A gopher snake (Pituophis sp). found itself in an unusual location in Arizona. It was riding on the windshield of Lauren Waldovogel’s car. Waldovogel posted the video on Instagram and noted that the observation was “so Arizona.” “This so far, is the most Arizona thing to ever happen to me,” Waldovogel wrote on Instagram. The post, showing the gopher snake wrapped around the windshield wiper and seemingly wondering what the heck is going on, received 823k interactions and more than 6,745 comments since it was posted May 4, with some commenters calling the snake a rattlesnake and others getting ..read more

This review chronicles a continuing effort to rehouse the animals under my care to updated enclosure designs. The overall process has been going well however a small number continue to be housed in antiquated, screen-covered aquariums with the goal being to transition to modern vivariums specifically designed for reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates. In a previous review I offered a brief history of commercially produced reptile and amphibian products. While there is now an incredible amount of husbandry equipment, supplies, feeding supplements and so forth available from numerous manufactu ..read more

J&R Aquatic Animal Rescue announced that Petco Love, a national nonprofit will give a $35,000 grant to J&R Aquatic Animal Rescue to help with the animal rescue’s continuing efforts to save and improve the lives of pets in Wisconsin and to help with the efforts to help find homes for these animals that have been given up for adoption or abandoned. The grant will enable J&R Aquatic Animal Rescue to acquire a vehicle the rescue will use during its Exotic Pet Surrender events. “This means we are going to be able to focus our efforts and resources and help even more people and pets,” Jo ..read more

Forty one captive bred Eastern indigo snakes (Drymarchon couperi) were released into the Nature Conservancy’s Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve (ABRP) today as part of a collaborative effort to bolster the wild populations in the preserve. This release marks the eighth consecutive year that Eastern indigo snakes have been released into the preserve. Today’s release comprised 20 female and 21 male snakes. These snakes were captive bred and hatched at the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens’ Orianne Center for Indigo Conservation (OCIC). They were then raised at the Welaka Nationa ..read more

The 2024 Miss Universe Philippines theme this year highlights the island nation’s Philippine Flora & Fauna. The National Costume Theme had contestants donning a wide array of costumes that are designed to highlight the country’s biodiversity. Contestant Tamara Ocier donned a beautiful costume highlighting the Tacloban monitor lizard, also known as the Samar water monitor lizard, which the locals call “halo.” The costume was designed by Charlotte Rodriguez, who wrote on Instagram how the costume was designed to inspire. “Miss Universe Philippines Tacloban, Tamara Ocier, embodies the goddess ..read more

The Arizona Game & Fish Department announced on its Facebook page that officers with the department observed venomous reptiles in a residence when dealing with another issue at the residence. The next day, the officers went to further investigate and with a search warrant, entered the residence and found that the snakes had been removed from the residence. Snake Fungal Disease Spreads In California The investigation found that while some of the reptiles were legal to possess, others, such as the Gila monsters (Heloderma suspectum), are illegal to possess. Some are protected and some are il ..read more

New Jersey Pinelands Commission Herpetologist Jeff Dragon captured, photographed and released a queen snake (Regina septemvittata) after three years of looking for the species. Dragon initially was alerted by a friend who first found one in a 2021 that he had spotted a queen snake in his basement. His friend photographed the reptile and then released it. His friend then found two more neonates that were suspected to have been killed by a friend’s cat. Dragon then embarked upon a years long quest to find the species, searching the riparian habitats in which the snake was known to inhabit. The ..read more

Turtles are some of the most interesting reptiles. They have a hard shell (mostly) and can be aquatic, semi-aquatic or primarily land dwellers. With proper care, turtles can live more than 30 years in captivity, bringing years of enjoyment and learning for their keepers. Many can live much longer. You can find breeders who specialize in these reptiles and some, such as the red-eared slider, are available with unique colorations, or morphs. Here we present four turtles that are popular North American natives, their natural history and captive care. Three-toed box turtle (Terrapene carolina triu ..read more

Nancy Teresa Gonzalez de Barberi and her associate Mauricio Giraldo were sentenced to prison April 22 for illegally importing handbags and other merchandise that were made from the skins of protected pythons and caimans, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release. Gonzalez de Barberi’s handbag company, Gzuniga, was also ordered to forfeit all handbags and other products that were seized by the government. The company was also banned from any activities involving the commercial trade in wildlife for three years and is sentenced to three years probation. Gonzalez de Barberi was sent ..read more

Researchers Debit Datta and Sunil Bajpai with the Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee in Uttarakhand, India have described what may be the largest madtsoiid snake fossil ever discovered. Based on its vertebrae, the snake measured between 36 to 49 feet (11 to 15 meters) in length when it roamed the earth around 47 million years ago. The snake fossil, Vasuki indicus gen. et sp. nov. is named after the Hindu mythical snake Vāsuki that was always found around the neck of Lord Shiva. Indicus refers to the country of origin, which is India. Vasuki indicus was first d ..read more