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, November 28 2014
Check out this video "Pink Eastern Worm Snake," submitted by kingsnake.com user Minuet.
Submit your own reptile & amphibian videos at http://www.kingsnake.com/video/ and you could see them featured here or check out all the videos submitted by other users!
Wednesday, November 26 2014
 Researchers at the Yuma Proving Grounds are making headway tagging tortoises to study their movements.
From the Yuma Sun:
To track the tortoises and study their habits, biologists attach small VHF transmitters and GPS data loggers to the shell of each tortoise they find. They also paint a unique number on the tortoise’s shell, and file a small notch through one of the keratin scutes at the thin rear edge of the shell, which has a consistency similar to a human fingernail. All this is done after an examination of the tortoise’s health and weight.
Coaxing one of the creatures out of their shelters can be a challenge: if they feel threatened, they oftentimes wedge themselves against the rear wall and ceiling of their miniature caves, which can be yards deep.
“They’re shockingly strong,” said Hillary Hoffman, a herpetologist with the Arizona Game and Fish Department who has been coming to YPG since 2009. “If they don’t want to come out, they’re not coming out.”
Read more...
Tuesday, November 25 2014
 A just-published study has turned scientific concensus upside down by suggesting turtles aren't very closely related to snakes and lizards after all. Instead, their closests cousins are birds, crocodiles, and dinosaurs, a group researchers are now calling " Archelosauria," which is believed to be the largest group of vertebrates to be assigned a new scientific name.
From Phys.org:
A team of scientists, including researchers from the California Academy of Sciences, has reconstructed a detailed "tree of life" for turtles. The specifics of how turtles are related—to one another, to other reptiles, and even to dinosaurs—have been hotly debated for decades. Next generation sequencing technologies in Academy labs have generated unprecedented amounts of genetic information for a thrilling new look at turtles' evolutionary history. These high-tech lab methods revolutionize the way scientists explore species origins and evolutionary relationships, and provide a strong foundation for future looks into Earth's fossil record.
Research results, appearing in Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, describe how a new genetic sequencing technique called Ultra Conserved Elements (UCE) reveal turtles' closest relatives across the animal kingdom.
Read more here.
Photo: kingsnake.com user anuraanman
Monday, November 24 2014
 School children in Ireland spent time handling Rascal the Burmese python at the Reptile Conservation Zoo.
From the Independent:
The scary encounter was to celebrate the launch of the zoo’s search for an Irish Junior Conservation Hero.
The new initiative is to help raise awareness about the rapid rate of extinction that is wiping out unique species across the planet.
Read more...
Friday, November 21 2014
Check out this video "Garter Snake A My Garden," submitted by kingsnake.com user Minuet.
Submit your own reptile & amphibian videos at http://www.kingsnake.com/video/ and you could see them featured here or check out all the videos submitted by other users!
Thursday, November 20 2014
 An exotic pet hospital in Australia saved a monitor lizard that was hit by a car, and warns drivers to keep an eye out.
From the Daily Telegraph:
“If you see one hurt ... it’s best to be cautious and call an expert.
“Also, try and look out for them on the roads. They tend to move slowly across the road when they want to warm up or look for food.”
Read more...
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