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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, October 26 2015Herp Photo of the Day: Frilled Dragon
This little Frilled Dragon is ready to take no prisoners in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user Mizzy every once in a while! 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! Friday, October 23 2015Herp Photo of the Day: Rattlesnake Friday!
Happy Rattlesnake Friday! Massive support is needed in the conservation of the gorgeous Massasauga Rattlesnake all across the country. That is why they take the spotlight today in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user ratsnakehaven ! 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! And Now There Are Two! The Genus Spilotes is now Bitipic This is the Mexican form of Spilotes pullatus, S. p. mexicana. Spilotes, long a monotypic genus of beautiful black and yellow, neotropical, arboreal, snake, has recently become bitypic—and polymorphic. This was accomplished when a group of herpetologists (see paper mentioned below) undertook the reevaluation of the genus Pseustes, the bird snakes. The result of their studies are that 3 species previously in the genus Pseustes are now in the resurrected genus Phrynonax and the 3 meter long, olive and brownish Pseustes sulphureus has become Spilotes sulphureus. In a facebook quote Cesar Barrio Amoros (a member of the research team) stated “in this article we change the use of Psustes (sic) (no longer a valid genus) per Phrynonax for poecilonotus, shoepshirei and polylepis and sulphureus become Spilotes.” In explanation of the above, with the removal of Pseustes sulphureus, the type species of the genus, Psuestes becomes an invalid generic name and has necessitated the elevation of the senior synonym, in this case Phrynonax as the valid name for the remaining 3 taxa. So those among you who used to have Pseustes sulphureus now have Spilotes sulphureus and those that have any of the other three Pseustes species now have Phrynonax sp. But fret not. As long as they are properly cared for the snakes couldn’t care less. And for further information please reference: Jadin, R., Burbrink, F., Rivas, G. Vitt, L., Barrio-Amorós, C.L. & Guralnick, R. 2013. Finding arboreal snakes in an evolutionary tree: phylogenetic placement and systematic revision of the Neotropical birdsnakes. J. Zoolog Syst Evol Res doi: 10.1111/jzs.12055: 1-8. Continue reading "And Now There Are Two! The Genus Spilotes is now Bitipic" Reptile Relocation Successful Photo: Chris Dresh Ecologists have been working to protect rare reptiles from roadworks on a busy dual highway by luring them away from the A338 in Bournemouth, England. Instead of a forceful relocation, the ecologists in Bournemouth changed the landscape, directly impacting the road changes only, to allow the animals to relocate naturally. Dorset County Council's environment councillor, Peter Finney, said: "We're incredibly proud of our natural environment in Dorset and we strive to find new ways to work alongside our many protected areas and species, and enhance it - even when we are doing something as destructive as rebuilding a road." To read the full article, visit The BBC. Thursday, October 22 2015Hognose Snakes…THINK when you find them!! Getting a nice picture of a wild Eastern Hognose Snake can be very difficult because they will roll over on their back and play dead when they feel threatened, and once they go into this routine it is not only hard to make them stop, but they also seem to never look as good once they play dead. During their defensive process they tend to disgorge their belly contents and also stop filling up with air to hiss which makes them look thin and deflated. Take my advice and try to get your pictures of this species before they feel too disturbed and roll over on their backs. Neophytes will quickly reach down and pick up snakes as soon as they are discovered. When a specimen is discovered the best thing to do is to try to get pictures immediately. When I am on Hognose hunting grounds I carry my camera with me, sometimes it is even already turned on. If the snake tries to escape use a stick or branch to move the animal but whatever you do, DO NOT TOUCH IT WITH YOUR HAND! For whatever reason, these snakes are less disturbed by the feel of natural materials but the feel of your hand will often cause them to play dead upon contact. THINK when you find one of these snakes! Calm down and be patient. Do not give up. Instead, just focus on keeping the snake calm. They will often turn their heads sideways just before they flip on their backs, so if you see them doing this back off a little bit. If they do flip over you can put the snake in a bag for 20 minutes and then carefully dump it out and try again, but even if this works the snake will not look as good as it did the moment you found it. I hope this information proves useful and I wish everyone good luck in finding and getting nice pictures of these spectacular snakes! Herp Photo of the Day: Tokay Gecko
Gotta love the up close head shot of this Tokay Gecko in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user The_Reptiles_Den ! 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! Love Potion Developed for Amphibians Photo: Freshwaters Illustrated/Dave Herasimtschuk/USDA. In the race to save our dying amphibians, a fish endocrinologist developed "Cupids Syringe" also known as Amphiplex. The hormone based chemical helps to encourage better captive breeding. Trudeau knew that the hormone systems controlling mating were nearly identical in fish and mammals, and he reasoned that they should be similar in amphibians, too. Taking a page out of the fish reproduction playbook, he combined a hormone that stimulates cells in the pituitary gland with a chemical that blocks the neurotransmitter dopamine, which can interfere with breeding. This combination had been used extensively in fish, to encourage breeding stock for the aquaculture industry. But it hadn’t yet been tried in amphibians. Before Amphiplex, only individual hormones, sans dopamine blockers, had been used on captive amphibians, with mixed success. To read the full article, visit Mongabay. Wednesday, October 21 2015A Very Simple Terrarium for a Very Phat Phrog Tank, sphagnum, light, and sturdy plants provide an easily built and maintained amphibian terrarium. All that is needed to make a very pretty terrarium for horned and other bulky frogs with limited leaping ability is the tank (ours is a 40 gallon), a complete cover (with horned frogs a cover may not be needed) but if arboreal species are housed within not only is a cover needed but a suitable perch should also be provided, a suitable light, enough good quality unmilled sphagnum moss to provide a 3” deep bottom cover, a few hardy plants (I prefer philodendrons, “pothos” or similar nearly indestructible species, and, of course, the frog inhabitant. Since the sphagnum will be kept damp and clean, unless you are intending to breed the species a water container is optional. If a water container is provided be sure the water is kept clean. Ditto with the sphagnum bottom cover. To prevent the sphagnum from being ingested by a hungry frog, food items may be proffered on forceps or from the fingers (the latter sometimes and with some species not being an especially good idea!). With an escape proof top this setup also works well for salamanders. From this point on pictures will probably be the most descriptive. I hope you enjoy your frogs as much as I do mine. Continue reading "A Very Simple Terrarium for a Very Phat Phrog" Australian Legless Lizards are in Peril for RV park Photo: Annette Ruzicka/Bush Heritage Australia The habitat of the Australian Legless Lizard population in Canberra is set to be razed in preparation to build an RV park for tourists to rest their weary heads. Conservationists from Bush Heritage Australia are working to save one of the last remaining groups of this species. To capture these legless lizards – the name comes from legs that disappeared through evolution leaving just a scaly protrusion – Bush Heritage has purchased roof tiles in bulk. To read the full article, visit The Guardian. Herp Photo of the Day: Blood Python
The name says it all. Check out this stunning Cherry Bomb Blood Python in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user jsignoretti every once in a while! 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, October 20 2015Herp Photo of the Day: Clawed Frog
One of the most common amphibians out there, this Albino Clawed Frog is just hanging around in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user bradtort every once in a while! 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, October 19 2015Conjoined Twin Tortoises Separated Photo: Inside Edition "To my surprise, the reason the baby couldn't exit was because it was attached to its twin," he told INSIDE EDITION. "I helped them out of the egg and discovered they were joined at the yolk sac which is basically the equivalent to an umbilical. Immediately we knew we had a bit of a challenge on our hands." To read the full article and see the video, visit Inside Edition. Herp Photo of the Day: Nile Monitor
What better way to start out this week than with this cute Nile Monitor in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user Mantafish every once in a while! 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! Sunday, October 18 2015Alligator Loses Meal on Golf Course Photo: The News-Press Despite being an apex predator, one unlucky Alligator learned there are things scarier than him, like a golf cart. The gator's plan for a nice meal was all set in motion when the turtle found itself surrounded by the alligator's teeth. The turtle remained incarcerated by the alligator's gaping mouth until a golf cart scooted close enough to scare the gator back into the lake, Backman says. To read the full article, visit USAToday. Saturday, October 17 2015Pipeline has Potential Impact on Salamanders Photo: StevenDavidJohnson.com and Wild Virginia A Virginia pipeline may need to change it's route to avoid potential impact on two special of Salamanders, the Cheat Mountain salamander and the Cow Knob salamander. It recommends changing the route of the pipeline to avoid as much of the salamanders' habitats as possible, possibly going south of South Sister Knob and Chestnut Ridge or north of Romney, West Virginia. To read more visit Newsplex.com. Friday, October 16 2015Herp Photo of the Day: Rattlesnake Friday!
Happy Rattlesnake Friday! All venomous snakes need our support! This Cottonmouth is screaming it from the field in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user BowieKnife357 ! 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! Annual Snake Bites Underestimated Worldwide Photo: Fox News Despite their best attempts to track global venomous snake bites, many Asian countries are unable to properly count the number of people envenomated annually. Due to the lack of available health care in some regions as well as the inability to pay for it leads many bites to not be counted. Citing new evidence from a study in India and Bangladesh, the experts said around 46,000 people died annually of snake bites in India, plus another 6,000 in Bangladesh. The WHO estimates the annual death toll in India from snake bites is 10,000. To read the full article, visit Fox News. Thursday, October 15 2015Herp Photo of the Day: Mud Snake
Hope you enjoy a little something out of the wild with this Mud Snake in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user Godfrey every once in a while! 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! A Desert Salamander Beautiful in any setting, this Inyo Mountains slender salamander seemed especially so against the desert background. “Next right” Gary said. “It’s just a mile or two up the road.” ”OK. Whoops you mean here?” “Yes. I guess we’ll have to roll the boulders.” So we huffed, puffed, strained, and somehow moved the huge rocks just enough to allow the car to sneak carefully through. Ahead of us was a rocky trail that seemed to go a few hundred feet into the desert, up a rise, and then peter out entirely. With Gary directing we got to the end of the trail. Then carefully avoiding rocks we managed to go a few hundred feet farther. “We walk from here.” And walk we did. Over the rise, then down to an orchid laden desert spring, along a marsh, and following the run, to a desert wonderland, a willow surrounded waterhole thickly edged with flat fist-sized rocks. “Go to it” Gary said, “but be sure to replace the rocks as close to the original position as possible.” So I did and I did, and within minutes I had uncovered, photographed, and returned to its hiding place one of the most beautiful salamanders I have yet seen, a light phase Batrachoseps campi, Inyo Mountain salamander. These deserts are just alive with amphibian surprises. Thanks again, Gary. Continue reading "A Desert Salamander" Blanding's Turtles Reintroduced in Massachusetts Photo: Don Lyman Despite being listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List, the Blanding's Turtle is not federally protected in the US, although some states have regulations in place. Biologist Jared Green of Assabet River National in Hudson, Massachusetts, however wants to help increase their numbers in his state. The program hit a major milestone this spring releasing their One-thousandth turtle. Biologists hope that building a strong population of Blanding’s turtles at Assabet River will help offset population losses being experienced by the turtles elsewhere. Read more at Earth Island Journal. Wednesday, October 14 2015Genetic Super Banded Paradox Albino Ball Python This amazing looking cultivar is a Super Genetic Banded Paradox Albino Ball Python (Python regius). I had the honor of hatching the first example of this new morph earlier in 2015. People who know me and follow my posts here, on my site, and on social media are aware that I have been hatching a whole lot of Paradox Ball Pythons, especially Paradox Albinos. Friends joke that I must be putting something in my water, but the fact is that after many years and much effort I have hopefully made an advance in how to produce Paradox Ball Pythons. The Paradox Gene is not fully understood and I am not trying to claim that I fully understand it. What I am saying is that results speak for themselves and that it took more than luck for me to produce Paradox Albinos and other Paradox Ball Python Morphs every year for the past 5! I expect to hatch more in 2016 barring thermostat or incubator malfunctions! Herp Photo of the Day: Ratsnake
What a great shot of this clutch of subocs 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 amphibian photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! The Mechanics of a Frog's Tongue Photo: A photo obtained from the Christian-Albrechts-Universitat of Kiel shows a South-American horned frog (genus Ceratophrys), waiting for its prey Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-06-super-sticky-frog-scientists-tongue-tied.html#jCp It was previously thought that a frog's tongue got it's stickiness from the saliva, but recent research suggests something completely different. "The experimental data shows that frog tongues can be best compared to pressure-sensitive adhesives that are of common technical use as adhesive tapes or labels," according to the study published in the journal Scientific Reports. Read more on this study at Phys.org. Tuesday, October 13 2015Herp Photo of the Day: Chameleon
Everyone feels just like this little chameleon does here in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user 1Sun every once in a while! 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! Turtle Swimsuit to Teach About Sea Turtles Photo: The News-Press University of Queensland has decided turtles look good in clothes. They have altered the design of rash vest to fit both hatchling and adult sea turtles to learn a bit more about the dietary needs of Loggerheads by collecting a full fecal sample. Mr Coffee said the information could be used to identify and protect habitats. To get the full poop on this article, visit ABC.net. Red Pygmy Rattlesnakes The red pygmy rattlers of Hyde County, NC are among the world's most beautiful snakes. It was exactly 5:45PM and the temperature was 84F when we turned from the pavement onto a secluded dirt road in Hyde County, NC. It was a sunny mid-August afternoon and the humidity was high. Moments earlier we had photographed a 4-foot long canebrake rattler lying quietly in the then traffic free oncoming lane, but it was not for canebrakes that Jake and I had made the drive. Rather, it was the hope of seeing a red phase Carolina pygmy rattlesnake, Sistrurus m. miliarius, that had drawn us northward those several hundred miles. We had allowed 2 nights for the search. Within 15 minutes of finding the canebrake we were back in the car. Decision time was upon us. Should we remain on the sun-warmed paved road or turn onto the cooler, shaded intersecting dirt road that stretched off far into the distance. The dirt road won out and it proved to be a good decision. Within five seconds of having made the turn we found the target, a beautiful adult red phase pygmy. It lay fully stretched just inches from an acre of tall grasses. Indeed the deities of herping were smiling on us! We had found our main target on the first evening and could now concentrate on our newly stated target 2 the next night. From this, the Sandhills phase of the Carolina pygmy, we were separated by several hundred miles. But at least the destination was closer to home. Have I ever mentioned how big the Carolinas seem when driving east to west? Continue reading " Red Pygmy Rattlesnakes" Monday, October 12 2015New Jungle Carpet Super Form! Isn’t this Jungle Carpet Python crazy looking?! It is one of a kind and a Super Form from what the Ball Python Crowd refers to as a, “Dinker Project.” I noticed that the mother of this snake looked just a bit odd when it was a baby. I bought her, bred her, and then bred one of her male offspring back into her to get a super form of the co-dominant gene that she carried. I know a lot of kingsnake.com users attend Reptile Shows so I will share my story about buying the mother of this snake. All morning long I was busy at this show vending at my table and I was unable to make a round until around lunch time. When I arrived at one of the better Carpet Python vendor tables there was a crowd standing around looking at a baby JCP in a deli cup marked $350.00. They were all commenting under their breath about the little snake, but for me there was no discussion. I peeled off the cash, handed it to the vendor, and then picked up the cup with the snake. All the guys said, "WHOA!! I was thinking about buying that” . The vendor looked at me and said, “That snake will turn out to look normal and so will all the babies.” I made two replies. To the crowd I responded, “You can keep thinking about buying it, but I just bought it.” To the vendor I said, loud enough for all to hear, “If this $350 female JCP turns out to be normal I will more than break even selling her normal babies.” There are lessons to be learned in all of this but don’t ask me what they are. I am just trying to have fun and I am relegated to but one of these crazy looking JCP after about 10 years of effort. Rare Salamander Found in Guatemala Photo: Robin Moore/ILCP Called the "Golden Wonder" by conservationists, the Jackson’s Climbing Salamander, Bolitoglossa jacksoni, has not been seen since 1977. This field report chronicles the search for the Golden Wonder, as well as many other great and rare amphibian finds. “When I spied that oh so familiar pose of a Long-limbed Salamander basking in the rain with feet splayed and spine bent with that beautiful long tail hanging down, I was thrilled. It really brought back much of what it had been like in ‘76; going out night after night in the rain. Finding this salamander is as rewarding as it was years ago.” To read the full account, visit National Geographic. Herp Photo of the Day: Watersnake
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 photos at gallery.kingsnake.com, and you could see them featured here! Friday, October 9 2015Herp Photo of the Day: Rattlesnake Friday!
Happy Rattlesnake Friday! We are seeing red with this gorgeous shot of a Pygmy Rattlesnake our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user Tamers1 ! 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! |
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