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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.
Friday, January 30 2015India's best wall-climbing snake is also its cutest
India's wall-climbing extreme athlete is also its cutest snake: The wolf snake, Lycodon aulicus.
 These snakes are quite aggressive and quick to bite, but they are non-venomous and their bite is just a prick -- which I know because I've been bitten many times. In fact, most of my friends think the wolf snake is "cute" when he bites! The common wolf snake is brown with white stripes on the back and beautiful irregular stripes on the sides. Some common wolf snakes are also black in colour and have yellow stripes instead of black, and their length varies from 50-80 cms. Many rescuers would agree with me that these snakes are quite restless, almost like a toddler running around,curious to find new and interesting things. In fact, their childlike nature is, to me, their most endearing quality!  I recently rescued a common wolf snake from one of my collegue's property. When I received the distress call, I guessed that the snake might be on the ground and it might be a rat snake or a cobra. Upon reaching his property, I was told the snake was on the second floor and that it had recently eaten a gecko. I was sure it was a wolf snake. I reached the second floor and I peeked over the wall and saw the wolf snake coiled in a corner. I caged the snake and left it near a river bank in about 15 minutes. It was a learning experience on the whole as unlike my previous experiences the snake didn’t attack much as it had ingested a good sized wall lizard. These non-venomous climbers are good predators and survivors, and to me, they are always beautiful and “cute” as well. Thursday, January 29 2015Hatchet-faced treefrogs are just right
The calls of the various anurans were almost deafening as we maneuvered the motor canoe in and out of the beds of floating water lettuce and hyacinths. Pings, squeaks, grunts, groans, beeps, and clicks of various pitches and intensities intermingle and require stopping and listening intently to sort out. Most of the callers were hylids (treefrog family) but occasionally a few leptodactylids (tropical frogs) would also call.
 Three of the frog species we were searching for were prominent in this chorus. They were the the 3 taxa of hatchet-faces, treefrogs of the genus Sphaenorhynchus. Although a rather silly analogy, I have come over the years to think of the 3 as the "3 bears" with Baby Bear being the 1" long S. carneus, Mama Bear being the slender 1 1/2" long S. dorisae, and Papa Bear being the robust 1 3/4" long S. lacteus. Despite being hylids, these 3 frogs are predominantly aquatic and large numbers of each may be found amidst the islands of aquatic vegetation (especially water lettuce) throughout the year. Besides the size difference, these 3 also differ in call and in appearance. The tiny S. carneus produces a series of rapidly repeated clicks and has reddish dorsolateral stripes. S. dorisae has a rounded snout and lacks striping and produces a series of pinging notes. And S. lacteus has a sharply pointed nose, white canthal (snout) stripes, and its call is a single cluck. Renewing our acquaintance with these 3 taxa and their fellow songsters is always one of the most enjoyable aspects of our Amazonian tours. And of course there always the chance of seeing a black caiman as well. This is herping at its neotropical best. Continue reading "Hatchet-faced treefrogs are just right" Tuesday, January 27 2015Will West Virginia turn the tide on anti-reptile legislation in 2015? In 2014, West Virginia enacted a Dangerous Wild Animal (DWA) law that resulted in the proposal of a regulation/rule that would create an absurdly long list of DWAs. For example, the proposed DWA list initially included all turtles and salamanders (except native W. Virg. species). Months of hard work by reptile, amphibian, and other exotic owners in the state and across the U.S. has resulted in an opportunity to overturn West Virginia's DWA Act. On the third day of the 2015 legislation session, four senators submitted SB 247 to repeal the DWA Act. One of these senators had voted in favor of the DWA law in 2014. In a single sentence, SB 247 will remove every single word of the DWA Act as if it never existed. That will be a turning point for state legislation. USARK and its associated chapter in W. Virg. have been coordinating efforts to fight against the state’s DWA law and proposed rule for approximately 10 months. The opportunity to create a clear turning point in anti-reptile legislation is within reach. With their hundreds of millions of dollars, anti-pet groups like HSUS and PETA will certainly continue to campaign against your ownership of pet reptiles and amphibians. It is what they do. It is an integral part of their business model. The repeal of the DWA law in W. Virg. would set a precedent that would be very influential in our continued battles against our extremist animal rights adversaries. This is an opportunity for the reptile nation to make a big statement. The question is whether the reptile and amphibian owners in W. Virg. and across the U.S. will capitalize on this opportunity by actively engaging in the legislative process. How to help If you are a W. Virg. resident, you should sign up to help repeal the DWA Act by sending your contact information to wvusarc@gmail.com. USARK will be posting action alerts for everyone to help with repealing the Act, as well as responding to proposed legislation and regulations across the country. The first step for W. Virg. residents is to identify your senatorial district and your two senators. Please immediately call your senators and email them asking them to cosponsor SB 247. It would be helpful to add a note about how this law has upset your life. Also, please ask at least two of your exotic animal friends in W. Virg. to do the same thing, and for them to ask two more people (and so on), so we create a pyramid and each of the state's 34 senators is contacted multiple times by a constituent to sponsor SB 247. Fun as a barrel of barred monkey frogs
Where there once was a seasonally flowing stream there is now a reservoir several acres in size. In this newly formed water body there are spectacled caiman, giant arapaima, neotropical water snakes, and a vast number of giant monkey frog tadpoles.
And somewhere on the far side of the reservoir, well away from the station's buildings, perhaps in the shallows of the reservoir itself or maybe in a remote puddle, pond, or water-filled hollow log, there are probably barred monkey frog tadpoles, Phyllomedusa tomopterna.  At least there should be, for we have found several adults of this beautiful medium-sized hylid vocalizing from perches in reservoir-side shrubs and trees on the far banks. Phyllomedusa tomopterna attains a length of about 2 inches. At adulthood, males are the slightly smaller sex. Although variable, the dorsum is often a forest green. The throat and chest are white(ish) and the belly is orange. The sides are a richer orange than the belly and bear broad vertical bars of purple-black. Each heel bears an easily noticeable calcar (heel spur). The soft clucking notes of the males do not have much carrying power. These frogs are always eagerly sought on our tours and the search for them invariably introduces us to numerous other rainforest denizens. In fact, as you read this Patti and I will again be looking for this hylid in the rainforest of Amazonian Peru. Wish us luck. Continue reading "Fun as a barrel of barred monkey frogs" Friday, January 23 2015Courier no longer ships reptiles in UK International courier company TNT has announced it will no longer ship live reptiles in the UK for what it calls "health and safety reasons."Although the original announcement was made in October of last year, it was made so quietly hat many reptile hobbyists and businesses are only finding out about the change in policy now, when their packages are returned to them the following day by TNT drivers telling them that their depot was "no longer handling reptiles." I’m not sure what aspect of the reptile shipping service could be considered unhealthy or dangerous, but then I doubt if this is the real reason for the company’s change of policy. Whatever the reason, to those of us who understand reptile transportation protocols, the decision is crazy. I’ve written several magazine features about transporting and packing reptiles safely based on my experience of shipping many thousands of reptiles over several decades. To me it seems like a dumb decision, whichever way you look at it. According to a piece in UK pet trade publication PBW News, a TNT spokesman said, "The company has made the decision not to transport any animals due to health and safety reasons. As a result, we are not taking on any new customers in this area." In response to queries from Pet Business World about potential health and safety issues with transporting reptiles, Judith Hackitt, chairman of the Health and Safety Executive, said, "I see this time and time again, companies using health and safety as a blanket excuse and it’s got to stop. It is misleading for members of the public to constantly read headlines blaming non-existent health and safety laws for stopping people for going about their everyday business. It detracts from the real business of health and safety." North Carolina reptile ban hype, not reality An article about a supposed reptile ban has been making it's way around social media. It has a headline designed to frighten any herper: "BREAKING NEWS: NC Reptile Ban Legislation! HSUS to Push for Dangerous Wild Animal Legislation in NC; Boas, Pythons and Venomous at Risk." Sounds really ominous, doesn’t it?The article was based on information posted on the website of Carolina Tiger Rescue (CTR), stating CTR will join with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to introduce a bill that "bans bears, non-human primates, and wild cats." It further states this "legislation has nothing to do with farming practices. It is about bears, nonhuman primates, and wild cats. Not pigs. Not chickens. Not cows." Nevertheless, that hasn't stopped speculation by voices intent on inflaming the community with messages saying things like “this legislation may cover more than big cats. The HSUS model Dangerous Wild Animal (DWA) legislation, for which they received the stamp of approval from the American Bar Association (ABA) Animal Law Committee in 2014, includes large constrictors (even boa constrictors) and venomous snakes." It should be noted that the above referenced model legislation has not been adopted by the ABA; but is merely a recommendation by a committee. A simple phone call to the executive director of CTR, Pam Fulk, immediately answered the speculation as to whether the legislation included or would include reptiles or amphibians. Fulk responded that such speculation is "absolutely untrue." She said the legislation is in its final process of review, adding, "People are already making things up." When a group has any association with HSUS, USARK is vigilant to verify their statements to us. USARK has mechanisms in place to identify legislation introduced in all 50 states, including amendments to existing laws that would affect the herp community. Let's not speculate, and waste our energy and activism, when we can verify, and focus our efforts on confirmed threats. Thursday, January 22 2015Nothing comes between a man and his bush viper
Back in 1970, while scanning a pricelist from Hank Molt, the name Mt. Kenya bush viper, Atheris desaixii, caught my eye. I was familiar with several species in the genus, but A. desaixii was one that I didn't know.
 In those days there was no Google to turn to for information. Even the word computer was seldom heard and if heard it was not thought about as belonging to a magazine-sized entity that would reside in average homes, schoolrooms, backpacks, and vehicles. But we did have telephones. And back then we dialed the number of the person we hoped to talk with. Since there was no caller ID to alert them that it was a pest calling, they almost always answered the phone. So I called Hank. Hank answered, and a few moments later he was describing a Mt. Kenya bush viper to me. It seems that the snake was primarily black, had yellow tipped scales, and its venom composition was basically unknown. Hank said it was a beautiful snake, really, really pretty. Sounded pretty to me, so I asked Patti "Do I need a Mt. Kenya bush viper?" She looked at me like I had just stepped off a spaceship, and said "no" (and it was an emphatic no). So I called Hank back, told him that Patti couldn't wait to see the viper, and to ship it ASAP. Two days later I was getting acquainted with my first Mt. Kenya bush viper. And Hank had been right. It was a beauty. Continue reading "Nothing comes between a man and his bush viper" Wednesday, January 21 2015Winter doesn’t make a difference in Malabar pit viper sighting
The colorful Malabar pit viper, Trimeresurus malabaricus, is one of the most beautiful snakes one can come across in India.
  An adult malabaricus is about 45cm to 105cm in size and usually found in southwestern and southern jungles of India. However, the usual locations where malabaricus is found varies according to the seasons. For example, in summers it'd found on higher branches of trees, whereas during monsoons it's found on the lower branches a foot or two off the ground, as well as on rocks.Last weekend I visited a friend in Amboli, a hill station in the Western Ghats, a mountain range that runs almost parallel to the western coast of India, and a paradise for herpetologists who are in search of malabaricus. It was a cold night and I had no intention of herping as I was pretty sure that I wouldn't find anything, but the area looked so scenic and perfect for herping I couldn’t stop myself and went on a night field trip. To my good luck I found a malabaricus within 20 minutes. It rekindled my spirit, as this the primary reason that I love snakes and feel a bond with them. It was about 50cm long and green in colour, and it was coiled up on small fallen branch of a tree. These snakes are active at night and shy in nature, and are sometimes seen during day basking in the sunlight. They are very rare to find in winter, as it is assumed to go into hibernation at that time of year. Encountering this Malabar pit viper added happiness to my weekend! Tuesday, January 20 2015Our house survived a spurred tortoise
The tortoise, a foot long African spurred tortoise, Geochelone (Centrochelys) sulcata, had been dropped in the tortoise yard. In the morning we had no African spurred tortoise and didn't really want one, then in the afternoon we had one. Spontaneous turtle and tortoise acquisition had happened to us before, but this was our first unaccounted for spurred tortoise.
 We weren't really surprised. Over the years, a fair number of feral examples of this big Sub-Saharan tortoise had been found in North Central Florida. But because of its burrowing proclivities it was a species that we didn't particularly want. Yet here it was and it appeared to be in good condition, so we decided to let it stay for a while. It ate and it grew. 18 inches came and went. It ate more and it grew more. 24 inches! And it wanted more and more food. But at least it wasn't burrowing. It spent the nights in a big heated (when needed) tortoise house. Then one day it didn't come out of the house to forage. Well, it (and we) were entitled to a day off. It didn't emerge the next day either. On the 3rd day it emerged wearing a huge pyramid of soil on its carapace. Uh oh. Time to check, but something intervened and several additional days went by. To check we had to move the big tortoise house and that was always a chore. When we moved the house, I deeply regretted that we had waited. The interior of the tortoise house was almost filled with the dirt from an immense burrow that went far back beneath the foundation of our house. Left to its own devices, it looked like the tortoise was headed for Sydney, Australia and our house wouldn't be far behind. The sulcata was unreachable. I'd have to await his next emergence, temporarily cage him, then check the burrow and somehow remove smaller tortoises that were assuredly utilizing this haven. It took some doing, but a day later the big sulcata was surprised while eating, two smaller tortoises were removed from the burrow, and the hole was refilled. And our house still sits solidly on its foundation - I think. Did I mention that we no longer have any sulcata? Continue reading "Our house survived a spurred tortoise " Thursday, January 15 2015Nose to nose with an alligator in the night
About a half a mile from our house there is a small drainage culvert that channels water from a small neighborhood lake and wetland, beneath a busy highway, and into the Paynes Prairie basin. Various herps at various times utilize this culvert to assuage their various needs. Patti and I occasionally visit the canal just to see what creatures happen to be present at different times.
 Sometimes we're surprised, sometimes we're not. When the water is flowing strongly it may attain a depth of about a foot. More normally it is 8 inches or less deep. Sometimes the culvert is totally dry and during droughts it may remain dry for weeks or even months on end. But when times are good and the water is gurgling through this tiny culvert, I am provided with as good a chance at seeing a greater siren, Siren lacertina, or a two-toed amphiuma, Amphiuma means, as any other locale I know. One night when Mike and I stopped by we were happy to see hundreds of bluefin killifish. A Florida banded water snake or two is not an unusual find. Patti made what was probably the most unexpected and most memorable find . We were passing the culvert one night and decided to check it out. Patti, being much more nimble than I, clambered down the slope to the culvert to see what wonders of nature awaited her scrutiny. Headlight gleaming, she peered into the culvert, made an immediate exclamation and scurried back up the slope. "What's the hurry?" I asked. " "Look over the edge," Patti said. I did and leaning as far forward as I dared I could barely see the tip of a rounded black object. She had come nose to nose with a 10 foot alligator, Alligator mississippiensis, that was sheltering quietly in the culvert. We both decided that we had enough of herping for the evening. Continue reading "Nose to nose with an alligator in the night" Tuesday, January 13 2015Florida's seven wonderful water snakes
Florida is home, at least in small part, to seven species of water snakes of the genus Nerodia.
 One species, the Mississippi green water snake barely enters the state on extreme western tip of the panhandle. The midland water snake, a subspecies of the northern water snake, is found from the central panhandle to the western tip. Two subspecies of plain-bellied water snakes (the yellow-bellied and the red-bellied) are also panhandle species. One or another of the three subspecies of the salt marsh snakes may be found along almost all of Florida's extensive coastline, but are absent from St. Augustine northward on the Atlantic Coast. Two of the three subspecies of the southern water snake, the Florida and the southern, occur in suitable habitats throughout the state (save for the Florida Keys). The southern subspecies is restricted in distribution primarily to the state's panhandle. Except for a small area in northeastern Florida you may happen across the Florida green water snake. But of them all, the seventh species, the brown water snake, Nerodia taxispilota, is the only one to occur throughout all of mainland Florida (the possible exception being a narrow strip along the state's extreme environmental nightmare, the southeastern coastline). All too often, the brown water snake is mistaken for a cottonmouth ("water moccasin"). This is sad; other than each having a feisty disposition, the two are not even vaguely similar. Having a heavy body and a verified length in excess of five and a half feet, the brown is one of the larger water snakes. The three rows of dark brown markings are usually square in shape and unless the snake is unusually dark or the pattern is obscured by a patina of mud, the markings are evident throughout the snake's life. The brown water snake utilizes a variety of habitats: canals, swamps, and rivers among them. The snake may often ascend several feet above the water surface to seek a basking spot in an overhanging tree. Continue reading "Florida's seven wonderful water snakes" Monday, January 12 2015New year, new viper rescue!
As I was preparing for my new year, I received a call from an unknown number, requesting me for a rescue for an unidentified snake.
 Based on the area and the weather I presumed it was a Russell’s viper, but according to the description of the person who called me, it was a rat snake or a grass snake. I called up my friend and picked him up on the way as I never go alone on rescue calls, so there will be someone who can drive me to hospital in case any accident occurs.  When I reached the spot it was in the downtown area. The snake was coiled up in a corner surrounded by 20-25 people. As I started the onerous task of rescue, the crowd panicked and took a step or two back. I shined the flash light toward the snake; it was a Russell’s viper indeed. My friend kept an eye on the snake till the time I arranged a snake sack. The viper was around 5 ft. in length, a good sized snake. I directed the snake toward the sack with the help of my snake stick and tied the mouth of the sack. The rescue was successfully completed. I was, however, disturbed that the people who had surrounded the viper were not at all aware it is one of the deadliest creatures on the earth and that it could be fatal if the viper had bitten any one of them. So after the rescue I took 20 minutes to make the people aware, as I always do. The feeling was so good after rescuing the snake, and I really want to thank that viper for maintaining a cool temper even after he was surrounded and disturbed by huge number of people. Sunday, January 11 2015Texas herp legend Dr. James Dixon passes away Legendary Texas herpetologist and naturalist James R. (Jim) Dixon passed away yesterday, January 10, 2015, leaving a legacy in Texas herpetology and herpetoculture that will be hard to match.Dr. Dixon never met a snake he didn't like. Professor Emeritus and Curator Emeritus of amphibians and reptiles at the Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collection at Texas A&M University, in his long, distinguished career Dr. Dixon described hundreds of new species of reptiles and amphibians worldwide, with a special emphasis on the herpetofauna of Texas, Mexico, Central America, and South America. Born in 1928 in Houston, Dr. Dixon first obtained his bachelor of science from Howard Payne University in 1950 before serving in the Korean War. Working as Curator of Reptiles at the Ross Allen Reptile Institute before earning his masters degree (1957) and PhD in (1961) from Texas A&M University, he was an Associate Professor of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M from 1959 until 1961. As an Associate Professor of Wildlife Management at New Mexico State University from 1961 until 1965, he served as a consultant to the New Mexico Game and Fisheries department until leaving for the University of Southern California, where from 1965 until 1967 he was Curator of Herpetology at the Los Angeles County Museum. In 1971 he returned to his Texas roots, becoming a professor at Texas A&M University, where he taught Wildlife and Fisheries Science and became Curator of the Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collection. Dr. Dixon also served as president of several herpetological and naturalist societies including The Herpetologist League, Texas Herpetological Society, Texas Academy of Science, Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Southwestern Association of Naturalists. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Texas Systems of Natural Laboratories and the faculty of Stephen F. Austin State University. Author and co-author of numerous books, book chapters, and hundreds of peer reviewed notes and articles, Dr. Dixon was one of the most prominent herpetologists of the latter 20th century, and over the years numerous species have been named in his honor by some of his thousands of students and admirers. Thursday, January 8 2015The hog-nose trio
Dan and I had been dipping for dwarf siren and then road hunting for several hours. At 4:00PM, we found ourselves on a sand road south of the "Big Lake" (Lake Okeechobee) and we were about ready to call it a day. Dan had to drive back to Miami and I to Gainesville. Fair distances, both.
We were on what we decided would be our last drive of the day along the long dirt road. The drive northward had been uneventful and we were almost to the end of our southward return. Snake!  A fair-sized, heavy-bodied snake was crawling slowly onto the road. From a distance we had thought it to be a cottonmouth. No great prize, but when herping is slow any and all herps are a welcome sighting. As we neared and the snake crawled farther on to the road it became apparent that it wasn't a cottonmouth - it was an eastern hog-nose. This made what had been a rather blah day a really nice one. But it was about to get even better. As we photographed the female that was now almost across the road, an adult male crawled out of the edging grasses about 6 inches from where we first saw the female. Bingo. Breeding time! And then from about 20 feet farther down road a second male was sighted. Dan and I spent considerable time taking photos and when we left we were both smiling. Continue reading "The hog-nose trio" Wednesday, January 7 2015Challenges ahead for the UK reptile hobby
This year will be a defining year for British reptile keepers.
 This year the UK will see the publication of the list of species to be banned from private ownership under the EU Invasive Alien Species Regulations. This is a defining moment in history. Never before has the UK banned the private ownership of any animal. The number of species affected is initially likely to very small, but there will be the inevitably push from the "antis" have more and more species added. The EU is also the source of a debate to implement a positive list of approved reptile species. Keepers in Belgium and the Netherlands are very much at the forefront of this insidious push by the antis to ban keeping of non-approved species. There’s nothing positive about a positive list. 2015 will also finally answer a argument that has been raging for more than 20 years - are UK reptile shows are legal or not. The question will finally be answered this year by the British High Court. Despite these threats, our hobby continues to grow. 2014 saw more reptiles and amphibians kept in the UK than ever before. There was also an increase in the number of pet shops licensed to sell reptiles, and this growth is set to continue and 2015. Although business has been tough, we're bucking the trend of many other sectors. Growth was strongest in the frozen food sector (rodents) with an increase of about 11 percent, and live foods by about 7 percent. A belated happy New Year to everyone and I hope it is a prosperous time for everyone. Photo: 1999 International Herp Society Fall Expo, Walsall, U.K. - courtesy Jeff Barringer Tuesday, January 6 2015Whiskered vipers in the sand
Letters (remember the days when correspondence was via written letters?) were zipping back and forth from Tampa to Karachi. Jerry mentioned having just collected a "nice" half grown whiskered viper (also known as the McMahon's or leaf-nosed viper), Eristicophis mcmahoni from Balochistan.
 Since he was going to ship me a couple of hundred leopard geckos in a week, he was wondering whether I might want the snake as well. My answer was "yes, you bet I want it." About two weeks later, I was settling a whiskered viper into a sandy terrarium. And to say I was enamored with the beast would be a monumental understatement. Whiskered vipers are not colorful but what they lack in that respect is more than made up for by their impressively defensive attitude. Until recently, when I decided to not keep "hots" any longer, whenever possible I had an Eristicophis or two in the collection. Although I have never succeeded in breeding this taxon, I have found them hardy and very responsive - the kind of snake that will meet you at the top of its terrarium to accept food from long forceps. If startled this snake will inflate its body and exhale loudly and/or assume an "S" position and rub the scales together producing a very audible rasping sound. Like many desert or savannah snakes, the whiskered viper is an ambush hunter that sinks all but its eyes and nostrils just below the surface of loose sand. From this position they are able to strike and envenomate their prey of unwary lizards or rodents . Males, the smaller sex, are adult at less than a foot and a half. Females may near thirty inches in length but are usually only about two feet long. Continue reading "Whiskered vipers in the sand" Monday, January 5 2015Snake rescue - Indian style!
If you’re a snake lover in India and you wish to do something for the welfare of these reptilian friends, one of the best ways to do so is to become a snake rescuer.
 However, should you undertake this difficult ordeal, realize it’s not what you do but why you do it that counts. It’s a journey, like the one that married couples take, to understand and empathize with these wonderful creatures. Indian culture and snakes are made for each other. There are certain popular myths that have existed for over thousands of years that have caused a great deal of destruction of snake habitats. Some common mis-beliefs include that snakes drink milk and snakes are vengeful by nature. Having said that, I would like to add these myths are also among the reasons snakes have been protected to certain extent. For example, snakes are worshiped to prevent their malevolent behavior or responses.  Until recently, snake rescue culture grew slowly in India. Today, one can find snake rescuers in every part of India. However, you will rarely come across a full-time snake rescuer as there is little scope for herpetology and for most population it's inaccessible. One would discover, like I did, that most snake rescuers are hobbyists or affiliated with non-governmental organizations. This calls for a great deal of effort to gain the required knowledge and skill to handle snakes properly. For examples, you'll only find snake shelters in urban areas. Usually,most snake rescuers free the snake back to nature in forested areas. Mostly, snake calls in India are distress calls. For example, recently one of my friends called me up on a holiday. He was panicking after he found a snake at his place. Over the years, it's become almost predictable as to which snakes are found in certain areas in different seasons. However, they never seem to stop surprising me. Snake rescuing culture in India is still developing. Although it has gained some momentum, it still has a long way to go. Tuesday, December 30 2014The cinnamon corns of Levy County
"Corn snake!"
"Where?" "My side about 3 feet off the road"  I slammed on the brakes and Jake, piling out of the car, ran back about 40 feet and stooped to pick up a 30" long corn that I would never have seen. Young eyes are good! And Jake's eyes, having the image of a snake burned time again on the retina are super in seeing off-the-road serpents. Actually, neither Jake nor I had any particular need for a corn snake, Pantherophis guttatus guttatus. We just happened to be in Levy County hoping to hear ornate chorus frogs (a species that is becoming difficult to find). Having arrived an hour or so before dusk, and since temperatures were still fairly warm, we decided to roadhunt for a while before heading for the swamps and marshes. So far we had seen 2 crossing garter snakes of the blue-striped variety, a cottonmouth, and now this corn snake. We always enjoy taking photos, so a few minutes were spent doing so. The corn snakes of western Levy County are rather distinctive, very pretty, and well worth photographing. The ground color is cinnamon, the saddles are crimson and are accentuated fore, aft, and on the sides by a few black scales that are themselves preceded by a variable number of white scales. Did we need them? No. But they are just too pretty to pass by without at least a second glance. We could only hope that the hunt for chorus frogs would be this successful. Continue reading "The cinnamon corns of Levy County" Building your own tortoise tractor "As three-time Soapbox Derby Champ Ronnie Beck says, 'Unguarded construction sites are a gold mine.'" -Bart SimpsonWhile my days of pirating materials from construction sites to build skate ramps and bike jumps are way, way behind me, my urge to re-use old building materials from my own scrap pile continues to fuel many of my reptile projects. My pile contains all sorts of fencing, screen wire, unused materials, and wood scraps from 10 years of projects around the house, and it's always the first place I look when I have something that needs to be built. Thus it was I found myself scanning the detritus of a hundred different tasks, looking for bits and pieces that would help me in my next reptile project: a tortoise tractor! What is a tortoise tractor? It's a tortoise cage or pen on wheels that can be shuffled around the yard as needed to different spots, such as areas where the grass or weeds are greenest. The term "tractor" here comes from the use of wheels to make the unit more mobile, from the poultry world where chicken tractors are used by many home breeders to house their small flocks. Tractors like this can be as simple or as advanced as you have the need, desire, and budget. Some are tall with fancy coops or hides at one end, others not so much. Continue reading "Building your own tortoise tractor " Friday, December 26 2014Making your own hide boxes Most reptiles and amphibians do better in a captive environment if given a place to hide or burrow. Thankfully there are lots of commercial hides and hide boxes available in all different sizes, shapes, and formats. From simple plastic hides, to elaborate logs and caves, these commercial hides work great if you only have a few animals. If you're dealing with a large number of animals, however, they can sometimes be problematic. Aside from being expensive to buy or replace, they can be difficult to clean, they may not fit the cage or the animal well, or they may not do all the things you need them to do. I needed a hide box that would work for my medium-sized colubrid snakes. And I needed one hundred of them, so they had to be inexpensive, replaceable, easily cleaned, and, as a special requirement, they needed to "hold" a replaceable water dish, in this case a 16-oounce round deli container. Although I found several that met most of my needs, none of the commercial ones met them all. So I made my own. Using a few tools, including a cordless drill and two hole saw bits, and cheap black spray paint, I re-purposed a stack of used plastic containers into the (almost) perfect hide box for my needs. Starting with the plastic containers, once yearling cages, I used a 2-inch hole saw to cut out a side entrance at one end of the container. On the top of the container, at the other end, I used a 4-1/2 inch hole saw to cut a hole in the top of the box. These were hole saw bits that I already had, and if I had to purchase a new one for this project I would use a 4-3/8 so that the deli cup would fit tight in the hole. With the 4-1/2 inch bit the tolerance is too close for a tight fit, but my hides prevent the bowls from being tipped over, and that was the goal. I also found that the hole saw bit's teeth would often grab the plastic as it broke through and "fling" the box around. Running the drill in reverse to do the cutting once the initial pilot hole was drilled prevented this. It took longer, but created less dust and a cleaner hole. With my boxes cut, I took some $1 flat black spray paint and gave the boxes single ruddy coat of paint. It doesn't need to be a solid perfect coat, just enough to obscure the light filtering through. Once dried, the hide boxes were placed in the cages, water bowls filled, and my kingsnakes all had new homes. Tuesday, December 23 2014Show respect for the snakes on "Rattler Road"
The road we were on could almost have been called "Pygmy Rattler Road."
 Actually there were many other herp species found on it, but it was a road that almost never failed to disclose from one to several dusky pygmy rattlesnakes that would vary in size from neonates (in season) to adults of 16 to 20 inch length. In other words, it was indeed a pygmy road. It is the dusky pygmy rattlesnake, Sistrurus miliarius barbouri, that is found in our area (North Central Florida). They have a curious and rather spotty distribution: common in one area, virtually unknown only a few miles distant, and then common again in another nearby locale. When startled and on the move they most often dart quickly for cover. However, if approached while in a basking coil they, as often as not, will coil more tightly, twitch their head and sometimes the entire body nervously, and rattle (for all the good this latter action does). The rattle of even an adult pygmy is so small that unless your hearing is exceptional, you will often not hear the sound produced. If you still insist on bothering them they will strike, rapidly and accurately. Although the venom is not usually fatal to a healthy adult, a bite will be sufficiently painful (even with prompt medical intervention) to have you wondering why you were dumb or careless enough to be within striking range of this feisty little pit viper. Always show them due respect! Continue reading "Show respect for the snakes on "Rattler Road"" The problem with 'heroes in a half-shell' Contrary to popular beliefs, the most common reptile in rescue is not a giant. I see and receive requests to surrender more water turtles, primarily red eared sliders, than any other reptile. In fact, in one week I will get more requests to surrender sliders than I have received to surrender Burmese pythons in the entire existence of my rescue.With Christmas around the corner, I am cringing. The wildly popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie will lead to a lot of impulse slider purchases. They are small, cute and cheap, and available at almost every pet store. They also live a long time, take a lot of care to set up properly and while the animal itself is inexpensive, a good set-up is not. I have no problem with gifting a pet, but slider acquisitions are often made on impulse. Research will be minimal and the care sheets that are handed out are less than wonderful. The animals will come from a big box chain, and the likelihood that they have a chance to talk to an actual reptile person will be minimal. The end result will sadly be people who talk about how horrible reptile pets are. This takes more than a blog post to fix. Reach out to friends who may be thinking of getting their very own "hero in a half-shell" for their children. Let them know the real commitment that a water turtle will take, and let us hope they do not follow the historical trend of movie impulse purchases. Update on USARK lawsuit against USFWS There's been a change of judges in the USARK v. USFWS lawsuit about listing big constrictors as injurious species.The case was recently transferred to Judge Raymond Daniel Moss. He will be the third judge assigned to the case. In August, we had been informed that the case had been transferred from Judge Sullivan to the Honorable Reggie B. Walton. In the case of both transfers, it appears to be simply a matter of trying to distribute the judicial workload. On November 14, 2014, Judge Moss received his judicial commission to serve as a federal judge for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Upon his confirmation, Judge Moss left a large, prestigious DC law firm where he had chaired the Regulatory and Government Affairs Department. This is his first position as a judge, although upon graduation from law school he was a law clerk for a federal district court judge and then for Justice Stevens of the Supreme Court of the United States. Judge Moss has spent considerably more time in private practice than working for the government. Hopefully, his private practice experience in regulatory and government affairs will help him be able to also see the issues from our perspective. Friday, December 19 2014What's going on with West Virginia's Dangerous Wild Animal law?In March 2014, West Virginia enacted the Dangerous Wild Animal (DWA) law, which was lobbied for heavily by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and its affiliated WV organizations. Similar bills had previously failed in WV, dying in legislative committee and once progressing far enough to be vetoed by WV’s Governor. Although the state’s Governor vetoed a similar DWA bill in 2012, which veto occurred after the Zanesville animal release in 2011, he signed the 2014 DWA bill. The Zanesville Connection WV’s 2014 DWA Bill (HB 4393) is frequently justified by the 2011 release of 50 animals in Zanesville, Ohio (consisting of lions, tigers, bears and wolves). As covered in Esquire, the released animals had been accumulated via purchase and “rescue” by Terry Thompson and were housed in outdoor cages on his 73-acre farm. Forty-nine of the released animals were killed by law enforcement on or near the farm on the evening of the release, and the remaining tiger was killed on the farm the next morning. It has been reported that officers closed the doors of several cages in which a few large cats had remained, only to discover that every cage had been cut open in addition to having its door left open. Thompson’s partially eaten body was discovered on the farm with bolt cutters and a pistol lying nearby. The police theorized that before shooting himself in the head, Thompson cut open the sides of all the cages, as well as, opening all the cage doors. In Thompson's house, however, two monkeys, three leopards and a small bear remained alive in cages. Continue reading "What's going on with West Virginia's Dangerous Wild Animal law?" Thursday, December 18 2014The oak toad chorus
The peeps were deafening. We were standing on the edge of a rain-filled drainage ditch that paralleled a busy North Central Florida highway.
 The rain, a deluge a few minutes earlier continued to fall in a fine but steady sprinkle. Rather than frightening and silencing the singers, the sounds of the streaming traffic, rubber on the wet roadway, seemed to stimulate the peeping chorus. Jake and I, headlamps aglow, moved stealthily to the water's edge. There were so many chorusers that we found it was almost impossible to home in on one set of peeps and follow it to the source. In fact, we soon found that it was much easier and more productive to simply scan the emergent grasses. By doing that one after the other, we found the callers - each a tiny, one inch long toad sitting with forequarters propped above water by forefeet firmly planted on a blade or two of grass. Periodically a chorusing male would balloon a proportionately immense sausage-shaped vocal sac and voice a series of loud chick-like peeps. Between peeps, the vocal sacs would deflate a bit then re-balloon as another peep was produced. Because of lingering drought conditions, it had been years since we had happened upon a population of oak toads, Bufo quercicus, this large. This tiny toad is North America's smallest toad species and the only one that has an easy to identify shrill peeping voice. The question now was, could we get photos without the still-falling rain shorting the cameras out? Before electronics, never had these potential problems ruled the world! Continue reading "The oak toad chorus " Tuesday, December 16 2014Barkers in the puddles
Jim and I had been bouncing along a seldom used forest road, our destination still miles ahead. We were heading for a once flooded meadow from which, until the lengthy drought, carpenter frogs had been known to call. But our drive had been intercepted by loud toooonks coming from a woodland pond that we were passing.
 Herpers, like birders, learn and respond to the sounds of nature, and there was no mistaking these sounds. The calls - toooonk, toooonk, toooonk, a pause and then another series of toooonks - were those of our largest native east coast hylid, the barking treefrog, Hyla gratiosa. I should mention that at times barking treefrogs actually do produce a sound that could be likened to a grating bark. The barks are often produced when the frogs are high above ground and are celebrating a period of high humidity or, especially, are welcoming the approach of a summer storm. But on a night like this - a glorious, breezeless, warm, late spring night, devoid of moonlight and replete with hordes of very thirsty mosquitoes - the toooonks indicated that the frogs were all in the breeding pond. We parked, listened, and determined there were several dozen barkers in the chorus. Although loudest, they were outnumbered by pine woods and green treefrogs, as well as by cricket frogs. Cameras were readied and we edged through the brambles towards the pond... But what about the carpenter frogs? We'll be making another trip. Maybe we won't be diverted the next time. Continue reading "Barkers in the puddles" Friday, December 12 2014'Eaten Alive' creates problems for reptile rescuers There's nothing like really bad science and equally bad reality TV to make problems for reptile rescuers.Discovery Channel, in their brilliant glory, ran a farce of a documentary last weekend where a man got into a snake proof suit, slathered himself in pigs blood and then pretended like he was going to be "Eaten Alive" to boost their ratings. Unfortunately, it's created a big headache for reptile resue groups like mine. My first call was to find out if anacondas are able to live in Wisconsin. The answer is no. Despite the fact that we have a lot of rivers and swamps, as the caller pointed out to me, the temperatures are far too cold for an anaconda to survive. I mean seriously, it is 22 degrees outside right now. Three emails followed that asking about anacondas. All three inquired as to if anacondas could really eat people and if they do all the time. It was about this time my head started to hurt and that is when I logged onto Facebook and realized that "Eaten Alive" had aired the previous night. Several emails followed, all asking a variety of questions about large species of snakes and their deadliness to humans. By the end of Monday night, I had a pre-typed email as a response and was several beers into my 12-pack. A call this morning also induced severe head pain (no, it wasn't a hangover!), but thankfully I was able to talk the person down and into keeping their pet. The caller had a ball python and wanted to surrender it because they ate meat. Not the snake, mind you, but the pet owner! They were concerned because the "scientist" who appeared on the show used pig's blood, and since they eat meat, their snake would become dangerous. Thankfully, I was able to explain the reality of snake ownership and also touch on cleanliness issues relating to owning any pet. Monty still has a home tonight and the owner no longer fears her pet. While the show claimed it was aimed at educating about conservation, it merely introduced a new level of fear for those who live among reptiles. It is time that the media on all levels let go of the hype and stick to the facts. Photo provided with permission by Mike Pingleton Thursday, December 11 2014My first snake: the DeKay's snake
I can still remember turning the big flagstone that was out by the day lily bed and seeing my very first snake.
 I was probably 6 or 7 and had already turned a lot of stones in my short lifetime. I found toads and stag beetles and star-nosed moles - enough things so that I spent a goodly amount of time flipping rocks and debris and marveling at the creatures that called such places home. But a snake? And in my own backyard at that. Even when the little snake inflated itself and began an almost inaudible hissing, my parents declared it harmless and left the snake and me to our own devices. That was my introduction to the species then called the DeKay's snake and now known as the northern brown snake, Storeria dekayi dekayi. Notice the species name, dekayi, is spelled with a "k" and not a "c." It is named for early New York naturalist, James Edward DeKay, not for any lack of serpentine structural integrity. Although a gigantic specimen of just over 19 inches has been documented, most northern brown snakes are adult at 10 to 12 inches. The dietary preference is earthworms but an occasional cutworm or other insect may be accepted. This tiny snake, a relative of the larger garter and water snakes, gives birth to live young. Literature proclaims a litter may number from 3 to 31, but 5 to 12 seems the norm. Continue reading "My first snake: the DeKay's snake" Tuesday, December 9 2014Stinkpots
From Maine to Ontario and Florida to Texas, you may encounter the little turtle known vernacularly as the "stinkpot" and more formerly as the common musk turtle, Sternotherus odoratus.
 The names, both common and scientific, are derived from the odorous secretions produced by the two musk glands: one on each side of the plastron where the skin meets the shell bridge. Although primarily aquatic, this little blackish turtle with the striped face, pointed nose, and elongate but high domed carapace may choose at times to wander far from its watery home. Although musk and mud turtles are closely related, the small plastron of the musk turtles easily separates them from muds which all have a large plastron. Throughout most of its range the common musk is the only species of musk turtle to be found. Although the intensity and integrity of the yellow may vary, it is the only musk turtle to have a yellow striped face. Hatchlings, so small they can sit comfortably on a quarter and have a roughened carapace, while the upper shell of the adults is usually very smooth. Common musks are usually quite inexpensive and are very hardy and long-lived as captives. If you have an opportunity to get a baby you will find it an easily kept and responsive pet. Continue reading "Stinkpots" Monday, December 8 2014Building ponds for a herp greenhouse, part 4 In the end, for the balance of the turtle and tortoise ponds I concluded a simple pond, made out of concrete, would be the best option for now.Unlike the first pond, this one would not have a concrete frame, and in essence would be just a dished out area of dirt, covered in an inch of concrete, with a sump and a drain. They would be round and roughly the same size as the 3-foot kiddie pools, but not nearly as deep. With a gentle slope on all sides and the middle being the deepest spot at between 6-10 inches, these ponds provide enough water to completely immerse but are easy to get into and out of. Generally speaking, they resemble super-sized bird baths. These ponds, roughly 3-4 gallons each, took very little time to excavate, with the augering of the sump area taking up most of that. Each pond used between 1 and 1-1/2 60-lb bags of quik-crete, providing a base that was 1-2 inches thick. I formed a small lip around the edge of the pond to allow rainwater to flow around the pond instead of into it. I did not use any reinforcing wire or mesh with the concrete, and I am certain that someone standing on them would likely crack them. But they were designed for turtle foot traffic rather than human, and if I decide on a better "ultimate pond" later, they can be readily broken up and removed. These have worked well so far, but winter arrived more quickly than anticipated, so I was unable to do much analysis before the turtles started burrowing for the winter. With spring only a few months away, it won't be long before they are put to the test. |
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