SC Gator Hunting

Legislation to allow alligator hunting in South Carolina has hit a small debate regarding whether or not hunters (or landowners with problem gators) will be required to tie off an alligator before shooting it. (News source.)

Toad Reintroduction

New Mexico officials are planning to reintroduce a rare subspecies of the boreal toad to Rio Arriba County, NM. The last reported sighting in that county was in 1996. Once common, the toads have been decimated by the chytrid fungus. (News source.)

Doesn't Sound Good...

From India: "While 18,000 people on an average are bitten by snakes and 900 of them die from the poison in the state’s rural areas every year, doctors at the primary health centres mostly suffer from lack of confidence in administering the right dosage of anti-snake venom."

A WHO medical expert says most bites are treated according to the procedures found in Western medical texts, which aren't always applicable to the "reality" (not sure what that means) in Asian countries. (News source.)

South African Croc Attack

A 25-year old South African woman was walking across a section of the Blyde River on a fallen log, when a crocodile leaped up and grabbed her arm, pulling her into the water. Her boyfriend grabbed her other arm and managed to pull her free. She recovered at the hospital after surgeries. (News source.)

Gecko Adhesive

University of California, Berkeley, engineers have designed a gecko-foot mimicking adhesive that is very strong but easy to separate. 42 million tiny hard plastic microfibrils are found on a single square centimeter. It takes hold when it slides down a smooth surface, rather than being pressed against. Two square centimeters can hold .88 lbs. (News source.)

No Camouflage for Chameleons

New research proposes that the color changing in chameleons is strictly for mating displays, and has no camouflaging purpose. (News source.)

New Skinks

13 new snake-eyed skinks have been discovered in Australia, primarily through genetic differentiation -- though a few are morphologically distinctive. (News source.)

Cambodian Turtle Rescue

150+ "threatened" turtles were rescued from Cambodian fishermen. They were caught for food. Species was not given, but I suspect sea turtles... (News source.)

Crotalus Horridus Fatality

A New Mexico snake breeder/educator (operator of SouthwestSerpentarium.com) died after being bitten on the thumb by a canebrake rattlesnake. (News source.)

Feast Over Frogs

Natauloa villagers on the Fiji island of Nairai saw their first frogs, as ten dead amphibians washed ashore after Cyclone Gene. They were planning to serve and eat them (thinking them a new type of fish) at a feast before the village spokesman found out and stopped them. They held the feast sans frogs. (News source.)

Freak Out Over Snakes

Villagers in Punjab, Pakistan, killed 103 snakes in a single day, after a man came across one while shoring up a canal bank. "The presence of large numbers of snakes spread panic among the villagers, who were moving temporarily to the nearby neighbourhoods." (News source.)

PNG Croc Attacks

PNG officials have organized a crocodile cull after recent deaths involving humans who have intruded on crocodile territory during breeding season. (News source.)

Lizards for Dinner

India police have raided several roadside restaurants, finding lizards being served illegally (spiny-tailed lizards and monitor lizards). (News source.)

Snake in the Cashbox

Here is an interesting set of photos of a shop in Jeppinamogru, India, where the shopkeeper found a cobra in the cashbox. That caught the neighbors' interests...

A New Threat to Varanus

Misguided attempts to find a cure for AIDS in Africa has led to the injection of white-throat monitor blood into patients. Besides being dangerous, and useless against AIDS, the practice could cause conservation problems for the species if the treatment becomes widespread. (News source.)

Two Heads

A two-headed pit viper (species not given) was born at a wildlife center in Argentina. (News source.)

Smugglers and Poachers

Pakistani wildlife officers found a partially skinned crocodile (protected) along a road in DHA. It was uncertain whether the reptile had been hunted in the wild or stolen from a breeding center. (News source.)

Two tortoise smugglers were shot and killed, three others got away, in an encounter with police in India. (News source.)

Don't Try This At Home

Here's a profile on a snake enthusiast in India who apparently believes that drinking cobra venom means he's immune...

Madagascar Tortoise Smuggling

Here's a BBC News article on the capture of a Nigerian smuggler who was found with 300 tortoises from Madagascar, and a general review of the problem.

Tortoise Surgery

Veterinarians at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine performed front leg surgery on a yellow-foot tortoise. Specific details are vague (they removed a piece of the humerus?) but apparently it was the first time this particular surgery was done on a tortoise. (News source.)

CDC Report on Turtle Salmonella

The CDC is fighting back against proposals to allow turtle sales, recently releasing a report that points to turtles being responsible for illness in 33 states. (News source.)

Snakebites

A 10-year old Australian girl survived a brown snake bite. (News source.)

Snakebites in Ghana may be under-reported. (News source.)

Cane Toads

Flooding in Queensland is sweeping cane toads faster than natural dispersal rates would normally distribute them. (News source.)

Gator Hunter

An interesting profile on an alligator hunter here.

Big Retic

The St. Augustine Alligator Farm has imported a large reticulated python from Indonesia, that measures 21 feet, 9 inches. (News source.)

Gecko Photographed

A rare New Zealand gecko species, the Wellington green gecko, was photographed in the city of Karori for the first time in about thirty years. It's occasionally seen elsewhere. (News source with photos.)

Womas for Dinner

8 out of 9 womas (an Australian python) that were reintroduced into South Australia last year ended up being eaten by king brown snakes. (News source.)

Too Many Crocs

The Manila Zoo has a surplus of crocodiles in its collection, and is hoping for trades... (News source.)

Florida Snake Owner

A Deltona, FL, man is waiting for a decision from the city commissioners as to whether he will be forced to give up his collection of 50 venomous snakes. He has the proper state permits, but that may not be enough. (News source.)

Brown Snake Bite

An Australian woman was bitten by a brown snake while visiting a friend in Tinnanbar. (News source.)

Cuba Ban on Sea Turtles

Cuba has banned the hunting of sea turtles on its beaches. (News source.)

Croc Farm Keeper Bitten (then Shot)

A Darwin, Australia, crocodile farm staff member was bitten on the arm by a crocodile while he was trying to collect eggs. Another staff member shot the crocodile, managing to release his co-worker, but accidentally shot him in the arm. The man is doing fine after surgery. (News source.)

Leatherback Journey

A leatherback sea turtle has been tracked on the longest confirmed ocean migration, 12,774 miles before the signal was lost. It was tracked by satellite as part of a project to learn more about the species' ocean movements. (News source.)

100 Weirdest

The Zoological Society of London has released a top 100 list of the weirdest and rarest amphibians. (News source.) A sample gallery of species is here.

Cage Gives Up Cobras

Due to pressure from neighbors, actor Nicolas Cage gave away his pair of cobras (no species given). (News source.)

Snake Catchers

Forestry officials in Nagpur, India, might give official recognition to legitimate snake-catchers, but are concerned about venom smugglers and other "fakes" in the snake trade. (News source.)

Zoo Babies

Perth Zoo hatched out 8 rare rough-scaled pythons recently. (News source.)

Six-Foot Rattler Killed

A six-foot eastern diamondback rattlesnake was killed when it entered a Florida resident's backyard. (News source, includes picture of snake.) (Which gives opportunity to mention again, Boss Snakes: Stories and Sightings of Giant Snakes in North America...)

Frog Stories

A new shrub frog, called Philautus ochlandrae, has been described in the Western Ghats, Kerala, India. (News source.)

A dog in Hawaii may have died as the result of a poison-arrow frog encounter. Experts are uncertain, as the Hawaiian invasive shouldn't be as toxic as in its native habitat, but the dog might have been allergic. (News source.)

Invaders

First, the Cuban tree frog (Osteopilus septentrionalis) has found its way to northeastern Florida (Clay County). (News source.)

Second, a profile on the European wall lizard (Podarcis muralis) in Victoria, British Columbia. (News source.)

Frog Leg Fest

The 17th annual Fellsmere Frog Leg Festival in Florida drew thousands of people, and served up 7,000 pounds of frog legs and 3,000 pounds of gator tail. (News source.)

Stupid Lawyer Tricks

In order to get felony charges reduced (for a woman who stabbed her husband's bearded dragons during a fight), a defense attorney is trying to argue that bearded dragons aren't actually pets. (News source.)

Sea Turtles Released

16 sea turtles that were rehabbed after a red tide incident were released at a Melbourne, FL, beach. (News source.)

Too Many Carpets

An Australian man didn't have a permit for a second carpet python that he rescued, so ended up in court, getting a fine and losing the snake. (News source.)

New Geckos

Four new geckos in the genus Cnemaspis have been described from Vietnam. (News source.)

Malaysia: Death by Toad

During a fishing trip, a Malaysian man caught and cooked a toad, eating it and its eggs, sharing it with his nephew. Shortly after, they began foaming at the mouth and vomiting. They were rushed to the hospital, but the man died on the way. The nephew is recovering. (News source.)

Boss Snakes

Now available, Boss Snakes: Stories and Sightings of Giant Snakes in North America. More details here.

New Anoles

A 2006 expedition to Serrania de Tabasara, in the Panamanian highlands, found four new anole species. The expedition found a new salamander and two more new anoles closer to to Costa Rica in the western highlands of Cordillera Central. (News source.)

Alligator Swarm

Alligators swarmed a group of swimming (probably stray) dogs, taking one under while the other two dogs escaped. (News source)

Victoria Frog Fences

$250,000 (Aus) has been spent building frog fencing along roads in Pakenham, Victoria, Australia, to protect growling grass frog breeding grounds. (News source.)

South African Croc Stories

Here is an interesting narrative with crocodile stories from the Pongolo River in South Africa.

Fluffy's New Home

Fluffy, the 24-foot reticulated python on loan to the Columbus Zoo last year, proved so popular with visitors that the zoo persuaded the snake's owner (herpetoculturist Bob Clark) to sell her. (News source.) A pic of the snake here.

Volunteers Needed in NC

North Carolina WRC is looking for volunteers to join the Calling Amphibian Survey Program, to help map out frog/toad populations in the state. (News source.)

The Church Turtle

A United Methodist church in Florida has a box turtle that lives in the atrium. It's a friendly turtle that comes when called and plays with visitors. From the news:

"Churchie's home, alongside a statue of Saint Francis of Assisi, consists of a large confined area with a palm tree, monkey grass, oyster plants, mulch and natural plant vegetation. Head Custodian Conan Gross observed Churchie hanging on the pants leg of a roofer working at the church after some damage in the 2004 hurricanes. The roofer was surprised at the extra weight on his leg as he went up the ladder, and more surprised to see Churchie hanging on affectionately.
"The turtle likes to grab Conan's shoe laces and will gently latch on to most anyone, but especially to Conan or Churchie's main caretaker, Kevin Oldebloom, who maintains the atrium."

Bullfrogs in Oregon

Here's another article on the non-native bullfrog's impact on other species in Oregon. (News source.)

And on a similar topic, because bullfrogs are eating so many baby western painted turtles in Oregon, there are plans to raise the turtles in captivity for release after they are too big to be eaten. (News source.)

Ohio Species of Concern List Revision

Five herps will be added to Ohio's species of concern list, if a revision is approved: smooth earth snake, smooth green snake, queen snake, ground skink, and Blanchard's cricket frog. (News source.)

NY Massasaugas

A study on a colony of eastern massasauga rattlesnakes in New York, near Syracuse, shows that the population is stable. (News source.)

Another Croc Attack?

There have been several recent articles lately in the news about a crocodile attack in northern KwaZulu-Natal, and I've been uncertain about whether they represent more than one attack on a teenage boy. This article suggests that there have been two similar attacks, possibly by the same crocodile.

Smuggler Indicted

A Chico, CA, man and an unknown conspirator in Singapore have been indicted in federal court for trafficking in smuggled tortoises. (News source.)

Turtle Amendment Not Actually a Repeal

The amendment recently mentioned is not a repeal of the current ban on sales of small turtles, but could lead to that. Or, it could lead to the ban of all pet reptiles. No, not kidding here, and not an overstatement. The idiots who put together the amendment are pushing to place all pet reptiles on equal footing, which might just give the ammunition that anti-reptile groups need to stop American herpetoculture if the industry doesn't do something about it soon. They're betting everything on the salmonella-free turtes, which is fine for turtle farmers, but they shouldn't be screwing around with the rest of the reptile trade. From the Natchez Democrat:

"The U.S. Senate recently passed a farm bill with the 'Domestic Pet Turtle Equality Act' attached, which will either open the market to pet turtle sales or close the market to all reptile pet sales.
"The amendment to the farm bill was added in the Senate, however, and a joint House-Senate committee has to work out a final version of the farm bill to send to the president for signing.
"If the amendment survives the committee and the president signs the bill, within 60 days the Food and Drug Administration will be required to test all of the salmonella-related pets on the market.
"If pet turtles test within a 10 percent prevalence of salmonella among the other animals, the Secretary of Agriculture will have to conduct a study about how turtles can be sold safely as pets.
"Once that study is competed, the Secretary of Agriculture has only two options, to either lift the turtle ban or to ban the sale of other salmonella-related animals."