California Tiger Salamander

The native tiger salamander is now considered threatened in California. (News source.)

Brown Tree Snakes

A report shows that more than 500 brown tree snakes were caught on Guam from October to December last year. (News source.)

Tuatara Birth

Photographic proof of the first hatching of tuatara on New Zealand's Matiu/Somes Island has been made. (News source.)

Frog News

Some video and notes on how Tungara frogs whip up their frothy nests, here.

A PNG frog undergoes a significant ontogenetic color change. (News source.)

An endangered frog's eggs are being frozen for conservation purposes. (News source.)

Herp Conservation Notes

A new hibernaculum was created for some relocated fox snakes in Illinois. (News source.)

Half of a Sussex Co., NJ, bog was acquired for conservation as bog turtle habitat for $1.1 million. Negotiations for the other half are ongoing. (News source.)

Some tuatara conservation research here.

Freshwater crocs are being pushed out of the Northern Territories by saltwater crocs. (News source.)

Turtle Bridges

Kim Komando's video of the day on a wood turtle researcher, here.

Hope the Honeymoon's Better...

A marriage proposal on a SC beach ended in an official warning after illegal candles caused 60 or so baby loggerhead sea turtles to turn in the wrong direction, leading away from the sea. (News source.)

Lake Erie Water Snakes

There has been a rebound in the endangered Lake Erie water snake, with about 10,000 in the wild. (News source.)

More on Philippine Crocs

A few more details on the reintroduction of young Philippine crocodiles in a lake on Luzon island. (News source.)

Threats to Green Sea Turtles

Transcript of an Australian news interview here.

Lonesome George Not So Lonesome

The famed Galapagos tortoise has apparently fathered 5 healthy eggs. (News source.)

Prisoners Raise Endangered Frogs

A few prisoners in Washington State are helping to raise endangered Oregon spotted frogs, and are doing a pretty good job at it. (News source.)

Hellbender Conservation

Missouri is trying to preserve their hellbenders, along with the St. Louis Zoo's captive-breeding program. (News source.)

Chinese Alligator Success

A group of wild-born Chinese alligators from previously captive adults has been discovered on Chongming Island. (News source.)

Other Turtle News

Ravens are on a hit list for killing endangered desert tortoises. (News source.)

A device for fishing nets that might protect sea turtles better is not enthusiastically welcomed by fishermen. (News source.)

Researchers found a leatherback sea turtle tagged in Nova Scotia has turned up in Colombia waters. (News source.)

Utah: Frog Conservation

Utah wildlife officials are creating new marsh areas for the rare Columbia spotted frog. (News source.)

Horned Lizards

Tinker Air Force Base, in Oklahoma, protects a population of horned lizards. (News source.)

Tortoise vs Mosquito

Galapagos tortoises and iguanas have to contend with mosquitoes that have developed a taste for reptilian blood, which may introduce new diseases. (News source.)

Turtle News

Indonesians on the island of Runduma are protecting the local sea turtles now, instead of using their eggs. (News source.)

The rare western pond turtle found in Washington state recently turns out to be an escaped family pet, but the owners probably won't get it back. (News source.)

Emergency fishing regs put into effect banning longlines in the Gulf of Mexico may become permanent. Longlines injure sea turtles and other non-target species. (News source.)

Dead turtles turning up in Menasha, WI, are worrying conservationists. (News source.)

A Florida man was charged with poaching sea turtle eggs. (News source.)

Turtle News

Tennessee conservationists want to protect their native turtles from the Asian food trade. (News source.)

A western pond turtle has been found in western Washington state, where it was thought extirpated. (News source.)

Lizard News

Vietnamese farmers are starting "dong" (butterfly lizard) farms, primarily for the food industry. (News source.)

Conservation groups are pressing the Secretary of the Interior to list the flat-tailed horned lizard as an endangered species. (News source.)

Sea Turtles Nesting

It's that time of year again. Sea turtles are nesting in Florida and Texas.

One Turtle Patrol is using a terrier to find nests. (News source.)

Crocs

Cuban crocodiles are being ranched and released into the wild. (News source.)

A woman from a village in India's Bhitarkanika National Park was killed by a crocodile. (News source.)

Conservation News

Mountain chicken frogs are being flown from the Caribbean to the UK in order to protect them from fungal disease. (News source.)

Malaysian wildlife officers seized 210 poached monitor lizards. (News source.)

Gator News

Chinese researchers say the wild population of Chinese alligators in the Yangtze river may increase to 300 in the next 5-10 years. (News source.)

A South Carolina man was charged with possession of a baby alligator, illegal in that state. (News source.)

Crocodilians in the News

An Australian man was killed by a large croc when he attempted to swim across a river where crocodiles were known to live. (News source, and here, and here.) Police shot the probable attacker.

A Zambian woman was killed by a crocodile while she was washing clothes at a river. (News source.)

Success in gharial breeding in India. (News source.)

The poor economy has hit a gator farm. (News source.)

Amphibian News

An environmental group thought they were helping salamanders that migrated across a Massachusetts road, by removing a long tube laid next to a new road. Turns out it was stopping silt from running into an important vernal pond. Actually, sounds like the group doesn't know that much about salamanders if they think a small tube is going to prevent them from moving across a road... The town wants the environmental group to pay for repairs. (News source.)

And, a profile here on a Maryland herpetoculturist who specializes in dart frogs.

Frogs

New Zealand researchers have found some Maud Island Frog living into their 30's. (News source.)

You can create frog ponds to help declining amphibian populations.

Turtle Conservation

Arkansas Game and Fish has turned down petitions to end turtle harvesting in that state. (News source.)

Iowa conservationists are concerned with an increase in turtle harvesting in that state. (News source.)

The Dominican Republic has cracked down on souvenirs made from endangered sea turtle shell. (News source.)

Frog and Toad News

Half of the zoo population of Archey's frogs at Auckland Zoo have died, apparently due to husbandry difficulties. (News source.)

Research shows that European tree frog females prefer a male with a reddish vocal sac. (News source.)

An oversized cane toad found in Australia was discovered to have eaten several whole crabs and molluscs. (News source.)

Broad-Head Snakes and Burning

Australia's endangered broad-head snakes may require more burning to maintain their proper habitat. (Eurekalert.)

Turtle Death by Pollution

Up to a third of leatherback turtle mortalities are due to ingested plastic garbage. (News source.)

Proposed Florida Turtle Ban

Some info on the proposed ban in Florida regarding commercial harvest of turtles, here.

Gharial Study

Gharials are being radio-tagged in Nepal for study. (News source.)

Dart Frogs

A profile here on a dart frog breeder/conservationist.

Sea Turtles

News on surveying leatherback turtle nests on Bougainville Island in Papua New Guinea here.

Magnetizing Crocs

Florida wildlife officials are taping magnets to the heads of crocodiles to see if that will disrupt their homing ability, in an effort to keep them from returning to residential neighborhoods. (News source.)

Minnesota Rattler Conservation

MN DNR is cutting back cedar growth on bluffs to give rattlesnakes more sunning areas closer to their dens. (News source.)

Invasive Lizards in Florida

Another generic news article on introduced populations of lizards in Florida, here.

Frog Hunting

A British Columbia man is trying (apparently successfully) to eradicate the invasive bullfrog from that region, despite claims by others that it is too expensive to work. (News source.)

Flatbacks

Flatback sea turtles are the focus at the 29th Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation being held in Brisbane, Australia. (News source.)

Sea Turtle Prosthetics

A Japanese conservation group is planning to have prosthetic limbs made for a sea turtle injured in a probable shark attack. (News source.)

Myanmar Bans Croc Exports

Details here.

Tuatara Conservation

An article here on release of c.b. tuatara on Cuvier Island.

Gopher Tortoise Move

The Polk County, FL, school board has OK'd @$77K to move gopher tortoises off a proposed school construction site.

"'It's not so much the cost of removing them, but finding a place to relocate them,' Murphy noted. At the cost of around $900 per turtle, certified specialists must come to the land and relocate them to privately-owned sites that have been approved by the state." (News source.)

Mapping Toad Paths

A UK conservation group is mapping road crossings by migrating toads with a Google Earth application. (News source.)

Chelonian Conservation

A discussion here on the $$$ spent on conservation efforts for the desert tortoise in Utah.

Cambodian wildlife officials are trying to pay locals not to disturb the eggs of nesting Cantor's soft-shell turtles. (News source.)

Sea Turtle Recovery Plan

NOAA and USFWS have put out a new recover plan for North Atlantic loggerhead sea turtles. (News source.)

Sea Turtle Controversy

Nesting sea turtles are at the center of a debate between Queensland Park & Wildlife and campers at Inskip Point. (News source.)

Marsh Crocodile Decline

A brief article here on the decline of marsh crocodiles in Balochistan.

Broad-Headed Snake Exhibit

The Nowra Wildlife Park has a new exhibit of the endangered (and venomous) broad-headed snake. (News source.)

Malayan Box Turtles Endangered by Smuggling

Illegal export of Malayan box turtles continue to threaten their natural populations. (News source.)

Tortoises Reintroduced

123 c.b. Hood Island Galapagos tortoises were reintroduced to the island. (News source.)

Goats for Turtles

MD F&W are using goats to help keep bog turtle habitat free from overgrowth. (News source.)

Copperbelly Watersnakes

The USFWS has put together a recovery plan for the northern copperbelly watersnake. (News source.)

Invasion News

Goannas in Kakadu have been decimated by the cane toad. (News source.)

Some people (very few people) in Hawaii want to protect the invasive coqui. (News source.)

Gharial Introduction

Plans to reintroduce captive-bred gharials into India's waterways continue... (News source.)

Turkey Point Crocs

The Turkey Point Nuclear Plant played an inadvertent role in the conservation of the American crocodile, as the cooling canals built around the plant created a favored breeding grounds for the species. (News source.)

And, a profile here on a croc researcher who has studied the American crocs at Turkey Point for two decades.

Frogs vs Tourism

A couple of conservation groups have forced the DFG not to stock trout in a number of California waterways due to not having filed environmental impact reports on the red-legged frog. Fishing tourism has a high likelihood of being impacted. (News source.)

Big Croc Hunting

A brief profile here on an Australian couple, first croc hunters, then croc conservations.

Gharial Problem

Reintroduction of new gharials to the Chambal is on hold, until biologists can adequately determine why the species is dying off there. (News source.)

Pesticides Affect Gators

Chemical pollution is leading to sterilization in alligators, and leads to questions about how much it affects us. (News source.)

Sermons for Sea Turtles

Malaysian mosques are planning to urge Muslims to protect endangered sea turtles and not poach the eggs. (News source.)

Translocating Geckos

15 Wellington green geckos are being released on the Matiu/Somes Island sanctuary to create a self-sustaining population in a predator-free environment. (News source.)

Skink Conservation

Staff and volunteers at an Ontario conservancy are creating habitat areas for the rare (in that area) five-lined skink. (News source.)

Northern Territories Good for Sea Turtles

A report notes that the sandy islands off the NT coast in Australia are important as sea turtle breeding grounds. Six species live in those waters. (News source.)

Sea Turtle Conservation News

North Carolina has a higher than average number of loggerhead sea turtle nests this year. (News source.)

An article here on a rehabilitated green sea turtle released in California waters.

Herp Conservation

Mexico City axolotyls are in danger of disappearing. (News source.)

The Western Australia government is giving $1.2 million to a toad busting group to fight cane toads. (News source.)

Amphibians are dying off at Yellowstone. (News source.)

Giant Garter Snake Habitat

More land has been added to a conservation land trust for giant garter snake habitat. (News source.)

Herp Conservation News

Weather conditions this year were beneficial for the successful breeding of the endangered Mississippi gopher frog. (News source.)

Thailand wildlife officers seized 200 monitor lizards being smuggled out to the illegal food markets. (News source.)

North Carolina bought 40 acres to preserve as bog turtle habitat. (News source.)

Cane Toads Edible?

A TV host from American tried out a new recipe for Australia's invading cane toads. (News source.)

An anti-cane toad group killed over 50,000 toads on a Northern Territories ranch over two weeks. (News source.)

Turtle Breeding

An Arkansas turtle farm is doing well in its business. (News source.)

An attempt to breed Yangtze giant soft-shell turtles at a Chinese zoo has failed. (News source.)

Frogs vs Trout

USFWS is trying to eradicate nonnative trout from seven lakes near Lake Tahoe in order to save the mountain yellow-legged frog. They think it'll take about 10 years. (News source.)

Oceana Freakiest Fish Contest

Tadpoles vs Insecticide

A common insecticide, malathion, can decimate populations of slow-maturing tadpoles by wiping out links in their food chain. (News source.)

Frog News

California is expanding designated habitat for the rare red-legged frog, creating issues with landowners and ranchers who point out that it could create conservation problems. (News source.)

Rough grass in golf courses might actually help northern cricket frogs: an Ohio study is setting out to investigate that claim. (News source.)

CB Program Infected Toads

Here's a study on a captive breeding program for the Mallorcan midwife toad that introduced chytrid-infected toads into the wild. The toads themselves were infected through proximity to a cb program for a rare Xenopus species.

Lizard Pathogens

A newly discovered bacteria that causes dermatitis in desert lizards could be a serious threat to wild populations if captive breeding programs are not careful. (News source.)

Snakes in the News

An Indian boy was bitten by a venomous snake, but immediately killed it with a rock and took it to a teacher. The boy is in good condition; he said he watches the Discovery Channel every night and isn't afraid of snakes. (News source.)

Massasauga habitat is being investigated in Pennsylvania. (News source.)

A Chinese woman fell into a well, and was rescued, but encountered a 2 meter long snake. (News source.)

Details here on a California rattlesnake bite.

A six-foot 2-inch eastern diamondback was killed in Florida. (News source.)

Turtle News (Not So Good)

A Florida turtle preserve (successful in breeding several rare species) is shutting down, due to bills, hurricane damage, and zoo politics. (News source.)

Sea turtles that reproduce on beaches near humans are less fertile. (News source.)

Toad Conservation

The Bronx Zoo is breeding Kihansi spray toads. (News source.)

Turtles

Hurricane Gustav didn't do sea turtle nests in the Gulf of Mexico any favors. (News source.)

Poachers are targeting Sumatran turtles. (News source.)

A sea turtle conservation center off the Bali coast is trying to educate fishermen who otherwise catch and sell sea turtles. (News source.)

Frog Hunt in Costa Rica

BBC has a "frog blog" as researchers look for frogs in the rainforest of Costa Rica.

Frog News

There's hope for frogs in Costa Rica, with rediscovered species and apparent resistance in some species to the chytrid fungus. (News source.)

A 6-year old Oregon boy had to stop selling his spotted frogs... (News source.)

Snakes in the News

A Scot grouse-beater was bitten by an adder. (News source.)

Pelee Island (Canada) is trying to open up the habitat to help the local "endangered" snakes. (News source.)

Lizard News

Islanders are upset that Conservancy control of the Komodo National Park has created situations that endanger the locals. (News source.)

Geckos rely on their tails for mobility. (News source.)

Australian News

Some snakes seem to have an immunity to the cane toad's poison... (News source.)

An Australian man is mapping the chytrid fungus in that country. (News source.)

Conservation News

Soft-shelled turtles are making a comeback in the Thames River, Ontario, Canada. (News source.)

An introduced population of pool frogs in Norfolk, UK, have been given special protection. (News source.)

Frog Reintroduction Difficulties

Attempts to reintroduce the northern leopard frog into decreasing populations in Alberta have met with problems. Explanations for the general decline are vague, but attempts to bring more frogs in, continue. (News source.)

Gator News

Two Florida gators (residing at a nature center) hate going to the vet... (News source.)

Dam construction threatens Siamese crocodiles in Cambodia. (News source.)

Turtle News

Indian star tortoises continue to be a prime target for smugglers. (News source.)

Politicians and scientists are arguing over the best plan for the eastern spiny soft-shell turtle in Lake Champlain. (News source.)

Tortoise Editorial

One columnist's opinion on St. Lucie County (Florida) wanting to set up a gopher tortoise sanctuary.

West Nile and Gator Farming

The Louisiana alligator conservation program has to deal with west nile virus problems... (News source.)

Red Filters for Turtles

Red filters are being installed on lights on a Florida beach, which are less attractive to hatchling sea turtles. It is hoped this will keep the turtles from heading the wrong way after hatching. (News source.)

Man vs Crocodile

India's government has an effective crocodilian conservation program, leading to greater numbers of formerly endangered species, but is meeting resistance from villagers on the outskirts of sanctuaries who end up in conflict with the growing population of crocs. A number of people have been killed by the reptiles, leading to attacks on other crocodiles. (News source.)

Coqui Eradication Working

A coqui infested site Kaua‘i has been successful in eliminating most of the invasive frogs. (News source.)

Turtle News

Blanding's turtles were released into the wild in Nova Scotia. (News source.)

Strictly Reptiles is in trouble again, this time for selling undersized turtles. (News source.)

Poached tortoises were confiscated in Malaysia. (News source.)

NZ Skink Recovery

Endangered skinks in New Zealand are rebounding due to captive breeding and predator control. (News source.)

Tenarife Trouble

A mudslide and subsequent rockfall may have killed a number of giant lizards on El Hierro. (News source.)

Turtle Debate

There's some argument over the number of turtles in Georgia (between preservationists and trappers), and the best steps to protect future generations of turtles. (News source.)