Author: John Virata
Man Out Herping Gets Bit By Copperhead Snake
Steven Johnson was out herping and recording video in Maryland for his YouTube channel when, while walking down a path, he was bitten by a copperhead [...]
Lemon Frost Leopard Gecko Morph Spurs Cancer Clues
While unique leopard gecko morphs are always sought after amongst reptile keepers, some combinations create genetics that are detrimental to the lizar [...]
Reward For Nile Monitor Missing From Canada Reptile Zoo
A 3 1/2 foot, 3 lb nile monitor (Varanus niloticus) has gone missing from Little Rays Reptile Zoo and Nature Centre in Hamilton, Ontario Canada.
Th [...]
Cottonmouth Captured On Video Employing Straight Locomotion Technique To Evade Predator
Herpetologist Frederick Boyce of the N.C. Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores in North Carolina, had just recorded video footage of an Eastern kingsnake (La [...]
Largest Number Of San Francisco Garter Snakes Found On San Francisco Airport Land
Land owned by the San Francisco International Airport is home to the largest concentration of San Francisco garter snakes discovered to date, accordin [...]
Severe Perkinsea Infection Detected In Panama and UK Tadpoles
Researchers studying an emerging disease that is killing tadpoles in North America have found instances of the disease in tadpoles in Panama and the U [...]
$13,000 Reward For Info Leading to Arrest And Conviction Galapagos Tortoise Killers
Early this month two would-be tortoise thieves attempted to steal Jasmine, a 27-year-old Galapagos tortoise from Jerry Fife, an expert on tortoises an [...]
Reptile Described As Dinosaur Confirmed A Lizard
Researchers with Barcelona's Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont have confirmed a new species of lizard of the family Oculudentavis, Ocu [...]
Neuse River Waterdog Salamander Listed As Threatened Under Endangered Species Act
After more than a decade of petitions and lawsuits, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has protected the Neuse River waterdog salamander under the En [...]
Rare Striped Copperhead Photographed In Mississippi And Image Goes Viral
Ben Davis sees a lot of snakes when he is out driving the roads of Mississippi, but a few months ago while behind the wheel, one snake crossing the ro [...]
Two Palawan Forest Turtles Released Into The Wild
The first two captive-bred Palawan forest turtles (Siebenrockiella leytensis) from a captive breeding program on Palawan island in the Philippines hav [...]
Does Your State Offer A Reptile-Themed License Plate?
Does your state have a reptile-themed license plate? Well if you live in West Virginia, the state released a new plate featuring an image of an Easter [...]
Sulcata Tortoise Suffering From MBD Gets Mobile With Aid of Custom Wheelchair
An 11-year-old Sulcata tortoise who has been suffering from metabolic bone disease since birth was outfitted with a custom wheelchair to help him move [...]
South Carolina Bans Keeping Of Tegu Lizards
South Carolina has banned the importation of Argentine black and white tegus (Salvator meriane)and their hybrids into the state, and breeding of the s [...]
New Litoria Chocolate Frog Species Discovered In New Guinea
A new frog species of the Litoria caerulea group has been discovered in Papua New Guinea that is chocolate brown in coloration. The frog, named Litori [...]
Giant Tortoise Found In 2019 Confirmed To Be Previously “Extinct” Species
A giant tortoise that was found in 2019 and thought to be an extinct species, is actually the species and is not extinct. Fern, the Fernandina giant t [...]
Poison Frog Poison Defense Differs Based on Prey Location/Consumption
Poison frogs of the family Dendrobatidae get their poison from the leaf litter ants and mites that they eat. They aren’t born poisonous. Researchers w [...]
12 Eastern Indigo Snakes Released In Northern Florida
The Nature Conservancy announced today that it has released 12 Eastern indigo snakes (Drymarchon couperi) in northern Florida's Apalachicola Bluffs an [...]
Deadline To Tag Your Non-Native Reptile In Florida Is July 28
The University of Florida, in conjunction with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will hold free Passive Integrated Transponder ta [...]
San Francisco Garter Snake Gets Protections In San Mateo County, CA
The San Francisco garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia), a subspecies of Thamnophis sirtalis that is only known to exist on the San Francisco [...]
Leonardo DiCaprio’s Re:wild Non-Profit To Help Rewild Galapagos Islands
An environmental organization cofounded by Leonardo DiCaprio this week announced that it will work, in partnership with the Galápagos National Park Di [...]
After Europeans Arrived, 1/2 of Guadeloupe Islands Snakes And Lizards Went Extinct
A new study of how European colonization impacted the Guadeloupe Islands in the French Caribbean details how the arrival of Europeans caused half of t [...]
185-Year-Old Painting Helps ID New Indian Snake Species
An Indian snake that was first collected in the mid-19th Century and described first via snake skins in 1796, and named the banded racer (Argyrogena f [...]
TSA Documents 100th Alligator Snapping Turtle In Texas’ Buffalo Bayou
The Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) announced last week that it has captured, tagged and released the 99th and 100th alligator snapping turtle (Macroch [...]