Herp Photo of the Day

I bet that is two thing you never thought you would hear together? Rattlesnakes and Breast Cancer Awareness Month, huh? Well fun fact, Copperheads, Southern Copperheads (Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix) are contributing to breast cancer research!  There is a protien in their venom that inhibits the growth of breast cancer. I share this every year, I find an article or the study to share. But today when I found the study, I scrolled and read it again and then kept scrolling and realized exactly how many more studies this one lead to or was related to. So click here to go to the original study, but take a moment to scroll down and see just a handful of things we have learned from our venomous animals. 

#RattlesnakeFriday is a hashtag made to raise awareness about the need for conservation of ALL venomous animals. While we may mostly highlight rattlesmakes, you might see some other stuff smattered in. 

Holyfield, the new rescue intake to Small Scale Reptile Rescue

Monday Blues? How about some good news!

ONE Login for Kingsnake

We are working on updating a lot of our databases and one of them is our shows!

Each month like clockwork, five dollars disappears. I never really miss it, I get an email telling me it is gone. I am a Bronze Sustaining member of USARK. In total, it is $60 per year to them, a little more than regular bronze and it is a little more than two tacos a month for me so I never notice. USARK is essential to our community.

An embryo of Cape house snake (Boaedon capensis) stained to show developing muscle blocks in the trunk. The embryo shows right-handed coiling. Credit: Raul Diaz, California State University Los Angeles.

Northern Leopard Frog from kingsnake.com user Terry Cox credit: kingsnake photo gallery 

Experts attached a satellite transmitter to Pancake's shell, which will track its location for up to 90 days. Mary Dixon / Wildlife Conservation Society

A few new action alerts have hit USARK's page that may impact reptiles owners that we wanted to share here! If this impacts you, be sure to check the links!

Screenshot of the live Pennsylvania den of I think "Pickle" one of their Timber Rattlesnakes. Yes they have names and profiles! 

Researcher Corinna Hazelrig studies a snake. Credit: Taylor Miller

Tini, an olive ridley sea turtle, recently laid her eggs on Junitper Beach, Florida marking the first time ever for that species. While loggerheads, leatherbacks and greens do typically nest on the beach, this was the first ever record nest for the species recorded by Loggerhead Marinelife Center.

Olive ridleys are among the smallest sea turtle species and are known for their olive-green, heart-shaped shells. They are also famous for two nesting strategies: solitary nesting and the "arribada," a mass nesting event in which thousands of females come ashore at once.

We aren't talking about the German Heavy Metal but here, but the actual arachnid! Scientists have recently discovered that 18 species of scorpions reinforce their stingers and pinchers with a variety of "heavy metals".