The Monitor

June, 2008

From the Editor's Desk

Newsletter Material

This is YOUR club. The more you give into it, the more you will get out of it. Your opinions, suggesions and submissions are welcome. You may submit articles by email before the 10th of the month to luvcatz5@aol.com

President: Logan Randolph
Vice-President: Michele Patton
Secretary: Carrie Gardner Treasurer: Doreen E. Saccardo
Chairman of the Board: John Soto
Editor: Carrie Gardner
Co-Editor: Doreen Saccardo
Field Trip Chair: Doreen Saccardo
Webmaster: Carrie Gardner
Administrative Assistant Alexander Peters

NEXT MEETING:
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
BILL MURRAY ON KEEPING LIZARDS
7:00 p.m.
Moccasin Lake Nature Park
Clearwater, FL 727-462-6024
~~~~~~~~DON'T MISS IT~~~~~~~~

Alton of Smelt Feed and Pet Supply is donating a #15.00 gift certificate every month for our raffle. His store is located at 4116 East 7th Avenue, Tampa, FL 33605, 813-248-2359

Web Page info: Calendar page is updated all the time as is Adoptions and Advertisements.

If you would like to receive updates on the website via email, please scroll down to the bottom of the home page and join Yahoo! Groups. Choose to receive email or daily digest. I send out an email to the list every time a change is made.

If you have photos you would like added to the "Club Photos" page, please email Carrie to have them added. *The Club Photos page is still up, but I haven't put any recent photographs up because I'm trying to come up with a more conveinent way of displaying the photos*

Carrie's Notes

IMPORTANT INFO ALERT!! If you go to the Adoptions/Advertisements page on our website, you will find info on a place that takes in unwanted large reptiles (iguanas, tortoises, etc.). They are located in Nebraska, but assured us that they have the proper facilities and permits. They will even help with shipping costs. If you know of anyone who needs to find a home for a big reptile, please give them our website information.

Hidey Ho fellow herpers!

I'm busy getting together the newsletter for early mailing, since I will be out of town from Thursday through SUnday! Yeah me. Hopefully I will get the website updated by Monday.

Senator Bill Nelson is coming down on the side of the people who would liket o ban large pythons. He has taken the USGS map to heart and is in the process of contacting the other states where "Burmese pythons can live" together with the ban. Please feel free to write or e-mail Senator Nelson, as I have done!

RED-EARED SLIDERS: As of right now, there is no rescue for red-eared sliders. However, I spoke to Jenny Novak from FWC and they are working on an adoption network for hopefully the beginning of next year. As of right now, they only option available for unwanted turtles is euthanizing.

Doreen's Column

Hi there~~~

*****Last month Dustin Smith spoke about his recent trip to Panama and the conservation of reptiles there. It is nice when your job foots the bill to go to exotic places and you get to do the things you love. This is the case with Dustin and he brings with him a wealth of information. He says he doesn't remember a lot of the common names of the reptiles, only the Latin names. His talk was impressive with a lot of cool pictures. Look for Carrie's recap.

*****Our own Bill Murray will be the guest speaker on June 18, 2008. His topic will be the care of lizard keeping.

*****My Dad is spending the month of June with me and I am getting EVERYTHING fixed and I am real happy about that. My whole house is under reconstruction and things are everywhere. So I am a little discombobulated at this time. But I will remember to bring raffle items this month (because I want them to get out of my garage). I even have my Dad fixing things at the hotel and the church.

*****If I can't find anyone more interesting to speak in July, I will talk about the agony and the ecstasy of iguana keeping. I just spent $1200 on getting them all checked and still had to get more diagnostics on Sportie. He might have an aneurism near his eye as a result of a fight a few years ago with another alpha iguana who broke his jaw. I might not be able to bring him in July if he is undergoing treatment. I went to Dr. Lightfoot from Florida Veterinary Care on Busch Boulevard. She was one of my original iggie vets when she was with Avian Animal on Starkey Boulevard in Largo. She said she is impressed with the condition of all my animals considering everyone except Critter is more than 15 years old. Their internal organs are excellent and the only problems she is seeing are the usual bone and neurological degeneration due to their age.

*****August will be our election month as well as our scavenger hunt where we walk the trails of Moccasin Lake to eyeball as many of God's creatures we can and we get points for each. Members who participate will be in for a special treat. So it would be wise to make sure your membership is paid up and you join us for a fun evening of environmental awareness. Bring the bug spray and maybe a flashlight.

*****I went on Reptster.com and when I said I was having a problem with the site, it was an operator error. I was spelling it wrong. But this site is run by David Young and he will surely be kingsnake's competition. Check it out sometime. There is a lot of information on it and it is easy to navigate. I would join as a member but they want the year of my birth and 1900 is not available.

*****Aminah Grefer still has a whole storage unit of new merchandise she wants to get rid of for a negotiated lot price. A lot of it is reptile related. She said that it would be good for someone who had a store or a flea market space. If anyone is interested let me know and I will give you her phone number.

*****I am sure everyone heard of the devastating news about those blue iguanas that had been murdered in the Cayman Islands. This is a horrible act of violence against any species of animal and there seemed to be no motive to this crime. We will discuss whether we want to make a donation. If you want to read more about this here is the web address: http://www.pethobbyist.com/sitenews/index.php?/archives/226-Blue-Iguanas-Violently-Killed-in-Grand-Caymans.html. We discussed making a $100 donation to the cause and a check will be sent.

*****Continued thanks to Donnetta Hester who agreed to make the monthly calls. This really helps me a lot. Thanks again.

*****I just want to add continuing thanks to Carrie for keeping up with the website, I know that takes a lot of work with many frustrations. But she does an excellent job and it shows. Thanks Carrie.

June 3 ~~ John Soto
June 19 ~~ Alice Gardner
June 20 ~~ Cayle Pearson
July 9 ~~ Chris Abraham R.I.P. (I still think of him often)
July 12 ~~ Bill Murray

Happy Birthday to you!

*****I know we have new people attending our meetings, but I have not received any new birthdays. You can drop me an email at iguanadoreen@hotmail.com so I can add it to the list.

*****Have a herpy day!! Doreen~~

Speaker Recap By Carrie

Dustin Smith was our speaker last month on Panamanian amphibians and the effects of Chytrid. A fungus that has wiped out a lot of species on all six continents that have amphibians. Dustin came and talked last fall about his first trip there, and his work with EVACC (El-Valle Amphibian Conservation Center) and www.projectgoldenfrog.org. The goals for this recent trip to Panama was to collect 200 frogs for study and to help EVACC get up and running by building cages, processing animals, etc.

First off, I would like to apologize because Dustin mentioned a lot of species by scientific name. Most of them didn't have a common name. There is no way I can even make an attempt at spelling these names. Dustin gave a very informative talk . . . I only hope that I can do it justice.

On this most recent trip, Dustin didn't see any golden frogs in the wild. They are functionally extinct there, which means that you may find one here or there, but the populations are no longer existent. The goal of the trip was to collect as many critically endangered and endangered amphibians as possible to keep as an insurance policy in case they too become extinct in the wild. They caught 200 frogs. The reason why they would need these insurance populations in captivity is because of a fungus called Chytrid. Though it has wiped out many species of amphibians all over the world in the wild, it is not a particularly strong fungus, and can be easily treated in captivity with a trip to Walgreens. There appears to be two different kinds of Chytrid. One that spread through Africa 20-70 years ago. The one now recognized that has been affecting frogs was first seen 20 years ago. It affects 80% of the specimens collected and 50% of the species. Though some species are less resistant or immune to it. Mostly in the Carribean, Cuba and Puerto Rico. Australia, which has done a lot of research with Chytrid and been heavily affected has found a way to treat it in the wild (successfully apparently) and has actually found a population of frogs thought to be extinct that had an immunity to it. The fungus is spread through touching an affected surface, or another animal. It does not appear to affect the insects that the frogs eat, and mammals appear immune.

Chytrid only affects frogs at certain elevations and certain temperatures. It would be impossible for it to be in Florida, for example, because we don't have high elevation. It is found 100 meters high with the temperature around 68 degrees. It spreads an average of 20 kilometers a year. It spread though Central and South America, but everyone thought it would be stopped by the Panama Canal. And east of the canal would be free from it until it came up through Columbia. However, it jumped the Canal and has affected animals on the other side. It is important to note that a lot of species in this region (Central to South America) are only found in this area.

The hike to the base camp where they did their surveys was six hours long and had to traverse six mountains! (I would last about six seconds). They had to hire six horses to help bring the gear to the "building" that served as a base camp. And if you're starting to see the "666" pattern here between the length of the hike, the number of mountains and the number of horses, then I'm glad I'm not the only one that is paranoid! Once at base camp, their schedule consisted of collecting amphibians from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., where they would return, process the animals caught and eat dinner, then go back out at 8:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.

Each animal caught was handled with a fresh pair of gloves and swabbed 30 times. The swabs had to have a plastic handle instead of a wooden one so it wouldn't affect the test for Chytrid. Most of the swabbing was done on the ventral or undersurface of the animal, since it came into contact with other animals or surfaces the most. The animals were placed in deli cups or plastic bags (if they were teeny tiny and could get out through the air holes of the deli cup). Each bag or deli cup was labeled with a site number and I'm sure an animal number. Though the particular area where they were collecting was small, it was broken down into six grids. This helps with their genetic codes as well.

At this time, some stunning pictures of some of the frogs found were shown. Some of the highlights (or in other words, the ones that had the common names) were glass frogs, which you can see through! The picture showed the tiny little heart.

These little guys could've come in handy for me in 8th grade biology class where I had dissect a frog. We could've kept the glass frogs alive, and just looked through at them to see how things worked. I wouldn't have been so traumatized!

Another interesting frog was the marsupial frog. There are four different species, and the one they found was as big as their hands. He also had a distinctive call . . . a sound like clucking your tongue, only much more loudly. The females are found near the stream, though why is not known since they carry their eggs in a pouch. The frogs are "direct developers," meaning they skip the tadpole stage and little froglets are born. The babies will stay with the female for a little while, either riding on her stomach or back.

Dustin also got to see some reptiles out in the field. Vine snakes were very common, and they seem to never retract their tongues, eyelash vipers (that was a first for him), a fer de lance, and finally he saw a bushmaster. Also known as the "Silent Killer" or the "Seven Step Snake" (you take seven steps then you die), their venom is very lethal. They are also the largest of the vipers and are the only vipers to lay eggs instead of live birth. Some lizards found were large anoles with red eyes and velvety skin and a worm lizard.

A couple other critters . . . a howling monkey that got VERY upset with him and stood up on his hind limbs and let Dustin know exactly how he felt about the situation (I don't have to go to Panama for that, I have the cats to tell me off!), and a "Satanic bug." I would have to agree with his assessment . . . but then again, I refuse to go near cockroaches. Again, are you noticing the devil theme again??

Back at EVACC, the animals were prepared to go into quarantine. But first the animals that were there had to be moved to new enclosures. Dustin worked on the enclosures for them in what will become a public viewing area. Once those were set up, then the new animals could enter quarantine. The quarantine room has a separate ventilation system. You enter the room via a bathroom that you enter from the outside. Outside you leave anything that might have biological elements on it, like backpacks, and shoes were removed. While inside the facility, flip flops or crocs were worn. The animals are tested and measured/weighed when they first enter quarantine, and when they leave three months later. Any treatments for Chytrid or parasites are done. Their enclosures are cleaned and disinfected daily.

There is continuing support for EVACC, which is internationally funded with a lot of zoos contributing resources. At this time Panama wants no animals coming in or out of the country, but maybe at some point that will change, and zoos will be able to try to repopulate areas affected.

For Dustin personally, he is working on it from an education standpoint. They are going to target either 3rd or 5th graders and have them visit the facility and learn what is going on and what they can do to stop it.

As far as the country as a whole, Panamanians care about their animals, especially the golden frog, since it is so enmeshed with their culture. However, laws to protect them and other animals are not enforced.

Thank you, Dustin, for your very informative talk.

Michele's Musings

Understanding the cold-blooded Creature

Reptiles are often called cold-blooded creatures, an assertion that mistakenly leads many people to believe they have cold core temperatures. In reality, reptiles are ectothermic animals which means their metabolism does not generate enough heat byproducts to maintain body temperature above air or surface temperatures. Unlike warm-blooded mammals (including humans), reptiles regulate their body temperatures by behavior, such as basking in the sun or moving between warm and cold spots.

There are advantages and disadvantages to ectothermy: Reptiles need less energy than mammals. This allows reptiles to survive long fasts and to save energy better as compared to mammals.

However, this means a reptile's level of activity depends upon the ambient temperature – it cannot survive extreme climate changes. They need to maintain their core body temperature well above ambient temperatures for at least part of the day.

Some reptiles (i.e., tropical and desert species) need to be able to maintain temperatures cooler than the surrounding air. Reptiles can minimize body temperature fluctuations behaviorally. Reptiles becoming too cool seek an elevated area to bask. They lie perpendicular to the sun's rays, maximize their surface area by expanding their rib cage, and darken the pigment of their skin to maximize heat absorption. If no sunlight is available, some reptiles burrow into warm soil or lie on or under a large object (such as a rock) that acts as a heat sink when the sun is shining.

Overheated reptiles place themselves parallel to the sun's rays, seek shade, pant, lighten skin color, and burrow into cool soil. Some pythons use a series of muscle contractions to elevate their body temperatures a few degrees above ambient while incubating eggs.

In general, reptiles will increase their body temperature before bouts of activity. This is because nerves and muscle cells function better at warmer temperatures. A warm reptile is able to hunt more efficiently and is better able to escape predators. Reptiles will also increase their body temperatures when they are pregnant, digesting food, or sometimes for no apparent reason.

In contrast, reptiles will sometimes choose cool body temperatures, especially when there is a food shortage. By cooling their body temperatures, they can wait out droughts or low food sources. This is one reason why reptiles are often more abundant than warm-blooded animals in deserts and habitats with seasonal rains.

Sometimes, it's difficult to predict whether a reptile will choose warmer or cooler body temperatures. Snakes have been known to choose both cool and warm body temperatures during shedding. Although the immune system functions better when reptiles are warm, occasionally reptiles given experimental infections choose cooler body temperatures. It is thought that the cooler temperatures may help slow the growth rate of bacteria until a time when the reptile has enough energy stores to fight off the infection or be able to attain a very warm body temperature.

Overall reptiles have a limited ability to control their core body temperature. If unable to cool themselves, thyroid gland dysfunction and/or death from hypothermia (chilling) ensues. Chilled reptiles fall into torpor (a slowed metabolic state). Under natural conditions some reptiles hibernate. In captivity, reptiles are unable to prepare for hibernation on their own. When the body temperature falls below a critical point enzymes are unable to function. This means that digestion ceases or is incomplete, immunity is impaired, and reproductive function declines. Chilled animals are at high risk of disease.

The ideal temperature range for a reptile is referred to its preferred optimum temperature range (POTR). This range includes all the temperatures that a reptile needs to maintain optimal body function. Reptiles should be supplied as much of their preferred optimum temperature range as possible so that the animals have an opportunity to self regulate much as they would in the wild.

Suggested guidelines for temperature depend on natural habitats and the species of reptile. In general, tropical reptiles need temperatures ranging from 80 to 100 Fahrenheit; desert species require temperatures more than 100 degrees in the daytime and between 60 and 80 degrees at night; Temperate species usually need temperatures between 70 F and 90 degrees. However, certain individual species may be outside these ranges. For temperature ranges recommended for a particular type of reptile check the appropriate husbandry pages.

24 hour cycles & Annual Rhythms

Tropical animals are exposed to almost constant temperatures and cannot handle large fluctuations. This is in contrast to desert animals that experience high daytime temperatures with an evening cool down period. Temperate reptiles can be very tolerant of temperature extremes (within reason) if they are free of disease. Many temperate reptile species experience seasons in the wild and require seasonal changes in light cycle, temperature, water or food availability to stimulate normal behaviors such as hibernation and breeding. Most healthy North American snakes and lizards benefit from a winter cool down period.

Hibernation

Hibernation is a period of dormancy marked by a decrease in metabolic rate. In a natural setting, most reptiles have completed metabolically taxing activities (reproduction) and have built up energy reserves. This period is then followed by a period of reduced food sources, which results in an empty gastrointestinal tract before the animal actually hibernates. Cooling occurs to the point that metabolism slows.

In captivity, it is important to duplicate the energy loading to provide fat stores and the following fast to empty the intestinal tract to prevent putrefaction (spoilage) of undigested food. The most common mistake made by pet owners attempting to hibernate their reptile is to cool the animal into torpor but not cool it enough to truly slow metabolism. In this state, the reptile slowly starves or develops systemic infection because its metabolic processes are too slow to fight off disease, but not so cold that microorganisms are slowed also. Females cannot hibernate successfully if they are in the process of producing eggs or offspring.

Captivity

Humans are not good at determining the exact temperature that a reptile requires for any given period of time. Therefore, it is best to supply as much of the temperature range as possible.

Ciao!

Carrie

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