Mueang National Park, in Phang Nga, also confirmed that no turtles had laid eggs on the beach this year.

The Black Sea turtles are returning to the Baja Coast. From Huff Post:

Every expedition begins well before the official start and ends far after its conclusion. This is especially the case with The Black Turtle Project, an unfolding and evolving effort to join conservation photography, communication and biology. I can assure you that this project began long ago and will live on into the future. The past two weeks in Baja are just the start of a collaborative effort that will transpire over the coming year and document the nascent and emerging success story of the black sea turtle's return to the Pacific coast of the Americas.

The bad news? Poachers are returning as well. To try to ward off poachers, the Madagascar-based Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust is defacing the shells of turtles to prevent theft. They explain their reasoning in this BBC video.

Recently a Fox News poll about keeping exotic pets began circulating around Facebook.

"Stop the animal rights extremists, and vote!" was the cry from the reptile community.

While organized opposition from animal rights extremists to the keeping of reptiles as pets is a definite political problem, the most powerful way we can fight back is on a very personal level.

Unless the average person knows someone who keeps reptiles, they have no understanding of why we keep these animals. They don't understand the joy we get out of our pets, and the happiness that having these animals gives to us.

And because they have no understanding of why we keep these animals, they are fertile ground for negative messages about reptile keeping.

If we want to protect our right to share our lives with these amazing animals, we have to take that advantage away from our enemies. We need to reach out to the people who don't understand us and our pets. We need to share our love of our animals in ways they'll understand and relate to.

For me, I enjoy keeping pretty things, like my carpet pythons with their vibrant colors. I enjoy watching the animals blossom and grow under my care. I enjoy the daily interactions I have with my iguana Osama Binguana, who is notorious for seeking out my attention. I enjoy working on target training with my iguanas as well. I can't train them to sit and roll over, but I can train them to go where I want with food rewards.

All these things are concepts every pet owner can relate to, even if they have no interest in pets who aren't furry and cute. That's why I spend at least 30 hours a month doing outreach.

I am at schools and libraries, pet stores and Scout meetings, as well as at general pet events. You know, the kind where dog and cat people go? So do I. And I explain what goes into caring for the ball python. Why certain animals do not make great pets, and what it takes to keep them if you are interested.

I explain the legalities of keeping reptiles, and what people need to do to be responsible keepers. I am not above correcting bad knowledge, and challenging existing keepers to improve their habits, or telling them what they need to know to be a better keeper and a better representative of the reptile community. One bad apple can ruin a bunch -- and change public perception in a heart beat. I'm there to try to keep that from happening.

For those who know me or have met me, I am a brash, tattooed metalhead. None of that is present in my public persona representing the community. My tattoos are covered, my make-up is demure, and my language is family-friendly. My clothes are neat and pressed, and I have a spare shirt or two packed for changes in case I get pooped on. My animals are freshly washed the morning of the event, and only my most trustworthy are displayed.

When dealing with the "I saw on Animal Planet..." tales, I say, "There are always some people who are into things for the wrong reasons. People do bad things in every walk of life, and it is no different in the pet community. Look at Michael Vick." That's something dog and cat owners understand.

It's great but not enough to work paid jobs at zoos, or doing paid educational events with your animals at birthday parties. It isn't enough to present at a herp society or reptile group, or to get together at your local show and talk about reptiles.

We need to reach a broader audience. We need to reach the people who will look at your snake and crinkle their faces with an "euwwww" response, and get past that to the common ground we share. We also need to help them see how responsibly keeping these animals benefits and protects wild populations.

This is why I challenge every single keeper to donate at least four hours of free reptile education to the general public in 2012.

Contact your local library and ask if you can come in on a Saturday with a presentation.

Contact your local pet shop and ask if you can set up a reptile display.

Reach out to local Scout groups.

Don't just huddle with people who share your views at reptile shows; try to make a positive change on the perception of our beloved pets with people who don't share them yet.

I personally average 30 hours a month, doing free education in environments where people may not really expect to see reptiles. I challenge you to only four hours in a whole year.

This will not make the animal rights extremists back off, but it will make their audience more informed and less receptive to their distortions. Rather than falling on the ears of people who have no experience with a reptile keeper, it will fall on those of someone who has heard from us, who has seen the love and care we have for our animals, who may not want to keep reptiles themselves, but at least gets that we're not criminals and freaks, but pet lovers like them.

Will you rise to the challenge, or will you let the enemies of us and of our animals have the first, last, and only word?

A new amphibian was recently discovered in the Western Ghats. From the Times of India:

The new species, Ichthyophis davidi, a yellow striped caecilian according to him, has been discovered from the Belgaum district of Karnataka, which is part of the Western Ghat.
The new species Ichthyophis davidi is one of the largest known yellow striped caecilians from Western Ghats and is named in honour of David Gower, Department of Zoology, The Natural History Museum, London, in recognition of his contributions to Indian caecilian studies, he said.

[....]

Western Ghats, one of the global biodiversity ‘hot spots’, support 25 species of legless amphibians (the caecilians). Among the 25 species, only 5 are yellow striped forms, which are limited in distribution. He said that the members of the team had also discovered a few other new species of amphibians from the region earlier.

For those species of amphibians trying to find that perfect partner, distance may be the issue. Thankfully Amphibian Ark is coming to the rescue!

A new initiative by the conservation group, Amphibian Ark, hopes to match lonely, vanishing frogs with a prince/princess to to save them. Dubbed FrogMatchMaker.com after online dating sites, the program is working to connect supporters and donors with amphibian conservation programs in need. Currently, amphibians are among the world's most imperiled species with 41 percent threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red list.

"This website currently includes 48 projects in 23 countries on three continents and can be searched by country, region, species, funding amount required, and by project type," explains Kevin Johnson, Amphibian Ark Communications Officer, in a press release. "You can also browse new projects that have been added in the last 30 days or projects that have been added in the last 60 days. Using FrogMatchMaker.com, donors have been able to easily locate amphibian conservation projects that are a good match with their organizations’ missions, and provide appropriate support, to ensure the success of these vital programs."

To read the full article, or participate in the program, click here.

From all of us at kingsnake.com, Merry Christmas. Have a safe holiday weekend!



Photo courtesy of Wolfgang Wuster

The Crocodile and Recreation Park in Ayer Keroh has lost more than 50 crocodiles due to visitors littering the enclosures with non-degradable trash.

From the New Straits Times:

"In most cases, post-mortems revealed that the reptiles had died of severe lung inflammation, which was caused by consumption of plastic bags," he told the New Straits Times at the park yesterday.

Amran said in several cases, plastic bags were found in the stomach of dead crocodiles.

"We have come across a lot of rubbish being thrown by visitors... food containers, water bottles, plastic bags, clothing, slippers and even diapers. The more visitors we have, the more rubbish we would collect in the pools at the end of the day.

"From our experience, visitors would usually throw things into the pool to make the crocodiles move as they lie motionless."

He said visitors continued to throw litter at the reptiles despite the presence of signboards warning them not to do so.

This is an issue world-wide and species-wide. In my travels I have seen a variety of signs trying to discourage this behavior. If you happen to be somewhere and see someone preparing to do this, stand up and stop them.