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.
Monday, June 7 2021
Two thieves in a Chevrolet Pickup Truck attempted to steal this adult Galapagos tortoise from Gerry Fife's breeding facility in Arizona
At 2:30a.m this morning two thieves attempted to steal an adult Galapagos Tortoise from the tortoise breeding facility in Arizona run by long time tortoise breeder Jerry Fife. The breeder sized female tortoise, a critically endangered species, was severely injured in the process and the decision was made to humanely euthanize her. A reward is now being offered to bring the two thieves to justice and video of the attempt is available on Jerry's facebook page. It is hoped that between the herp community and the law enforcement community the miscreants can be identified and arrested. This is a devastating loss for Jerry who is one of the few successful private breeders of the species in the United States. Captive Galapagos tortoises, natives of the Galapagos Islands, can live up to 177 years in captivity and are the largest species of tortoise in existence. Some may weigh over 900lbs.
This is just one of a number of recent reptile thefts in the United States from outdoor captive reptile breeding facilities, causing many of those facilities to tighten their security.
Continue reading "Theives try to steal adult Galapagos Tortoise, maim it instead."
Monday, April 19 2021
During a recent research survey, a new species of marsupial frog in the Cordilleras de Colan National Sanctuary in Northern Peru.
The new species belongs to the Gastrotheca genus of tailless frogs found in South and Central America.
...
"This new species is distinguished by having a thick granular skin on the back, a green dorsal coloration without a pattern, turquoise iris and a belly without spots, specks or dots," said SERNANP.
To read more visit phys.org here.
Monday, February 22 2021
For the first time since launching in February of 1997 kingsnake.com's servers were knocked offline several times for long periods during last weeks polar vortex. The servers, located in Austin Texas, were victims of state mandated rolling blackouts that impacted many areas of Texas. Though the servers were backed up by a large uninterruptible power supply and a commercial generator system, those systems themselves eventually ran out of power. Additionally upstream internet switches also failed due to power issues thus causing a double-whammy, so when power was restored the servers were still unreachable. Those systems have all been restored for several days now and operations are mostly back to normal. Kingsnake.com will be totaling up the downtime and offering our advertisers credit to their accounts once we have determined the extent the outage. We apologize for not being able to provide you the level of service that you have come to expect for the last 24 years, but the situation was beyond our control.
That being said over the last 2 months kingsnake.com has been upgrading to a new set of Dell PowerEdge servers that are bigger, faster, and more capable than our old fleet of PowerEdge servers. For the first time our servers will be "viitualized", utilizing the multiple cores that the more current generation of Intel processors offers. This has required us to upgrade the core software that runs our servers several generations at once, causing a few bugs here and there that need to be squashed. We have gotten most of them but every once in a while a new one unexpectedly crops up. If you hit one of those bugs please let us know by using our contact form.
This weekend we will be upgrading our classified ad server and you can expect brief periods of down time on Sunday, as well as a few bugs going forward. Next weekend we will be upgrading the main site including the blog, events system, business directories as well as other features. We have already upgraded the servers for the forums, forum archives, photo gallery, and banner ad system. We hope to have all our server upgrades completed by March 15.
Sunday, February 21 2021
We have an urgent action alert from USARK regarding the return of the "animal program ban" that has returned in Illinois. As it is written, it could end even the most common of after school educational programs. From USARK:
This bill bans much more than lions jumping through rings of fire. It is a ban on taking a Greek tortoise into a classroom for an educational program about reptiles. It is a ban on taking a ball python, a red-eyed tree frog, a parakeet, and a hedgehog into a library for an educational show discussing the differences between reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals. It is a ban on llamas and any other non-traditional livestock at the State Fair or county 4-H fairs. Basically, if an animal non-native to Illinois is placed into a vehicle and taken to any location where someone will see it, other than a veterinarian in a private room, then it would become an illegal activity, and you a criminal. You could receive a year in jail and a $2,500 fine for taking a leopard gecko into your child’s classroom for a presentation.
The Chicago Herpetological Society hosts the largest and oldest hands-on reptile exhibit in the country. It reaches tens of thousands of people annually and this bill could destroy it. It could end programs coming to your child's school, day care or scouting program. The impact to the reptile community in Illinois would be devastating.
USARK has detailed instructions for reaching out to representatives and what we as a community can do here.
Wednesday, December 30 2020
Do you ever have an issue explaining why you love your pet snakes so very much to friends? Have you ever had problems putting into words your love of those cold blooded pets that share your world? Never fear, we all have!
A recent opinion piece in the New York Times puts our love of snakes into a special light.
The snake is as much symbol as animal, and this oversaturation of meaning prevents us from seeing the snake clearly. In reality, they are gentle, healthful to the environment, “more scared of you than you are of it,” a sort of tragic hero of the ecosystem that is, when gazed upon without malice, beautiful.
To read the whole article, click here.
BTW, a hearty congrats to WooHoo for reaching 25 years old!
Friday, December 4 2020
On December 1, 2020 House Bill 6455 (HB6455) was introduced in Michigan that could impact many reptiles keepers. The reptile portion of the bill does primarily impact ownership of venomous, crocodilians and some monitor species. While it is not an outright ban and offers provisions for owners to keep their pets, it can have very far reaching implications.
The reptiles impacted by the Bill are:
“Dangerous reptiles” per HB6455:
(I) A member of the order Crocodilia, including, but not limited to, an alligator, crocodile, gharial, or caiman.
(ii) A member of the family Atractaspidae.
(iii) A member of the species Dispholidus typus of the family Colubridae.
(iv) A member of the family Elapidae, including, but not limited to, a cobra, mamba, krait, coral snake, or Australian tiger snake.
(v) A member of the family Hydrophiidae, including, but not limited to, a sea snake.
(vi) A water monitor or crocodile monitor.
(vii) A member of the family Viperidae, including, but not limited to, a rattlesnake, cottonmouth, bushmaster, puff adder, or gaboon viper.
Our friends at USARK have made it easy to speak out to your representatives. Please visit the USARK page here for the full action alert.
Monday, November 16 2020
If you are up in Canada, chances are you know Stacey Laurin. Stacey is known for both her ball pythons but also her willingness to work with others to help spread the reptile love. She is always there to help people, especially beginners to get set on the right path.
Now it is our turn to help. Stacey has been battling a very aggressive ovarian cancer for 4 years and has recently come back with a vengeance. Now Stacey could use a little help from the community she has helped for so long.
From the GoFundMe
"Stacey is currently at a medical facility receiving pain management medications and treatments. Unfortunately alternative cancer treatments are quite costly and a hard burden to bear. She is now in the fight for her life, if Stacey has ever touched your life, please consider donating to her cancer treatment, or simply sharing this fundraiser."
There are two big ways you can help Stacey. The obvious answer is donate, but if you can not donate, please share this around.
Please check the GoFundMe out here.
Monday, November 2 2020
A male Voeltzkow's chameleon in Madagascar. Photo courtesy CNN
After nearly a century of being elusive, the rare Voeltzkow's chameleon was recently rediscovered on an expedition of scientists from Germany and Madagascar.
"Our planet is probably facing the beginning of an enormous extinction of species, often referred to as the 'sixth mass extinction', the 'Holocene extinction' or the 'Anthropocene extinction'," researchers wrote.
"Rediscoveries of 'lost' species are very important as they provide crucial data for conservation measures and also bring some hope amidst the biodiversity crisis."
To read more and see the video, click here.
Friday, September 4 2020
There was some great news regarding the regulation changes for Florida; including Tegus, Iguanas and a selection of large constrictors.
This is the announcement from USARKFL:
We have some news... good news. The judge agreed with USARK FL and found that SB1414 is in fact unconstitutional! We will post full details soon but the judge granted our motion for summary judgment and now we just await his formal order stating the same. Thank you to everyone who supported us. Please keep the donations coming! We must still pay for this lawsuit and future actions. What a win!
NOTE: This will take a few days to all be finalized and for FWC to rescind their Executive Order. We also do not know if FWC will appeal. Also, by "unconstitutional" we mean the Florida Constitution, not the U.S. Constitution. This is a state lawsuit against a state agency, not a federal lawsuit.
Please stay tuned to both USARK and USARKFL to follow updates and please continue to support USARK. They are getting things done!
Thursday, July 16 2020
Happy World Snake Day!
What is that? Well it is a day that is an easy one! It is a day to focus on conservation and education about snakes!
Snakes are one of the greatest fears in the world, but their importance to our environment as well as our health is enough reason to work to change minds. I grabbed a few fun articles for you to read and share today to help reach out and share the joy of snakes.
These articles give a breakdown on the holiday and the issues facing snakes. This post from RepublicWorld is a very basic breakdown that you can read here. Another option is this article from Newsd. It has some fun little trivia tidbits and again very basic info and can be found https://newsd.in/world-snake-day-2020-here-are-some-snake-facts-you-must-know/.
Continue reading "World Snake Day 2020"
Wednesday, July 1 2020
Starting July 1, 2020, Iguanas ( Iguana iguana) and Tegus (all species in the genera Salvator and Tupinambis) are now added to Section 379.372, the Florida Statute that regulates species of concern.
This change will restrict ownership, however there is a grandfather clause for animals owned prior to July 1, 2020 as well as exemptions for education as well as breeders. To learn more about your special use permit, click here.
The draft rules will be presented at an upcoming meeting July 22-23 which will be held remotely and you can attend by visiting MyFWC.
To learn more, visit this USARK post.
Friday, May 15 2020
In the most recent Covid-19 Relief package is a potential reversal of the USARK federal lawsuit victory by reinstating the ban on interstate transportation of species listed as injurious under the Lacey Act. That victory allowed for captive bred animals to be transported across state lines. This impacts the so called "Big 5" but also several Salamander species. We have added the USARK public notice after the bump.
Continue reading "ALERT: Wildlife-Borne Disease Prevention Act (Federal"
Monday, April 20 2020
It should be no surprise to the reptile and amphibian community that we would be impacted by the COVID-19 virus shutdowns. We will do our best to keep the herp community informed, here, on this post with the latest meeting and event cancellations. Most of these event cancellations have been mandated by state or local agencies and the event promoters had no say in the cancellations. In all cases it is best to check with the event promoter to check the status of individual events as some may not be listed here. If you are event or meeting promoter that needs to list a cancellation or postponement please send us an email at jeffb@kingsnake.com
List updated 04/20/20
- All Maryland Reptile Show - Havre De Grace, MD - 03/14/20
- North American Reptile Breeders Conference - Tinley Park, Il. - 03/14/20-03/15/20
- Repticon Birmingham, Irondale, AL., - 03/21/20-03/22/20
- ReptiDay Port Charlotte, Port Charlotte, FL., - 03/21/20
- Richmond Reptile Expo - Richmond, Va - 03/21/20
- Reptiles At The York Expo Center, York, PA 03/28/20
- East Coast Rept9le Super Expo - Oaks, PA - 03/28/20
- Repticon Charleston, Mt. Pleasant, SC,- 03/28/20-03/29/20
- Repticon Denver, Aurora, CO,- 03/28/20-03/29/20
- Repticon New Port Richey, Port Richey, FL, - 03/28/20-03/29/20
- Long Island Reptile Expo - Brentwood, NY - 03/29/20
- All Maryland Reptile Show, Havre de Grace, Md. 04/04/20
- Repticon Atlanta, Lawrenceville, GA, - 04/04/20-04/05/20
- ReptiDay Cocoa Beach, Cocoa Beach, FL, - 04/04/20
- ReptiDay Port Charlotte,Port Charlotte, FL, - 04/05/20
- New England Reptile Expo, Manchester, NH, - 04/05/20
- ReptiDay Columbus, Columbus, GA, - 04/11/20
- Northern Virginia Reptile Expo, Manassas, VA, - 04/11/20
- ReptiDay Tallahassee, Tallahassee, FL - 04/11/20
- Repticon Montgomery, Montgomery, AL - 04/18/20-04/26/20
- New York Metro Reptile Expo, White Plains, NY - 04/19/20
- Repticon Tulsa, Kellyville, OK - 04/18/20-04/26/20
- Repticon Chattanooga, East Ridge, TN - 04/25/20-04/26/20
- Repticon Hickory, Hickory, NC - 04/25/20-04/26/20
- All Maryland Reptile Show - Havre De Grace, MD - 05/02/20
- Reptiles At The York Expo Center, York, PA 05/16/20
- Reptiles At The York Expo Center, York, PA 06/27/20
- New York Metro Reptile Expo, White Plains, NY - 07/12/20
Thursday, October 31 2019
kingsnake.com gallery photo
Police say a woman has been found dead with an 8-foot-long python wrapped around her neck at a snake-laden home 20 miles northwest of Lafayette. Details are sketchy at the moment and police have yet to point the blame at the Reticulated Python in question. The woman’s cause of death remains under investigation, with an autopsy scheduled Friday. About 140 snakes were found in the home, the woman owned about 20 of them and had visited the home about twice a week.
The reticulated python ( Malayopython reticulatus) is native to South and Southeast Asia, including India, Burma, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaya, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The worlds longest constricting snake, some specimens are known to exceed 20 ft. in length. An ambush hunter, it waits until prey wanders within strike range before seizing it in its coils and killing by constriction. Its natural diet includes mammals and occasionally birds. Small specimens eat mainly rodents such as rats, whereas larger individuals switch to larger prey including deer and pigs weighing more than 130 lb.
A popular species among reptile hobbyists Reticulated Pythons are common in captivity and have been bred in many different color varieties.
Human fatalities attributed to large constrictors are exceedingly rare but do happen. kingsnake.com wants to emphasize that people working with large or venomous species should always work with a partner to avoid mishaps and injury. No matter how well you think you know an animal it only takes one mistake to have disastrous and sometimes fatal consequences.
For more information on this story please check out https://fox8.com/2019/10/31/indiana-woman-found-dead-with-8-foot-python-around-her-neck/.
Thursday, August 15 2019
It is with much sadness that kingsnake.com has learned of the passing of reptile industry pioneer Don Hamper.
I first heard Don Hamper's name mentioned by John Hollister in the late 80s while taking a roadside break while hunting for reptiles out near Langtry Texas. It was all "Hamper had those" or "Hamper bred those" or "Hamper can get those". In the days before the internet word passed from herper to herper about other reptile people across the country(and around the world). Don Hamper's name was prominent among them and it seemed that in some way all herp roads led to Don Hamper. I finally actually met Don Hamper at an International Herp Symposium in the early 90s, where most of the reptile illuminati would gather to listen to lectures and compare keeping and breeding notes. By then Don was famous for hosting one of the few regular reptile expos, the All Ohio Reptile Show, as well as for his pioneering work captive breeding many of the species commonly found in the trade today, and through his work introduced literally thousands of midwesterners to the reptile hobby. Don's pioneering work both in reptile breeding and reptile expos dramatically helped expand the hobby into a true industry and his impact can still be seen in the many reptile breeders that sprouted up in America's heartland in the 90s and early 2000s, many of which are still active to this day.
I would run into Don many times over the next 3 decades at symposiums and expos across the country and each time he greeted me like we were long lost brothers. kingsnake.com ended up hosting his web site for many years as well as helping him spread the word about his expos.
I will miss Don and his everpresent smile and kind word. He was a true gentleman and will be missed greatly by all that knew him. Kigsnake.com's prayers go out to the Hamper family and we ask that you keep them in your thoughts.
- Jeff Barringer
Friday, July 12 2019
An Oklahoma couple were arrested while in possession of a stolen vehicle, weapons, whiskey and a rattlesnake, oh yeah and a container of radioactive uranium?! Trust me, we checked, this isn't The Onion! It is real life.
From Oklahoma's New 4:
The traffic stop was made at 11 a.m. in a Guthrie neighborhood because the tag was expired. Jennings was in the driver's seat, Rivera in the passenger seat, and in the backseat, a pet Timber rattlesnake in a terrarium.
At about the same time Jennings told officers he had a gun in console, police learned the Ford they were driving was reported stolen.
"So now he's got a rattlesnake, a stolen vehicle, firearm, and somebody under arrest," said Guthrie Police Sgt. Anthony Gibbs.
Oddly enough, the rattlesnake was legal as Jennings had a valid fishing license at the time. No charges as of yet on the uranium.
To read the full story, click here.
lead photo of timber rattlesnake. credit and thanks to John Kirinovic.
Wednesday, July 3 2019
When you have to put a turtle shell back together sometimes you need to get creative and that is exactly what the folks at Carolina Waterfowl Rescue did!
To stabilize the shell pieces and help them stay in place, they superglue the bra clasps to the shell to help offer additional support to the cracked shell pieces! As can see in the photo, it is brilliant!
To read more about the story, click here. And if you happen to have a few old bras laying around that are past their prime, consider checking with your local wildlife rehab group to see if they can use them!
Tuesday, June 18 2019
The Smithsonian's Reptile Discovery Center recently hatched it's first Chinese Water Dragon from an unfertilized egg. For the species, it was the first recorded parthenogenetic birth. It is not unusual to see unfertilized eggs from a variety of species, just ask any Iguana or bearded dragon owner! Lauren Augustine, a keeper at the Reptile Discovery Center, decided to hold and incubate all eggs from virgin females. What happened next is quite honestly history, and documented at that!
After two weeks of incubation, Reptile Discovery Center keepers candled the eggs; that is, they held them up to a light. The candling process revealed veins—a tell-tale that the eggs were fertile and the embryos were developing. After looking through our Asian water dragon’s records, I immediately suspected parthenogenesis. Before reaching sexual maturity, she was housed either by herself or with other females.
They have actually collected more than 1 fertile egg, however only 1 has hatched. This year the baby is of breeding age, so the team will be monitoring her eggs as well as mom's. They are still looking at the embryos that did not survive to hatching to determine the genetics as well. For more on this fascinating story, visit the Smithsonian Blog here.
lead photo courtesy of Smithsonian Blog
Monday, May 27 2019
Aquarium Biologist Tori Babson holds one of the two juvenile anacondas while talking with members of the media.
photo via www.neaq.org
Two Anacondas were recently born at the New England Aquarium from their all female exhibit. It was determined via DNA testing that the babies are the product of parthenogenesis, which means the female was able to reproduce without a male. This was only the second recorded parthenogenesis in Anacondas, the first in 2014 in the UK.
From the New England Aquarium Blog:
Earlier this past winter, the newborn snakes were unexpectedly discovered by Aquarium staff in the rainforest exhibit. Biologists discovered in January that 8-year-old Anna, a 10-foot adult anaconda weighing about 30 pounds, was still in the process of delivering more young, most of which were stillborn, which is quite common in parthenogenesis among vertebrate species. Initially, three babies survived, but one died of within a couple of days. Since then, the other two juveniles have thrived.
To read the entire story, visit The New England Aquarium blog here.
Aquarium Biologist Tori Babson holds one of the two juvenile anacondas while talking with members of the media.
photo via www.neaq.org
Two Anacondas were recently born at the New England Aquarium from their all female exhibit. It was determined via DNA testing that the babies are the product of parthenogenesis, which means the female was able to reproduce without a male. This was only the second recorded parthenogenesis in Anacondas, the first in 2014 in the UK.
From the New England Aquarium Blog:
Earlier this past winter, the newborn snakes were unexpectedly discovered by Aquarium staff in the rainforest exhibit. Biologists discovered in January that 8-year-old Anna, a 10-foot adult anaconda weighing about 30 pounds, was still in the process of delivering more young, most of which were stillborn, which is quite common in parthenogenesis among vertebrate species. Initially, three babies survived, but one died of within a couple of days. Since then, the other two juveniles have thrived.
To read the entire story, visit The New England Aquarium blog here.
Friday, May 10 2019
inset photo Mr. Fowler and Peter Gros in 2002. (Nati Harnik/AP)
I never met Jim Fowler in my entire life, but I can attribute a lot of who I am to our weekend mornings spent in my childhood. My breakfast bowl of Apple Jacks, cross legged on the floor of my living room, I would stare at the TV with rapt attention waiting to learn about the animals in our world. He inspired me to learn and read more about animals. He along with his long time co-host, Marlon Perkins, taught me about conservation. They taught me that beauty was simple to find and hard to hold on to.
Jim's message on nature was simple and I hope he knew this difference it made in so many lives.
"What we have to do is ask ourselves, 'What's in it for me?' Only then will we realize that the continued existence of wildlife and wilderness is ultimately important to the quality of life of humans."
To learn a bit more about Jim's life and hear why the environment is so very important to protect, pop over to The Washington Post obituary here.
Thank you Jim for inspiring a little girl who dreamed of going to see alligators in the wild, she did that and so much more. You inspired me to learn more about our natural world and gave me the desire to help protect it.
Thursday, February 14 2019
Meet Juliet, a Sehuencas water frog recently collected from the Bolivian cloud forest. (Robin Moore, Global Wildlife Conservation)
A year ago, Romeo was trolling match.com looking for another just like him. The staff at Bolivia’s Museo de Historia Natural Alcide d’Orbigny in Cochabamba put an ad up on the dating site to help bring awareness and funding to help locate another Sehuencas water frog. They didn't find him a "date" on the site, but they gained the funding needed to locate 5 frogs, including an adult female who has been named Juliet.
Close to a waterfall, however, expedition leader Teresa Camacho Badani saw a frog jump.
“When I pulled it out, I saw an orange belly and suddenly realized I had in my hands the long-awaited Sehuencas water frog,” Badani, who works for the Museo de Historia Natural Alcide d’Orbigny in Cochabamba, tells Carrington. “My first reaction was to yell ‘I found one!’ and the team came running over to help me and pull the frog to safety. It was an incredible feeling.”
Researchers are still looking for more of the cricitcally endangered frogs to build an assurance population. Read more about this awesome expedition at Smithsonianmag.com.
Friday, January 4 2019
Several Cane Toads remind us that necessity is the mother of invention as they found a novel way to get out of an area being flooded by an overflowing dam. They hitched a Lyft, wait make that lift on the back of a local python named Monty. It is Australia after all, pythons just wander the streets there I hear!
"I went out and the lake had overflowed," he says, and realised the toads, who nested around its edge, were fleeing the rising waters.
"Thousands of toads were all trying to find somewhere to go," he says. "And then I saw Monty our local python with a bunch of hitchhikers on his back."
A variety of theories abound from it being staged to male toads with a little romantic confusion, but we just think it is a cool story! Check out the full story and video here!
Photo courtesy of Paul and Andrew Mock, originally shared at https://tinyurl.com/y8dzldea
Thursday, January 3 2019
My very first bulk cricket order was from Jurassic Snacks in the early 90's.This was well before the internet, we herpers were still working on long distance calls and mail order lists. Everyone has that story, especially us old timers. After lamenting my issues of fitting the square box full of crickets into the rectangle aquarium to a friend, he let me in on the trash bag trick. This tale from a twitter user had tears coming from my eyes.
This tale from a new bearded dragon owner in Minnesota might very well be the funniest thing you have read this week.
Having never ordered internet crickets before, I naively assumed that I’d open up the box and find the crickets in some sort of sealed bag or other contraption to facilitate easy transfer to their final storage place. I also assumed that given the near-zero temperatures we were experiencing that morning, any crickets in the box would be groggy and disoriented and easy to manage.
I was wrong on both counts.
I have not lived in the home I received my first cricket order since 2000, but I am convinced the house still has crickets roaming the halls. To read the full story, I strongly suggest you click here.
Inset photo of post feeding beardie courtesy of TazziesMommy
Wednesday, November 7 2018
Photo of one of the alligator ponds at St. Augustine provided by Cindy Steinle
St. Augustine Alligator Farm is a fantastic place to visit, but only during open hours. Recently a man in Florida felt it was a good idea to break in to the farm after hours and that is when the shenanigans began. Several exhibits were damaged but so was the trespasser. When workers arrived the next morning, they found the damage to the exhibits, a lot of blood, a pair of shorts and a "croc" shoe. The man was found wandering the neighborhood in only his boxers and covered with blood.
To read the full story and view the video, visit Fox 13.
Friday, November 2 2018
A woman in Pennsylvania is hissing mad because someone sold her 17 year old son a 4 foot alligator at a local reptile show. The alligator, which now resides at a reptile rescue, had no comment.
While many states regulate the sales of crocodilians Pennsylvania does not and the operator of the rescue is urging people to contact their state legislators to stop the "Pannsylvania alligator invasion" and outlaw their sales to children. To read the full article click here.
Wednesday, October 31 2018
kingsnake.com's Cindy Steinle is live blogging the 2018 Herp Law Symposium in Maryland today and tomorrow (she is also slated as a moderator for one of the panels). This event, sponsored by PIJAC, USARK, kingsnake.com, and a number of other businesses and organizations in the herp community, brings the voices of many different facets of the reptile world together to discuss regulatory issues, conservation issues, and trending disease issues such as the Chytrid fungus that is decimating amphibian populations worldwide. Below is her live blog transcript from the first day:
Continue reading "2018 Herp Symposium Live blog Day 1"
Friday, October 12 2018
Mottled Rock Rattlesnake gallery photo by Tom Lott
Is the bite of of baby venomous snake more dangerous than an adult? Can a decapitated snake still bite? And does the "red and yellow kill a fellow" rhyme ring true? With answers by State herpetologist Paul Crump of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Elda Sánchez, director of the National Natural Toxins Research Center at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, this article from the Dallas Morning News helps explain and explore some of the myths and facts about venomous snakes in Texas. The article also talks about the medical uses of venom, and discusses the various types of snake venom common to Texas snakes, as well as a host of other interesting facts. Check out the article on the Dallas Morning News web site!.
Saturday, October 6 2018
Green Mamba kingsnake gallery photo uploaded by fangfatale
A Green Mamba that bit it's owner has been located and caught in a tree after an escape following the envenomation in Prague Czechoslovakia. According to the BBC the woman, who was found unconscious by paramedics, had not registered the highly venomous snake, and is in an induced coma at a city hospital after receiving an antidote.
To read the full story check out the article on the BBC web site.
Tuesday, March 27 2018
A wild python had eyes bigger than his belly recently in Australia when he swallowed a slipper from the home he snuck into. Now I am kinda jealous of someone who has to worry about carpet pythons just wandering into their house, but the poor python was just looking for food. Emergency surgery was done and the snake is stable. And I bet after a quick wash, that slipper will be too! You can check the video out here. To read more, click here.
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