The Monitor

December, 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 the Monday or Tuesday THE WEEK BEFORE a meeting to luvcatz7@tampabay.rr.com

President: Peter Richardson
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, December 17, 2008
PARTY!!!
6:00 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

Hidey Ho fellow herpers!

I have a new email address...luvcatz7@tampabay.rr.com.

RED-EARED SLIDERS: No more permits are being issued to own red-eared sliders. The state is encouraging euthanasia. HOWEVER, thanks to Pete Richardson, there is a place where they can be shipped. This is from The Turtle and Tortoise Club's July Issue: "Stacey Vajanyi and I (Marvin Bennett) have been collecting red-eared sliders from pet owners who could not or choose not to keep them anymore. These pet owners have paid us a small fee to ship these turtles to Oklahoma, ‘their home range,'. It is good to see the previous owners doing the right thing instead of dropping them in their local lakes. This is a program set up by myself and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission." If you have or know of someone who is wanting a new home for their red-eared slider, please contact Marvin Bennett at 407-851-0198 or Stacey Vajanyi 321-961-0050.

Senator Bill Nelson is coming down on the side of the people who would like to 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!

HOWEVER, there has been a new study done on the potential range of the Burmese python. Released in August, the new study, done by Alex Pyron and other City University of New York researchers suggests that the Burmese is unlikely to spread beyond Southern Florida. Both this study and the USGS study used climate data from India and Southeast Asia and global warming, but the new study factored in more variables than the USGS study's two variables. The new study used 19 variables measuring climatic extremes, averages and seasonal variation. The results show that the USGS models were excessively broad and didn't represent an accurate picture (ya think?). I haven't checked out the site yet, but you can find it on www.plosone.org.

Forwarded to me from Doreen:
Do any members raise Eastern Hermann's or Homes Hingeback Tortoies? Kirk Burness would like to buy or partially trade for one or both - baby, juvenile or adult. You can contact him at kirkburness@hotmail.com.

Ciao,
Carrie

Doreen's Column

Hi there~~~

*****Jason Richardson was last month's guest speaker. I heard he was awesome and I am sorry I missed it. Please see Carrie's recap.

*****I am still hobbling around with a boot, parking illegally in the handicap spaces and still not back to work on a full time schedule, but I plan to be at the Christmas party this month and can't wait to see everyone. You guys have been real patient with me for the past two years and I really appreciate it. 2009 will be an awesome year and with Pete the President, hopefully we can plan more fun events for the club like field trips, picnics, etc.

*****December 17, 2008 will be our Christmas party. We will start at 6:00 pm. The Club will take care of the main meal which will be ham. The club will also provide drinks, paper goods and ice. (Which I will be schlepping.) We are asking that everyone bring a side dish whether it be salad or dessert. (I don't want to stress just chocolate, because one year we didn't get anything else BUT chocolate), but everyone knows what makes ME happy ! We might have a few big ticket items for auction or raffle, but our main auction will be in February. I will not bring all those little cans of food and knick knacks. Our main function this month will be to PARTY (food, fun and fellowship). If you have anything BIG that you would like to donate like a tank and stand or something like that, we would be happy to have it. I was also going to see what bargains I could get in Wal-Mart but I don't want to promise anything. Call me if you have any questions about the party. 727-942-6700.

****Xan Alexander will speak in January 2009 about dinosaurs which should be real exciting. I am looking forward to that.

*****February, 2009 will be our BIG auction. This is where we will have ALL kinds of items. This would be the time to go through your reptile room and get rid of anything that you are not using THAT IS IN GOOD condition. Please don't bring junk. If it is broken, throw it out. If it is an electrical appliance that is not UL approved or made before 1752, please put it in your garage sale instead.

*****March 27 to 29, 2009 in Gainesville will be the 32nd Annual Herpetological Conference and the 6th Annual Southeastern Ecology and Evolution Conference. There are always a lot of excellent speakers at these conferences. Check out their website for details.

*****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.

December 14 ~~ Iguanadoreen
December 15 ~~ Michael Spears
December 19 ~~ Linda Tromley
December 27 ~~ Chester Tromley
January 7 ~~ Frank Matzelle

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 iguanadoreen@hotmail.com and let me know so I can add the list.

*****Thank you to all who do their part for this club. That is what makes our society the GREATEST in the WORLD!!

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

Speaker Recap By Carrie

Jason's talk this month was on "mini boas" - those snakes that are under 4 ft. There are two subfamilies to the boas. Boidae are the ones that you think of when you think of boas . . . red-tails, rainbows, etc. The family Erycine is the family we will be dealing with.

Fossils of Erycine have been found recently in the Mississippi valley that are 65-million years. If you believe in the theory of Pangaea (concept of a super-continent that existed during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras 250 million of years ago, before continents separated into their current configuration) then you can understand why they have spread around the world like they have.

Now, let's get on with the species!

The first one, Charina bottae, or the rubber boa's size ranges from 21 inches for the male and 26 inches for a female. With the male and female being so close in size, it is not a good idea to base the sex on the size of the animal. It is best to have them probed or popped by someone who knows how to do it. They are found from Southern California to British Columbia, Canada (which has a desert region). The darker specimens are from the northern end of their range while the lighter ones are from the southern portion. This makes sense, since a darker color retains more heat than a lighter one. Rubber boas are long-lived . . . the oldest in captivity is 70-years and still producing young. However it is not known if all Erycine live that long. The young are born a light color and darken with age. All of them have a yellow belly.

Lichanura trivigata, are the rosy boas. There are seven subspecies. They are found in the Southwestern U.S. to Sonoran Mexico. They have a specific temperature niche in their environment. They seem to like rock croppings where they can bask until they get up to temperature, and go into the rock croppings tomorrow where they can find a cool, humid spot to balance their temperatures. Rosy boas range from 26-inches to 4 ft.

Gongylophis colubrinus, are commonly known as Kenyan sand boas. They are also known as East African sand boas. They are very common in the pet trade. Their range is from Egypt down to Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia, and touching just into Tanzania. They are also found in Somalia, but no one really goes there because of the war going on. They like to be in the lowlands of their range. Colors range from where they are found. Females can get to 2-ft and males can get to 18 inches. Females are much thicker, longer, and heavier. Thus, making them easy to tell apart. No major temperature changes are needed for breeding. The Egyptian sand boa is thought to be a sub species (G. colubrinus colubrinus) but Jason doesn't agree with that. There are very few differences such as a lighter pattern that is not as pronounced, and a lot more black.

Gongylophis conicus, otherwise known as the rough-scaled boa or Russell's earth boa. They are often mistaken for the Russell's viper and are often killed. Males are one-half the length, and one-third of the width of the female. Females can get to 3-feet and males are 18-inches. They are found on the dry steppes around Pakistan, India and countries around there. They are highly variable in color and in pattern.

Gongylophis mulleri or West African sand boas, actually lay eggs. However, these eggs are different from most snake eggs. It seems to combine oviparous and viviparous. The shells are very thin (unlike most laid snake eggs) and hatch in 22 days. A relatively short time for a snake. They are often mistaken for the Kenyan boas, however, they are not very popular and breeding is time consuming. They also come from one of the hottest places on earth, and that is hard to replicate in captivity - causing problems with eating and digestion. They have a fleshy claw on the tail, and the spurs are shaped differently. For males they are straight out (making them a very typical male) and a female's spurs are curved.

Eryx elegans - known as the Persian sand boa or the sand blind snake. They are found in Northeastern Iran, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan. Not much is known about this species, only that they eat mice and males get to 16 inches. They are very dull in appearance.

Eryx jaculas (if I shortened this to E. jaculas I could come up with a very good joke) - common names are the European sand boa or the javelin sand boa. These snakes are becoming common in captivity. They are found in Turkey, Greece, North Africa, Morocco, and possibly Sicily and Spain. They are variable in patter and color.

Eryx jayakari - a common name is the Arabian sand boa. They are found on the Arabian Peninsula. They are also egg layers, however, unlike the G. muelleri, these eggs are more traditional and take 60-90 days to hatch. The eggs don't do very well in vermiculite or pearlite. The correct incubation substrate is sand. The eggs have to be kept very damp because they don't have they don't have an egg-tooth to break through when they hatch. Eyes are on the top of the head and stick up like mini silos so only eyes are exposed in the sand to find food and for defensive purposes. Male and females both are around 15-20 inches. Babies are hard to get started because of their native diet, which are the geckos found all over the area. They are also very expensive with the wild-caught animals going for $300.00.

Eryx johnii - also called the smooth scale or Indian sand boa. These are the largest of the sand boas at 4 ft. for males and 5 ft. for females, and come from India and Pakistan. Snake charmers carve out the tail to make it look like it has two heads. As gruesome as this sounds, it might not hurt the snake as much as you would think. Their tails are made to be a defensive and to be bitten and mauled. However, that doesn't make it right.

Eryx miliaris, or the Russian sand boa. There are actually three sand boas in Russia, and they all look alike. The only way to tell the difference is to count the scales. Found in the former U.S.S.R., these snakes didn't show up in the U.S. until the fall of the Soviet Union. Females are around 2 ft. and 16 inches for the male. They are very variable in color and pattern. And, unfortunately, like a lot of animals, they are used for medicinal purposes . . . or so someone said after being caught with three of these snakes in a jar.

Eryx somalicus. Nothing is known about this snake, and you probably won't be seeing it at your local pet show anytime soon. These, as the name hints, are from Somalia, and there is no snake collecting there due to how dangerous that region is.

Eryx tataricus - no common name, but possibly the Tartar sand boa. These are the second largest of the sand boas. Some females can get to the size of the E. johnii. Also very variable in pattern and color but are not commonly bred.

Calabaria reinhardtii - Known as the burrowing boa or python. I LOVE THIS SNAKE!! They have very unique heads and tails . . . they are the same size and shape. The eyes are flush with their skin and the same color. Sometimes the only way to tell the difference is one end flickers a tongue. A persuasive argument for being a python is that they lay eggs, however, they also may be closely related to rosy boas. They move the mama mouse out of the way with part of the body and go after the babies . . . in multiple constriction. They also will ball up tighter than a ball python. They come from west African jungles like Congo, Cameroon, and maybe Ghana.

When looking for a sand boa as a pet, set up your enclosures for the size of a female, in case what you get isn't what you thought. You will have the room to keep them in what you set up. Things you should consider are the diet of the particular sand boa you want. Some may eat lizards, and that could be hard to provide or to switch over to lab rodents. For substrate, you can use aspen. Though called "sand boas" many of them really don't live on sand. And if you get a burrowing boa/python, provide lots of water for it!

Thank you Jason, for the wonderful and informative talk. And by the way, you did just fine with geography!!

Michele's Musings

The Green Anole-Part 1

The green anole (Anolis carolinensis), sometimes called "American chameleons", due to the green anole's color changing ability, is the only anole native to the U.S. The anoles, with about 100 species and almost as many subspecies are the largest genus of iguanids. The other anole species that are more known and found in the wild or pet trade are: Cuban or knight anole, Jamaican giant or crested anole, brown anole, bighead anole, bark anole, and Puerto Rican crested anole.

In the wild, green anoles are found in the southeastern U.S. from North Carolina to Florida and as far west as central Texas. They have also been introduced into Hawaii. The range of other anole species extends from the southern U.S. across Central America and the Caribbean Islands to Paraguay and Bolivia in tropical South America. The green anole is also popular as a pet. The green anoles, along with other species of anoles, are rarely bred in captivity. Most specimens sold in the pet trade are wild caught.

The anole is a small to medium sized lizard that is characterized by its streamlined body, a long tail and adhesive pads on the toes. The Green anole can reach a total length of 8.5 – 9 inches for males; females are smaller at about 6 inches. The male has a pink or pale red dewlap. The dewlap is extended from the chin as a courtship or territorial display. The dewlap flashing is normally accompanied by head bobbing and push-ups. Some males also have a small crest. Green anoles have a beautiful bright green color with a white under belly. The green color can change to a brown body color depending on mood, time of day, temperature, and surroundings. If green anoles are severely over stressed or ill, they will turn dark brown. Their eyes move independently of one another, which is another reason they are called "chameleons".

Females also have a dewlap, yet are not as large or as colorful as males. Females and juveniles of both sexes have a white stripe down the back; males generally have a dark stripe down the center of the back.

There are some populations in southwest Florida of green anoles that have gray or greenish dewlaps. These anoles were recently designated to be a separate subspecies, Anolis carolinensis seminolus. Unfortunately, these anoles are just as difficult to find as the green anole compared to the much more plentiful brown anole.

As with most lizards, they have a defense mechanism, the ability to detach their tails when they feel threatened. The lost tail is left twitching as a distraction as the anole escapes to safety. In addition to shedding their tails, anoles will attempt to bite perceived predators if cornered.

Anoles are curious creatures by nature. A healthy anole usually has a good awareness of its surroundings. The males are very territorial and will fight other males to defend their territory. The competition can be fierce. The stress caused by these encounters makes housing a pair of males together in captivity impossible. Stress in an anole can be identified by several symptoms. A constant shade of brown and a persistent black semi-circle behind their eyes, also a stressed anole may be lethargic.

Anoles can be found around bushes, trees (not above 15'), in and around rock walls, woods, and around houses. They are primarily terrestrial and diurnal lizards that are found around low bushes and the soil and leaf litter below. Anoles can be seen sunning themselves on the sidewalk, side of buildings or branches. Their diet includes grubs, crickets, cockroaches, spiders, moths, and any invertebrate that can fit in their mouth. During shedding an anole may use its mouth to pull off the old skin and will normally consume it.

The typical breeding season for green anoles starts from as early as April and ends around August and even as late as September. During this time the male will show the most brilliant displays, as the male courts the female. After a 2 - 4 week span of mating, the female will lay her first clutch of eggs ranging from 1 - 2 eggs in the first clutch. She will continue to lay eggs during the season until a total of 10 eggs or more have been laid. The female lays her eggs in soft soil or compost and leaves the eggs to hatch on their own. The eggs will hatch in 30 - 45 days and must fend for themselves. Anoles are solitary by nature and must be wary of other adult anoles and other animals that would prey on them.

Despite the anoles' inexpensive cost, they are not cheap lizards to keep. They require the same amount of care as large lizards do. The minimum tank size is 10 gallon tall for 1 anole. Males need to be kept alone or with 3 – 4 females. Some males will fight their own reflection in the glass. There must be minimum of 10 gallons of tank space for each anole. Their basic captive environment requires:

*1 vitalite (or other UVB fluorescent) 12-14 hours per day
*1 basking light
*1 nocturnal night light, as needed to maintain night time temps.
*1 undertank heat mat
*3 thermometers: 1 for the cool end, 1 for the warm end, and 1 for the basking spot
*Sterile peat moss potting soil over 1 inch of pea gravel, or 1 – 2 inches of potting soil with bark mulch
*Several 2" potted plants to help maintain humidity levels and to provide cover and shade
*Logs and branches for basking

Not appropriate for anoles:
* Hot rocks
* Heat tape
* Heated caves
* Sand or gravel substrates

PART 2 NEXT MONTH....

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM ALL OF US AT SUNCOAST HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY