Python Politics Continues

An interesting business-side look at the effects of the python ban from the WSJ.

The cold snap in FL has killed off a number of pythons, apparently.

Labrador Snapper

A snapping turtle was picked up in Labrador, outside of its known range. (News source.)

OOP Gators

A small gator was caught in Butte Creek, in California. (News source.)

A couple of Indiana teens killed a 6-foot alligator in a Jasper County river. (News source.)

A small alligator was captured in the Tuscarawas River, in Ohio. (News source.)

Crocs in Rio Grande

Crocodiles reported in the Rio Grande near Reynosa, Mexico, are rumored to be released "by drug lords or others." A close to five-foot one was caught in a Reynosa backyard. (News source.)

OOP Crocs

Two small crocodilians were reported from a pond near a Ukrainian oil refinery plant. (News source.)

Tracks on a Brevard County, FL, beach indicate an alligator or croc; saltwater-forays by gators are unusual. (News source.)

Out of Place Crocodilians

A village pond in France is being drained to catch the "crocodile" said to be lurking there. (News source.)

A baby gator was caught in Trumbull Lake, in Connecticut, probably dumped due to the restrictive regulations there. (News source.)

A small alligator was seen in an Indiana lake. (News source.)

Oddities Here and There

"Tens of thousands" of newly hatched western toads have taken over Marysville, California. (News source.)

A family in the Bronx found a yellow rat snake in their home. (News source.)

Not so much odd as sad, a canebrake ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. (News source.)

Caymans Croc (Again)

Another small crocodilian has been caught in the Cayman Islands. (News source.)

OOP Snakes in Barbados

Up to four large snakes (including a possible 16-foot Burmese) are believed to be roaming loose in Barbados. (News source.)

And, commentary here from the president of the Caribbean Herpetological Society.

OOP Gator Might Have Been Stolen

The Australian Reptile Park might be the source for that OOP alligator found by scouts; apparently, at least five gators have been stolen from there since 1999. (News source.)

Australian Alligator News

A 1.5 meter long alligator has turned up on Australia's South Coast, puzzling officials. (News source.)

Australia Reptile Park has done their annual egg-snatching in the alligator exhibit, so that hatchling alligators don't get loose into Australia's waterways. (Too late...) (News source.)

OOP Tortoise on Maui Beach

A small African spur-thigh tortoise was found released on a Maui beach. Apparently, it's not illegal to keep nonnative tortoises in Hawaii, (unlike snakes/lizards), but police still want to know where it came from. (News source.)

8-Foot Croc in Massachusetts?

Sounds fishy. Police responded to a sighting of an 8-foot crocodilian swimming in Fiske Pond near Natick, MA. (News source.)

UK: Snake in Attic

An unknown species of snake has left shed skins in a UK attic, to the consternation of the current tenants. (News source.)

Strange Snake Stories

A live 4 1/2 foot albino corn snake ended up in a Washington waste water plant. (News source.)

A goat thief in Malaysia turned out to be a 6-meter long python. (News source.)

It's time for the annual Rattlesnake Festival in Pasco County, Texas. (News source.)

Controversy in Illinois: did a man see a massasauga or a fox snake? (News source.)

Has the largest fossil snake been found? Estimates of a South American fossil are up to 12.8 meters. (News source.)

OOP Iguana

Just an interesting lost iguana story from Mississippi. (News source.)

Tennessee Caiman Caught

A 4 1/2 foot caiman was finally captured in the Little Pigeon River. (News source.)

Vietnam: Croc Farms Flood

Crocodiles that got loose from croc farms during heavy flooding, were apparently captured and killed or sold off by neighboring farmers. Authorities weren't able to retrieve any of the reptiles. (News source.)

OOP Gator Probably a Croc

A small crocodilian found in Reynosa, TX, is probably a crocodile, not an alligator. Officials are uncertain of its origins. (News source.)

Tegus in Florida

A tegu has been captured in Manatee County, FL, and others have been sighted. A new invasion? (News source.)

Snake News

A ball python in NC was rescued after spending some time hanging on a minivan. (News source.)

An alleged rattlesnake in New York turned out to be a common milksnake. (News source.)

Snake News

A large boa constrictor was found on St. Croix. (News source.)

A 12-year old Texas girl was bitten by a copperhead. (News source.)

A Japanese man was arrested for possessing illegal venomous snakes (in his 51-snake collection) after he was bitten by his mamba. (News source.)

OOP Boa in Michigan

A 6 foot 10 inch Boa constrictor (consistently misidentified as a Burmese python in various news accounts) was shot by a Michigan police officer after it had been run over by a man several times. It was "acting aggresively" towards passing motorists. (Probably because it was scared, and after being run over, in pain...) (News source.)

Wisconsin Scorpion

A scorpion was allegedly discovered under a board on a Deerfield, WI, farm. It was taken to a local animal shelter. "Authorities speculated it might be an escaped pet." No description is given, no photo is shown. Of the man who found it: "He knew it was a scorpion, but only realized it was one of the poisonous varieties when researching it on the Internet Friday night." Not sure what that means. (All scorpions are venomous to varying degrees.) I suspect this means the animal is very small -- some small scorpions being much more dangerous than the larger common pet species. If it is small, then I'm wondering if it might be a native pseudoscorpion that is being misidentified. I don't think Wisconsin has native scorpions. (Vaejovis might be the closest in range?) Hopefully someone will show it to a professional... (News source.)

I'm Really Not Keeping Track Anymore...

But here's another out-of-place alligator, a 4-foot one in southern New Jersey. (News source.)

OOP Reptiles

A few of the more significant finds recently:

A reticulated python in Maine. (News source.)

A small alligator caught in Illinois. (News source.)

A gator reported in Horsham, PA. (News source.)

Big Snake Reported

Apparently, a 6-8 foot "python" was reported from Lake Sinclair, near Baldwin, Georgia. No sightings have followed, according to GA DNR. Of course, in that size range, it's just as likely to be a misidentified and exaggerated watersnake. (News source.)

SC Crocodile

A small (6-foot) American crocodile was caught in the surf off Isle of Palms. It's unknown whether it is a released animal or just swam a long way from the Everglades. (News source.)

MD: OOP Gator

A small alligator was fished out of an Anne Arundel Co. golf course pond. (News source.)

Alaskan Rubber Boa

A biologist with F&G in Alaska retrieved a juvenile rubber boa found in an Eagle River garage, then lost it overnight from a terrarium. Where it came from is unknown. (News source.)

FL: Big Snake

A large "black" snake was spotted eating a crane along Bear Creek River (Tampa area), Florida. A wildlife trapper called to the scene wasn't able to find it, but suggested it was a Burmese python or a green anaconda that had darkened as it aged. (News source.)

Missouri Gator Capture

A small alligator was found and captured in a Leavenworth creek. (News source.)

OOP Croc in Germany

Berlin city workers spotted a 2 1/2 foot crocodilian in the Innerste River. One of the employees was a reptile enthusiast, so the i.d. isn't doubted. (News source.)

More on NC Cobra Panic

A woman claims to have seen one of the alleged roaming cobras, but a search by a reptile group comes up empty. (News source.)

Cobras Loose in NC?

A flyer that states that two monocled cobras are loose in Onslow Co., NC, has local law enforcement on edge. There is speculation that the flyers are being posted by an animal-rights group that is trying to push a ban on exotic species in that state. (In which case, there may not be any loose cobras at all...) (News source.)

Retic Found in Florida

An OOP 8-foot reticulated python was found in St. Augustine. (News source.)

NC "Cobra" Sighting

A North Carolina man reported an 8-foot snake that reared up beside him while he was on an ATV in Cumberland County. A wildlife rehabber suggests it was a king cobra. Police are checking it out. Not enough of a description is given for me to determine whether or not the identification matches, but I'd say it's a bit iffy. (News source.)

Three "Caiman" in Brooklyn

A jogger turned in three small crocodilians he said he found in Spring Creek Park. The Animal Care and Control Shelter was suspicious, but took them in. And, they misidentified them as caiman: the photo clearly show three juvenile American alligators. (News source.)

OOP Crocodilian?

A small crocodilian was reported from Lake Hickory, NC. Gators aren't known from that part of the state, so it may be a released pet, possibly a caiman. (News source.)

Hawaii: Ball Python

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

Crocodilian News

A Florida golf ball diver was attacked by a 10+ foot alligator, managing to barely escape with a broken arm and crushed shoulder. (News source.)

A 3-foot crocodilian was reported from Swansea lake, in the UK. (News source.)

A hunt for gharials in Pakistan didn't locate any of the species. They may have been wiped out by hunters. (News source.)

NH Gator Sighting

A New Hampshire fisherman says he hooked a 5-foot alligator, but wasn't able to reel it in. Police are checking the pond. (News source.)

More Croc News

A small alligator was handed over to the Indianapolis Zoo by a man who claimed he found it in the White River. (News source.)

Here's a profile of a Tanzanian man who recovered from a crocodile attack when he was a young boy, that ripped his arm off.

Austria: OOP Boa

Two Austrian teenagers found a boa constrictor (no picture shown, so we have to assume the identification was correct) in between merchandise at a supermarket. They took it home and checked with police, who told them they could keep it, for now, while they try to figure out where it came from. (News source.)

Large 'Glades Python

While feral pythons are not uncommon in Vero Beach, FL, a significantly sized (16-footer) was recently killed by a large roadside bush mower. (News source.)

Lizard For Christmas

An alligator lizard popped out of a tree purchased for Christmas in Hawaii. Apparently it was confiscated, but no word on whether it was destroyed or given to the zoo. (News source.)

15-foot Snake Reported

Several homeless people in Stockton, California, have reported seeing a 15-foot snake along a local waterway, the Mormon Slough. It has been tentatively identified as a Burmese python, based on descriptions. (News source.)

Vietnam Croc Escapees

A crocodile farm in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, which had a large number of escapees during recent flooding is still uncertain how many might remain at large. "The company has said that of the 5,000 crocodiles it had before the floods, 216 have been found and 1,440 moved to a safer area. But it claims not to know how many are still in the farm." (News source.)

Ukraine Croc Finally Caught

The small crocodile that had escaped from a circus earlier this year was finally caught as cold weather set in. (News source.)

[Update - the crocodile died.]

Boa in Louisiana

It gets monotonous to put up all the articles noting wandering pet snakes, lizards, etc., but here's a 7-foot boa constrictor that was recently found crossing a yard in Bastrop, Louisiana. (News source.)

Ukraine Croc Still At Large

A small nile crocodile that escaped from a circus on a Ukranian beach hasn't been recovered yet; it has moved to the warmer waters by a power plant converter now that the weather is turning cooler. It is fattening up despite worries that the salt water would harm it. Repeated attempts to catch it have failed. (News source.)

Bavarian Reptile Hunt

An approximately 6-foot crocodilian was reported from central-east Bavaria, Germany. (News source.)

The sighting report is unclear; sounds a little like it could also be a large monitor lizard or an iguana (assuming some size exaggeration).

Everglades Pythons Increasing

The introduced population of Burmese pythons is expanding its range in the Everglades. The population is believed to number in the thousands. (News source.)

Wandering Boa

A young boa constrictor (misidentified as a python in the story) was found wandering the streets of Clarion, PA. (News source.)

Gator in Wisconsin

A Wisconsin hunter ran into a four-foot alligator in the Milwaukee River in Washington County. (News source.)

More Crocs in the News

Another large saltwater croc has moved into the pen of the late Eric, at the Australian Reptile Park. (News source.)

Cleveland, OH, police picked up an alligator found strolling loose. (News source.)

An alligator call in Las Cruces, NM, turned out to be an iguana instead. (News source.)

NY Gator

A 3 1/2 foot gator was caught in a Suffolk Co., NY, river by two teenagers. (News source)

Snapper

A snapping turtle first seen in a UK pond 17 years ago has finally been captured and relocated to a turtle sanctuary. (News source.)

Boa's Owner Wants Snake Back

The owner of the boa constrictor loose in Tyler, TX, has come forward and asking no one to kill the snake before he can recapture it. It doesn't appear to have left the vicinity around his home. (News source.)

Boa Loose in Texas

A boa constrictor's shed skin, nine feet in length, was found in the outskirts of Tyler, TX, worrying some residents. (News source.)

Japanese Caiman Owner Charged

A Japanese man, whose two caimans were found wandering the area, was charged with keeping them without prefectural permission. (News source.)

Crocs OOP Around the World

A 4-foot gator was captured in Hokendauqua Creek, in the Lehigh Valley, PA. (News source.)

Two small crocodilians, one possibly a caiman, were captured in a ditch and a rice paddy in Kanazawa district, Japan. (News source.)

Missouri Gator

A 2-foot alligator in Missouri University's South Farm Lake eluded capture before becoming entangled in a trapper's net and accidentally drowned. (News source.)

Two Gators Killed

North Carolina officials killed two small alligators found in the northwest part of the state, where native populations are unknown. They did this in spite of arguments made by a wildlife rehabilitator that he could find a home for one. The NC officials' arguments were 1) the animals couldn't be released into the wild due to possibility of disease or because they may have been "domesticated," 2) the "normal" alligator rescues were full, and 3) they didn't want people to think that releasing exotic animals into the wild would result in their rescue and future care.

Of course, a) there are several alligator rescues, not all of which are "full," and are still accepting rescues or can locate a home for crocodilians, b) when an exotic is released into the wild, the exotic is a victim, not a perpetrator, and if a legal home can be located in a reasonable amount of time, it is irresponsible for the officials to destroy the animals to "make a point," particularly one that isn't very logical.

Central Park Boa

A 6-foot boa constrictor was rescued from a rock fissure in Central Park, NYC. (News source.)

New England Gator

A New Hampshire fisherman caught an 18-inch alligator in the Nashua River. (News source.)

California Caiman

A 4-foot long caiman was found in a flood control ditch near a Fremont, CA, high school. (News source.)

NJ Boa Caught

A 10-foot boa was captured in a Pemberton, New Jersey, backyard, as it approached a chicken coop. It was captured and turned over to police. (News source.)

Michigan Caiman

A two-foot caiman was captured in White Lake Township, Oakland County, MI. (News source.)

Pennsylvania Gator, Again

A 1 1/2 foot gator was found in Cumberland County's Conodoguinet Creek on Thursday. (News source.)

Turtle with a Crocodile's Tail

Villagers near Pattaya, Thailand, called the local newspaper to report a strange turtle caught by a local fisherman. The turtle was unknown to them, and had the "tail of a crocodile." Turned out to be a snapping turtle (North American), probably a farm escapee. Pictures at news site.

Another PA Gator

A three-foot alligator was caught by a Canadian tourist in Montgomery County, PA. (News source.)

Michigan Crocodilian Sighting

A small crocodilian (5-foot or less) was reported in a Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, lake. (News source)

Ukraine Croc Escapee Still Loose

A small crocodilian that escaped from a Ukraine circus at a beach on the Azov sea is still being hunted. A photograph has been taken of it on the sand. (News source.)

Canary Island Snakes

The Canaries apparently have some feral snakes -- no descriptions or species are given, but apparently they are "harmless" but "large." European ratsnakes, maybe? Hard to say. Children are collecting them to sell, and environmentalists are concerned. (News source.)

Croc in Northern Egypt

Nile crocodiles were extirpated in northern Egypt some time back, but a sighting suggests that a crocodilian of some sort is in the Nile river near Cairo. Rumors of where it came from are rampant. (News source.)

Mass. Gator

A young alligator was found in a Massachusetts park; gators are illegal pets in that state. (News source.)

Another PA Gator

A 4-foot alligator was captured by police as it walked through a Homewood (Pittsburgh suburb) neighborhood. (News source.)

Washington Gator

A 3-foot gator was captured in a pond in Clark County, Washington. Since the ban on keeping alligators began in July, authorities have found several abandoned gators in local waterways. (News source.)

Penn Gator Again

Another small gator has been taken out of a Berks County, PA, creek. (News source)

Pennsylvania Python

A pet python (species unnamed) got loose from its cage in Carbon County, PA. There have been sightings, but it hasn't been recaptured yet. No mention is made how big it is, but apparently, it normally eats rabbits. (News source.)

Ball Python Roaming House

What sounds like a three-foot ball python was found in an Arkansas woman's cabinet. Source unknown, but ended up as a pet for a firefighter rescuer's kid. (News source.)

Lizard in Iceland

Teenage girls in Iceland found a lizard skeleton in a tree bed. Someone from the local university says it was probably an escaped pet. No identification was made. (News source.)

NY Gator?

A small caiman or alligator has been reported in a small pond in Ossining, New York. DEC officials haven't found it yet. (News source.)

Idaho Gator

A young free-roaming alligator was captured by police in Bonneville County, ID. (News source.)

Aliens in the UK

The Herpetological Conservation Trust is trying to track any non-native herp species discovered in the south of England. (News source.)

An Akron Alligator

A boy goes fishing in Ohio and catches a small gator... (News source.)

Colorado Pond Creature Hunted

Wildlife officers have set up mountain lion traps on the banks of Jayhawker Ponds to see if they can trap whatever the creature is (crocodilian, perhaps) that has been reported in the water. (News source.)

Philadelphia Snake Hunt Over

The big snake reported in a Philadelphia suburb has not been seen over the last two weeks, and a snake hunter came up empty. They believe it has either moved on or may have been captured by someone else. (News source.)

Philadelphia Snake Hunt Continues

A local snake-catcher has been hired to try and locate the large snake reported in the Bristol area of Philadelphia. (News source.)

"Giant Reptile" Seen in Colorado

Sightings of a "giant reptile," possibly a gator or caiman, at Jayhawker Ponds in Loveland, CO, have closed the area to visitors. (News source.)

Truck Stop Snake

A 5 1/2 foot snake crawled out of the bottom of a truck that stopped to fill up in Bethlehem, PA. Where it came from is unknown. The news report calls it a boa constrictor, but the photo of the snake being held by police shows that it is actually a Burmese python. (First question I'd ask: did the truck just come up from Florida?)

Monitors and Cats

Cape Coral, Florida, pet-owners suspect that Nile monitors are killing their cats. (News source.)

West Virginia Gator

A strange animal, claimed by some witnesses to resemble a 6-foot alligator, has been seen in Twelvepole Creek in Wayne Co., WV. (News source.)

Sweden "Mamba"

A long green snake, about 6 feet in length, has been reported near Eskilstuna, Sweden. "Experts" think it could be a green mamba. (Of course, it could be one of the Asian green ratsnake-like colubrids, also.) (News source.)

Bristol Snake Still on Loose

The large snake believed loose in a Philadelphia borough hasn't been captured yet, though sightings still occur. The Texas snake-catcher noted they are not that easy to capture. (News source.)

2nd Gator in Pennsylvania Creek

A second alligator was captured in Pennypack Creek in Pennsylvania. Officials are not sure if there are more to be found, but warn children to stay away from the water. (News source.)

More OOP Reptiles

A few other reptiles found where they don't belong:

A young corn snake was found in a UK garden. (News source.)

A 5-foot alligator was pulled out of a Pennsylvania river. (News source.)

Florida Burmese

A 10-foot albino Burmese python was discovered in south Ft. Myers. A trapper removed it. (News source.)

Various Tales: Pythons on the Loose

A few more snake stories:

A two-foot python was found basking in New Hampshire. (News source.)

An 8-foot boa was found along a Louisiana highway. The chief deputy recognized the one-eyed snake, and was able to return it to its owner. (News source.)