Tail Loss to Prevent Envenomation

Lizards lose their tails to predators primarily due to the potential for snakes to envenomate them. (News source.)

Crocodilian Bites

A small gator entered a Florida couple's porch and bit the man. (News source.)

A Zambia man was killed by a crocodile while night fishing. (News source.)

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 Pick Indictment

A California woman was indicted for illegally imported guitar picks made from hawksbill sea turtle shells. (News source.)

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.)

Iguana Trapper Wanted (Cheap)

Manalapan, Florida, is trying to find a cheaper way to get rid of the invasive iguanas in their town, and still hold to state guidelines. (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.)

Reptile Attacks

A Malaysian boy's body was exhumed to determine if death was caused by snakebite, which may lead to some court issues as the boy was in the care of a campground. (News source.)

A Zambian woman was injured in a crocodile attack. (News source.)

Pennsylvania to Get State Reptile?

It's about time PA gets a state reptile, but why would someone suggest an eastern box turtle? (News source.) That's already the state reptile of several other states, and not particularly representative of the Keystone state. We need something like the bog turtle...

Dangerous Crocs

An Indian man in Mumbai was bitten by a crocodile while fishing in the dark. (News source.)

An Australian woman and her daughter were stalked by a croc after it failed to grab their dog. (News source.)

Gator Attack Victim Gets New Device

An alligator attack victim has received newly designed technology (a grafted patch of human skin). (News source.)

Herps and Culture

Bolivian hunters target a species of tree lizard for tradional medicine. (News source.)

Frogs are an important traditional food source in Madagascar. (News source.)

Komodo Attack

An Indonesian man was killed by two Komodo dragons when he illegally stopped on an island in Komodo National Park to pick fruit. (News source.)

Broad-Head Snakes and Burning

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

Crocs in Iran

They seem to be doing well in one region... (News source.)

FDA Brochure on Turtles

The FDA has put out a brochure on Salmonella infections from turtles. (News source.)

Turtles Confiscated

50 baby Asian softshell turtles were illegally imported into the US by a pet shop, and seized by USFWS. (News source.)

Multi-State Herp Bust

Canada and NY are pushing the p.r. on a recent illegal reptile trade bust; other state's efforts (like Pennsylvania) will probably follow soon. Aspects include smuggling massasaugas across the Canadian border, selling eastern box turtles online, and selling wild-collected snapping turtles from New York to a turtle farm in Louisiana where they were shipped to Asia mixed in with legally farmed turtles. But, of course, the publicity will focus on the "unnatural" aspects of keeping reptiles in general, the "lucrative" and implied widespread business of poaching native species, etc., rather than the very small number of people involved when considering the reptile hobby as a whole.

Details here, here, and here.

Tuatara Hatchling

The first natural tuatara hatchling from mainland New Zealand in about 200 years has been found in the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary. (News source.)

Canadian B. C. Law Hurts Boa Breeders

The B. C. Reptile Club is planning to fight the recent provincial ban of certain exotic pets, including boas and pythons. (News source.)

Call for Croc Cull

Australia's Territory Government is thinking about allowing crocodile safaris by tourists in the aftermath of the recent death of a young girl. (News source.)

Snakes in a Crawlspace

A Colorado man found 41 brumating bullsnakes in the crawlspace under his friend's house. The snakes were relocated. (News source.)

Red-Bellied Black Snake Bite

If you're going to try and save a venomous snake, don't get bit in the process. (News source.)

Croc Surgery

An American crocodile, found hit by a car, underwent reconstructive facial surgery, receiving steel plates in its head. (News source.)

Frogs and E. Coli

Frogs are being blamed for an E. coli outbreak in the drinking water supply for one Australian town. (News source.)

Ohio: Two-Headed Turtle

Two Ohio school students found a two-headed turtle during recess. (News source.)

Herp Crimes

Three Florida teenagers were charged with poaching alligators. (News source.)

Gassing dens for rattlesnakes is now outlawed in Alabama. (News source.)

A gang of Indian venom smugglers was caught with king cobra venom. (News source.)

Turtle Death by Pollution

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

Tiny Andean Frog

Noble's pygmy frog, discovered in the Andes, can sit on a dime with ease. (News source.)

Amphibian Decline

NatGeo has an article on amphibian loss.

Coral Snake Antiserum Research

Details on some interesting research on antiserum for Micrurus corallinus here.

"Besides an improvement in our knowledge of the composition of coral snake venoms, which are very poorly known when compared to Old World elapids, the expression profile suggests abundant and diversified components that may be used in future antiserum formulation. As recombinant production of venom antigens frequently fails due to complex disulfide arrangements, DNA immunization may be a viable alternative.
"In fact, the selected candidates provided an initial evidence of the feasibility of this approach, which is less costly and not dependent on the availability of the venom."

India: Snakebite

A police constable in India was bitten by a venomous snake. (News source.)

Another Croc Tragedy

A young Australian girl was attacked and killed by a crocodile while swimming in a creek in known crocodile habitat (a conservation area). Details here, here, and here.

LA's Gator Farm

Some history here on the long gone Los Angeles Alligator Farm.

Proposed Florida Turtle Ban

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

Two Heads, Six Legs

A small twinned turtle was found in Georgia. (News source.)

Ethiopian Viper Bite in Texas

More details on the elderly man bitten by his Ethiopian viper in Texas, here and here.

Eggs Seized

3000 yellow-spotted river turtle eggs were confiscated by the Colombian navy near the Venezuelan border. (News source.)

Snakebite

The Rescue Venom Response Unit in Miami sent 20 vials of antivenom to San Antonio for an elderly man bitten by a snake, species not given. (News source.)

Couple Pleas Out

The "python attacked their kid" couple in Nevada plead out. (News source.)

Gharial Study

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

Tortoise News

Australian loggerhead turtles ride the ocean currents to the waters off South America. (News source.)

Some conservationists argue that the Red List of endangered animals includes species that are actually safe from extinction (including several sea turtles) which takes conservation focus and dollars away from species that truly do need the help. (News source.)

Venom Extraction for Cancer Researchers

Copperhead venom contains a protein of interest to cancer researchers, and a SC man extracts the venom for research. (News source.)

Crocodile News

A young girl was killed by a crocodile during a "floating school" trip in the Philippines. (News source.)

An Indonesian man is missing after being attacked by a crocodile. (News source.)

A fisherman in Australia photographed a croc eating a small shark. (News source.)

A small crocodile suspected of biting a tourist snorkeler has been caught. (News source.)

Georgia Croc Farm

A crocodile farm (for meat and skin) is being set up in the country of Georgia. (News source.)

Israel: Antivenom Production

An Israeli drug production company, Kamada, is developing a snake antiserum production facility. No species in particular is mentioned. (News source.)

Snake Deterrent

A new invention here is meant to keep reptiles out of public restrooms.

Tampico Crocs

Crocodiles and the residents of Tampico, Mexico, have learned to live with one another, sort of. (News source.)

Snake-Loving Children

A brief article here on a couple of young kids in India who prefer playing with local pythons and other snakes.

Japan: Ranavirus

Ranavirus has been discovered in Japan after a massive frog die-off. (News source.)

North Carolina Regs

NC may be tightening regulations for keeping crocodilians and certain large constrictors. (News source.)

Snake Bite Story

Here's a story of a nature lover in Australia who was bitten by a small brown snake.

Cobra in a Car

A spitting cobra ended up wrapped around a South African driver's leg; fortunately, neither the driver or his wife panicked, and nobody got bit. (News source.)

California Ban Coming?

California is considering a ban on importation of live frogs and turtles for sale at live animal markets. Ostensibly, this would be to curb the poor conditions in food-oriented markets. But, I'm wondering if this will affect importation for sale at reptile shows, as well? (News source.)

Alligator B&B

The Texas Alligator Ranch (Spearman, TX) is adding a bed and breakfast. (News source.)

Frog Researcher

A New Zealand researcher is studying the tiny Hochstetter’s frog. (News source.)

Herps in Crime News

Approx. 550 Afghan tortoises were recovered from smugglers in Pakistan. (News source.)

A number of rare mammals, reptiles, and invertebrates were stolen from a warehouse in Australia. (News source.)

An official function in Malaysia has turned into a scandal as illegal sea turtle eggs were served. (News source.)

Diplodactylus

In the Australian genus of geckos, Diplodactylus, one species has been discovered to be eight separate species from genetic research. (News source.)

Poacher Bit

A Zimbabwe fish poacher barely survived a crocodile attack, fighting off the reptile after half an hour. (News source.)

Lizard Smugglers Caught

Hong Kong Marine Police caught smugglers with 119 lizards. (News source.)

Lizard Behavior

A new study shows that young male lizards in one Australian species pretends to be female to fool older males while they maneuver into position to court females.

Dart Frogs

A profile here on a dart frog breeder/conservationist.

$50K Reward for Big Snake

If you come up with a 30-foot snake, Reptile Gardens in ND will pay you $50,000 for it. (Of course, you can probably get more for it elsewhere...) (News source.)

Vietnam: Herp Farming

An article with notes on Vietnamese farmers who are turning to lizards ("salamanders") and snakes to bring in income, here.

Sea Turtles

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

Croc Attacks

At least 15 people in Mozamique have been killed by crocodiles in the last three months. (News source.)

An Indiana man can laugh off (now) being bitten on the head by a croc in Guatemala. (News source.)

Australia: Snake Bite

An Australian woman was bitten by a mildly venomous whipsnake. (News source.)