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.
Sunday, November 21 2010
I'd known Wilson for almost four years, and I didn't like her but I tolerated her. And my husband didn't have much interest in her either to my relief. Then out of the blue one day, he wanted to play with her. Wilson, a four year old (at the time) ball python, was owned by my friend Gina. She'd bought the snake from the flea market when it was a neonate. By this time, the snake was about four and a half feet long. My husband asked if he could hold the snake, and sat there for an hour, letting her crawl all over him. She rubbed her face against his goatee, through his hair. He fell in love that day.
A few months later, Gina calls me and says she's moving and can't have the snake and wants to know if I know of anyone that would like to buy it. She was ours that Friday.
At the time, Gina told me the snake was a male, and at the time the snake's name wasn't Wilson. The name Wilson came from my husband, naming her after the soccer ball in Cast Away. And a trip to the vet a few months later when she went off feed gave us the discovery that he was a she.
We've had Wilson since the middle of 2005. From her, we've learned so much. Snakes are no longer something to be feared, but respected and appreciated for what they do for us in nature. They make excellent pets, they don't bark, you don't have to feed them every day, and couldn't care less if you don't play with them every day. She also started the ball rolling on a fun and interesting hobby. Like tattoos, you can't have just one snake. One became two, then four, then six. And in less than a month, we added four snakes. (Three were Wilson's first clutch, which I will write about later).
In the beginning, I was still a bit scared, but with time I learned to relax. I don't go as far as my husband and let her get in my face, but she and I respect that we are the other woman in his life.
After almost six years of keeping and adding new snakes, Wilson is still my husband's favorite. They still sit on the couch together, her crawling through his hair as she drapes across his shoulders.
To add, my friend Gina, who created my husband's love of snakes which then created mine, was killed in May. I think of Gina every time I look at Wilson, and I'm thankful I have a wonderful reminder of a very dear friend. I hate that I never had the chance to tell Gina about Wilson and her eggs, as she laid about a month after Gina's death. I know she would have loved the thought!
Saturday, November 20 2010
By
Sat, November 20 2010 at 10:51
Since this is my first blog entry here on KS, I figure I would test it out by helping to promote the newly re-vitalized Madison Area Herpetological Society (MAHS), as well as herp societies in general.
According to MAHS, A herpetological society educates enthusiasts and the general public about frequently misunderstood animals. It is a great source for people to exchange knowledge, from amateur hobbyists to experts. It also gives a community a basis for expertise on issues dealing with local laws, ordinances, and conservation.
Meetings include:
-Guest speakers
-Raffles
-Monthly Discussion Topics
Possible Other Resources:
-Library
-Forum
Community:
-Educational Presentations
-Booths at Events
MAHS's idea of rotating their meetings around the city each month (and always at those same locations each time) is a unique idea that should be implemented by other herp societies in large metropolitan areas. It is always a plus when any organization actually spends the time to seek and listen to input from both their current and prospective members. MAHS currently meets every other month at AniMart on the east side, and at Barns and Noble Bookstore every other month on the west side. A north side meeting location has yet to be determined.
I encourage anyone with an interest in reptiles and amphibians in or around the Madison Wisconsin area, or even anywhere in Wisconsin to join and participate in this great group or any of the other great herp societies Wisconsin has to offer such as the Eastern WI Herp Society, Fox Valley Area Herp Club, NE WI Herp Association, or the student based UW Stevens Point Herp Society. If you reside in states other than Wisconsin, chances are many larger municipalities or regions have their own herp societies to join. You do not need to be a professional breeder with thousands of high end snakes, or know the scientific names of every frog or salamander in North America to join a herp society. All you need is a passion for herps and a willingness to learn, meet new people, and have fun doing social activities with like minded people. After all, a herp society should be for everyone in the reptile community.
For more information about the MAHS or if interested in joining, contact:
Jim Stelpflug- swreptile@aol.com
Ryan McVeigh- ryan@madcityreptiles.com
 Komodos may be the biggest, baddest lizard out there, but a recent study linking the Komodo Dragon, native to Indonesia, to ancient African lizards just brought them to another level of coolness.
Canadian biologists Alison Murray and Rob Holmes found the vertebrae of these two animals is the key connecting them together. From Physorg.org:
Holmes says the telltale African vertebrae fossils belonged to a lizard that was about a metre- and-a-half long whose ability to swim may be key to figuring out how more than 30 million years later its ancestors turned up on the other side of the world.
Holmes says the ancient African Varanus specimen was found on land that was once the bottom of a river or small lake. "Whether the animals lived in the water or surrounding land, we don't know, but we do know that some modern day species of Varanus are comfortable swimming in fresh water."
The researchers agree that fresh-water swimming wouldn't get the African lizard all the way to Indonesia. Murray says the mystery of how the animals spread deepens when you consider ancient world geography. "From about 100 million years ago until 12 million years ago, Africa was completely isolated, surrounded by ocean, but somehow they got out of Africa during that period," said Murray. "That's why this paper is important because there was no known land connection."
Murray says one unproven theory of how Varanus moved out of Africa is that over millions of years, small land masses or micro-plates may have moved from one place to another, carrying their fauna with them.
After the bump you will find the actual abstract for the paper, published in Palaeontology:
Continue reading "Dinosaurs just got venom: Komodo dragon linked to African fossils"
Friday, November 19 2010
 It's an older story, but worth reading: An amazing CT scan tracks the progress of a python's digestion and leaves me saying "COOL!" I know the beginning and the ending of the process first hand, but the really fun part is the middle, complete with pictures!
From the DailyMail:
Scientists were able to carry out a computer tomography or CT scan and used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study the 5kg snake.
The images revealed the gradual disappearance of the rat's body. At the same time, the snake's intestine expanded, its gall bladder shrank and its heart increased in volume by 25 per cent.
The researchers, Henrik Lauridsen and Kasper Hansen, both from Aarhus University in Denmark, explained that the increase in the size of the snake's heart was probably associated with the energy it needed to digest its meal.
'It's a sit and wait predator,' explained Mr Lauridsen. 'It fasts for months and then eats a really large meal.
The folks over at Science Giest had the same reaction I did. Geeks of a feather?
After the bump, the BBC video of the CT scan. Further geeking abounds!
Continue reading "CT scan tracks snake digestion"
Wednesday, November 17 2010
 The smuggling of an animal as precious as a Marine Iguana is about the stupidest thing possible, but hey, some people will try anything for a buck -- even taking animals that live solely on the food in their habitat.
From Wildlife Extra News:
An attempt to illegally export marine iguanas, an emblematic species of the Galapagos, has been stopped by the Ecuadorian Environmental Police's dog unit.
The police were conducting routine inspections of cargo and luggage when Willy, one of the police dogs, found a cardboard box containing two iguanas. Despite being kept in poor conditions, fortunately both are still alive. However, the body of a baby sea turtle was also found in the box.
After the police inspection, the marine iguanas were delivered to the authorities of the Galapagos National Park.
The box was abandoned and the iguanas at least will hopefully return to the wild. The dogs are trained to sniff out wildlife and recently found a house with shark fins, also protected, on Santa Cruz Island.
In late October a group in Utah sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife for failure to protect their native Gila Monsters. From Desert News.com:
The suit filed in U.S. District Court in Colorado says stresses on the Utah population, which occur only in Washington County, include declines in habitat because of increasing urbanization, illicit trade and poaching, as well persecution by humans.
WildEarth Guardians filed a petition with the agency, seeking protections for Utah Gila monsters in January, with a 90-day finding that was due in April.
With no such finding, the group argued that the agency acted contrary to law and "unreasonably" delayed compliance with sections of the Endangered Species Act.
It is felt that this northernmost range of the Gila and the survival of the group are critical for the species overall population.
Tuesday, November 16 2010
By
Tue, November 16 2010 at 14:54
 Even though the cut-off date for public comments about preserving the Chatsworth Reservoir was November 15, the office is still accepting correspondence. Apparently, some facets of the community were not informed in a timely manner about the public comment period. In fact, the Southwestern Herpetologists Society (SWHS) only learned about this plan less than two weeks ago.
So, keep the correspondence flowing. The posting information and phone number, along with the sample letter can be found in the here.
I had the opportunity to see the land in question for myself; thanks to SWHS's Rande Gallant and Jarrod Lucas for the summary information about the reservoir and also what it means to SWHS and the community! It saddens me to think that this last area of the San Fernando Valley's untouched wetlands has the potential to be flattened and "restored". We all know that it's never quite the same after that, especially for the indigenous plants and animal life!
I haven't had the chance to review and process all my photos yet, but SWHS's Diana Sprout has graciously provided some photos to give you an insight to the animal life there -- you can see them under the jump.
Continue reading "UPDATE: Preserving Southern California's Chatsworth Reservoir"
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