NARBC Spring 2014!

Confession time: The reason I've not been updating as much is simply because I've been using my other Gmail account more. Having both switchable at the ready is nice. Never fear; more entries are coming, and they'll be juicier and meatier than ever before!

This entry focuses on North American Reptile Breeders' Convention (NARBC) Spring 2014 (Mar 15-6). I love these - there's so much cool stuff to take photos of! These went on my Twitter (@kurokarasu), so some people got a live feed of this entry as it was being made. ;) Most things are way out of my price range, but there are also some really great bargains that remind one how expensive pet stores can be. You'll also see a lot of species that one would not ordinarily see, like...

...yes, that's a hognose (H. nasicus). They're really cool, little rear-fanged snakes that are only mildly venomous. Nobody has ever died from a hognose bite; the worst that's happened is an allergic reaction. I've complained about how hard they are to get in IL before, but all one really needs is a permit.

So, how can these people even touch poison dart frogs? Captive-bred poison dart frogs aren't poisonous. The poison needs a few things before it can activate: bacteria on the frog, UV light, and a certain species of insect. We can take that last one away, at least, meaning that these frogs are OK to handle. Still, wash your hands after handling. These are mostly display frogs, anyways.

Someone on my Twitter commented that these ball pythons (P. regius) were on the pricey side. Um...no, not for ball python morphs, they are not. Here are a few non-slashed (or very slightly discounted) ball python morphs for your gawking pleasure:

Yes, I deliberately took photos of acid trips for you. Bear in mind that your regular ball pythons (usually "loser males") can be purchased for 30-50 bucks from a reptile specialty store.

A leucistic rainbow boa! A shame it looks almost like every other white snake on the market. If there was any of the species' namesake iridescence in these guys, the light was not showing it well.

This is a legless lizard. It was hard to get a good look at its eyes, but several other features made me believe it anyways. I'd like to think someone at a reptile convention would correct the owner if he was BS'ing us.

Hypo Burms! One of them was sold as I was walking around. People acted like they were having trouble getting rid of them. Given the abundance of laws surrounding giant snakes, I understand why.

I absolutely love dwarf reticulated pythons! This picture also happens to be for science; I'm working on a paper concerning what makes for a good domesticated animal, and dwarf retics are actually a really good candidate for a domesticated snake. I asked if they retained their legendary intelligence (by snake standards) even when dwarfs; the seller said yes. Regardless, it was amazing to hold one of these beauties.

Finally, my own acquisition: A GFP axolotl! This little guy (or girl, we don't know) glows green under black light, just like a GloFish. His/her working name is "Fran," short for both "Frankenstein" and "Francesca/Francisco"- we aren't sure, yet. Once the little salamander grows a bit, the males get bulges near the base of the tail. We shall see! 

Creature Feature: Cuban Iguana.

Tip: You can tell how loose a state's animal laws are by how awesome their zoo is. If the reptile house in San Antonio was any indication, there were indeed some loose laws and low paperwork for venomous snakes. I did not expect to see this in the reptile house, either, and since a friend of mine's a big iguana fan, here goes:

Screw sourcing, I took this one.

The lizard lounging above is a Cuban iguana (Cyclura nubila), currently listed as "vulnerable" in terms of conservation. It is primarily an herbivore. This iguana lives in the rockier parts of Cuba, and is closely related to the Cayman Blue Iguana. It does not give a single flip that its island is communist, and walks around Guantanamo Bay quite freely. How fortunate that lizards can still enjoy the island because it's an island.

Cuban iguanas have some weird things about them just by being iguanas. All iguanids have what's called a "parietal eye" on top of their heads. It's a white dot that can detect light and shadow. The iguana's third eye is very active; their real eyes also have red scleras. There's more: their herbivorous diet, in this case, is supplemented by roundworms instead of the multiple stomachs and bacteria that ruminants have. This is just general iguana stuff- bet you didn't know they were strange by default.

Now THAT is eye-popping! Source.

Another weird thing: these iguanas are immune to cacti. Not just "they eat the stuff without getting pricked" - Cuban iguanas thrive around cacti. They make their nests in cacti, probably because other animals will avoid it. The cactus serves as a fortress complete with food. It's hard to get better than that.


Bizarrely, the Cuban iguana is probably the only reptile which has been viewed positively by the U.S. government. In a case concerning the legality of goings-on at Guantanamo Bay, attorney Tom Wilner pointed out that one could be punished for killing a Cuban iguana on-base, but torturing people was A-OK. Interesting argument, and props for looking it up. Not many lawyers would care about iguanas, even if they were endangered. Nicely done. 

Luckily, there are plenty of captive-bred Cuban iguanas. Most of the ones in the pet trade actually come from a feral population released south of Puerto Rico. Zoos breed them all the time. There is literally no need to take these guys off of Cuba, which is a good thing, considering humans, cats, dogs, and swine are responsible for the decline of the native population. They'll make a comeback; maybe the next leader of Cuba will be a lizard. ;)

Creature Feature: Cayman Blue Iguana.

If my entry on blue raspberry did not make it clear, it's really rare to find blue things on land. It's just not a color that rolls well on land. Most mammals can't even see blue. As many of you following this blog well know, however, reptiles skew the natural expectations of color so much that blue should be no surprise.

From Telegraph.co.uk.

The blue iguana (Cyclura lewisi)  is one of the relatively few naturally-blue creatures out there. It is also called the Cayman Island iguana; for those of you who have no idea where that is, Grand Cayman a large island in the Caribbean. These iguanas can only be found on that one island. Just like green iguanas, these iguanas are mostly herbivorous.

Aside from being blue, blue iguanas are pretty neat creatures. They can live well into their sixties, making them possibly the most long-lived of any lizard given the right conditions. Their eggs are among the largest of any lizard. They are also capable of seeing ultraviolet wavelengths, but have poor nighttime vision. Neat.

The iguana's probably wondering what Jack Sparrow is doing on his island.

Blue iguanas also have a more or less working third eye. Their parietal gland is capable of seeing light and dark- simple, but functional. The only other creature with a third eye anywhere near that good is the tuatara - a reptile so bizarre it has its own category. Perhaps the association of lizards with spiritual enlightenment wasn't too far off; after all, few animals can hold the claim to a working third eye.

The blue iguana is probably one of the rarest reptiles in existence. Only 15 individuals were recorded in the wild in 2003. The reasons for this are entirely the fault of European colonization: one, feral cats and dogs apparently have a thing for iguana meat, and two, cattle farming decimated the iguanas' natural habitat. There are several non-profits devoted to its preservation, along with a few captive breeding programs. Look forward to more on that that in October most likely. For now, know that the population is recovering. It's still one of the most endangered animals on Earth.

Creature Feature: Blue Garter Snake.

Back in the world of the living, the author of these posts sometimes wonders exactly how people can be afraid of snakes. It's not just her weird definition of 'cute' talking - put simply, exactly how is a bright pink boa terrifying?

Garters are already pretty neat snakes. Along with boas and vipers, they are among the serpents that have live babies. They are the ideal pet snake for someone who hates handling mice; they can eat worms, fish, and other things neither cute nor fuzzy. They have some very mild venom in there, but don't worry about it - it's only toxic to things much smaller than a human.

Oh, and did I mention that they come in electric blue?



There are a number of blue garter snakes, but the most coveted are the Florida bluestripe garters (Thamnophis sirtalis similis). They are native to, go figure, Florida, and are a subspecies of the Common Garter Snake (T. sirtalis). They prefer to eat other aquatic things, e,g. frogs, fish, and worms, as opposed to mice.

Starting with the obvious yet again, no, that snake was not Photoshopped. The bluestripe garter really is electric blue, which is one of the few colors that corn snakes could never manage. They are being selectively bred for more and more blue. Hopefully, the breeders have enough artistic sense that we will eventually end up with electric blue stripes on a velvety black background.


(Not mine. ) 

If you happen to live in Florida, it is possible for you to catch these snakes in your on backyard. It can be found from the Gulf Coast inland. Look for it in pinelands, hammocks, prairies, and marshes - basically, anywhere that isn't urbanized to hell and back. They're not a rare snake at all, and they look awesome.

To a degree, I can understand some people's severe fear of snakes. As a friend of mine aptly pointed out, however, can you really take a snake seriously when it has a bright, multicolored neon display for a color palette? I think bright colors are cool, especially when black is used as contrast. The more ways we herpers have to eliminate the fear of snakes, the better.

Creature Feature: Rhinoceros Rat Snake.

So, I should be polishing my field report on my trip to Wat Dhammaran, a Thai Buddhist temple in Chicago. It's strange how at-ease I feel around Asian temples. This one's favorite theme was the image of Buddha enthroned and sheltered by nagas. That alone was enough to put me in heaven.

For those of you who have been corrupted by the internet, nagas are the rough Hindu/Buddhist equivalent of dragons - both the East and West kinds. They are often based off of cobras, which are themselves revered as the kings among serpents. They can also be hybrids of snakes and humans. Nagas are often respected as deities of water, with their own special type of water-borne fire in Thailand's Mekong River. That's not the only thing unique about them...



Remember how I said nagas are usually based off of cobras? Thai nagas are very not cobra-like. They have hoods if you squint, but that crest of 'fire' takes all of the attention away. It is almost as if they combined a cobra with an oarfish. Aside from the oarfish, however, there is one other animal that these giant dragon-snakes remind me of:



It's a living naga! Sort of. It's actually a Rhinoceros Rat Snake (Rhynchophis boulengeri). These snakes are native to China and Vietnam - no, not quite Thailand, but perhaps close enough to provide inspiration. They eat rodents, birds, and other small vertebrates.

The most outstanding thing about this colubrid is, of course, the scaly formation on the nose. It is excellent camouflage; see vine snakes and Baron's Racer for other examples of eerily-pointy snakes. It has green scales, too, so it'll look even more like part of the scenery.



Rhino rat snakes are expensive and among the more delicate captives. They are slightly tricky to breed, but not impossible. The females in particular are being bred for more blue in their palette. If you're an experienced keeper and are looking for something to add to your already-exotic collection, it's harder to get weirder than a unicorn-snake.

P.S.- new poll up! I'm equally fond of all of the ideas, but voted "La Vie En Blanc" just so that I could see what others were voting. XP

Creature Feature: Return of the Burmese Pythons- Morphs + Hybrids.

One entry does not do Burmese pythons justice. Call me obsessed, but they really are cool snakes. I'm going to miss the dent in their population.

Specifically, the Burm ban prevents me from getting my all-time favorite snake: A Borneo Bateater.



The Borneo Bateater is a hybrid between a reticulated python (P. reticulatus) and a Burm (P. m. bivittatus). It was probably not found in the wild, and, if it was, it certainly did not consume bats.  Please; it's the hybrid of two large snakes. Bats would be a poor diet for it.

The Burmese python was one of the snakes that really got the reptile trade started. There was something really special about the first albino Burmese that came over approximately 20 years ago (anyone got a date on this? I used  to know it). It was the white tiger of the snake world, if you will. They were bred so often that, for whatever reason, albino Burmese have a higher fertility rate than their normally-colored counterparts.



Since then, the Burmese python has been bred with no less than ten different color and pattern morphs. These have been mixed and cross to the point where, not only can one have an albino Burm, one can have an albino granite, albino green, albino labyrinth...you get it. They all look really nice. The leucistic once thought legendary also proved heritable, so expect to see more hypo crosses, soon. Codominant traits are fun because they show up in the first generation! The people in the business are currently working on dwarf Burms, too, so size will not be such a big issue after a while.

I'll host it myself later...but that is a BEAUTIFUL eye.

Back to the Bateater. This hybrid has to be the most identity-challenged serpent on the face of the planet. Not only is it a hybrid, but it has the pattern and facial markings of a wildcat. Weirder still is that it is capable of breeding back to either parent, creating "jungle Burms" (3/4ths Burm) and "jungle retics" (3/4ths retic). Both of them look substantially different from the original species. Goes to show you what a little bit of experimentation can do.

Burmese pythons can cross into a lot of things, in fact. There are cateaters, which are the ultimate horror story python: African rock x Burmese, leading to a huge and possibly aggressive animal.  Burmese pythons have also been able to mate with ball pythons, leading to this:

Freaky. Trippy. Can I get it in lavender? :D

As for my actually getting a Batater? Too expensive right now. I'd love to have one, but I'm a responsible owner. Current means will not allow the author of this blog to possess a giant snake. Yet.

Creature Feature: Burmese Python - Part 1.

Anybody watching this blog for more than a few weeks knows that I am a snake fanatic. So, of course, I have my own opinions about the latest update to the Lacey Act. As per the revision to the Act, one of the most popular snakes ever, the Burmese python (P. molurus bivittatus), is prohibited from crossing state lines. I personally think it sucks, but also see where the ban is coming from.

But this is not about me. This is about facts. It's about time I spilled the beans about one of my favorite snakes ever in as unbiased a manner as I possibly can.



Burmese pythons are the most notorious and popular giant pythons in existence. They are native to South-Southeast Asia. They can get up to 20 feet long, making them the largest subspecies of Indian python, and have more girth to them than retics. Burmese pythons are usually the go-to "big snake" due to their size and gentle temperament. When someone mentions the word "python," Burmese are the ones that usually come to mind.

If you have ever seen a giant snake on TV or in a photograph, there is a very high chance it was a Burmese python. (Interestingly, Harry Potter's Nagini is an exception; the last time I saw her, she was a retic.)  Burms are the giant snake of choice for many model shoots, TV shows, and art projects. They're big, but are mostly docile.  Unless you happen to smell like a rabbit or otherwise be very stupid, there is a slim chance that a Burmese python will bite you. The people who keep Burmese pythons usually love them to death. (Don't take that literally.)

Burmese pythons are usually the first big snake everyone gets. They may get up to 20 feet, but most stop at around 10-12, which is a bit more manageable. Retics have a (now mostly undeserved) reputation for being aggressive; anacondas are aggro and have hard husbandry requirements. Burmese pythons are easy to keep and, usually, as docile as kittens. Feed and breed them right and you might even be able to make a small profit off of them. If ball pythons are the general ideal pet snake, then Burmese pythons are the ideal big snake.

The leucistic Burmese - so rare it was once called mythical. Then it got proven to be the super form of a hypo. Yes, I know that's probably all Greek to you. It IS Greek.

Therein lies the problem: Many Burmese python owners are irresponsible in one way or another. If all of them kept their Burmese pythons in nice, custom-designed cages, or even secure sweater boxes, that would be great. This is one of those cases where irresponsibility can cost you dearly. Here are the top three reasons why Burmese pythons - snakes that deserve at least as much respect as any large dog or wildcat - tend to wind up with bad owners.

1. People simply don't do their homework. Burmese python babies are adorable, somewhat cheap, and overall a tempting impulse buy. That mouse-eating baby will grow up into a 10-12 foot serpent that can easily swallow a chicken whole. People who do not know crap about Burmese pythons usually wind up either giving their pets to a zoo/rescue or just plain releasing them. Bad situation.

Well, the author thinks they're cute...

2. There is also the simple case of biting off more than one can chew. Some people may know how big Burmese pythons get, but might not be able to take care of them in the long run. Big snakes make big messes, need big cages, and eat big food. How many people do you suppose can afford that for 20-25 years? I have asked people who either have Burms or know about their husbandry; they are costly to keep (especially if you go all-out) and require two people to handle safely. In other words, you will probably have to find a snake-tolerant roommate/lover if you intend to handle big snakes.

3. Sellers of Burmese pythons know full well that they are selling monster snakes, and fail to ask whether the customer knows how big Burms get in hopes of making a sale. Some people can start off just fine with Burmese pythons; others, not so much. A responsible snake owner should at least ask about husbandry requirements unless they have had that same species before. "How big does it get?" should be the next question.

Put it this way: If you do not know your stuff before getting a Burmese python, there is a very good chance your house will be on the news. Escaped snakes get ratings. Burmese pythons have been known to eat neighborhood pets. In one recent instance, a Burm killed the owner's daughter because the owner had a blanket as a cover on the cage. Burmese pythons can be awesome snakes, but you really have to know what you're doing. Ill-aimed bites from these snakes can lead to stitches.

Recently, Burmese pythons have been spotted in the Florida Everglades. This was largely due to a hurricane causing mass-escapes of Burmese pythons from personal collections. (Read: Not ALL of theme were released deliberately.) There, Burms have been not only eating wildlife in an already-fragile ecosystem, but have also been completing with alligators as the apex predator. Florida has all the reason in the world to ban the Burmese python. Here's a quick rundown as to why:

1. Burmese pythons compete for prey with native American alligators. Since alligators are among the most popular residents of Florida, not to mention part of the fragile Everglades ecosystem, any threat to their well-being is taken seriously.

The classic "exploding snake" pic, illustrating the point quite nicely.

2. Burmese pythons have an extra edge over alligators: They can very easily outbreed them. A Burmese python clutch can contain over 80 eggs. In nature, the ones who breed the most usually survive, so there is a very high chance that we will be seeing a lot of pythons. Sorry, the 'gator will probably lose.

3. See the ways that Burmese pythons can get out or otherwise be troublesome up above. No offense to all of you responsible keepers, but some not-so-hardcore snake lovers just want a big python because it's cool.

4. The reptile breeders kiiiinda brought this one upon themselves by having one of the largest reptile conventions in Florida. To be fair, Southern states tend to have extremely loose pet laws, so both parties are to blame.

But wait, the Lacey Act covers rest of the country, too. Isn't that a little harsh? Yes and no. My Environmental Sustainability teacher had a good explanation as to why the Burm got the Lacey Axe.

A caraBurm!

First of all, yes, Burmese Pythons could probably only survive in Florida. It just so happens that Florida has the perfect environment for them - hot and humid, just like Southeast Asia. I have heard some horror stories about Burms possibly making their way north due to either hibernation capabilities or global warming, but those are both more or less speculation. I have heard studies going either way. For now, treat it as mostly Florida's problem.

Even after the Lacey Axe, it would still theoretically be possible to smuggle a Burmese python from another state  into Florida. I have heard something about all Burmese pythons in Florida needing to be registered, otherwise the owner will be in big trouble. I would imagine that, if any Burms escaped in Florida, things would also get pretty hairy for that person. Avoid Florida like the plague, Burm fans.

Python owners believe that the update to the Lacey Act will be the end of the reptile trade as we know it. That is not true. You will still be allowed to keep your snakes. You will definitely still be allowed to trade within your state. Even if you do try to trade in other states, this act is all but impossible to enforce with snakes (as opposed to large mammals, which require huge trucks for transport).  The only thing it is really stopping you from doing business is sending Burmese pythons through the mail. Will it cripple the trade? Sure. Stop it? Certainly not. Still a waste of taxpayer dollars? Most likely.

Reptile keepers have the deck stacked against them when it comes to legislation. A lot of people fear snakes.  Every time a giant snake owner screws up, it makes the responsible owners look even worse. That is what leads to legislation like this. Education is key.

As for my personal thoughts on the Lacey Axe? Yes, the ban sucks, but there are worse bills out there. Worry more about the government tracking your every waking move and probably some sleeping moves, too. It will be a lot easier for them to catch you with giant snakes if they have cameras everywhere. The giant snake laws are just a distraction. Nowhere in the Constitution does it mention giant snakes. Worry about things like free speech first.

(Mmm...still so much I wanted to add.) 

Creature Feature: Red-tailed Pipe Snake.

Google is a wormhole. It is perfectly possible to be looking for one thing and find another thing entirely. I had personally just discovered an albino sunbeam snake (which did not show the iridescence well if it was present at all) when another caught my eye.

This snake confused me. It was, for starters, hard to tell which end was the head and which was the tail. I thought I was looking at a baby cobra for a second. The actual snake turned out to be much more fascinating.

The specimen I had encountered online was a red-tailed pipe snake (Cylindrophis ruffus). They are small snakes (a meter in length at most) that live in China and Southeast Asia. As they are partially aquatic, they eat fish, eels, and frogs. They prefer wet areas like marshes and rice paddies. They aren't venomous, just strange. Seriously, Thailand advertises them.

Pipe snakes are seriously weird, even by snake standards. Along with boas, water snakes, and pure sea snakes, they have live babies. Litters consist of roughly 12 live babies. They are probably the closest relatives to boas, even though there are no boas in Asia (they all moved to America). Neat.




Oh, and the tail is pretty neat, too. Pipe snakes tend to have tails that look a lot like their heads. When a predator approaches, the pipe snake will lower its head and raise its tail, looking for all the world like a little cobra. The added bonus of this trick is that, should a predator still find it appetizing, it is biting the snake's tail instead of its head. Better tails than heads!

Mind, this is just one of several pipe snakes. Yes, they do all resemble the mythical, two-headed amphisbaena, but it would have been hard for the Greeks to know about them.

Creature Feature: Rosy Boa.

Today, I had a little Twitter chat with Brian of Snakebytes.tv. I was wondering why, of all snakes, he had never really covered the Rosy Boa (Lichanura trivirgata) on his show. Things like sand boas, boa constrictors, and Amazon tree boas got the spotlight one week. Yet the rosy boa, one of the most mellow, sweet snakes that I have ever met, has gone all but untouched by one of the most popular snake shows on the internet.

 

His answer was simple: He never really works with them. That's a damn shame, seeing as rosies are among the easiest snakes in the world to take care of. You don't even need to give them water every day. Don't give them water every day.

Let's back up a little. The Rosy Boa is native to the dry, hot parts of California and Mexico. It is one of two boa species native to the Unites States. It eats rodents and, like most desert boas, is a fairly shy snake. But before I get into how awesome it is to have a Rosy Boa like Eclair, let me make something clear:

"OMG IT'S A BOA! THAT MEANS IT'S GONNA EAT MY KIDS!"

One, you're getting mixed up with pythons. There are no less than three species in the genus Python that grow huge. Not all of them do, but I'll admit that, anacondas not withstanding, boas are a lot smaller in general. Again, aside from anacondas, the red-tail boa is the most common and largest boa  that you will meet.  They get fourteen feet, max. While that may seem pretty long to you, it is not big compared to massive pythons like the twenty-thirty feet of reticulated and Burmese pythons. Boas are also fascinating by default because they bear live young - something that pythons cannot do.

And we boa people LOVE showing it off. Not my pic, BTW.

Two, rosies are really, really docile. They do not resist being handled at all. They are also the slowest snakes in the world, which means that escapees will not get far. They get four feet max and only about as big around as a golf ball. They can swallow mice. That's it.


Albino Rosy Boa II 5-1-08 by ~oOBrieOo on deviantART

They also come in a variety of very appetizing patterns. Seriously. I named my Mexican female Eclair because she looks so strikingly like a dessert. Others have described albino rosies looking like creamsicles. Even the 'mutts,' i.e. rosies of mixed locality, are called "root beers" within the trade.  Just about the only ones that don't look straight out of a frosting tube are the ones that are almost unicolor. All the rest have three stripes that, if bred to look right, can look amazing.

Rosies are awesome beginner snakes. They eat a mouse a week, if that. I was terrified when Eclair did not eat anything for months, but as soon as she got over the normal winter blues, she was fine. They are also easy to breed and come with the bonus of live babies, so they never get egg-bound. The only thing keeping them from being recommended as an ideal starter snake is that they aren't corn snakes or ball pythons.

Creature Feature: Crested Gecko.

Has anyone else ever noticed the strange double standard going on between lizards and snakes? Bring a snake into a room, and people will run away screaming. Bring a lizard into the room, and people might actually pet it. Sure, there are some people who hate both, but lizards are generally more accepted than snakes...even though chameleons are the embodiments of Satan in Madagascar and there is a gecko called "satanic."



This is not that gecko. It is, however, one of the cutest lizards in existence.

The New Caledonian Crested Gecko (Rhacodactylus ciliatus) is native to, umm, New Caledonia, a group of French-speaking islands off the coast of Australia. They are small lizards that get only slightly bigger than a human hand when fully grown. As per their name, they have a crest that runs across their large eyes and down their backs. They are nocturnal; some owners have even noticed their pets getting brighter colors at night. Unlike most geckos, which are carnivores, cresties are omnivorous - a trait that pet keepers have been keen to take advantage of.

From thegeckospot.net.

Like several other sorts of geckos, cresties have special pads on their toes and tails that let them 'stick' to almost any surface. These areas are covered with smalls hairs called setae. Through van der Waals bonds, the same type of bonding that binds chlorine molecules together, the gecko can scale any surface. Just in case, it also has small claws to help it grab on to any gaps. This is not quite unique to the crestie, but still fascinating.

What is truly weird about these geckos is that, until 1994, they were thought extinct. Then, suddenly, several of them were found after a tropical storm. We guess that whatever power that is has a weakness for cute lizards. Of all things, the biggest threat to these geckos is an introduced species of ant. (That bugger is really worth an entry in itself.) How's that for a braintwist?



Despite being on the endangered species list, cresties have quite a presence in the exotic pet trade. Enough of them got out before the banhammer came down on their exportation. They now come in a variety of colors, have specialized diets, and are so common that even big box pet stores like Petco sometimes carry them. They are, however, pricey compared to leopard geckos and bearded dragons, especially when one gets into high-end morphs. Said morphs may not even show up until the gecko has matured. The price more than compensates for the amiable nature of these lizards, which is just...D'AWWWW!

Creature Feature: Red Spitting Cobra.

What would a month marked by the most magical, creepy holiday around be without at least one snake? While we're at it, let's make it one that was more or less built to intimidate, even if you know nothing about snakes already:

From here.

 

The red spitting cobra (Naja pallida) is one of those poisonous snakes that just looks menacing. It's native to eastern Africa, and, like most snakes, feeds on rodents. It also eats other snakes like the larger king cobra. This cobra happens to be blood red, so you know it's cool.

Spitting cobras do not really spit their venom. Instead, their fangs are designed to spray venom. They usually do not bite humans, instead preferring to aim straight for the eyes. Their aim is to blind their enemies, not kill them. In the wild, blindness can easily mean death, especially if one happens to be a visual hunter like a lion:


 (This doesn't look like a red spitter...but you get the idea.)

That lion was fairly close. Spitting cobras have a spray range of up to 2 meters, so do not anger the snakes from afar, either. As the video said, they have evolved very good aim. If the venom reaches the eye, it may cause corneal swelling and permanent blindness. A regular bite has neurotoxins and hemotoxins, and requires proper medical attention ASAP. Yeah, the same goes for any cobra.

From Wiki. :)

 

Spitting cobras, probably of the Egyptian variety, inspired the uraeus, the cobra so often found on Egyptian headdresses. The uraeus snake, a symbol of the primordial goddess Wadjet, was said to grant the Pharaoh divine authority. According to legend, it could also spit fire from between the pharaoh's eyebrows. We fail to see a part of that image that is not awesome.

NARBC Oct 8 2011 Coverage.

Now to use my blog for something that, surprisingly, I have never used it for before: Covering a local animal-related event. Every year, the North American Reptile Breeders Conference (and Trade Show) comes to Tinley Park, a slightly richer suburb than my own. I usually spend way too much money there. This time I got off easy with a new cage setup.


WARNING: THIS POST IS VERY, VERY PIC-HEAVY.



Right outside the convention hall, much to my surprise, was Bubba, the world's tamest alligator. He supposedly takes commands from his owner, which I have yet to see, but remains super-calm around people regardless. This is not the first time I have seen Bubba; we first met in, of all things, a summer school course. He comes to ReptileFest from time to time, too. I could have sworn he died a while back; after clicking around, maybe Lucky the alligator took his place. Still about as peaceful as an alligator can possibly be.

No sooner did I start prowling the floor when I found a baby snake to squee at.  This little fellow is a Ladder Rat Snake, a type of snake native to France and Italy. They were 125 apiece. I don't have a snake from Europe, yet; wouldn't it be neat to have a snake from 6/7 continents, then track the lore that goes with them?

Of course, this was not just a snake convention. They had frogs, turtles, lizards, albino Woopers axoltols, and probably a few newts that I missed.




For the non-snake people, here's a table with leo geckos. That's a lotta leos! They had every color and pattern of Leopard Gecko out on display. Some went into the thousands of dollars if they had a few good genes in them. Ball pythons are still more expensive...

...yeah. Like that. This is one of the more outstanding morphs, mind, and others were still pricier. There was a ball python there called a 'sugar' that had just the slightest hint of speckling on his skin. That was the morph. It cost 400 bucks.

Hypo Burmese Pythons. They look like the kind that, if bred together, can produce 15 feet of pure white, scaly awesomeness. I'd want them IF I could handle a Burm at this point.



SHIROHEBI! Well, sort of. The Iwakuni Shirohebi cannot be taken out of that particular area; this is a male Kunisir albino Japanese Rat Snake alongside a potential het mate.



These stripes should look familiar if you follow my deviantART account! They belong to the Thai bamboo rat snake above, simply called "coxi" in shorthand.



I love albino retics!  Alas, as with Burms, monetary constraints suck.



You would NEVER guess this guy was a cobra if his sign didn't say so.




"Hello, ol' chap. If you let me out of this little plastic cup, I could save you lots of money on car insurance!"

More where that came from. Hope to take more next year, when I will HOPEFULLY have my own money. 

Creature Feature: Giant Amphisbaena.

Fridays are going to be brief again, guys. That means these entries are going to be short, sweet, and cited! 

Wednesday, I had the honor of seeing a presentation on the rarely-talked about group of reptiles called amphisbaenids. Yes, that name does come from the mythical two-headed serpent. It was applied to the real creature because, as in some skinks, the front end looks a lot like the rear.

Amphisbaenids are not snakes or lizards. They are a third group of squamate that lost their legs independently of snakes, are nearly blind, and resemble earthworms in so many ways it's scary.

Imagine a giant snake-worm crossbreed. Have you wet your pants yet? No? Good, because this horror has the most derpy face since the anaconda entry.


Source: Wikimedia.

That face belongs to the giant amphisbaena, Amphisbaena alba. It is native to Brazil and some of the surrounding countries in South America. It is also called the red worm lizard or white worm lizard (which comes from its scientific name). Like all amphisbaenids, it spends a good portion of its time underground, munching whatever invertebrates its scissor-like teeth come across.

These amphisbaenids can get up to three feet long and as thick as a sausage around. They are rarely encountered. Should you have the fortune of seeing this or any other amphisbaenid, take pics. There are several herpers I know who will love you for them.

Creature Feature: Green Anoles.

When I went to Florida, I was chasing "chameleons" all the time. They were fast little buggers. I also knew, even at a young age, that they were not chameleons - chameleons were waaaay freakier and native to Africa.

Duuuude, you could acid trip on this lizard.

The "chameleons" in Florida and pet shops are really an agamid called the Carolina anole (Anolis carolinensis). They are native to the Southeastern United States and Caribbean Islands. They are one of the most popular pet lizards; most shops have the sense to label them as anoles, too.



Like chameleons, the green anole is capable of changing color. Again like chameleons, this is more a mood thing than a background thing. A stressed green anole will be brown and sluggish no matter what color it's on. If you want that kind of acid-trip camouflage, get a flounder. Neither chameleons nor anoles change color to blend in.

The males also have pretty red throats.

Green anoles are the generic green lizard kept in captivity. They are easy to breed, easy to feed (crickets and moths), and are currently having their genome mapped. Are they chameleons? No. Good starter lizards? Very yes.