Herper.com: Reptiles and Amphibians

Power Outage

2008-05-09T11:21:00.001-05:00

20,000 South Florida homes lost power after an iguana got fried by high-voltage equipment. (News source.)

India: Snake Rescuer

2008-05-09T11:19:00.001-05:00

Here is a short piece by a wildlife consultant in Goa, India, who rescues snakes.

Myanmar Disaster: Snakes Now a Problem

2008-05-09T11:16:00.001-05:00

Increased interaction between survivors and venomous snakes are a greater problem with a shortage of shelter after the Myanmar cyclone. (News source.)

Solomon Islands Croc Attack

2008-05-07T18:21:00.001-05:00

A man was killed by a crocodile while fishing along the Matepona River. (News source.)

Big Snapper

2008-05-07T18:15:00.001-05:00

An 87-lb snapping turtle was caught in a North Carolina pond. (News source.)

Iguana Crime

2008-05-07T09:31:00.002-05:00

Six endangered blue iguanas were killed at a captive-breeding center in the Cayman Islands. The animals were stomped and mutilated, and police are investigating. (News source.)

Toads to Fight Toads

2008-05-07T09:28:00.001-05:00

Another strategy for fighting cane toads in Australia: release small sterile male cane toads in areas without infestation to "teach" local predators that they're not suitable prey. (News source.)

Frog Farming (1978)

2008-05-07T09:26:00.000-05:00

Here is an old article from Mother Earth News on farming bullfrogs.

Gharials Nesting

2008-05-06T18:23:00.002-05:00

Gharial nests have been found in Chambal's sanctuary, so there's (some) hope for the species... (News source.)

Big Snake

2008-05-06T18:19:00.001-05:00

A 21-foot (approximate) python was found in Sri Lanka, relocated to a forest preserve. (News source.)

EDB Bite

2008-05-06T18:05:00.001-05:00

A co-owner of the Edisto Island Serpentarium was bitten by an eastern diamondback while snake hunting on the Georgia coast. (News source.)

Hawaii: Ball Python

2008-05-06T18:03:00.001-05:00

A ball python was found hit by a car in Hawaii; officials euthanized the snake. (News source.)

Cat in a Snake

2008-05-06T17:59:00.001-05:00

An Australian family's pet cat was eaten by a 2-meter python. X-rays proved it. (News source.)

Oklahoma Ban

2008-05-06T17:51:00.002-05:00

Oklahoma has put in place a 3-year moratorium on commercial turtle harvesting in order to study the effect on their native turtles. (News source.)

Croc Attacks

2008-05-05T13:27:00.002-05:00

The recent Palawan crocodile attack has prompted calls to curb the illegal mangrove tanbarking trade, which some say contributes to greater croc-human interaction. (News source.)

Two people were recently attacked and injured by crocodiles in Orissa, India. (News source.)

Woman Helps Cobra

2008-05-05T13:17:00.001-05:00

A woman in India found a wounded cobra, and treated it (antiseptic creams and feeding syringes of milk) despite neighbors requesting she put it back where she found it. (News source.)

Whiptail Profile

2008-05-04T11:42:00.000-05:00

A nature columnist in Colorado ponders the whiptail lizard. (News source.)

Croc Farming

2008-05-03T22:13:00.001-05:00

Zimbabwe is encouraging farmers to raise crocodiles commercially. (News source.)

Lizard Saved From Fish

2008-05-03T12:32:00.002-05:00

A fisherman in Australia caught a fish which regurgitated its last meal, a small skink. Though the tail was partially digested, the lizard resuscitated and went on its way. (News source.)

Toy Kills Gator

2008-05-02T13:37:00.002-05:00

A 9-foot gator in the Florida Keys died after eating a plastic toy turtle, which lodged in its digestive tract. (News source.)

Sea Turtle News

2008-05-02T13:31:00.002-05:00

First, an update from Texas: 10 more Kemp's ridley sea turtle nests have been found. (News source.)

And Anna Maria Island (Florida) is gearing up for nesting season. (News source.)

Philippines Croc Attack

2008-05-01T12:45:00.001-05:00

A 7-year old boy was killed by a crocodile in Palawan, while he was swimming in a river. (News source.)

Croc Ad Upsets UK Parents

2008-05-01T12:42:00.003-05:00

Some parents in the UK are upset about the use of a crocodile in a television ad for a soft drink. (News source.)

New Gecko

2008-05-01T12:36:00.000-05:00

A new species is being described in the news as the largest gecko yet found in India, at 250 mm. (I'm a bit leery of this claim; the Tokay gecko, for example, is found in northern India, and can surpass that length in at least parts of its wide range.) The new species has been named Hemidactylus aaronbaueri, after lizard expert Dr. Aaron Bauer of Villanova. (Dr. Bauer, of course, should be a familiar name, as he has written on the cryptozoological giant gecko and other unusual cases.) The lizard was first photographed two years ago, and the photos forwarded to the Bombay Natural History Society for identification, where they realized it was a new species. Since then, about 20 more have been found on rocky cliffs in north west Ghats. (News source.)

Antivenom Rushed to Cobra Victim

2008-05-01T12:27:00.001-05:00

More details have been published on the Bushnell, FL, case of a pet cobra bite. The victim is still unconscious, though. (News source.)