Kingsnake Journals

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.

Despite almost a year long battle with keepers, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources moved ahead on ban of all native species with an exception on only three color variants. This does include captive bred species, as well as a variety of color morphs. There is also a ban in place now on turtle and frog races, which is probably the only truly good things here. A few things of note from the new rules:

NR 16.01 (2m) “Color variant” means any of the following atypical native amphibians and
reptiles of any age class:
(a) Individuals, regardless of species, that are:
1. Tyrosinase-negative albino (light pink or yellow body with red eyes).
2. Fully melanistic animals (entirely black).
3. Piebald (10% or more of the animal is pure white).
(b) Gophersnakes and milksnakes that are patternless.
....
(2) POSSESSION RESTRICTED. No Beginning on January 1, 2027, no person may take from the
wild or possess any live or dead native amphibians or reptiles or their eggs, except as provided under
sub. (3) and s. NR 19.26, or turtles taken under the authority of ss. NR 19.275, 21.13 and 22.13. Any live
native wild reptiles or amphibians possessed before January 1, 2027, must be registered with the
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department in a manner determined by the department on or before June 30, 2027. Any native wild
reptiles or amphibians not registered with the department on or before June 30, 2027, will be presumed to
be in violation of this chapter.

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".

Attenborough in pursuit of a giant anteater in the Rupununi Savannah, British Guiana BBC David Attenbourgh's 100 birthday just passed and to many of us he introduced us to the wonders of nature and our beloved reptiles in their natural environments. Have you ever thought how he got his start? Amazingly he was not a naturalist but a film maker. His role was originally behind the camera! His big break came with a python on the third film expedition.

With my parang in my hand, I swung myself up into the tree. The branch around which the snake had draped itself was about 30 feet above the ground. As I approached it, I saw to my relief that the reptile was lying at least 10 feet along it, looking straight at me with its yellow button-like eyes. I braced my back against the trunk behind me, and began cutting. As the branch shook beneath my parang the reptile lifted its head, hissed and flickered its long black tongue. One of its coils began slithering smoothly over the branch. I redoubled my efforts. The bough creaked and slowly hinged downwards. With two more blows, it fell clear, carrying the python with it, and landed with a crash close by the boy and the old man.

image from Iowa County Sheriff facebook page of Burmese found in WI

This is WRONG and puts our entire hobby at risk.

image from Iowa County Sheriff facebook page of Burmese found in WI

Last friday in rural Wisconsin, a large Burmese python was discovered by the side of a road by a resident and police were notified. An investigation was launched and every rescue in Wisconsin was contacted by press. Seriously, the minute I saw the story, I had a text come through my phone asking if I was available and if I could bring reptiles with for the news piece.

Hey, it's Earth Day.

Hear ye, hear ye!

You asked, we've made it happen.

It has been ages since I have been able to say this and boy does it feel good!
This weekend Kingsnake.com is officially BACK at the mighty Tinley Park NARBC!!
Come meet Jon with me, it is my first time too!

A few weeks ago Jon and Cindy were invited to sit down and chat all things kingsnake.com past and present with Mike Stefani and Nick Lillis. It was awesome and we had a great time!

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Checkout the sneak peek at part of Kingsnake's new homepage.

A Japanese tree frog ( Dryophytes japonicus ). They are arboreal frogs, active from spring to autumn, and hibernate underground in winter. © Yorozu Kitamura | Dreamstime.com There are so many ways that reptiles and amphibians give back to humanity and here is another amazing one. Are you on a GLP1? Thank a gila. Cancer research and blood pressure meds are using venom, however, this is a new approach! Gut bacteria of several amphibians is being studied for potential benefits related to cancer research; the Japanese tree frog, Dryophytes japonicus, appears to have a beneficial bacterium, Ewingella americana, hanging out in their intestines!

In a mouse colorectal cancer model, a single intravenous administration of E. americana achieved complete tumor elimination with a 100% complete response (CR) rate. This dramatically surpasses the therapeutic efficacy of current standard treatments, including immune checkpoint inhibitors (anti-PD-L1 antibody) and liposomal doxorubicin (chemotherapy agent). ... This research demonstrates that unexplored biodiversity represents a treasure trove for novel medical technology development and holds promise for providing new therapeutic options for patients with refractory cancers.

Gorgeous Geckos a plenty.

What's your favorite gecko?

B. E. A. u. tiful