Welcome to Lancaster Herpetological Society! RESTROOMS : Out the - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Welcome to Lancaster Herpetological Society!

• RESTROOMS: Out the doors to the right.
• TRADING POST: Check out the Trading Post where members can sell or trade

herp stuff!

• SIGN-IN: Sign in to make sure you’re on our e-mailing list.
• T-SHIRTS: $5 each while supplies last. (SALE!)
• MEMBERSHIPS: Memberships available through treasurer, Roy, or online.

$15/year or $20/family. Current membership sales are for 2017!

• HOSTESS: Thank you Mary Anne for having us at the library!

Lancaster Herpetological Society 2017 Board Members

Dave McNaughton, President by day (Superhero by night) Jesse Rothacker, Vice President Roy Mellott, Treasurer Monical Bortz, Secretary Chris Bortz, Website/FB Kent Hartmoyer Pam Hartmoyer Kelsey Frey Carter Farmer Alex Woerner

7-7:30pm - Business Meeting / Show and Share 7:30 - ? Wetland Walk 8:45pm - Clean-up & Highland Pizzeria

TONIGHT

Last Month…

Kurt Regester: Amphibian Disease Research in PA. Thank you Kurt!

HERPING REPORTS Herping = Looking for reptiles and amphibians in the wild.

Spotted Turtle

Lebanon County

Schuylkill County

Spotted Salamander 4-Toed Salamander

Common Ribbonsnakes

Schuylkill County

Meet The Rescue?

PET UPDATES & TALES

Share stories and photos of your pet herps! Send photos ahead of time to info@lancasterherp.org

Mom

Rankings Dragon New addition to Zach classroom

Bortz Family Tri-colored Hognoses

Additional Pet Stories?

HERPS IN THE NEWS

Pennsylvania road closing to spare mating amphibians

EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. (AP) — The National Park Service has been closing a road in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in Pennsylvania so mating amphibians don’t get squashed by vehicles as they seek out mates. Park Ranger Kathleen Sandt tells WNEP-TV that River Road was closed for the first time in February due to the mild, rainy weather that prompts salamanders, wood frogs and spring peepers to mate. The park service has closed part of River Road overnights during mating season since 2003 so the amphibians can safely cross the highway to breeding pools.

http://fox17online.com/2017/03/02/pennsylvania-road-closing-to-spare-mating-amphibians/

Submitted by Zach Barton

NEW 10-year FIshing Licenses available! This year, in addition to 3-year and 5-year licenses, you can lock-in both convenience and savings for a longer period of time with the new 10-year fishing license. As always, if you've already purchased a fishing license to fish in 2017, we THANK YOU for supporting both aquatic resources and recreational fishing in the Keystone State. Buy your multi-year fishing license at more than 900 issuing agents across the state

• r online at: GoneFishingPa.com.

Living with Lizards in Thailand (Water Monitors) Urbanization threatens Coexistence

NHK World, Asia, - 2/23/17 by Thanyadol Khamkhoksung People in Thailand have always lived alongside wildlife, and one species of lizard in particular has had a close relationship with its human

• neighbors. But urban development is now threatening this coexistence.

Located in a marshy district in the suburbs of Bangkok is a small village of around 1,000 people. The village also has a nickname that refers to a water monitor, a lizard that can grow as long as 3 meters. Water monitors live in the marshlands of Southeast Asia. They have a gentle nature and are protected under the Washington Convention. Traditionally, villagers in the area live in harmony with the lizards. The villagers say that if the lizards get enough leftovers, they won't attack livestock or steal other animals' eggs. "We give them things that are useless to us, so we get rid of our waste and benefit the lizards at the same time," says Surang Ohnyim, a local resident. These days, you can even see the creatures in central Bangkok. Rapid urbanization has destroyed much of the lizards' habitat, and they've even started going into restaurants. The lizards are popping up all over the city, in search of a suitable place to live. Local authorities have launched measures to scale back the lizard population. A special capture team is joined by wildlife protection experts. They use fish, the animal's favorite food, to attract them and catch them, releasing them in a wildlife sanctuary far from urban areas. Since Bangkok started the project, the number of lizards has gone down from over 400 to around 230. "It's important for us to prevent accidents. We're doing our best not to destroy the balance of the ecosystem. We're also trying not to catch too many lizards," says Suwanna Jungrungrueng, director of the environment department at the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.

HERPDIGEST - VOL. 19 ISSUE #11 DATE-2/23/17

Venezuela crisis: population eats lizards, pigeons and anteaters to survive

In the midst of a severe economic crisis, desperate people flee from the drama of hunger by eating any animal. "The diet of Maduro makes you hard". The comic phrase in Spanish spoken by the President of the Republic in September last year, when he mocked the thinness of a Venezuela, does not awaken today a humorous tone for the rest of the population of the country. In the midst of a severe economic crisis, with inflation in the three digits, famine has been severely scourging the Venezuelans. According to Encovi, an institution that verifies living conditions in the country, on average, Venezuelans lost 8.7 kg of their weight, uncontrolled only in the last year. To escape the drama of hunger, the population has been feeding on any kind of animal: dogs, cats, lizards, donkeys, anteaters and even flamingos, which are protected by law in order to survive. Not infrequently, one finds carcases of these animals in the garbage of the city. "Sometimes we only find heads, guts and legs of the animal. We are used to seeing a bit of this in the past, but now this practice is out of control and on the rise, "Robert Linares, a waste disposal worker, told the Miami Herald. The lack of food has gained the name of 'Mature Diet'. In the words of Doris Rubio, CEO of the Association for the Protection of Animals, there is a synthesis on the suffering of the population subjugated to the notorious diet: "We find these deaths grotesque, but how can we be critical of someone who hunts a pigeon, a dog, a cat or any other animal because he or she is hungry People used to hunt lizards for sport.Now they do it out of necessity. The collapse of the country's economy has made it difficult to import basic goods such as food and medicines, creating scarcity across the

• country. Faced with a lack of resources, the population has been looting supermarkets in desperate search for food.

Besides the opprobrium experienced by the population, there are still risks of consuming wild animals unfit for human consumption, where the ingestion of bacteria from these animals are human health hazards. ______________________________

HERPDIGEST - VOL. 19 ISSUE #11

HERPDIGEST - VOL. 19 ISSUE #11 Fossil of a beetle inside a lizard inside a snake – an ancient food chain

A unique fossil, demonstrating an ancient food chain was discovered by researchers studying the Messel pit on a dig site near Frankfurt, and it is believed to be 48 million years old. The specimen contains a snake that died shortly after eating a lizard that had recently eaten a beetle. It is impressive that such a fossil exists in such a well-preserved state, and that each consumed creature is recognizable. The snake was known to be a member of the species Palaeopython fischeri, which is an extinct type of snake once found in what is now Germany. It was a tree-dwelling snake related to modern boas. Growing to a size of up to 2 meters, they could live on the ground or in shallow water near riverbanks. The individual in this fossil, however, was

• nly 103 centimeters in length and so is thought to be a juvenile.

The lizard belongs to the species Geiseltaliellus maarius. It is an extinct lizard of the iguanian lizards that are found in Germany, Belgium, and France. The best-preserved ones are found in the Messel pit in Germany. These lizards had long legs, short arms, and a long tail. The tail was adapted to running and climbing on the ground and in trees. The long toe bones of these lizards, like those of their living cousins, suggest that this species spent most of its time in

• trees. The probable paleoenvironment of the Messel Pit would have been a dense forest.

Paleoecology is the science of determining ancient environments. Using the evidence found in fossils, it reconstructs the ecosystems these creatures would have lived in. Traces left behind in the fossil record, such as seeds, shells, teeth, and pollen, help scientists infer characteristics of the environment. Therefore, a fossil field like the Messel pit in Germany offers valuable clues to not just the creatures themselves, but to what the plant life would have been like too. Scientists can tell that the lizard is inside the snake due to the way the snake’s ribs overlap those of the lizard. The lizard had the ability to shed its tail when attacked but did not do so before being eaten, as its complete remains are intact inside the snake. The beetle is not preserved enough to be meaningfully identified. Also discovered at the same site is the last meal of grapes and leaves inside a fossilized prehistoric horse. Pollen grains found inside fossilized bird and insect remains visible in fish excrement are a testament to the excellent preservation qualities of the area. Previous fossils of reptiles contained only plant remains due to the speed of the creature’s digestive system. The Messel Pit will likely yield more fascinating finds as digs continue.

Sea Turtles monitored with mini solar trackers in Australia

A group of young turtles with satellite tags have been released into the wild off the coast of Queensland so scientists can study their early 'lost years’. The miniature, solar-powered trackers were fitted to nine flatback turtles as part of a world-first marine conservation project. The juveniles were collected as hatchlings in February 2016, but spent the past 12 months at Sea Life Sunshine Coast. On Tuesday, the 15-centimetre-long reptiles were released 10 nautical miles from the Bundaberg coast, not far from where they were born. Sea Life Sunshine Coast general curator Aaron Sprowl said the project would help researchers capture 'the lost years' of a flatback turtle's life. 'It goes out to sea and more or less it disappears for five to 10 years of its life,' he told AAP. 'The goal for the satellite tagging is to try and get an idea of where they go and what they do.’ Mr Sprowl said it was also hoped the project would help conservation efforts to stop the vulnerable species from becoming endangered. 'We don't find this turtle anywhere else in the world except for Australian waters,' he said. The tracking initiative is expected to last for about three months or until the tags break free from the turtles as they grow. However Mr Sprowl said more hatchlings had been collected this year ahead of their planned release in 2018. People interested in tracking the turtles can visit Sea Life Sunshine Coast's social media page

HERPDIGEST - VOL. 19 ISSUE #11

HERPDIGEST - VOL. 19 ISSUE #11 Pumpkin-coloured alligators in US prompt wave of Trump

A number of alligators have been sighted in neighbouring American states coloured bright orange - and locals have been quick to make jokes likening them to the US President. One of the reptiles was first sighted in Hanahan, South Carolina earlier this month, the Myrtle Beach Online reported. Another popped up in Calabash, North Carolina on Tuesday local time and locals soon started calling him 'Donny' and ‘Trumpgator'. An official has told the USA Today that the colour could be from a rusty place where the animals spent a winter, like a rusty culvert or pipe. Alligators shed their skin often, and will likely return to their natural dark green colour soon.

Plight of Chinese turtles shows lax protection in nation’s nature reserves

By Kathleen McLaughlin, 3/7/17, sciencemag.com Beijing—China’s nature reserves are woefully inadequate at protecting biodiversity, a 12-year study of turtle poaching in dozens of conservation areas has found.The research results, published 6 March in Current Biology, focus on turtles but draw larger conclusions about the state of wildlife conservation in China. The authors note that China has 2700 nature reserves covering 1.46 million square kilometers, or about 15% of the country’s total territory, a higher percentage than many other countries. And though China ranks first in flora and fauna richness in the Northern Hemisphere, 43% of those species are threatened. “We discovered that poaching occurred in all of the 56 reserves surveyed, resulting in dramatically reduced turtle populations,” the authors wrote. “In a majority of the reserves, the reserve staff themselves were generally involved in poaching.” “Although nature reserves were created to protect plants and animals, they have become part of the problem due to weak enforcement of rules,” the authors wrote.The scientists relied on field studies, surveys of exotic animal markets, and interviews to document the declining turtle population trends in protected areas across three provinces. “Hunting is strictly forbidden in all nature reserves in China,” they wrote. “From field surveys, however, we found over 1400 poaching devices (i.e. cage traps, hooks, pitfall traps) and encountered 69 hunters in 11 nature reserves. This unexpected finding reflected the managers’ inaction. Although historical records identified 15 species present in these areas, we just found nine species in the field.”The study asserts that this lack of protection for turtles almost certainly extends to all species in China’s wildlife conservation areas. “This situation is not unique to turtles, as we saw signs of poaching for all species valuable for food and trade. Currently in China, endangered species are facing a serious threat of extirpation due to poaching, and we identify nature reserves as contributing to the problem due to poor management practices and lack of effective supervision,” they wrote. “In order to improve the conservation of China’s rich biodiversity, it is imperative for China’s nature reserve system to make meaningful changes to its policies and procedures.” The authors recommend that China’s natural reserves cease all commercial activities and focus on species and habitat conservation. Recognizing the problem, China’s central government is rolling out plans for a series of national parks around the country that will focus on protecting critically endangered species. A massive national park in northeastern China will preserve habitat for Siberian tigers and leopards, and other parks will focus on endangered antelopes, pandas, elephants, and other large animals. The national park plan will take control of protected areas away from local and provincial officials, who face funding shortfalls and often engage in profit-making schemes—like turtle poaching—that harm habitat and wildlife, environmental groups contend. The central government will provide the funding and direct the management of the national parks.

HERPDIGEST - VOL. 19 ISSUE #15

HERPDIGEST - VOL. 19 ISSUE #15

Crocodiles and dolphins evolved similar skulls to catch the same prey

A new study involving biologists from Monash University Australia has found that despite their very different ancestors, dolphins and crocodiles evolved similarly-shaped skulls to feed on similar prey. Dolphins and crocodiles now live in rivers and oceans, but each evolved from land-based animals. Feeding in water has many new challenges. This new study shows that despite being separated by 300 million years, dolphins and crocodiles found comparable solutions to these problems, and evolved skull shapes that are remarkably similar. "Our results suggest the remarkable similarity between some crocodilians and toothed whales is driven by what they eat rather than where they live," said lead author Mr Matthew McCurry from the Monash School of Biological Sciences. Previously no rigorous attempt had been made to show how similar the head shapes of dolphins and crocodiles really are. It had been thought that aspects such shallow seas or rivers contributed to the similarity of the skulls of crocodilians (crocodiles and alligators) and toothed whales (dolphins, orca and relatives). But a study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences has debunked this long-held view. Having a long, thin snout must have great advantages when trying to catch small fish, both for crocodilians and toothed whales. "What is really important about this study is that it will help us predict the diet of extinct aquatic mammals and reptiles just from the shape of their skulls," said Mr McCurry. The authors used medical CT and laser 3D scanning to digitally capture the skulls of museum specimens from around the world. Once digitised, the authors could examine the shape of the skulls in detail without having them in one location. Using sophisticated mathematical techniques to analyse 3D shape, the researchers could show how diet, habitat and prey size correlated with skull shape. "Crocodiles and dolphins seem so different to us, but our study shows that many of them are in fact remarkably similar, and this is really down to how they catch their food," said study co-author Associate Professor Alistair Evans, also from the Monash School of Biological Sciences. Future research will aim to uncover why specific skull shapes are better at catching certain prey using bioengineering computer simulations.

HERPDIGEST - VOL. 19 ISSUE #15

State Senator Artiles wants to hunt invasive snakes and lizards in Florida

• Sen. Frank Artiles, R-Miami-Dade, wants to hunt down foreign reptiles that are wreaking havoc in South Florida. Artiles called reporters to a brief news

conference Wednesday to discuss his plan of having the state pay skilled hunters to trap and kill seven different reptiles, two species of fish and any other prohibited species designated by state wildlife officials. In the past, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission has offered prizes and other rewards for hunters tracking down invasive species and lionfish. Studies indicate that pythons from Asia, lizards from South America and other non-native species have destroyed Roseate Spoonbill nests, consumed more than 90-percent of the Everglades’ raccoons and possums and also threaten native alligators. Standing outside the Senate chamber, Artiles asked why spend billions on saving the Everglades if it will be without any native Florida wildlife? “We have a major problem in the Everglades with the major predators being pythons and tegu (an Argentine lizard) – a 6-foot python can eat a 5-foot alligator this is what is happening,” said Artiles. “We’re seeing a drop in little furry animals too, possums, raccoons we’re not seeing them in the Everglades because non-native species are decimating our back yard.” Artiles’ SB 230 is waiting to be scheduled in the Natural Resources Subcommittee. It would spend $600,000 over two years on pilot programs involving hunters rounding up the invasive lizards, snakes, and fish. Artiles wants to target these critters:

• Burmese or Indian python;
• Reticulated python;
• Southern African python
• Scrub python;
• Green Anaconda
• Nile Monitor
• Any reptile FWC designates
• Red Lionfish

HERPDIGEST -

• VOL. 19 ISSUE #15

New Frog Species Named After Naturalist David Attenborough

W ASHINGTON: A new frog species, which measures just about two centimeters and was discovered in the Peruvian Andes, has been named after the famous British broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough. While there are already a number of species named after including mammals, reptiles, invertebrates and plants, both extinct and extant, not until now has the host of the BBC Natural History's Life series been honored with an amphibian. The frog is formally described as Pristimantis attenboroughi, while commonly it is to be referred to as the Attenborough's Rubber Frog. Scientists from Illinois Wesleyan University and University of Michigan in the US, spent two years surveying montane forests in central Peru, in order to document the local amphibians and reptiles and evaluate their conservation statuses. Their efforts have been rewarded with several new species of frogs and a new spectacled lizard. Each of these discoveries, including the Attenborough's Rubber Frog, prove how beneficial it is to take into account both morphological and the genetic data, while looking for species new to science. The Attenborough's rubber frog is known to inhabit several localities across the Pui Pui Protected Forest, a nature reserve located at elevations between 3,400 and 3,936 meters above sea level in central Peru. The adult males reach size of 14.6-19.2 millimeters in length, while the females are larger measuring between 19.2 and 23.0 millimeters. The ground color ranges from pale to dark grey or reddish brown to brownish olive with dark grey scattered flecks.Juveniles are paler (yellowish to reddish brown) with contrasting dark brown flecks and distinct stripes. Due to the amphibian being known from fewer than ten localities, spread across less than 20,000 square metres, the species should be deemed either Vulnerable or Endangered, according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. However, researchers suggest that the Attenborough's Rubber frog should be listed as Near Threatened instead, since the Piu Piu forest is formally protected and still largely unknown, so it is likely that there are more additional populations of the new species. On the other hand, factors such as fungal infections, climate change, pollution and man-made fires continue to be threats for many Andean amphibians even inside protected areas. "We dedicate this species to Sir David Frederick Attenborough in honour for his educational documentaries on wildlife, especially on amphibians (eg Life in Cold Blood,Fabulous Frogs), and for raising awareness about the importance of wildlife conservation," researchers said. Among the numerous namesakes of Sir David Attenborough to date, there are a rare genus of beautiful flowering plants, a rare butterfly species, commonly known as the Attenborough's black-eyed satyr, a flightless weevil species, as well as a number of extinct species.

HERPDIGEST - VOL. 19 ISSUE #15

Clown tree frogs—newly discovered and already threatened?

An international team of scientists discovered two new species of clown tree frogs in the Amazon region. Until recently, these colorful amphibians had erroneously been considered part of another species. Now, DNA studies and an analysis of the calls of the examined populations revealed a much higher diversity within this group of frogs. Due to their small distribution areas, it is likely that the newly discovered species are threatened, but the determination of their protection status is currently still pending. In their study, published today in the scientific journal PloS ONE, the scientists from six countries clearly show that a complete species inventory is only possible by means of international cooperation. In the past decades, more than 810,000 square kilometers of rainforest have been destroyed in the Amazon region, and every day, species from all animal phyla disappear from this area. "Our new study shows once again that we are not even close to knowing the actual species diversity of South American frogs and that even supposedly widespread species may be endangered," explains Marcel Caminer, the study's lead author from the Universidad Católica del Ecuador and he continues, "During expeditions to six Amazonian countries, we examined the two clown tree frog species Dendropsophus leucophyllatus and Dendropsophus triangulum, which were hitherto considered 'universal' species, in greater detail and were able to show that they do not constitute two, but at least five and perhaps as many as seven different species – two of which we were able to describe for the first time.” Clown tree frogs are a widespread group of frogs primarily found in the Amazon basis, but also in adjacent savannas. They owe their popular name to their remarkably bright colors. The newly discovered species occur in Bolivia and Peru and could only be revealed as separate species with the aid of "integrative taxonomy." "We compared morphological and genetic information as well as the frogs' calls with each other – and through a combination of the different methods we were then able to delimit the new species and show that the two previous species actually comprise an entire species complex", explains Dr. Martin Jansen of the Senckenberg Research Institute in Frankfurt. He is particularly thrilled by the discovery of a new species on the grounds of the "Chiquitos" research station, which is co-run by Senckenberg. "This beautiful frog serves as a "flag ship" that underlines the importance of biological field stations and the benefits of observing a region's nature over a period of many years, especially in the unexplored areas of mega-diversity countries." The study, published on today's date, shows that the number of frog species is still greatly underestimated, particularly in the Neotropics. The reasons for this are the vast size of the Amazon basin and the lack of an area-wide, comprehensive scientific collection. Marcel Caminer comments as follows: "Amazonia is threatened by numerous influences. On the one hand, there is deforestation, mining and oil production; on the other hand, the global climate change. Therefore, it is important to achieve a complete species inventory in order to undertake the subsequent steps toward the protection of this biodiversity." Even the two newly discovered clown tree frog species are likely threatened already: their distributions areas have a very limited extent and are endangered by habitat destruction. Jansen adds, "Only once we truly know all species and their distribution areas, will we be able to make well-founded statements regarding the effects of such factors as climate change, for example. However, the largest threat to amphibians worldwide continues to be the destruction of their

• habitats. Our study shows that effective protection measures require prior knowledge of the actual diversity of species and the study of their actual spatial
• distribution. To achieve this, we need a larger number of experts – taxonomic research is in higher demand today than ever before."

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FORGOTTEN FRIEND REPTILE SANCTUARY UPDATES

Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary is a 501(c)(3) reptile rescue and education organization from Amish country, Pennsylvania. Our mission is to give reptiles a chance, by rescuing reptiles that need our help, and by providing fun outreach programs to spread our love of reptiles.

UPDATES OF THE MONTH

We got outfits to match our king snakes on our next Good Day PA Segment!

Adoptions of the Month

65 pound Sulcata Tortoise, Bucks County, PA 15 year old Russian Tortoise, York, PA

Adoptable Pets at the Rescue

• Ball Pythons
• Red Tail Boas

PENDING

• African bullfrog
• Russian Tortoise
• Bearded Dragon

Adoptable Pets on Facebook.com/forgottenfriend

65 pound Sulcata Tortoise, Bucks County, PA 15 year old Russian Tortoise, York, PA

• April - Toad Migration Walk!
• May - Critter Encounter!
• July - Crocodilians!
• August - Corn Snake Genetics
• September - Kids Night

Upcoming Events

Any Additional upcoming Events?

• That Fish Place Dates: 3/18, 7/16,

8/12, 9/16

• PARS Member Meeting 3/25 at 9

a.m. at Ft. Indiantown Gap KCC

• Pinchot SP Camping
• Lancaster Native Plant and Wildlife

Festival - April 29th, 2017!

Thank You Kelsey !!