If you have a pet store, veterinary office, or public exhibit that works with reptiles or amphibians in Kansas, USARK will send you a FREE business package that includes brochures, stickers, and possibly more. Please tag any businesses that might be interested! Email vanessa@usark.org with your company name and address if you are in this week’s state and want to assist.
We will randomly draw a new state every Sunday. Please feel free to comment and show your support as a member, advocate, fan, or herp owner.

In this study, corn snakes (Elaphe guttata guttata) successfully learned to navigate mazes and consistently found the correct route to reach shelter or prey. They also avoided areas where they had previously encountered stress, demonstrating their ability to store and recall experiences. This memory is not emotional or social, as seen in mammals, but functional; it allows snakes to adapt their behaviour to avoid threats, locate resources, and navigate their environment efficiently. Such findings challenge outdated assumptions about reptile cognition and highlight their evolutionary intelligence.

10 Cutest Snake Species That Have Us Squeeing

In naming the new species, Meyer chose “helioscopus,” which roughly translates into “sun watcher,” and “dickersonae,” which honors his grandmother, Helen Dickerson, his great aunt, Shirley Dickerson, and Mary Cynthia Dickerson (no relation), who was the first curator of herpetology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

“Both my grandmother and great aunt were extremely important people in my life, and my great aunt passed away while I was in the early stages of working on this fossil,” Meyer says. “I was truly honored to have a chance to get to use their family name in this new species, in part as a memorial that will now persist long after I am gone.”

Conservationists say coordination between the two countries is important for the protection of the species and hope to establish some sort of protected area for them.

The Wildlife Conservation Society has been working with scientists to use technologies such as drones and thermal images in order to estimate the population of the species there. But, the hope is to be able to use artificial intelligence soon to automate the process of counting the turtles.

The department said a thermal drone was able to record more information than labour-intensive human patrolling techniques, as its sensors could detect the body heat of warm-blooded animals - or more specifically the thermal differences between animals and their surrounding environment - despite the darkness.The technology was helpful in preventing noise and light from disturbing the turtles while nesting, it said.

Dr. Marisa Tellez, Executive Director of the Crocodile Research Coalition, says that the biggest challenge at the moment is breaking down over a century of misguided information and false stereotypes about Belize’s crocodiles while simultaneously fighting against the sensationalism of TV shows and media about crocodiles.

"If we want to ensure the long-term success of any conservation program, not only do the local communities need to be educated about the Do’s and Don’ts living alongside wildlife, but they also need to know the facts, along with being involved to further pride and stewardship of one’s natural world," she says.

“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.

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.