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Reptile & Amphibian
News Blog Keep up with news and features of interest to the reptile and amphibian community on the kingsnake.com blog. We cover breaking stories from the mainstream and scientific media, user-submitted photos and videos, and feature articles and photos by Jeff Barringer, Richard Bartlett, and other herpetologists and herpetoculturists.
Monday, August 15 2022Why Cuba? Part 2 Peltophryne fustiger is the Giant Toad species from the region of Soroa, Cuba Our first herping experience was at Soroa, a locale southwest of Habana, known for its waterfalls and streams. The region is home to a big aquatic anole and other lizards, a variety of snakes, and an endemic giant toad, Peltophryne fustiger. Our second morning proved to be fruitful. Within minutes we were all gazing at several Stream Anoles, Anolis vermiculatus,. There were juveniles on fallen branches in the stream and adult males displaying on nearby treetrunks. Having been told that the species was difficult to find and photograph, we found our experience to be totally opposite.We learned also, that while most accounts claim this and the related A. bartschi to be the only 2 amongst the hordes of anole species to be devoid of a dewlap, that this was not precisely the case. In fact, both of those taxa have a dewlap, small though it is. Continue reading "Why Cuba? Part 2" Herp Photo of the Day: Komodo Dragon
Tossing up the biggest lizard out there, this Komodo Dragon, in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user caparu to belated celebrate World Lizard Day! World Lizard Day is August 14, so we are just one day late! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
 Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! Friday, August 12 2022Herp Photo of the Day: Happy Rattlesnake Friday!
Happy Rattlesnake Friday from this pair of Sidewinders in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user dvenom05 ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!As always on Friday, we celebrate all of our venomous reptiles for their contribution to the world.
 Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! Thursday, August 11 2022Herp Photo of the Day: Box Turtle
This Box turtlle is loving life in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Jen350 ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
 Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! Wednesday, August 10 2022Herp Photo of the Day: Monitor
This black Roughie is monitoring the world in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cynthy07! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
 Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! Tuesday, August 9 2022Herp Photo of the Day: Kingsnake
Love the darker phase of this greyband in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user trevid ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
 Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! Monday, August 8 2022Herp Photo of the Day: Frog
Hopefully the gorgeous blues of this Dendrobates auratus uploaded by kingsnake.com user amazonreptile will brighten your day. Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
 Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! Why Cuba? An adult Cuban Crocodile. This species is not inclined to have a gentle disposition. This Island Nation (archipelago) has always intrigued me. ‘Way back in the 1950s I had contemplated a visit to Cuba, but politics prevented a visit. And although politics still play an important role in a visit to Cuba, it is now at least possible. These reminiscences are about Patti’s and my trip number 3, from Havana westward to Soroa and Vinales and then southward to the Cienega Zapata, the home of the fabled Cuban Crocodile. Cuba’s herpetofauna (and endemic birds) are very different from species found only 90 miles northward on the Florida peninsula and keys. Amongst the herpetofauna, for example, there are no seriously venomous species, although several snake taxa are rear-fanged and produce a venom of “mild” toxicity that assists in overpowering prey. Among the constrictors are the big Cuban Boa and a number of “Tropes” that were until recently considered dwarfed members of the boid family. Simply put, if you exclude the Cuban species of anoles and a treefrog now established in Florida, no matter where we stopped to search, any herps found would be distinctly different from those found only 90 miles distant in the Florida Keys. Now onto the air conditioned tour bus, and driver, Ronel, had us on our way in mere minutes. Continue reading "Why Cuba?" Friday, August 5 2022Herp Photo of the Day: Happy Rattlesnake Friday!
Happy Rattlesnake Friday! This Timber Rattlesnake in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user herpermike1 was found in a very populated area in Tennesee, and moved to a more safe location! Great Message! ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!As always on Friday, we celebrate all of our venomous reptiles for their contribution to the world.
 Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! Thursday, August 4 2022Herp Photo of the Day: Rat Snake
This beautiful Trans-Pecos Rat Snake is holding on to her most valueable treasure in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user pecoskid ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
 Upload your own reptile and photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! Wednesday, August 3 2022Herp Photo of the Day: Frog
The simple shot of a tree frog in a field of green is hard to beat! We hope you enjoy this shot of a Pseudacris regilla in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user emvee!
 Be sure to tell emvee you liked it here! Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! Monday, August 1 2022Hispaniolan Cat-eyed or Hog-nosed Snake Note the slightly upturned nose of this species.Hypsirhyncus ferox, the Hispaniolan Cat-eyed or Hog-nosed Snake, is an interesting little dipsadine species about which very little is written. Both common names are well deserved, this snake having elliptical pupils and a flattened slightly upturned rostrum. Coloration may range by individual from a solid brick red, through various shades of yellow, to a deep olive-gray, all with or without dorsal patterning. Long a single species found in both Hispaniolan countries and having 3 subspecies, recently it has been revisited by geneticists and (surprise, surprise!) has now been split into 2 species, one of which has 2 ssp. Adult size is about 15 inches and prey includes lizards and frogs. Seemingly related to the small dipsadine racers of the Caribbean Islands, the Cat-eyed Snakes can move agilely and quickly. Over the years I have maintained a few as captive and found them to be secretive and hardy, readily feeding on anoles. Other than the fact that this is an oviparous snake, little is known about its breeding methodology. Continue reading "Hispaniolan Cat-eyed or Hog-nosed Snake" Herp Photo of the Day: Ball Python
Baby pictures never get old. Let's welcome this little ball python to the world in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user TerryHeuring brighten your day!! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
 Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! Saturday, July 30 2022UPDATE: Lacey Amendment DEAD In yet another victory on behalf of the reptile community by USARK, the changes to the Lacey Act hidden deep in the America COMPETES act in the "CHIPS-Plus" bill have been removed! For months USARK lobbied and members of the reptile community contacted their representatives and it worked! For now, there will be no changes to the Lacey Act. From USARK: We have been posting relevant updates on our main alert here (scroll down). To be brief, the “CHIPS-Plus” bill that passed in the Senate passed the House on 7/28 (243-187 vote). This bill includes some of the technology initiatives included in the America COMPETES Act, USICA, and other bills. The portions of COMPETES that were not germane to the intent of the bill (including the bad Lacey Act amendments) were not added to the CHIPS-Plus package. This should be the end of any threat from these Lacey Act amendments for this Congressional session. For those who spent the past few months messaging, calling and writing letters, YOU DID IT! And a HUGE thank you to USARK! Friday, July 29 2022Herp Photo of the Day: Happy Rattlesnake Friday!
This baby Black Mamba emerges from the egg in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Curt Johnson to remind us of new beginnings! Be sure to tell them you liked it here! On Rattlesnake Friday, we celebrate all forms of venomous reptiles to promote conservation of them world wide!
 Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! Thursday, July 28 2022Help a Herper! Tim Cole medical fundraiser Long time member, friend and nemesis of kingsnake.com, Tim Cole of Austin Reptile Service has been hit with some major heath issues. He has been in and out of the ICU. Last week he was placed in a medically induced coma due to breathing issues. It as learned that he has an enlarged thyroid and they do not know if it is cancer or not, but surgery happened yesterday. Pathology is going to take about a week. Tim is back in the ICU with breathing issues. While Tim can be a bit of a pill at times, he has been a great asset to the reptile community. His dedication to rescue and education is amazing. His support of up and coming herpers is amazing. I can speak from personal experience that even while Tim and I would butt heads over what he could and couldn't do on this sit, he was always there to offer support and guidance with my rescue work, while badmouthing my moderation skills. Tim is self-employeed like so very many of us are in the reptile community. It has been a few very hard years for everyone but if you could consider even donating $5.00. He has been in the ICU over a week, he has had surgery, he is eating hospital food. He has a TON of rescue animals at home. His GoFundMe can be found here. Also Tim is a bit of an old school kinda fella. For those not local who feel so inclined, I bet he would love actual get well cards. You can mail them to: 4500 Williams Drive, Suite 212-113 Georgetown, TX 78633 Herp Photo of the Day: Tegu
The infamous "stink eye" is glaring here with this Tegu in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user MrSickle ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
 Upload your own reptile and photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! Wednesday, July 27 2022Herp Photo of the Day: Sulcatta
This African spur thigh tortoise in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user dinahmoe is just munching away without a care in the world. We are so jealous! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
 Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! Tuesday, July 26 2022Herp Photo of the Day: Frog
How cute is this albino Clawed Frog in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user bradtort?! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
 Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! Monday, July 25 2022Herp Photo of the Day: Collared Lizard
A whole lot of AWWWWS for this newborn Collared Lizard in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user the4thmonkey! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
 Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! Friday, July 22 2022Herp Photo of the Day: Happy Rattlesnake Friday!
Love this Southwest Speckled Rattlesnake found in the field in California in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user sluggo781 ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here! On Rattlesnake Friday, we celebrate all forms of venomous reptiles to promote conservation of them world wide!
.jpg) Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! Thursday, July 21 2022Herp Photo of the Day: Boa
These two boas are chilling in a fresh tub of water in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user BNixon ! I bet there were babies being made at some point here. Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
 Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! Wednesday, July 20 2022Herp Photo of the Day: Bullsnake
That's a whole lotta bull. Bullsnake that is! Loving the colors on the one here in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user orchidspider has never missed a meal! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
 Upload your own reptile and photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! Tuesday, July 19 2022Herp Photo of the Day: Toad
Most commonly known as the harlequin toad, this Atelopus barbotinitakes center stage in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user jamesmatthews! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
 Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! Saturday, July 16 2022Herp Photo of the Day: Happy World Snake Day!
It's World Snake Day and to celebrate, its all about the Alterna in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user kcarlson ! You know we have our roots and these are from Sanderson! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
 Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! Friday, July 15 2022Herp Photo of the Day: Happy Rattlesnake Friday!
In celebration of all things venomous, a photo of a bushmaster taken in the field graces our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user surgeon ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
 Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! Thursday, July 14 2022Herp Photo of the Day: Gecko
Love the detail in this headshot of a Uroplatus fimbriatus in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user zmarchetti ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
 Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! Wednesday, July 13 2022Herp Photo of the Day: Rat Snake
Act like this with scaleless rat snake in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user Allensheehan and stick your tongue out at people! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
 Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! Tuesday, July 12 2022Herp Photo of the Day: Water Snake
This sassy lil watersnake had to stop and eat a toad in the yard before the photographer captured it for our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user dinahmoe ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!
 Upload your own reptile and amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! Monday, July 11 2022Where have all the Day Geckos gone? Koch's Day Gecko is one of the plainer colored green taxa, but also one of the largest. Having decided to write a bit about a couple of day gecko species, I just (08Feb22) looked at the day gecko (Phelsuma sp.) listings on my host’s, Kingsnake.coms, page to see what species were available today. I was shocked to see only a single listing, this for 2 Koch’s Day Geckos. P. madagascariensis kochii. This was so very different than during the heyday of Malagasy importations, the 1980s, that I could hardly believe my eyes. Admittedly, I am no longer keeping up with the vagaries of herp availability like I did in the 1970s and 1980s, but the almost absolute lack of ads for these wonderful and easily bred lizards actually shocked me. I well remember the arrival of Malagasy shipments at Gulf Coast Herps (sadly, now closed), and Rob MacInnis and Bill Love scurrying about in their Ft. Myers facility to ascertain all were unpacked and suitably housed as quickly as possible. I posted a few pix and queries on my Facebook page today (08Feb) and a few responses have come in. It seems that a few of the more common or larger species are being maintained both as pets and breeders. I can only hope that a few hobbyists (there now seems a larger number than I initially thought!) continue to maintain other taxa. Replenishment from the wild seems unlikely, so whether or not these beauties remain available to hobbyists is quite likely now up to the hobbyists themselves. Continue reading "Where have all the Day Geckos gone?" |
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