Author: John Virata

Give Turtles A Break On World Turtle Day, New York DEC Says
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation hopes awareness will help turtles safely cross the roads to their nesting grounds. [...]
New Paraguayan Colubrid Snake Species Discovered And Described
The researchers note the snake should be the subject of conservation action due to the limited range in which it was found. [...]

Cedar Key Mole Skink May Get Endangered Species Protections
The lizard, which is known to occupy several islands off Florida's Nature Coast, was first petitioned for protections in 2012. [...]
13-Foot King Cobra Caught And Released In India
The king cobra is not a member of the Naja genus, which all other cobras are, but rather has its own genus, Ophiophagus, Greek for “snake eating.” [...]
New Mountain Frog Species From Australia Discovered And Described
Philoria knowlesi is known to breed in the spring and early summer, using bogs, banks of headwater streams and seepages as breeding grounds. [...]
Captive Wildlife Permit Rules Changed In Florida
"Leaving Floridians’ livelihoods, businesses, hobbies and pets open to wide interpretation. . . is scary to all permit holders, especially those of us [...]

Rattlesnake Handler at Texas Rattlesnake Roundup Dies of Snake Bite
This particular festival was showcasing about 18 live rattlesnakes and had about 100 lbs of snake meat to cook for festival goers, according to news r [...]

21 Percent Of All Reptile Species Threatened With Extinction, Study Says
Climate change is described as a looming threat to reptiles, as the changes reduce thermally viable windows for foraging, among other things. [...]
26 Eastern Indigo Snakes Released In Northern Florida
Eastern indigo snakes are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. [...]
Virginia Living Museum’s Two-Headed Turtle Dies
The two-headed turtle was rescued in Suffolk, Virginia two years ago and was brought to the museum as a hatchling. [...]
Crocodile Put On No Fly List At Navy Air Station Key West
American crocodiles are widely found in coastal areas and prefer waters with salinity. Sometimes they are found on US Navy airport runways. [...]
Endangered Bahamian Rock Iguanas Getting High Blood Sugar From Ecotourists
Tourists on the Exhuma Islands in the Bahamas are causing Bahamian rock iguanas (Cyclura sp.) to suffer from unusually high bold sugar due to the feed [...]
Lizard King Michael Van Nostrand Sentenced To 8 Months In Prison, Fined $100,000
Van Nostrand, 55, was also ordered to immediately pay a fine of $100,000. That money will be paid directly to the Lacey Act Reward Fund. [...]
Ball Python Found On Walmart Shelf In Indiana Adopted
The seemingly healthy snake was found at the store April 19 and brought to the City of Bloomington Animal Care and Control. [...]

Turtle Haulout Built In Baltimore Harbor
The National Aquarium in Baltimore, along with Waterfront Partnership, National Aquarium, Clearwater Mills, LLC and Living Classroom Foundations creat [...]
Giant Malaysian Turtle Surrendered To Wisconsin Animal Rescue
“Our ultimate goal is to get him placed in a breeding program with an accredited facility so we can keep his species from going extinct." [...]

California Recommends Temblor Legless Lizard Be Placed On State’s Endangered Species List
The Temblor legless lizard is 4 to 7 inches in length from snout to vent with smooth shiny scales and a blunt tail. [...]
Six Western Swamp Tortoises Hatched At Australia’s Adelaide Zoo
Threats to the Western swamp tortoise include land clearing for agriculture, pesticide and fertilizer use, housing development and fire. [...]

Seychelles Island Starts Aldabra Tortoise Census
Conservationists on Fregate want to know the population numbers so they launched a four months long census April 6 . [...]
Vietnamese Rat Snake Found In California Man’s Couch
Vietnamese blue beauty rat snakes are of the family Colubridae and are a semi-arboreal species native to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. [...]
Two Galapagos Tortoises Hatch At The UK’s Crocodiles Of The World
Galapagos tortoises are the largest tortoise species in the world and can live more than 120 years. [...]
Dixie Valley Toad Emergency Listed As Endangered By USFWS
The toad is the smallest toad within the western toad species complex. [...]
Four Guatemalan Beaded Lizards Hatched At Oklahoma City Zoo
It is estimated that there are about 200 to 500 Guatemalan beaded lizards left in the wild. [...]

U. of Georgia Research Team Wins Tortoise Conservation Award
The team made huge contributions to the head-starting of the desert tortoise. [...]