Herper.com: Reptiles and Amphibians

Reptiles and Amphibians in the News

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

EDB Bite

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

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Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Massasauga Hunt

A road project in Butler County, PA, is being held up as the state is requiring a search for eastern massasaugas (a small rattlesnake). (News source.)

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Saturday, April 5, 2008

Rattlesnake Bite

Here is an article on a runner who was bitten by a rattlesnake last year.

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Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Rattler Bites Coach

A Virginia high school coach returned from a camp in South Carolina to find a canebrake rattlesnake in his luggage. He was bitten, but is in fair condition. (News source.)

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Thursday, March 20, 2008

Rattlesnake Bite

A 3-year old boy was bitten by a rattlesnake while running on a beach at San Luis Pass, Texas. (News source.)

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Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Rattlesnake Problem

A Texas business owner has to regularly catch rattlesnakes that overrun his property. (News source.)

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Sunday, March 16, 2008

Rattler Expert

Here's a profile on Bruce Means, a rattlesnake biologist.

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Monday, March 10, 2008

Resolution Passes in WV

The timber rattlesnake is now West Virginia's state reptile. Not that that means anything to the senator who states: "If I see one in the woods, I’ll blow its head off ... If I see one, he’s dead." (News source.)

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Saturday, March 1, 2008

WV Timber Status

The timber rattlesnake may become West Virginia's state reptile... (News source.)

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Tuesday, January 29, 2008

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.)

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Sunday, January 20, 2008

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...)

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Saturday, January 12, 2008

NY Massasaugas

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

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Thursday, December 20, 2007

The Cost of a Snakebite

Here's an article discussing the costs for treatment of an elderly Canadian man who was bitten by a pygmy rattler while vacationing in Florida.

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Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Rattler with Elapid-like Toxin Elements

Sequencing of the venom of a western massasauga brought a few interesting aspects to light. "A cocktail of recognized venom toxin sequences was detected in the library, but the venom also contained three-finger toxin-like transcripts, a family of poisons thought only to occur in another family of snakes (Elapidae). The team also spotted a novel toxin-like transcript generated by the fusion of two individual toxin genes..." (Eurekalert.)

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Monday, December 17, 2007

Squirrels Scent with Rattlesnakes

California ground squirrels have another means of fooling their rattlesnake predators. They take rattlesnakes' shed skins, chew them and lick the scent on parts of their body. This helps fool any rattler who might investigate a sleeping squirrel's burrow. (News source.)

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Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Louisiana Cookbook

Alligator and rattlesnake make it into a new cookbook, "After the Hunt," by Chef John Folse. (News source.)

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Monday, November 19, 2007

Pygmy Rattler Bite

A 73-year old man was bitten on the foot by a pygmy rattlesnake while in the Everglades. He was airlifted to a hospital. (News source.)

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Friday, November 16, 2007

Rattlesnake Bite

A pregnant woman in Texas was bitten by a rattlesnake. Doctors turned to the Gladys Porter Zoo for antivenom. (News source.)

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Friday, November 9, 2007

Snakebite Lawsuit

The family of a woman who died from a rattlesnake bite (bitten during a "snake-handling" service) is suing the hospital, claiming the nurses made fun of the woman instead of saving her life. (News source.)

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Friday, November 2, 2007

Timber Crime

A Muncie, Indiana, man was charged with possession and transportation of a package of baby timber rattlesnakes after carrying them on a public bus. (News source.)

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Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Rattlesnake Bite

A Port St. Lucie snake enthusiast was bitten by a rattlesnake, and remains in critical condition. This is not his first snakebite. (News source.)

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Wednesday, October 24, 2007

More Rattlers

Two rattlesnake bite victims in the Fort Worth area, Texas. (News source.)

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Tuesday, October 23, 2007

FL Rattlesnake Bite

Putnan Co., FL, Sheriff's department cited a woman who sped her "snake-bit" husband to an emergency room. The man had been bitten by a pygmy rattlesnake. (News source.)

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Monday, October 22, 2007

Rattler Bite

A woman visiting the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge walked up on a rattlesnake without seeing it, and was bitten. This is the third bite this year at the refuge, which gets 1.5 million visitors a year. (News source.)

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Friday, October 19, 2007

Labradoodle vs Diamondback

An 11-month old Labradoodle in Arizona jumped between a western diamondback and his owner (and another dog), receiving several bites, though the owner was unaware of that at first. Sheriff's deputies were called and removed the snake. The dog exhibited symptoms later, but expensive emergency treatment wasn't an option, so the owner tried to make the dog comfortable. After making it through the night, some western remedy was applied (DSMO to reduce swelling), and the dog eventually recovered. (News source.)

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Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Timber Relocation

A group of timber rattlesnakes in Kansas was moved due to development, and appear to be keeping to their relocation spot. The project won't be deemed successful, however, until it's been determined that they have made it through the winter in good health. (News source.)

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Saturday, October 13, 2007

Georgia Rattlesnake Bite

A Burke Co., GA, man was bitten by a small rattlesnake when he picked it up, thinking it was a rubber toy. (News source.)

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Thursday, October 11, 2007

Snakebite in Florida

A Tallahassee, FL, woman was bitten by a rattlesnake while walking a path at Maclay Gardens. She took a cellphone picture of the snake and called 911. From the photo, the park manager thinks it was a pygmy rattler, but the snake hasn't been relocated. (News source.)

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Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Rattlesnake Bite Fatality

A 63-year-old Chino Valley, AZ, woman died from the bite of a Mojave rattlesnake. She was bitten while taking a walk, and treated at a hospital. (News source.)

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Tuesday, October 9, 2007

SC Snakebite

A golfer was bitten on the ankle by a baby rattlesnake in South Carolina. (News source.)

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Sunday, October 7, 2007

South Dakota Snakebite

A South Dakota man, sitting in his truck watching his fishing pole set up along Antelope Creek, stepped out and onto a prairie rattlesnake, which promptly bit him three times. (News source.)

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Thursday, October 4, 2007

Rattlesnake Calendar

A New York photographer has created a calendar from her timber rattlesnake photos. (News source.)

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Thursday, September 27, 2007

Rattler Bite

A White County, GA, man is recovering from severe symptoms from a rattlesnake bite. He is still in the ICU. (News source.)

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Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Shop Bite

An employee at Strictly Reptiles (FL) was bitten by a small western diamondback while cleaning the cage. (News source.)

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Tuesday, September 25, 2007

The Cost of a Snakebite

A New York woman, visiting Tucson, AZ, was bitten several times on her feet by a rattlesnake. Health care costs were over $90,000, and she's without medical insurance. (News source.)

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Friday, September 21, 2007

California Snakebites

A 10-year-old California boy playing barefoot in his backyard was bitten by a baby rattlesnake, inducing swelling and respiratory issues by the time the paramedics arrived. He was successfully treated at the hospital. (News source.)

A fishing writer for the Tahoe Daily Tribune was bitten by a rattlesnake while trying to photograph a cactus along Lake Havasu. (News source.)

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Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Snakes Aren't Party Tricks

An Oregon man almost died after putting his pet eastern diamondback into his mouth, at which point it bit his throat. (The man, of course, had had a few drinks and was trying to impress some friends.) A swelling tongue hindered his breathing, and the pressure forced blood out of his nose. Doctors administered a breathing tube and antivenom, then induced a coma for three days. (News source.)

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Timber Theft

A timber rattlesnake was stolen from the Crowley's Ridge Nature Center, Jonesboro, Arkansas. Staff came in to find a broken cage and a small amount of blood. Sources state that someone visited the local hospital that same night for snakebite. Police investigation continues. (News source.)

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Monday, September 17, 2007

Rattlesnake Defense

"Mental problems caused by a rattlesnake bite" are being blamed by family for the actions of a man charged with the deaths of six people in Texas and Pennsylvania. A Suffolk County, NY, DA points out that the man has a long history of arrests. (News source.)

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Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Rattlesnake Encounters

Seven people were bitten by rattlesnakes this past weekend in the Tucson, Arizona, area. (News source.)

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Thursday, August 30, 2007

EDB Bite

David Weathers, of MTV's canceled Wildboyz series, is recovering from a bite by an eastern diamondback. (News source.)

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Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Dead Rattler was Albino

An 18-inch albino rattlesnake was hit by a car in a Scottsdale, Arizona, parking lot. The specimen will be used in wildlife presentations. (News source.)

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Snakebite at the Pageant

Mrs. Tennessee 2007 was bitten by a rattlesnake as she came down steps on her way to rehearsals. The national pageant is taking place in Arizona. Other contestants have been warned to be careful where they step. (News source.)

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Sunday, August 19, 2007

Oregon Mystery Rattlers

A few different types of rattlesnakes have been found in Oregon's Willamette Valley that shouldn't be there. Some think they've been dumped, and may be reproducing. (News source.)

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Rattlesnake Plot

Two Colorado men were arrested for plotting to kill a man over a gambling debt, using rattlesnakes. (News source.)

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Teen Golfer Snakebit

A Gillette, WY, teenager was bitten by a rattlesnake on the golf course during a tournament. (News source.)

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Monday, August 13, 2007

Colorado Rattler Bite

A 16-year-old Colorado girl was bitten by a rattlesnake on her ankle while she was hiking through a field (wearing sandals). She was treated at the hospital. (News source.)

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Thursday, August 9, 2007

Rattlesnake Head has Bite

The head of a rattlesnake, decapitated with a shovel, bit into the finger of a man, apparently twisting around to sink its teeth in, a sort of reflex action. The envenomation was treated at a local hospital. (News source.)

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Monday, July 30, 2007

Indiana Timbers

Purdue University researchers are tracking timber rattlesnakes... (News source.)

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Sunday, July 29, 2007

Florida Snakebite

A 4-year-old boy in Clermont, Florida was bitten by a rattlesnake on the foot. (News source.)

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Saturday, July 28, 2007

California Rattler

A Lake County, California, rancher ran across a 40-inch western diamondback, which is more common in southern California. (News source.)

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Thursday, July 26, 2007

Pennsylvania Snakebite

A conservation volunteer in Tioga County was bitten by a timber rattlesnake on state forest land while moving a large rock. He's recovering. (News source.)

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Monday, July 23, 2007

Dog Saves Toddler

A rattlesnake crawled up to and struck at a 1-year-old Colorado child. Zoey the chihuahua jumped in between and took the bites. The dog was successfully treated for the envenomation. (News source.)

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Saturday, July 7, 2007

Golfer Bitten

A Colorado golfer was bitten by a rattlesnake while retrieving his ball from ankle-high grass on the 6th hole. He was airlifted for treatment. (News source.)

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Friday, June 22, 2007

Hilton Head Diamondback

A 58-inch eastern diamondback was found on a beach at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. (News source.)

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Thursday, June 14, 2007

Rattlesnake Study

Ressearchers in St. Louis are tracking timber rattlesnakes in two counties to see how the snakes adapt to housing development. (News source.)

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Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Massasaugas in Ohio

Here is an interesting article on massassaugas at Cedar Bog, in Ohio.

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Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Rattlesnake Bites Toddler

A two-year-old child was bitten on the ankle by a rattlesnake along a trail near Boulder. Paramedics were able to start treatment as soon as the child reached the trail's parking lot, then transported to a hospital. (News source.)

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