If you're like most people, you're still having trouble working off the mashed potatoes and pie from yesterday, and are planning to spend the weekend on the couch watching football, eating leftovers, and enjoying the holiday with family and friends. Instead of fighting the traffic and crowds at the mall to take advantage of this weekend's sales, why not sit back, relax, have another cup of eggnog, and keep yourself warm checking out all the hot holiday deals in kingsnake.com's classifieds?

Casey Lazik is just one on the many longtime kingsnake.com classified vendors offering special deals, like this unusual Female Pastel Clown Ball Python, among others.

With reptile and amphibian vendors from around the world posting ads, kingsnake.com's classified are full of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals on everything from cages and supplies to reptiles and amphibians -- something for virtually every herper's Christmas list!

Or, if you're a vendor with some hot holiday gift ideas to fill a reptile lover's Christmas stocking, then post your own!

To see all the Black Friday deals in the kingsnake.com classifieds, click here.

To check out the upcoming Cyber Monday deals, click here.

To register for a classified account and post your own holiday deals and offers, click here.

The Galapagos Islands, home to some of the world's most unusual and endangered herpetofauna, will be targeted with 22 tons of specially-designed poison baits in an effort to combat the chain's estimated 180 million rats.

The Galapagos, or Archipiélago de Colón, are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean 525 nautical miles west of continental Ecuador, and form an Ecuadorian province, a national park, and a biological marine reserve that are home to the Galápagos land iguana, Conolophus spp., Marine iguana, Amblyrhynchus cristatus, the Galápagos giant tortoise, Chelonoidis nigra, and the Galápagos green turtle, Chelonia mydas agassisi.

From the Associated Press / NBC 6 South Florida:

"It's one of the worst problems the Galapagos have. (Rats) reproduce every three months and eat everything," said Juan Carlos Gonzalez, a specialist with the Nature Conservancy involved in the Phase II eradication operation on Pinzon island and the islet of Plaza Sur."

Geologically young and famed for their vast number of endemic species, which were studied by Charles Darwin during the voyage of the Beagle, many observations and collections made in the Galapagos contributed to the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection.

A helicopter is to begin dropping nearly 22 tons of specially designed poison bait on an island today, launching the second phase of a campaign to clear out the invasive Norway and black rats, introduced by whalers and buccaneers beginning in the 17th century. The rats feed on the eggs and hatchlings of the islands' native species. To read more, see the complete article here.

(Gallery photo posted by Ivory Tortoise)

The 36th International Herpetological Symposium has announced the first confirmed speakers for its 2013 event, to be held in New Orleans, Louisiana, July 31-August 3 at the Astor Crown Plaza.

With three days of presentations on herpetology, herpetoculture, and reptile veterinary medicine, the symposium is in its 36th year of connecting hobbyists, scientists, educators, and zoo professionals. Confirmed speakers for the 2013 event so far include noted herpetologists and herpetoculturists Charlie Painter, John Cann, Danté Fenolio, Ph.D, Tell Hicks, Vince Scheidt, Fred Antonio, Steve Reichleing, Ari Flagle, Ed Pirog, and Karl Switak. I am also scheduled to speak at IHS 2013, and will be discussing the NRAAC organization and its annual reptile and amphibian law conference. Attendees of this educational event will receive free admission to the amazing Audubon Zoo, the Aquarium of the Americas, and the Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium

For up to date information on scheduling, hotel accommodations, and to register to attend, please visit the IHS at their brand spanking new web site at http://www.internationalherpetologicalsymposium.com.

See you on Bourbon Street!

Siegfried and Roy and their famous tigers will be only the most famous of exotic pet owners who will be affected when Clark County, Nevada, decides on new exotic pet regulations on Thursday, Oct. 18.

The Associated Press reported in August that many aspects of the proposed regulations are unclear, leaving current owners of exotic pets in the dark:

The changes also expand the permitting process for owning an exotic animal. The exact language of the new regulations is expected to be finalized in coming weeks.

Ken Foose, owner of the retail store Exotic Pets and President of the Southern Nevada Herpetological Society, is spearheading a local effort to try to ensure that the regulations and permitting process are fair and equitable, and is trying to encourage herpers and owners of other exotic pets to attend Thurday's meeting through his store's Facebook page:

On Thursday, Oct. 18 at 6:30 at the Clark County Government Center, in the room where the county commissioners meet, there will be a meeting of the Clark Co advisory board. They will be looking at the new proposed exotic animals regulations that are being forced upon us. I need people to show up and protest these regulations under their current form. I met with the drafters of this ordinance on Friday afternoon, and expressed to them my misgivings and suggested ways to fix the regulations, however, I believe these regs are going to be presented to the advisory board as is. This is not good for us or our hobby. We must object. We need mammal and reptile hobbyists there. We must support each other. Don't let your chance to help protect your rights pass you by. Be there please.

For a map to the Clark County Government Center, click here.

Have we been doing this whole snake breeding thing wrong?

According to a study released last month, virgin births, or parthenogenesis, may be much more common in reptiles than once believed. Long thought to be a phenomena seen only in captive reptiles, collaborative DNA research by the Copperhead Institute, Wofford College in South Carolina, and San Diego State University, suggests otherwise.

The researchers collected genetic samples from long-term studies of the snakes — copperheads from Connecticut, and cottonmouths from Georgia. They gathered specimens from 22 litters of copperheads and 37 litters of cottonmouths, both the mothers and their offspring. DNA analysis confirmed that in one litter from each species, the offspring were solely the product of the mother, with no genetic contributions from a father....Essentially, somewhere between 2.5 and 5 percent of litters produced in these populations may be resulting from parthenogenesis.

The researchers hope to study other snakes, like water snakes in Oklahoma, next to determine how common it is in other species, and whether a single female can populate a location. To read more, check out the article on NBC, or read the research paper at the journal site Biology Letters.

The 2012 National Reptile and Amphibian Law Symposium, held in Houston last week, garnered media attention, a frank exchange of views from diverse stakeholders who rarely have that opportunity, and commitments from many participants to be back next year.

The 2013 Symposium will be held in the Washington, DC, area, and current co-hosts NRAAC, PIJAC, and the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians (ARAV) will continue that role next year. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which sent six panelists to Houston, has also agreed to participate next year, as did the CDC, FDA, and Florida Wildlife Commission.

With around 120 participants, the event was able to facilitate in-depth discussions with panelists on a variety of important topics, including invasive and injurious species, the Lacey Act, CITES and ESA rules, and salmonella and the four-inch turtle law.

With a reporter from the Houston Chronicle in the audience on Friday, the panels touched on some sensitive topics:

Citing the case of Burmese pythons, which this year joined 233 other animals on the injurious wildlife list, Susan Jewell, listing coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, told the group that Everglades park staff collected 367 of the giant snakes in 2009. After a killing cold spell in 2010, 322 were collected.

Jewell argued that, while the reptiles have difficulty surviving cold weather, they likely could acclimate, with survivors spawning offspring more resistant to chill. As a result, she said, the pet snakes-gone-wild ultimately could spread from their South Florida home base.

Elliott Jacobson, a University of Florida zoological medicine professor, scoffed at Jewell's assertions, saying Everglades personnel did not specify whether the snakes they collected after the cold snap were dead or alive.

The snakes are vulnerable to cold weather and so large, he said, that they would have a hard time finding a place to successfully hibernate.

Please stay tuned to the NRAAC website for audio, video, and transcripts, to be posted soon, and for information on the 2013 National Reptile and Amphibian Law Symposium.

The East Texas Herpetological Society in Houston, Texas, will hold its 22nd Annual Conference, Breeder Expo, and Educational Exhibit on the weekend of September 29-30 at the Crowne Plaza Houston Northwest, drawing speakers and vendors from around the country.

Texas' oldest and longest-running reptile event as well as one of the oldest events in herpetoculture, the ETHS expo is famous for its Friday night icebreaker, where in the old days breeders would sneak away and trade off their "primo" stock before it even hit the expo floor. Both kingsnake.com and NRAAC were "born" at the ETHS expo, and over its 22 years it has been responsible for introducing thousands of hobbyists to the world of reptiles and amphibians.

Different from most of today's expos, the ETHS Symposium and Expo focuses as much, or more, on education as it does on swapping animals, with a full symposium scheduled for Saturday and the expo and sale scheduled for Sunday. Speakers and topics for Saturday's symposium include:

• The Snakes of Paraguay - Joe Furman
• Research on the American Alligator - The Larger Side of Herpetology - Cord Eversole
• Herping in Vietnam - Paul Freed
• Leopard Geckos - History of Morphs (A pictorial discussion of the evolution of Leopard gecko variation) - Ron Tremper
• The Life and Times of a Disney Zoo Vet - Komodo Dragons to Hippos and lots of Herps in between - Dr. Greg Fleming
• The Herpetofauna of Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica - Louie Porras
• Conservation of Chile’s Imperiled Amphibians - Dr. Dante Fenolio

Saturday night there will be a banquet and keynote presentation by noted herpetologist Bill Lamar, whose presentation, "A Naturalist Looks at 37 Years in the Tropics," will provide a colorful overview of his career chasing reptiles and amphibians in the jungles and rainforests of Latin America. The address will be followed by ETHS' traditional benefit auction.

Sunday's expo and sale will include breeders, hobbyists, and businesses from around the country trading and selling reptiles and amphibians, as well as food, caging, supplies, books, t-shirts, field gear, and more. kingsnake.com's big black "Zombie Hunter" snake hunting truck will be on display in the parking lot all weekend, and we will be handing out free kingsnake.com window stickers Sunday.

For more information, directions, admission costs, and to register as an attendee or vendor for the ETHS Expo and Symposium, please visit their website at http://eths.org.

The ETHS Symposium and Expo is running in parallel with the First National Reptile and Amphibian Law Symposium and Workshop, a free educational event held in the same hotel the same weekend. Hosted by the ETHS as well as the ARAV, PIJAC, and NRAAC, this event will bring together stakeholders with the federal and state agencies that govern the laws regarding amphibians and reptiles. For more information and to register for this event please see http://nraac.org.

The First Annual Reptile and Amphibian Law Symposium and Workshop in Houston, Texas, Sept. 28-30 continues to gain momentum as the date for the event draws closer. Panelists from the United States Fish & Wildlife Service as well as the Food & Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control, and other agencies have signed on, as have reptile industry leaders such as Robroy McInness of Glades Herp Farms Inc., Mark Cantos of the Florida Reptile Industry, and Ty Park of Ty's Lizards.

To ensure representation from a wide a variety of stakeholders, a wide net was cast in the outreach for panelists for the event, which is the first of its kind. Panelist invitations were sent to more than 70 state and federal agencies, as well as dozens of private organizations, including those as diverse as Defenders of Wildlife and The Nature Conservancy, the International Herp Symposium and the United States Association of Reptile Keepers. Private businesses were not excluded, with panelist invitations being extended to a dozens of breeders, importers and exporters, pet stores, manufacturers, and other related businesses.

Confirmed panelists so far include:

Dr. Michael Murphy - HHS/FDA
Susan Jewell - Injurious Wildlife Listing Coordinator, USFWS
Craig Hoover - Chief, Branch of Operations, USFWS
Dr. Elliott Jacobson - ARAV / University of Florida
Andrew G. Gluesenkamp, Ph.D. - Herpetologist, Texas Parks and Wildlife
Megan Russell, - Wildlife Permits Specialist Texas Parks and Wildlife
Collette Adkins Giese - Attorney, Center for Biological Diversity
Scott Hardin - Biologist, Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council
Dr. Jennifer Wright - Centers For Disease Control and Prevention
Ken Foose - President, International Herp Symposium
Cindy Steinle - Chicago Herpetological Society, Small Scale Rescue
Carole H. Allen - Gulf Office Director, Sea Turtle Restoration Project
Gerald Keown - Executive Director, SW Center for Herpetological Research
Michael Maddox - Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council
Dr. David Doherty - East Texas Herpetological Society
Doug Hotle - Curator of Herpetology, Albuquerque Biological Park
Jeff Barringer - Founder, Kingsnake.com
Robroy McInnes - President, Glades Herp Farm Inc.
Marc Cantos - Florida Reptile Industry
Ty Park - Lasco Inc./Ty's Lizards

All of these people and more are expected to converge on Houston to discuss the wide array of regulations and laws that govern reptiles and amphibians in the wild and in captivity in the United States. Topics to be covered include CITES and other international laws, the Lacey Act, the Endangered Species Act, and other federal laws, as well as state laws, codes, and regulations. Other topics include parasites, diseases, and pathogens and the law, and private reptile ownership, ethics and the law.

The conference is free and open to anyone with an interest. To register for the conference as a panelist or attendee, please go to http://www.nraac.org/register. Panelist registration will close at midnight on September 15 to allow us time to prepare printed programs for the event, so if you, or your agency or organization, plan on participating, please submit your registration as soon as possible.

Special reduced rates at the event hotel, the Crowne Plaza Houston Northwest in Houston, are available. To book your room online, click here. Make sure to use group code NRAAC to get the discounted event rate.

This Symposium is co-hosted by the East Texas Herpetological Society, which will be holding its annual expo in parallel. Make sure to visit their expo, one of the longest running events in the reptile community, held the same weekend in the same facility. For information on attending or vending at the ETHS Expo, please visit their web site at
http://eths.org/

If you are a member of a reptile club, herp society, or conservation organization, please forward information on this conference to your organization and its membership to make sure your organization is represented at this important event. And make sure to let your reptile and amphibian friends know as well!

A logger, who was bitten after attempting to capture a 6 foot long Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake from the roadway while on the job for a logging company, has failed in his attempt to sue his employer to cover his medical expenses after an Alabama appeals court ruled against him. According to an article in today's Courthouse News Service, the logger is reported to have:

"Caught as many as 100 snakes in his lifetime without ever once getting bitten, (and) said a co-worker was preparing to catch the snake, but looked inexperienced and on the verge of getting bitten. Odom grabbed the snake behind the head and dropped it in a bucket, but the snake reared up and bit both of Odom's hands several times. After being airlifted to a hospital in Mobile, Odom was in a coma for weeks and emerged totally disabled."

The appeals court ruled that:

"The snake on the roadway posed no risk - occupational or otherwise - to Odom so long as he remained in the vehicle in which he was riding; once he voluntarily exited the vehicle and attempted to catch the snake, the risk that caused Odom's injury was personal to him and not 'sufficiently related to [his] employment to be considered an occupational hazard,'" Judge Craig Pittman wrote for a five-member panel. "The hazard that Odom encountered on September 24, 2009, was not peculiar to loggers; it was one that would be shared by any passing motorist who, after having spied a snake on the roadway, alights from his or her vehicle and undertakes to catch the snake."

Long time kingsnake.com contributors Dick Bartlett and Bill Love are among the photographers featured in "Frogs! A Chorus of Colors" at the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland Ohio. This special exhibition, running through January 6, features images from a number of noted photographers, as well as more than 70 live frogs from around the world showcased in stunning vivaria with rock ledges, live plants, and waterfalls.

"Frogs! A Chorus of Colors" was created by Peeling Productions at Clyde Peeling’s REPTILAND, and includes audio, video, and interactive components that let you test your frog IQ, create a chorus with recorded frog calls, perform a virtual frog dissection, and more. They even have some real blowpipes and darts to show how dart frogs got their name.

I had a chance to to see the exhibit this weekend and found it to be a great look at frogs, their role in the environment, and with man, as well as the crisis we currently face with Chytrid fungus. Working with Amphibian Ark, they have produced a very easy-to-understand video about Chytrid, what it is, what it does to amphibians, what it does to their populations when it hits, and what is being done to preserve many of these rapidly disappearing species. That alone was worth the price of admission to me.

For more information on the exhibit, check out the Great Lakes Science Center website.

Television personality, zookeeper, and frequent kingsnake.com guest Mark O'Shea was airlifted to Worcester Royal Hospital after being bitten by a king cobra on Sunday afternoon at the West Midlands Safari Park, in Bewdley, Worcestershire, UK.

Mark in stable condition and expected to be released on Monday, according to the BBC.

Best known in the United States as the host of the Discovery Channel series "O'Shea's Big Adventure," Mark was bitten as he tried to feed the 14-year-old female snake called Sleeping Beauty. West Midlands Safari Park Director Bob Lawrence described the bite as "a minor nip." Lawrence said O'Shea had been with another member of staff when he was bitten, and that a full investigation would be carried out into the incident.

A spokeswoman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said O'Shea had already received "excellent first aid" from Safari Park staff, who immobilized his leg and had anti-venom ready to administer if needed.

Over the years Mark has been a frequent contributor here at kingsnake.com, participating in web radio interviews, live chats with fans, posting to our forums, and even brainstorming about the site over a few pints. Everyone here -- me, the staff, volunteers, and members -- wishes Mark a speedy recovery.

To read more, check out the article on the BBC website.

Commercial feeder supplier Rodent Pro suffered an outbreak of the zoonotic disease Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), a rodent-borne infectious disease, in May of 2012, according to a release by the company posted to kingsnake.com.

According to the release, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determined 14 customers received mice that might have been exposed to the disease, and that those customers have been contacted by the CDC.

Though rarely fatal, LCMV and its flu-like symptoms can cause complications in people with weakened or compromised immune systems.

According to the CDC website, "Individuals become infected with LCMV after exposure to fresh urine, droppings, saliva, or nesting materials. Transmission can also occur when these materials are directly introduced into broken skin, the nose, the eyes, or the mouth, or presumably, via the bite of an infected rodent. "

Commercial facilities such as Rodent Pro and their suppliers are routinely tested for LCMV as well as other zoonotic diseases and pathogens by the USDA. If found to host an infective agent, those facilities are barred from selling and are put through an extensive sanitation process before they allowed to resume operation.

Based on data from the CDC, LCMV is a relatively common disease in its vector, the common house mouse, and you are more likely to become infected from wild mice at home than pet mice, rats, or other rodents. Still, proper animal husbandry and sanitation techniques can limit pet owners' exposure to LCMV and many other zoonotic pathogens:

The primary host is the common house mouse, Mus musculus. Infection in house mouse populations may vary by geographic location; about 5% of mice throughout the United States carry LCMV. The virus is found in the saliva, urine, and feces of infected mice. Infected mice carry LCMV and shed it for the duration of their lives without showing any sign of illness. Other types of rodents, such as hamsters, are not the natural reservoirs but can become infected with LCMV from wild mice at the breeder, in the pet store or home environment. Humans are more likely to contract LCMV from house mice, but infections from pet rodents have also been reported.

Zoonotic diseases are diseases caused by infectious agents that can be transmitted between (or are shared by) animals and humans. Anyone and everyone, whether they have pets or not, is vulnerable to a zoonotic disease. LCMV, Salmonella, Tularemia, West Nile, Malaria, Bubonic Plague, Rabies and even Ebola are all considered zoonotic diseases.

One of the top experts on zoonotic diseases, Dr. Jennifer Wright of the CDC, who specializes in salmonella, will be a panelist at the Reptile Law Conference in Houston in September. For more information and to register for this free event, see http://nraac.org.

Editor's note: Rodent Pro is an advertiser on kingsnake.com and ConnectedByPets.com.

Country and western singer Blake Shelton -- also a judge on this season's "The Voice" -- proved once again the old dictum that famous doesn't equal smart by posting a Tweet today implying that he deliberately went out of his way to run over an Eastern Box Turtle in Oklahoma, a species that is not only protected but is under incredible pressures throughout its range.

Can anyone really be this desperate for ratings or publicity?

Does anyone know if the Eastern Box turtle is protected in Oklahoma? If so I didn't just swerve to the shoulder of the road to smash one...

— Blake Shelton (@blakeshelton) July 27, 2012

Whether the Ada, Oklahoma, native did or didn't purposely run over and kill a protected species would be difficult to prove, and something that is probably best left to the professionals at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and their fine law enforcement team, but Mr. Shelton has certainly provided ample evidence that he is a moron.

For all those reptile people with a Twitter account, I would encourage you to stop by and drop him a note.

Severely injured in a fall at his home over the July 4th holiday, Louisiana reptile breeder and long time kingsnake.com member Sean Bradley vows "I'm staying in the biz man" despite being paralyzed from the waist down. The fall Wednesday from his deck severed his spine leaving him permanently paralyzed, and Sean will have to undergo surgery next week to have his spine fused.

Friends have gotten together to start a fund to help Sean pay for his medical bills and start the recovery process. Led by Sean's longtime friend Tim Bailey of Bailey and Bailey Reptiles, they hope to raise enough money to defray some of the costs that the immediate and long term care will require. Once that link is available we will publish it here.

Politics and reptiles make strange bedfellows, especially in an election year. Controversial Texas Land Commissioner and candidate for Lieutenant Governor, Jerry Patterson, has weighed in on the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard issue. From the Texas Insider:

Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson today claimed victory in an initial battle after U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced federal bureaucrats will not list the dunes sagebrush lizard as an endangered species.

“Texans stood up and were heard,” Patterson said. “The drive to list this lizard wasn’t based on science, but was in response to abusive lawsuits filed against the federal government by a radical environmental group — and Texans showed that we don’t get intimidated so easily.”

With all the controversy over the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard, all the lawsuits, finger pointing, and blame, a little overlooked fact is that Texas had already extended protection to the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard some years ago. In fact, it, along with dozens of other reptiles, amphibians, and mammals, were extended protections not " based on science," to use Jerry Patterson's words, when they were included on Texas Parks and Wildlife's blacklist of non-game species. Implemented under Rick Perry's administration, the list prevents private industry from working with, commercializing or studying those species. Oddly, the same regulations include exclusions allowing exterminators to kill many of the species afforded protection by the blacklist, which is probably good since it includes 11 species of rats and 25 species of mice.

To see all the species, like Cotton Rats, the Deer Mouse and the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard, that Texas taxpayers are paying to protect, click below.

Somewhere, someone thought that the new "Snakes and Rats" ad campaign by the United Way of Greater Milwaukee was a good idea.

Pet reptile owners, and pet rat owners, however, are likely to disagree.

The public awareness campaign by United Way and Serve Marketing continued in its tradition of shock advertising to address statutory rape and the high birthrates among 15- to 17-year-olds in Milwaukee. It portrays a young girl covered in rats and another enveloped by a snake, asking, "What kind of man preys on underage girls?"

Pet owners are more liable to ask, "What kind of organization defames defenseless animals and their owners?"

The United Way of Greater Milwaukee's choice to use a captive bred pet Burmese python to symbolize a sex offender preying on underage girls has raised the ire of many reptile owners who feel that the advertisement inaccurately portrays reptiles as evil and infers that reptile owners are sex offenders.

Others feel that the United Way's use of a Burmese P\python is just a shameless way to catch the media wind that the Burmese python problem in Florida has exacerbated, and will further increase animosity towards the species and pet owners, either intentionally or unintentionally.

We have contacted the United Way of Greater Milwaukee for comments or a statement and will let you know when we receive a response.

To read more about the United Way of Greater Milwaukee's "Snakes and Rats" marketing campaign, check out the whole article at the Journal Sentinel website. If you would like to contact the United Way of Greater Milwaukee please visit their website and Facebook page and drop them a polite note.

I started collecting in 1988, back when gas prices were high at $1.50 a gallon, and snake hunting had just become legal again, drawing hobbyists from around the world to some of the roughest country in Texas. I collected actively from 1989 until 2001, when kingsnake.com overwhelmed my free time, averaging 40 nights a year in South Texas and the Trans-Pecos. Along the way I wore out one car, twice, and two trucks. I left the car for dead in the desert once, after sleeping in it for several nights until I could hitch a ride back to civilization. Over the years in my adventures I have been pelted with rain, sleet, and hail so many times I quit counting. I've been trapped by flood waters three times, chased by tornadoes twice, had more than my share of UFO encounters, and met members of virtually every law enforcement agency in Texas, federal, state or otherwise. I have had flat tires, lost windshields and windows, broken timing belts, lost a transmission, a set of valves, lifters, and pistons. Twice I have let people drive me up dry creek beds, miles away from civilization, and get stuck, once having to walk 7 miles back to pavement. It seems once you hit the Trans-Pecos, something always happens. And if it hasn't happened to me, it's happened to my friends. All those life experiences were the starting point for what one game warden recently described as "The Ultimate Snake Hunting Truck."

Ready for Sanderson and Snake Days! This is our base kit for the field.

First on my list of critical items to bring snake hunting is always batteries. Make sure you bring them. Make sure you have them. Make sure you charge them. Make sure you re-charge them. Sanderson is a very small town, with limited places to acquire batteries, in an emergency or otherwise. With all the locals and all the herpers coming into town, batteries will be tough to find locally. Bring all you need so you don't find yourself 50 feet up on a cut with a light that just went dim. Make sure to bring any chargers you need for batteries or devices as well. Finding an iPhone charger might prove difficult, finding a camera charger impossible. First thing I do when I get in from hunting is put all my gear and all my batteries on chargers. Cameras, lights, phones, laptop, everything. A dead battery is dead weight,

I may be an "old hand" when it comes to herping in the Trans-Pecos and other parts of Texas, and I can identify just about anything I've seen more than once, but I still bring my field guides out with me on every trip, and I still encounter a variety of plants and animals I've never seen before. Texas has such a huge variety of habitats and wildlife it really is like a "whole other country." These books can help you figure out which one, or at least help expand your library.

Tromping around the road cuts while snake hunting in the desert at night can be hazardous to your health. The right foot gear and lighting can protect you from all kinds of dangers. Although I used to walk the cuts in flip-flops when I was younger, I had enough encounters with wildlife to re-consider my actions. The majority of the things that can bite you, stick you, or sting you occur below the knees, and that's why a stout set of "snake proof" boots is a good idea to have in your field kit. Yes, they can save you from that 4-foot atrox you missed, but more important, they protect you from the myriad cactus spines and thorn bushes, allowing you to work your way through some tough spots. I like the boots I got, the only flaw being that the soles do not seem to offer quite the desired level of protection against penetration, and I had a 3 inch thorn come vertically through the sole like I'd stepped on a nail, which made me watch where I put my feet afterward.

After spending a week with some of the latest gear I have put together a list of things that I field tested and can recommend, or that will be required to comply with Texas Reptile & Amphibian Stamp for hunting along the road right of way. Here are a few of the items I would recommend. Lighting is the most critical tool for roaming around in the desert at night, and LED lighting technology is probably the best technological advance (other than WiFi in the hotel rooms) since I last spent any time in the field. The first generation of LED lighting was hardly, if ever, an improvement over the halogen bulbs long in favor with light manufacturers. With the second generation of LED lights, however, LED lighting has truly come into it's own, offering lights that far exceed even the brightest halogens in the tiniest packages. Huge 5 million candlepower corded spotlights from back in the day, with massive reflectors that could open a shopping mall, have been supplanted by units like the Cyclops, a 9 watt LED rechargable unit smaller tham most corded lights of old, and yet with the power that far exceeds the 5 or 10 million candlepower units from back in the day. Best of all LED technology is an energy miser, I was able to use my Cyclops for 20+ hours straight before I needed to recharge it. The Cyclops comes in a bubble pack with both a an AC and a 12V car charger. I liked this so much I bought a second one!

"The snakes move when they want to move."

It's an old herpers' axiom that certainly rang true for me for the last six days as I wandered around the Sanderson area checking out a few herps, a lot of invertebrates, and more than the usual number of law enforcement types. Sadly, I did not encounter any gray-banded kingsnakes, nor did I find a milk snake, and the only rat snake I saw was unfortunately dead on the road. But I did see a gorgeous black tailed rattlesnake, a banded gecko, a bright red coachwhip, a tiny night snake and a half dozen Western diamondbacks.

I tested a lot of new gear, including LED headlamps, flashlights, and spotlights that weren't available when I last hunted. And technology in the Sanderson area had changed since I had last been there. Wireless internet in the hotel, cell phone service in limited areas. It was pretty weird to be standing on the cuts east of town and have your phone start ringing. The truck was also tested extensively, and I have a list of fixes, changes and upgrades before I go out again. One of the game wardens I spoke to described it as the "ultimate snake hunting truck, like a bass boat for reptile people."

I spent quite a bit of time talking with the game wardens in Sanderson for the Memorial Day weekend. The four I met were all young, in their twenties and thirties, and were really nice guys. They checked my license and stamp, checked out my truck (just because they thought it was cool), and we talked a bit about the new regulations. As far as I know they didn't ticket any hunters this weekend, though they asked me and a couple others to correct equipment or method errors that could have easily resulted in a ticket, but didn't.

I had spoken with David Sinclair over at Texas Parks & Wildlife before I left and asked him to give me a synopsis of the current regs. that would impact the Snake Days participants. I am reprinting it below, with my later clarifications in italics, so everyone has the correct information before they go and can prepare themselves accordingly.

Today we have officially launched a new feature on kingsnake Connect called "public streams", which allows kingsnake.com users to post either to their own private feeds, seen only by your private connections, or to the new public streams which can be seen by everyone. This makes kingsnake Connect a hybrid between the old technology of public forums, and the new technology of social networking with private feeds. For now we have launched four public streams that you can post in. We will add more streams as needed.

The General Reptile & Amphibian stream is for posts about anything having to do with reptiles and amphibians, whether its pictures you want to show off, a YouTube video, links to a news article or web site. Just about everything can be posted there, except commercial advertising of course.

The Ball Python stream is, as the name implies, for posts about the highly variable, and highly prized, Ball Python, and it's innumerable morphs. Post about your collection, or your hatchlings, or just show us what your snakes look like!

The Reptile & Amphibian Law stream is for people wanting to converse, proselytize, or just keep up to date with what is happening with herp laws in the United States, and around the world.

Finally the Field Notes and Observations stream is for people who like to see snakes, lizards, frogs, and turtles in the wild and want to keep informed and current on what is happening out in the fields, swamps and deserts, or to share their latest discoveries and field notes.

To check out all of kingsnake Connects public streams, please visit http://www.kingsnake.com/connect/streams

kingsnake.com advertisers in Canada can now reach both a national and a local market with the same advertisement, just like their compatriots in the US. There is no extra charge, and no separate account is required to post local and provincial classifieds.

Province-by-province Canadian ads are now available at http://market.kingsnake.com/indexcanada.html, with a postal code-based local search launching soon.

To make sure your ads show up in the local ad system, simply include the province and postal code in the appropriate advertising fields in the classified ad posting form.

If you already have advertisements posted, you do not have to re-post them to take advantage of this new functionality. To update your existing ads, log into the My Ads section of your classified account, enter your province and postal code in the appropriate form fields, fill in the check box that says "update all my ads," and then click submit. The system will automatically update all your existing ads!

To check out the new Canadian reptile and amphibian classifieds, go to http://market.kingsnake.com/indexcanada.html.

To update your existing classified ads, please log into http://market.kingsnake.com/account.php?page=manage.

To purchase a classified account please, go to http://www.kingsnake.com/shared/services/classified.php.

kingsnake.com advertisers can now reach both a national and a local market with the same advertisement. There is no extra charge, and no separate account is required to post local and state classifieds.

State-by-state ads are now available at http://market.kingsnake.com/indexlocal.html, with a zip code-based/regional search launching soon.

To make sure your ads show up in the state and local ad system, simply include the state and zip code in the appropriate advertising fields in the classified ad posting form.

If you already have advertisements posted, you do not have to re-post them to take advantage of this new functionality. To update your existing ads, log into the My Ads section of your classified account, enter your state and zip in the appropriate form fields, fill in the check box that says "update all my ads," and then click submit. The system will update all your existing ads! Easy!

To check out the new state and local reptile classifieds, go to http://market.kingsnake.com/indexlocal.html.

To update your existing classified ads, please log into http://market.kingsnake.com/account.php?page=manage.

To purchase a classified account please, go to http://www.kingsnake.com/shared/services/classified.php.

These are the cases of two Burmese pythons, both mutilated. One case is a crime, the other a state job.

In bitterly ironic twist, the Humane Society of the United States is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the mutilation, neglect, and abandonment of an emaciated 7-foot male Burmese python who was stabbed twice, shot, and released in York Haven, Pa.

"Snakes require specialized expertise and care and deserve the same humane treatment as all other animals,” said Sarah Speed, Pennsylvania state director for the HSUS.

Sadly the Humane Society of the United States has said nothing about the recent mutilation and slaughter of a similar, yet larger, Burmese python by Florida Forest Service Rangers, killed by being beaten to death by rakes:

Tarrete held the tail, and Chaney grabbed the head. The two killed it with a rake rangers usually use to set fire breaks during controlled burns, Tarrete said.

Perhaps Sarah Speed can speak to her compatriots at HSUS in Florida about offering a similar reward and prosecute the Florida Forest Rangers with the same enthusiasm. Unfortunately her compatriots at HSUS, both in Florida and at the national level, were among the main proponents of the new federal regulations, and state regulations, that allow a duality in laws to occur. Where in one state mutilating a python is a crime, and in another it is a state-funded job opportunity.

Perhaps she can also ask why her organization is paying thousands of dollars to prosecute someone for mutilating a python in Pennsylvania, and has simultaneously spent hundreds of thousands of dollars convincing the State of Florida and the USFWS to essentially mutilate these animals on an industrial scale.

In the meantime this is yet another example of Burmese pythons being "dumped" by irresponsible owners, after the species was recently listed by the USFWS as "injurious," preventing import and interstate transport. This despite USFWS assurance that this would not happen as owners would have local outlets to place their animals.

Unfortunately this is just the beginning, and these numbers will continue to rise as more Burmese python owners find fewer and fewer people and organizations willing to accept their animals.

And sadly, one wonders if the snakes would have both met the same ends in shelters, had neither been mutilated, just surrendered.

Millions of undocumented boas and pythons descended on the National Mall in Washington D.C. today demanding that Congress afford them the protections that others have received, and to demand that Congress stop the building of a wall between Louisiana and Texas to prevent the snakes further migration westward. Acting as their spokesman Norville T. Bass, President of the American Snakehandlers Association, said, "These snakes have come here and are doing jobs that American snakes by and large don't want, and now with no due process the government wants to stop them from traveling between states. Some of these snakes have family in other states. What happens to them?"

Watching the slithery procession of participants while providing crowd control on foot, Sergeant Eric Witherspoon of the Metro D.C. Police Department offered, "We haven't seen this many snakes since the last time Congress was in session." Asked about the lack of mounted patrols at the event, Witherspoon said, "The horses don't like snakes, and some of the officers aren't too keen either," as a reticulated python slithered across his boots.

Bystanders at the event, Cecil and Trudy Horsfeldii from Rockford Illinois, were caught up by the day, but a little confused as to what was going on. "Is this the Rick Astley flash mob? We were all supposed to meet at 3 pm and go to the Air and Space Museum."

It was difficult to tell just how many of the reptiles packed the Mall, their squirming, writhing mass being difficult to calculate with any accuracy. By dusk, however, the snakes, their representatives, and the media had vanished, leaving cleaning crews to clear D.C.s Mall area of debris that always accompanies an event like this, like cups, signs and thousands of shed skins. But the snakes shall return soon when the Senate convenes again.