Vol. 13 (1993), No. 11

-----------

NEWSLETfER OF THE

MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY

NOVEMBER 1993 BELL MUSEUM OF NAliJJRAL HISTORY

VOLUME XIII 10 CHURCH STREET SOUTH EAST

NUMBER 11 MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55455-0104

Do you ever have a question about one of your herps and wonder who might be able to provide an answer? Most people who keep pets of any kind have been is this situation at one time or another. A group of MRS members has volunteered to provide assistance. Listed below are the people and their specialties. Please be reasonable about the time of day and how frequently you call.

Large pythons and constrictors Glen (Jake) Jacobsen 757-8268 Vence Jimerson 869-8547

Other Snakes John Meltzer John Levell Connie Delles

263-7880 374-5422 374-5422

Lizards Nancy Haig 789-4637 Bill Moss 488-1383 Drew Newman (Iguana) 774-6008

Amphibians John Meltzer Greg Kvanbek Drew Newman

263-7880 533-7723 774-6008

Terrestrial turtles and tortoises John Moriarty 647-1334 Ann Porwoll 489-7853

Aquatic Turtles Michele Stillinger Dennis Daly

377-8637 331-8606

The purpose of the Minnesota Hepeto\ogical Society is: to further the education of the membership and the general public in care and captive propagation of retiles and amphibians; to educate the membership and the general public in the ecological role of reptiles and amphibians; and to promote the study and conservation of reptiles and amphibians.

MRS BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY RECORDING SECRETARY TREASURER NEWSLETTER EDITOR MEMBER-AT-LARGE MEMBER-AT-LARGE MEMBER-AT-LARGE MEMBER-AT-LARGE IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

Glen Jacobsen John Levell Connie Delles Dan Berquist Marilyn Brooks Michele Stillinger Jeff LeClere Bill Moss Hans Paulson Sara Richard John Meltzer

(612) 757-8268 (612) 374-5422 (612) 374-5422 (612) 487-3258 (612) 431-2146 (612) 377-8637 (612) 467-3715 (612) 488-1383 (715) 425-7959 (612) 623-7620 (612) 263-7880

SNAKEBITE EMERGENCY HENNEPIN REGIONAL POISON CENTER

(612) 347-3141

MINNESOTA POISON CONTROL SYSTEM LOCAL

(612) 221-2113

OUT OF STATE

(800) 222-1222

COl;lYright Minnesota Herpetological Society. The contents of this newsletter may be reproduced for inclusion in the newsletters of other herpetological societies provided that the material is reproduced without change and proper credits are given to the MRS Newsletter. citing. volume, number, and date.

MINNESOTA

HERPETOLOGICAL

SOCIETY

Table of Contents

Page

Upcoming Meeting Highlights

by John P. Levell MHS Business MHS Program Review

by Dan Bergquist From the President of MHS My 1993 Midwest Conference Experience

by Randy Blasus Snakes of Minnesota

by Jeff Leclere MHS Blast from the Past Book Review

by John P. Levell Articles of Interest HFYI Classifieds

2

3 6 8 9

10 12 14 16 18 19

From the Editor Next month we will be having our annual Holiday Party. This is always a great time to eat good food and have good conversation. This years speaker is Thomas Tyning (see Upcoming Meeting Highlights). We will also be having a raffle (see MHS Business). There is a party registration form included in this newsletter please return it ASAP. There are some special notes and reminders that all members should read in the MHS Business section! I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving and remember to bundle up those herps if you are taking them outside for hands-on events!

Michele

Next Newsletter Deadline:

December 3rd, 1993

*** Send all inquiries, ads, and articles directly to the editor

***

MRS EDITOR

234 West George St.

St. Paul, MN

MHS NEWSLETTER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER II

55107

PAGEl

UPCOMING

MHS

MEETING

HIGHLIGHTS

December Program: The Natural History, Ecology, and Conservation of the Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) Speaker: Thomas Tyning Where: Room 335, Borlaug Hall, U of MN St. Paul Campus When: 7:00 pm, Friday, December 3rd, 1993 Holiday Banquet: Uncommon Behavior in Common Speaker: Thomas Tyning Where: St. Paul Student Center cafeteria When: 6:00 pm, Saturday, December 4th, 1993

The t'"1i nnesota He~petologi cal Soci ety is fortunate to have Thomas Tyn i ng as our spec i al gue=t speaker for the month of D~cembet-..

A natural i st I,...li th the l"iassB.cnusetts Audubon Soci ety, Tom is al SD the authot- of the I!Stokes Nature Guide to Amphibians and Repti.le~.tJ published in 1990 ..

Far those unfamilar t.>Jith this book i t should be

pointed out that it isn't a typical field guid9.

Rather than

tryi~g

to cover every species and subs~eci.es briefly '!a.la Conant and ColI i ns II., Tom' 5 400 page book provi des e. mO~-E detai 1 ed a-::cou.nt 0+ 32 sp.ecies of North America's most familar reptiles and .?mphibia.ns ..

This highly enjoyable and informative book is hat-d to put dDNn>; a.nd I

highly recommend

it~

At the general meeting, Friday December 3rd, Tom l."~'i Ii p~-e5ent a pt-ogr--am focusing an. vat-ious aspects of the natut-e.l hist.or--;,-' and conservation of the Timber rattlesn2ke (Crotalus hOTyidus).

Tom has been acti vel 'y" i n"/ol ved in the cansE!--"-lati on of- t i mbel-"- t-at tl et-s +Ot-=:.everal years and is the edi tor of the Na.3S2-.chuset"ts AudL'.b·~n Society's tlConservation of the Timbet- Rattlesnake in the t"~o:--theast!!} a publication featuring papers by numerous autho:---s including f'1HS members D2n Keyler 2.nd Bat-ney Oldfield~ "The challer:ge CJf convinc:'ng the nonherpetological community of the need to preserve t~is potentially lethal reptile is a major stumbling black to ar,y conservati on effort and is parti cuI 3.l'--l y evi d~nt he;-e i r: l~1i n:if?SQta. Hopefully, Tom ~"lil1 be able to enligr,t2n u.s or. ef-f--:::!ctiv~' methcds of dealing with this problem.

The r S?al highl i ght of the- month

hO~·Je·'!e}-

'"

Hl2.:"

be

HDI i day Ba.nquet the Eve!"1i ng Df S.:3.tur-da."o{ D~celT;bs~r traditi~~al !Ipotluck dinner", Tom will favor us with ~ preS9!ltatior of "Un~ommon Behaviout- in Camn:on Het-ps1!..

Ir keepi:!9 ~·Ji:.:h -the fes"ti"v·e 3pir-it of the see.son5- thi!:::: prog~2m is 2. lig;,-c he:~u·-t~c :?.::c hLHnDrO'---t-~" 9}q:?lor2_tion of the \.-Jonder-ful and 50metifO-':?s v-J.=ck't·· \·..;cr-ld <.:J-f herpetology_ !="t-om publ ici zir!g the P1Q~t s-.b~.L'r;j st.ste-mer--'.::.:::- 7?"\·ef-- 112.de by herpetologists to examining the origi~ cf the nam~ 5~~~~1~g -tLu-tle'J Tom t3.ke~, us on a tour- thc·.-t·s gua~-c:i't.'E''2d tc- :--;-:3y"e '/'::'Lt lau~hingA

Don ~t forget to bring 2~long a. c'::.py of 10m T··/n~_ns-'~ bGc<k ;"~Jh~n 3.tte-nd thes-e- programs~ he'l: gladly· 2.L!"tog~-.s.c"h i t fD~- you.

MHS NEWSLETIER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 11

y~u

JPL~

PAGE 2

MRS

BUSINESS

November General Meeting

101 people attended general meeting!

Adoptions Tim Mornard - savannah monitor Jodi Aherns - 3-toed box turtle Randy Blasus & Marilyn Brooks - 3-toed box turtle Todd Cherveny - Burmese python Virginia Shaw Larson - Burmese python Larry Vines - Burmese python Abe Del Rio - African side-necked turtle John Levell - African side-necked turtle Michele Stillinger - African side-necked turtle AVAILABLE FOR DECEMBER: Female Burmese python Available in 2-4 months: 3 1/2 foot caiman Raffle Donors

Raffle Winners

Karin Rea Dan Bergquist Connie & John Levell Michele Stillinger Bill Moss Pet Food Warehouse

Dan Bergquist Aaron Riedel Bill Moss Larry Vines Sarah Richard Gloria Anton

Megan Strand Brian Kallhof Bruce Haig Luke Kroiss Abe Del Rio Brian Grussing Vence Jimerson

Refreshments Contact Nanette Jimerson or a board member if you would like to donate goodies for the general meeting.

Critter of the Month

(From now on Critter of the Month will be anything you want to bring!)

Bring a proper display case, clear all potentially dangerous reptiles with a board member first, this includes venomous animals! Keep animals inside their bags or cages in the meeting room at all times before and after Critter of the Month. If you must show someone ahead of time your favorite pet, go outside in the hall. This ensures some safety for the animal, too many hands and people trying to catch a glimpse can cause an accident or escape. Thanks! ***********************************************

SPECIAL NOTE!!

At last month's general meeting there was a box of free merchandise for member to take during the break. UNFORTUNATELY, there was a box of MHS merchandise (dart frog t-shirts, notecards, posters, postcards, patches) worth over $200 sitting next to that box. Needless to say, the box was empty in less than 5 minutes. Board members caught the error and asked for items to be returned. We \'lOuld like to thank all of you who gave up your supposedly great deals. Your honesty was appreciated!

MHS NEWSLETIER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 11

PAGE 3

************************************************ Board Meeting

Attending: Dan Bergquist, Randy Blasus, Marilyn Brooks, Todd & Julie Cherveny, Jake Jacobsen, Jeff LeClere, Bill Moss, Sarah Richard, Michele Stillinger, John & Connie Levell, Nancy Hakomaki.

Treasurer's Report Income for October: $666.99 Expenses for October: $1823.50 Net income of: - $1156.51 Bwnmer!

New Business Due to problems with current storage of MHS supplies at Borlaug Hall, Marilyn brought up the idea to move the general meeting to Green Hall 110. Concerns?

Comments?

Julie Cherveny proposed putting out a bi-monthly newsletter instead of monthly and supplementing it with a smaller general flyer every other month. Idea was tabled until we find out pros and cons with printing budget. Any Comments?

Michele made motion to change due date deadline for article submissions for newsletter, this will help her finish newsletter in a more timely fashion.

Motion Passed.

Randy and Marilyn will be sending out thank you letters to the suppliers that sent us merchandise for our white snake sale and raffles.

Two amendments to the MHS constitution were proposed at the board meeting.

These amendments must be voted on by all members who are present at the next election meeting held in March. The two amendments are as follows: 1)

The Immediate Past President board positions shall be limited to a one year term (the current term is up to two years if the president serves a second year). If the president is elected to a second term in office than the position of Immediate Past President will change to a Member at Large position to encourage new board members.

2)

The position of Treasurer shall become an unlimited term position. (currently the Editor is the only unlimited term position.)

Last month at the general meeting, the maintenance crew at Borlaug complained about children running around downstairs. ONCE AGAIN, please, please, keep your kids under control and in the meeting room when unsupervised regardless of age.

If we have anymore complaints, we ~lon' t have a room to meet in at all!

Coffee and goodies are to be served during the break only at meetings. Please remain seated during the speaker presentation, we are all adults and know the proper etiquette at public events. Please keep your children seated and quiet so as not to distract other members. I don't want to sound snotty but I am

MRS NEWSLETTER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 11

PAGE 4

tired of being reminded to print this in the newsletter when it is something we all should be aware of. I'm guilty of talking during meetings too, we all do it, so let's try to be more considerate. Thank-you!

There will be NO board meeting in December due to holiday party.

See insert for Holiday Party registration, return as soon as possible.

Committee Chairs!

Please total your volunteer hours!

New t-shirts are in! (see order form on back of cover)

They are selling fast!

The White Snake Sale is Coming! In February that is! Last year was our best year ever with over $800 earned for the society! This is one of our biggest fund raisers of the year and this year we have lots of NEW products from reptile companies and other businesses. T-shirts, supplies, vitamins, hot rocks, etc!

Start saving your money and any unwanted herp items.

THANKYOUS! Thanks to Todd Cherveny for donating a tape recorder to the recording secretary, Dan Bergquist. This will help Dan take better notes at the general and board meetings and let him also enjoy the speaker!

Thanks to speaker Eric Thiss for donating two books worth over $100 to the library!

Thanks to Siri Rae for donating the following original artwork to be raffled at the MHS holiday banquet in December.

SPECIAL HOLIDAY RAFFLE ITEM!

Original Artwork by MHS Artist Siri Rae! This piece (smaller than original size wi 11 be raffled at the Holiday ",c),:;< Banquet on Saturday, December 4th. For every $5 paid Banquet ticket you will receive an entry into the raffle.

MHS NEWSLETTER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 11

PAGE 5

REVIEW

by Dan Bergquist

MRS

PROGRAM

Speaker: Program:

Eric Thiss Natural History and Captive Care of Garter Snakes and Water Snakes

Why garter snakes? If you are asking yourself that question you probably did not see Eric Thiss' program on these interesting snakes. many of us know Eric as owner of Serpent's Tale, or we know him as a literal encyclopedia of knowledge on herpetology. For those in attendance at November's program, we found that his passion lies with garter snakes and water snakes. Through his travels with his business he has been fortunate to see many collections. It seemed that many people worked with certain animals for certain reasons. For numerous reasons, Eric chose Thamnophis.

Thamnophis species are probably the most underrated species commonly found in North America. They are diurnal hunters found from Alaska all the way to Costa Rica. With this large of a natural range you can imagine the diversity of this young (taxonomically) species. With the relatively fast evolution of this genera there are considerable variances in color and patterns even within species. Much of the difference in color is due to different heat absorption requirements. For example, darker specimens are sometimes found farther north due to the colder environment. The differences in color even include 12 different forms of albinism! That alone is enough to interest even the most dedicated Elaphe breeder.

Keeping them in captivity is easy enough once you understand their metabolism. Garter snakes prefer a basking spot of 95 - 98 degrees! A garter snake fed weekly will certainly be under fed!

Eric showed some beautiful slides courtesy of Barney Oldfield and Jim Gerholdt. Highlighted (in my opinion) by some great shots of albino garter snakes and a scaleless water snake owned by Eric.

At present the taxonomy of Thamnophis is, at best, confusing. on them was in 1907! There is much need for comprehensive study.

The last work

Eric rounded out the evening with questions and answers. For a subject that I hear many people mock, there were many questions and interesting comments. It is unfortunate that some people equate common with uninteresting. Hopefully this program has helped to open some minds and eyes to this fascinating creature right in our own backyards.

Dan Bergquist

MRS NEWSLETfER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 11

PAGE 6

------ - - - - -

MINNESOTA

HERPETOLOGICAL

SOCIETY

Table of Contents

Page

Upcoming Meeting Highlights

by John P. Levell MRS Business MHS Program Review

by Dan Bergquist From the President of MRS My 1993 Midwest Conference Experience

by Randy Blasus Snakes of Minnesota

by Jeff Leclere MRS Blast from the Past Book Review

by John P. Levell Articles of Interest HFYI Classifieds

2

3 6

8 9

10 12 14

16 18 19

From the Editor Next month we will be having our annual Holiday Party. This is always a great time to eat good food and have good conversation. This years speaker is Thomas Tyning (see Upcoming Meeting Highlights). We will also be having a raffle (see MHS Business). There is a party registration form included in this newsletter please return it ASAP. There are some special notes and reminders that all members should read in the MRS Business section! I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving and remember to bundle up those herps if you are taking them outside for hands-on events!

Michele

Next Newsletter Deadline:

December 3rd, 1993

*** Send all inquiries, ads, and articles directly to the editor *** MRS EDITOR 234 West George St. St. Paul, MN 55107

MRS NEWSLE1TER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER II

PAGEl

UPCOMING

MEETING

MHS

HIGHLIGHTS

December Program: The Natural History, Ecology, and Conservation of tbe Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) Speaker: Thomas Tyning Where: Room 335, Borlaug Hall, U of MN St. Paul Campus When: 7:00 pm, Friday, December 3rd, 1993 Holiday Banquet: Uncommon Behavior in Common Speaker: Thomas Tyning Where: St. Paul Student Center cafeteria When: 6:00 pm, Saturday, December 4th, 1993

The !"'li nnesota Her-petolQgi ,=al Soci et\-.' is fortunate to have Thoma.s Tyning a.s our- special 9ue~t speaker for- the month Df LH;?Cember..

A n-atur-alist I.."'li th the- t~jass2.chLlsetts AudubDn So.c:::iety·, Tam is alsD the authot- of the "Stokes Nat.ure Guide to Amphibians and Reptile£=.n published in 1990a For those unfa.milar- with this book i t should be pointed out that i t isn't a typical field guide.

Rather than trying to cover every species and subs~eci.es briefly !la.la Conant and ColI i r1S II, Tom' s 400 page bDok provi d9S E. mO~-E deta.i led accou.nt c-r 32 sp.ecies of North America's most familar- ~e-eptiles and 2.mphibia.ns ..

This highly er.joyable and infor-mativ'E book lS hat-d to put dOTJn~ and I

highly recommend

it~

meeting" Ft-ida~f December- 3ro, Tam h'il}' p~-esent a pt-ogram focusi ng on vari GUS aspects of the natut-e.l hi stor--'y' and conservation of the Timber rattlesn2ke (Crotalus horridusl ..

10m ha.=: been actively' involved in the cansl?!--'\/ation o·f timber !--at.tlers.

At the general

se·vera.l

y-ear-s and is the edi tDr of

Society's HConser-->"ation of the Timber Rattlesna.ke in the a

pub!, icatior. featu.ring papers by numerou.s

members Dan Keyler and Barney the nonherpetological

~Ot­

the r""la'3sachusett.s Aud!.J.b'::Jn a.u.tho~-s

The challenge

Oldfi~ld.

~·~c;?"-the9.st~'~

inclu.ding f'iHS ~f

cQnvinc~ng

community of the need to preserve this

potentially lethal ~eptile is a major stumbling block to any conservation effort and is particularly evident here ir Min~esota.

Hopefully., Tom \..oJill be able to enlighten u.s on dea:ting \'&Jith this pr-oblem ..

The real highl ight of the month hDt..E.~·'/"E'~- '" Holiday Ba.nquet the e-'-!E1!"1ing of S.e.t.UF02:yt~3diti~Dal

'Ipotluck

din~erl!,

of

IIUn=ommon Bena"-/i our

by

herp~tologists

tut-tle'l

10m

i n

Tom will

Com~on

t!-J~":' i.

ef~:"'?cti'·./'5:!

be the

D~ce1T:b'=t-

E.-:-;--t,;...t2_

4th~

fa'/or us with 2

Her-p=:.;;."

methc.ds of

A-fter

r-iHS the

pr~s9ntatiD~

Ir

From publicizing the Most absurd state~E~~S ~,:er to examining the origi~ cf the ~am~ snao;lng t:'?kes us on a tour- the_t. ' 5 gua'-E:,'.'f'T.t='=?cl te:- :-,.:3.'"E' -/.::1'_(

~ade

laughing ..

DonJt forget to bring along a copy of Tom Tyning·s book wnen yau' attend these prDgrams~ he'll gladly aetoQ!-ach i t fa~ yeu.

JPL. MRS NEWSLETIER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 11

PAGE 2

MRS

BUSINESS

November General Meeting

101 people attended general meeting!

Adoptions Tim Mornard - savannah monitor Jodi Aherns - 3-toed box turtle Randy Blasus & Marilyn Brooks - 3-toed box turtle Todd Cherveny - Burmese python Virginia Shaw Larson - Burmese python Larry Vines - Burmese python Abe Del Rio - African side-necked turtle John Levell - African side-necked turtle Michele Stillinger - African side-necked turtle AVAILABLE FOR DECEMBER: Female Burmese python Available in 2-4 months: 3 1/2 foot caiman Raffle Donors

Raffle Winners

Karin Rea Dan Bergquist Connie & John Levell Michele Stillinger Bill Moss路路 Pet Food Warehouse

Dan Bergquist Aaron Riedel Bill Moss Larry Vines Sarah Richard Gloria Anton

Megan Strand Brian Kallhof Bruce Raig Luke Kroiss Abe Del Rio Brian Grussing Vence Jimerson

Refreshments Contact Nanette Jimerson or a board member if you would like to donate goodies for the general meeting.

Critter of the Month

(From now on Critter of the Month will be anything you want to bring!)

Bring a proper display case, clear all potentially dangerous reptiles with a board member first, this includes venomous animals! Keep animals inside their bags or cages in the meeting room at all times before and after Critter of the Month. If you must show someone ahead of time your favorite pet, go outside in the hall. This ensures some safety for the animal, too many hands and people trying to catch a glimpse can cause an accident or escape. Thanks! ***********************************************

SPECIAL NOTE!!

At last month's general meeting there was a box of free merchandise for member to take during the break. UNFORTUNATELY, there was a box of MRS merchandise (dart frog t-shirts, notecards, posters, postcards, patches) worth over $200 sitting next to that box. Needless to say, the box was empty in less than 5 minutes. Board members caught the error and asked for items to be returned. We would like to thank all of you who gave up your supposedly great deals. Your honesty was appreciated!

~.

MRS NEWSLETfER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 11

PAGE 3

************************************************ Board Meeting

Attending: Dan Bergquist, Randy Blasus, Marilyn Brooks, Todd & Julie Cherveny, Jake Jacobsen, Jeff LeClere, Bill Moss, Sarah Richard, Michele Stillinger, John & Connie Levell, Nancy Hakomaki.

Treasurer's Report Income for October: $666.99 Expenses for October: $1823.50 Net income of: - $1156.'51 Bummer!

New Business Due to problems with current storage of MHS supplies at Borlaug Hall, Marilyn brought up the idea to move the general meeting to Green Hall 110. Concerns?

Comments?

Julie Cherveny proposed putting out a bi-monthly newsletter instead of monthly and supplementing it with a smaller general flyer every other month. Idea was tabled until we find out pros and cons with printing budget. Any Comments?

Michele made motion to change due date deadline for article submissions for newsletter, this will help her finish newsletter in a more timely fashion.

Motion Passed.

Randy and Marilyn will be sending out thank you letters to the suppliers that sent us merchandise for our white snake sale and raffles.

Two amendments to the MRS constitution were proposed at the board meeting.

These amendments must be voted on by all members who are present at the next election meeting held in March. The two amendments are as follows: 1)

The Immediate Past President board positions shall be limited to a one year term (the current term is up to two years if the president serves a second year). If the president is elected to a second term in office than the position of Immediate Past President will change to a Member at Large position to encourage new board members.

2)

The position of Treasurer shall become an unlimited term position. (currently the Editor is the only unlimited term position.)

Last month at the general meeting, the maintenance crew at Borlaug complained about children running around downstairs. ONCE AGAIN, please, please, keep your kids under control and in the meeting room when unsupervised regardless of age.

If we have anymore complaints, we won't have a room to meet in at all!

Coffee and goodies are to be served during the break only at meetings. Please remain seated during the speaker presentation, we are all adults and know the proper etiquette at public events. Please keep your children seated and quiet so as not to distract other members. I don't want to sound snotty but I am

'>-1:>

MHS NEWSLEITER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 11

PAGE 4

tfred of being reminded to print this in the newsletter when it is something we all should be aware of. I'm guilty of talking during meetings too, we all do it, so let's try to be more considerate. Thank-you!

There will be NO board meeting in December due to holiday party.

See insert for Holiday Party registration, return as soon as possible.

Committee Chairs!

Please total your volunteer hours!

New t-shirts are in! (see order form on back of cover)

They are selling fast!

The White Snake Sale is Coming! In February that is! Last year was our best year ever with over $800 earned for the society! This is one of our biggest fund raisers of the year and this year we have lots of NEW products from reptile companies and other businesses. T-shirts, supplies, vitamins, hot rocks, etc!

Start saving your money and any unwanted herp items.

THANKYOUS! Thanks to Todd Cherveny for donating a tape recorder to the recording secretary, Dan Bergquist. This will help Dan take better notes at the general and board meetings and let him also enjoy the speaker!

Thanks to speaker Eric Thiss for donating two books worth over $100 to the library!

Thanks to Siri Rae for donating the following original artwork to be raffled at the MHS holiday banquet in December.

SPECIAL HOLIDAY RAFFLE ITEM! Original Artwork by MRS Artist Siri Rae! This piece (smaller than original size will be raffled at the Holiday Banquet on Saturday, December 4th. For every $5 paid Banquet ticket you will receive an entry into the raffle.

MRS NEWSLEITER VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 11

PAGES

REVIEW

by Dan Bergquist

MRS

PROGRAM

Speaker: Program:

Eric Thiss Natural History and Captive Care of Garter Snakes and Water Snakes

Why garter snakes? If you are asking yourself that question you probably did not see Eric Thiss' program on these interesting snakes. many of us know Eric as owner of Serpent's Tale, or we know him as a literal encyclopedia of knowledge on herpetology. Fpr those in attendance at November's program, we found that his passion lies with garter snakes and water snakes. Through his travels with his business he has been fortunate to see many collections. It seemed that many people worked with certain animals for certain reasons. For numerous reasons, Eric chose Thamnophis.

Thamnophis species are probably the most underrated species commonly found in North America. They are diurnal hunters found from Alaska all the way to Costa Rica. With this large of a natural range you can imagine the diversity of this young (taxonomically) species. With the relatively fast evolution of this genera there are considerable variances in color and patterns even within species. Much of the difference in color is due to different heat absorption requirements. For example, darker specimens are sometimes found farther north due to the colder environment. The differences in color even include 12 different forms of albinism! That alone is enough to interest even the most dedicated Elaphe breeder.

Keeping them in captivity is easy enough once you understand their metabolism. Garter snakes prefer a basking spot of 95 - 98 degrees! A garter snake fed weekly will certainly be under fed!

Eric showed some beautiful slides courtesy of Barney Oldfield and Jim Gerholdt. Highlighted (in my opinion) by some great shots of albino garter snakes and a scaleless water snake owned by Eric.

At present the taxonomy of Thamnophis is, at best, confusing. on them was in 1907! There is much need for comprehensive study.

The last work

Eric rounded out the evening with questions and answers. For a subject that I hear many people mock, there were many questions and interesting comments. It is unfortunate that some people equate common with uninteresting. Hopefully this program has helped to open some minds and eyes to this fascinating creature right in our own backyards.

Dan Bergquist

">1\

MHS NEWSLEITER VOLUME XIII NUMBER 11

PAGE 6

I~t~~~=ti~g F~ct= ~~d Hi~t= ~b~~t G~~t~~ W~t~~ S~~k~=

&

(From Eric's lecture)

There are 2 species of garter snakes in Minnesota: The Eastern red-sided garter - this is the one we most commonly see.

The plains garter - bolder tiger stripes. on sides of face, horizontal body stripe higher up on side from ,ventral scales then the eastern red-sided.

Down around Fort Meyers Florida there is a colony of red mangrove water snakes which is the only colony of predominately red pigmented snakes in the US. These snakes are a solid brick red with no other markings.

Only two species of snakes have ever survived being born with no scales, (they do have ventral scales) a Linheimer's rat snake and a water snake like the one Eric owns. These animals have trouble shedding, and their shed is soft and velvety like a gecko's skin.

Garter snakes will eat food other than fish and amphibians. are kept warm enough, they will eat anything.

If fact, if they

Due to their high metabolism, garter snakes need to eat the whole time they are gravid or they will reabsorb their young or give birth to dead babies.

** Eric stressed the importance of multiple males and multiple females in all snakes to help stimulate breeding. **

<;j',

MRS NEWSLETIER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 11

PAGE 7

A National Herpetological Alliance A new association was formed at the Midwestern Herpetological conference on October 24th, 1993. While other conference attendees were partaking of roundtable workshops, 17 representatives from state herp societies and the AFH, met to try to lay the foundation upon which to build a National Herpetological Alliance.

The Primary goal of the Alliance is to protect the rights and represent the interests of individuals to maintain, breed and sell reptiles and amphibians in a responsible manner. been scheduled for February to try to work out method of governance, funding, etc. It will obviously and just as obviously it is one that needs to be have a voice, in how herpetocu1ture is to be legislated. be available in March.

Another meeting has incorporation, by-laws, be a major undertaking, undertaken if we are to More information should

Jake Jacobsen President, MHS

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MHS NEWSLETIER

VOLUME XIII NUMBER 11

PAGE 8

My

1993

Midwestern Conference

By R. Blasus

Experience

Anticipation? Being that this was t.o be only my second conference and my first out of state one, my excitEj'ment level should have been high.

Instead it was just barely above comatoSt~.

I was, however, much more enthused and relieved to be leaving work and its associated stress behind. Even the drive to Des Moines failed to provide the needed inspiration for what was to come (not too surprising, aft.er all it was in Iowa, corn country you know). My driving partner, however, fairly vibrated in her car seat exuding excitement in palpable waves.

She tended to utter lots of "Oh8! and ahsl" leaving me feeling quite ¡left. out and somewhat amused at her fervor.

Upon arrival we went througll the process of registration and procuring a room and sustenance~ All rather mundane tasks and generally dull.

It seemed my mood began only to change around the time we entered the swap meet.

About that time I spotted a juvenile Redfooted tortoise (now known as Littlefoot).

The rest is a blur. One thing I do remember was my partner spotting a lizard; the next thing I knew I was left holding an empty wallet and feeling somewhat dazed.

This, however, could not compare to what transpired Saturday.

I could barely contain myself and rushed tllrough breakfast in order to be prepared for the days activities. The talks were all fascinating; so I spent most of the day engrossed in them and felt surrounded by an atmosphere of herpetology.

I was inspired by talks on the future of herpetoculture, propagation and husbandry of: Chelonians, Pythons, Bearded Dragons, and even Fire Salamanders.

Also ,included was a talk on Iowas' herpetofauna; an interesting tour of the state even to a tree lover like me. Each fascinating episode led to the next until suddenly, we were on our own. The day seemed to have slipped through my fingers.

Yet to come, though, was the featured speaker and before that the banquet. This segment topped all the rest by a mile. The banquet provided a perfect time to sit and rehash the days events. There I was able to meet new people and to put faces to some of the famous names I had heard of. After just satiating my appetite for food l the speaker entered to do the same to my int.erest.

I watched in fascination as he displayed two of the largest and most gorgeous animals I'd ever seen! Although, by sitting in the front row, I saw a little too much of the American Alligator. At this high point the evening began to wind down slowly with the last event being a social hour in the hospitality room.

I soon bowed out and walked sleepily to the room leaving the crowd behind. I slept well that night, with a faint smile on my lips, as I dreamed of turtles, frogs & lizards-oh my!

Sunday, to me, was a day of rest and preparation for the trip back.

For others it was another day of herps. There seemed to be a good turnout for the workshops.

I didn't attend any, more for lack of consciollsIless then by deliberation.

Everyone I talked to seemed to find the workshops to be lively and very inl::erest,ing discussions, cont:rary to their expectations.

For those interested in biology there was also an in depth look via dissection of a boid (I skipped this part also) .

As we were leaving, I found myself already planning for next year.

Thinking, 'I need to bring more money'. Yeah! 'I'll be ready, in fact, I didn't even unpack. Heck, it can't be too early, can it?

(As an aside, Minnesota had about 22 people attending.

Next year 1 t will be in Kansas City, Missouri October 14, 15,&1F.. M0YP ~nf', â&#x20AC;˘...-ill come later.)

">I,

MRS NEWSLETIER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 11

PAGE 9

Lined Snake

(Tropidoclonion lineatum linea tum)

Description This snake resembles a colorless garter snake. It measures 8 - 10 inches in length and is non-venomous. There is little variation wi thin this species so identification is easy. there is a light (almost always white) stripe running down the center of the back. There are also two more stripes, one running down each side of the snake. These may be very dirty white or absent. There are usually some small dark brown spots between the dorsal and lateral stripes. The ground color is gray or dark brown. The belly is plain white with a double row of bold black half moons running down the center of the belly. Sometimes there is a light yellow stripe running down the belly over the top of the half moons. The moons still retain the pure black color however.

The scales are keeled and the anal plate is single.

Subspecies Until recently there were three subspecies of lined snake recognized: Northern, Central, and Texan. The Northern subspecies occurs nearest Minnesota. The subspecies were separated by the number of ventral scales. The lined snake is now considered one species.

Range The lined snake has a very restricted range in Minnesota. It only occurs in Rock County, MN. This small, disjunct population is surviving fairly well, however, care must be taken i f this species is to flourish. Many lined snakes may have crossed the border from South Dakota or Iowa causing a small population, or the existing population may be a remnant of a larger population depleted by habitat destruction. Whatever the case, this snake's status should be changed from special concerned to endangered. If you find a lined snake, please report it to the DNR! Habitat The lined snake is generally found in the same habitat as the brown snake. Prairies, woodland edges, and even city lots are utilized.

Habits This snake is largely nocturnal, spending most of their days rocks, boards, logs, or some other cover. this snake is inoffensive not bite or expel a lot of musk when handled. It hibernates in rock mammal burrows, or in city basements. It breeds in autumn. The 5 are born alive the following fall and are about 3 inches long.

Food

under and does piles, 10 young

Soft bodied insects and earthworms.

Care This snake is easy to take care of. A 10 gallon tank or similar enclosure with newspaper, indoor/outdoor carpet, sphagnum moss, foam, soil, or aspen shavings will work.

They are not fussy about food. Their favorite food (in both nature and the terrarium) is earthworms. They will not eat a lot at one feeding, so feed them frequently (every other day or so) to keep their weight up. If they do not eat try feeding them at night when they are roaming about their cage. This, plus a little misting, worked well with my Nebraska specimens. Because of these observations, I assume that they hunt at night after the mist falls and catch the worms that come to the surface. make sure they always have water available to them.

-A',

MRS NEWSLETTER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 11

PAGE 10

A light or ventral heat can run for 8 - 10 hours a day and can be turned off at night. You will not need both a light and bottom heat, but make sure the temp. is in the upper 80's.

Breeding is a little difficult with these snakes. These two tips may help: Hibernate these snakes at a higher _temperature (high 50's low 60"s) for a longer period of time and give them plenty of cover when you place the pair together.

The pair should be placed together in autumn (they breed during this time, that is why you will find FAR more lined snakes in the fall than any other time of the year) and the young are born alive in August. The young will eat small earthworms.

Lined Snake

References: Breckenridge, W.J. (1944) Reptiles and Amphibians of Minnesota Conant, Roger (1975) A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America

">I"

MRS NEWSLETIER VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 11

PAGE 11

MRS

B L A S T FROM THE P A S T by Michele Stillinger

MHS Blast From The Past is a look back on the past accomplishments and contributions of MHS members.

This month I decided to print an article that was in the MHS newsletter Volume VII #6, June 1987. I want to stress that while the MHS does not promote the keeping of venomous reptiles, we do realize some of our me~bers do have them.

We hope that they are taking all precautIons necessary to Insure theIr safety.

The following article gave some very helpful "rules" that every venomous anImal keeper should follow.

GUIDELINES FOR VENOMOUS HERPS by Brint Spencer The May M.H.S. meeting focused on venomous herps and several members brought a variety of specimens for the critter of the month. M.H.S. does not recommend that its members keep venomous herps, but it does recognize that there is a certain fascination for some of these animals. When maintaining路 any animal in captivity, the keeper has an obligation to provide the proper food and housing for his charges. With venomous (or any dangerous) animals, there is an additional liability to safeguard your family and neighbors as well as yourself and the animal. The following is a set of general guidelines for maintaining venomous animals, several of which are common sense and can be applied equally to nonvenomous animals as well.

THE WORK AREA: 1)

Naintain a safe work area - keep debris picked up and put away. You should give yourself plenty of space in which to move around.

2)

Use Locks - All cag.es containing venomous animals should be locked. The room should also be locked. This prevents anybody - especially children - from wandering into the room.

3)

Label the cages - All cages should be labeled with the type of snake inside.

If possible, keep only one snake per cage. If you do have more than one snake in a cage (i.e. breeding), be sure to list the type of snake as well as the number of individuals in the cage.

4)

Proper cage placement reduce the likelihood you want to keep them work with them. This move quickly.

5)

No escape routes - The room should be snake escape proof and without clutter.

Shelves, bookcases and overhead pipes are excellent places for snakes to disappear.

6)

Emergency lights - Emergency lights should serve two (2) functions. First, a light should come on immediately in the event of a power failure. You don't want to be caught in the dark with a venomous snake on a hook. Second, you should have a hand held flashlight (preferably a rechargeable one) available so you can check your snakes if the lights have gone off.

MHS NEWSLETrER~' VOLUME XIII

- Do not keep venomous snakes in high cages. This will of a snake sliding down the hook onto your hand. Nor do in cages low enough that you have to kneel or crouch to puts you in an awkward position if you should have to

NUMBER 11

PAGE 12

WORKING WITH THE SNAKES: 1)

NO ALCOHOL - First and foremost, snakes and alcohol Host venomous snake bites occur when the person has reflexes and coordination are impaired. The alcohol of a snakebite, making diagnosis and treatment more

2)

Be alert - As a corollary, do not work with venomous animals if you are tired, sick or upset. The water pan can wait a day to be changed.

3)

Avoid distractions - While the radio may be nice background, do not let it become a distraction. Personal headsets can be dangerous in that they will eliminate ambient sounds (a warning rattle). Television or a conversation can also be a distraction.

4)

Do not work snakes during severe weather - Snow storms or thunderstorms can impede needed medical response by slowing down the ambulance or by taking down phone and power lines.

5)

Do not ,;ark snakes during rush hour - You don't want to try and get to the hospital as thousands of other people are going to work. (At the Zoo, our venomous are handled between 8:30 to 3:30.)

6)

Do not work alone - Since you can not predict what your reaction to a bite will be (shock, panic, faint) there should be somebody near by to assist if you are bitten.

7)

Open your cage with a snake hook - This will keep you a safe distance away.

8)

Be careful with your "other" hand - A hook in your dominent hand should keep it a safe distance from the snake, but be careful that your "other" hand doesn't stray into striking range. This can be done by giving that hand a hook' also, or by putting it into your back pants pocket.

9)

Know the source of antivenom - Be sure to know where the closest anti venom is for any snake you maintain. Remember, antlvenom is to be administered by a physician. Do not keep anti venom at home and plan to treat yourself.

10)

(or drugs) do not mix! been drinking. Your masks some of the symptoms difficult.

Have a snakebite procedure - You should have a written plan of what to do if you are bitten. Who is to be called (and the telephone numbers) and how you are going to get to the hospital. Keep a list of emergency phone numbers near your phone.

Keeping venomous animals is an aspect of herpetology that does not, and should not, appeal to most people. It should not be an off the cuff decision based on seeing a pretty snake. There are serious ramifications to keeping or handling dangerous animals improperly.

Keeping venomous snakes does not necessarily imply that a person is a better herper than somebody who does not. It should, however, mean that they are more careful.

<0;\',

MHS NEWSLETTER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 11

PAGE 13

BOOK REVIEW: FLATTENED FAUNA - A

Fi~ld

Roads s Streets, and Highways.

Rog~r

Berkeley, Re\.Fie~-ved

California ..

By:

John P ...

By

Guide to Commen

M. KnutsonD 1987 SoftcDver $5.17'58

4~lma15

1~r

of

Pre53;

S3e~~

Levell

Dead animals found on roads (roadkill)

~h9

are one of

v~lu3~lE

mast

:·ources of i nformatLon on any area' =- het-petofE.un.e..~ ThE:i mooJ~tance e:f roadkill is cleat-Iy evident to anyDne ~...,;.ho has evet- hE'.G the oppurtuni ty to check the DNH·'~. 1 oeal i ty data on =:.nEtkes ~ 3.£. e2.si 1 f 90;~ of all their snake records represent DOR (Dead on FDad) speCime'lSL In light of the above~ i t can be easily' seen th:9.t i-!= : t ~"-'.~,sn't fo! .... dead snakes the DNR would probably assume thet-e ';.~.!el-e -f~~~J if af"'.Y sl1a.kes in the state at all.

One of the problems confronting would be roadway herpepetciogtsts ho\.""ever,

is

hO~J

mishm2,~h

to r-eliably and quickly identif)/ the

of

smeshed critters populating our nation's highways.

B9sides thE time and difficulty inherent in trying to identify a specimen t~at ha~ been repeatedly pressed into the pavement, road cruising ~2~pers arE faced with the time consuming task of Etopping fo~ a~l the va~jDus other pieces of road pizza lrJhich are a,ctua.11'Y· bird=.~ in3~IT'.i:3.ls, C':-t,---Jorse yet, not ani mal 5 at all.

Some type of CO!'TV::!f~l?r_er~si V~ ':;;;lcd de- t-o h~lp sort out this mess woul'd be extremely help~ul.

Rog~r

Knutson~s

great l i t t l e book,

the right direction.

]!~13ttened

Fsun2 11

After introducing us to the

!

~

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3te~

wond~~5

:n

of the

road\,"J3.y habitat in chapter- one and describing the vct'-ic:;_,"s meth=ro=. cf

resea!"'"cni ng flattened fauna

~

n chapter

tv-.iD ~

f::::-lU-':'~~:o

1"11'-.

gets ri

gh~.

~:'D

the heart of the matter, the flattened ~~una itself.

Each 3f ~hE four rernainfng chapters is devoted to an individual anim31 g~QUP~ two of which a.re of major inter-est to herpet.olDgists. ~Road

Snakesl!

'I

CO"-lers some of

er:coL'_nt-E'-f~C~

the mast commoni. y

f 1 a.l:T:.-=:T""E,j

species, while the fourth chapter, "Legged Reptiles a~d Amphibis~sl:~ details the various road toads, turtles, 2nd even alligators scattered along our interstates, county highways! city st~~etE~ ~tc.

Handy illustrations of completely comp~-es-=-erj e~{?-.'Tlpl~~. O-r- ''"!2.f<'\: ,...-,+ t.hese animals are inclu.ded, and the chaq{:eTs 'In t-ird~. 3.f1d m:::tmc,3.:-:= include th~SE also.

While these final two chap~9~s !11RoEd Bi~d3:' s.no

liRoad Nammals") may .3.p;:J:ear t.o be of li"-:."t:le ir:t~r-~~t t.c ~ss:.t I found them to be extl--emely Lise+L!.l~ B'..' C3.;·-~+L;':'

heri:cet.ologi~.ts,

studing the

illu.stt~2.tions

of flattenec bir-,j,= and

able to identify most of these

type~

D~

59·\1':;:·::9 me the time of

having to stop

A sample '!Death List"

and a bibliography

S.l!'='

enimal~

fi!2..ff'if:-'?l.5,_

whil~

.=b,:::ck ee.,::h ~Dund

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3JT,

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I

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VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 11

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MRS NEWSLETTER

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PAGE 14

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pulverized

~n

\路/er-'j

DU~

need

for-

Identiiing 311 thE va~isus reptil~s ard amphibians roads ~nnually would easily fill 3 volt~me three

inorganic herp look-3-1i~e5 litter our highways. irfa~o~s Fan-b91t Snake (Lam?ropeltiE autobelticus)~ the Radiator ~ose Sna~e iSnakus fakes ~ubberi), and the Tire TrE3d Tur~le (Tr~ade~~ps goodys&ri).

Help in sortirg these out would b~ most greetly aprreciated by most he~petalogiEts and should be included l r Until such a guide book is published

tJ

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QIAICK,GO fiND S6M~ Vw1ll311JRKfV fol\ 1111$

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-..\',

MRS NEWSLETIER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 11

PAGE 15

·

A:rt.i=l~s

The following is an article submitted by member Dan Bergquist from VaraNews.

I11III

Reproductive Notes ..........................

Reproductive Notes on the Black Roughneck Monitor Lizard (Varanus rudicollis GRAY, 1845)

The sole fertile egg \\-as incubated ,-It L1 temperature of2S-:12 C ( I lCI ,,·lth humidit\- kept at SO-9LJ",. .-\ttl'r 1\.)3 days, the e~g \\'c1::- opened tn find a fulh formed neonate \\-ith a malfnrmed ~pincl1 cl11umr~,

Kno\\'n for their e'\tensi\-e experience in the c,lptin::' repfl1duction of monitor lizards, H.-G. Horn and G. Visser offer most of the information in the follo"'ing t,1ble: Varanus rudicollis Reproductive Events O.91~

Dec 92 \984-1991

V. rudicolfi::. home range includes Burnhl, Indonesia, M<li,lya, Philippinl' 5, SUn1<ltr.l and Th<lil<lnd. This

"pecies is arboreal ,mel primarily in:"cctin)f01l5 feeding upon termitL':" beetles ,~nd pus~ibly worms (Abdul, Ptc'fS. cnmm.; Sprackl,lndJ. .-\::-. \\"ith most \',lfclnids, they dbo,enjoy bird egg>.* Li\'ing in pnmary clnd secondary forest, the roughneck comes inh) Ie . . " contact with people than tlther monitors, riwrl' i,:- only Olll' recorded ca~e \\'hl'll they ha\'e been l'IlCl)Unterl'd b:-' rangl'rs in \lala:'..;,i,~ L·\bduL pers. comm.). DestructilwI llf their n,~ti\'t.' h,lhitat ,1ppe,ns t(l be the greatest threat tl) their sUf\'iyal in thl' \\·ild.

The reproductin:, behd\'ior of the roughl1l'ck llH)nitnr is unknown in its nati\"!::, hclbit,lt. In c<lpti\'ih', there ha\"t~ been a handful of recorded reprodtlcti\'l' l'\'l'lltS. The Fort Worth Zoo (F\\·ZI had d single tcm.1lc I.,,· clutches of eggs from lq8-l to 1991, of which l)nh' "one from a !vial' 1988 clutch \\',1S fertile. Eggs \\'crl' l.;id in July 1986, No\·cmber 1986, August 1987, Deccmbcr 1987, ,lnd June 1991 dnd \\'ere deposited in \',1[ilHI::' locations, including the \\"clter, a hollo\\' log, and lln the Hoor of the exhibit \\'here-- the female cO\'ered the eggs with gra\'el (\lehaffey, pers, comm., ~lay 1Q88), The diameter of the eggs ranged -l7.R-32,3 mm.

6

1

Incubation Time (days)

Egg Dimensions !nformatlon W0I'f (mm) Source

15 193

60 x 36 50x-

58 x 32

4

Mark K. Bayless

The bl<lCk roughneck, or Harll1quin, monitor \'vas initi2!l!y discovered by Jl)hn E. Cray (1StI O - 1875) in 1845. Almost a centurY and a half later, there is still r('l~lti\'ely little kno\\'I~ nf thi-:; 'pccie;s natuf.li historv, its nati\'c habitat and reproduction beha\·ior. .

Clutch Size

Jan 81

16(5) 13(5)

180-184

Bay!ess. EBV Mehaffey FVlJZ : Horn Visser '91 : Horn Visser '91, Horn Petters

The si\. eggs laid at the Lbt Sa\" \'iyarium {El3\-\ in Bcrkele\·, CA were dep0o'ited t;\· a -10.6 em S\·L (83.8 cm tclil) housed in ,111 cncll~sure .J'Ax7ft. kept at ,1 temperature range between 82-90F. She Wole-: !wu...;ed with two other females ('If similar size. The l'gg.s \"l're kept at 83'\) humidih' in a 1:1 ,,-ater /YermiculitL> mixture, ,\fter 13 da~'~ of incub,ltioll, only t\\'O of the ::-:.i\ appeared good. ;'\ fe\\' days later, the~e bst t\\'o ::-,poiled as \\'ell. ' In lYSL a wild-cclught tt:m,lie I,lid 13 egg.s. TIll' :=; d,lble eggs were kept at 2~-1()C (-/. Ie) and \\'\:'rl' sprayed daily i11clintainll1g lUO"" hurnidih -\t'tl'r ISl1lK-l: :iays, fin:, h{ltchlin,~:, l'merged from their l'gg-:-., Their length f<1.nged bet\\'L'L'n 23.S-2t-\C1l1 ,md \\'l'i"ht ,,'as between 19.--l-21.6 t2;. There i~ not much d,lt,l'-' ,1yailable on the hc1tchli~gs, c

•

I wish to extend nl:' thank.s tl) Doug '\It.'h,lt'fc\ Jltd Jclsmi Bin Abdul Mid the :,taff of the East B<l\ ViYarium for their hl'ip Il1 preparation of th;~ _lrtkk. .. Tht.'s~' Me typiccl11y it.:rtik' ,ittt.:n ~'.nti,l!!y dl'\ l'I\iF'l'~i \:i-')-';:-,mel lltter much nlllre l~utnt:\lnJ! thew the unfl'rtlli..-'t"jl"T"" f(lund in the fll\ld ... h'r,,' -..-' Bibliography Horn. H"G, & G, Petters '982 3eltrage zur bloigle des Rauhnackenwarans Va~aru5 2endrovaranus) rudicoills Gr3', iReptilia.Sauna.Varanldae' Salar--afldra 18,29-40 Horn, H.-G. & G. Visser 199' 'BaSIC jata on the biology c,' ,,- _" MertenSle!la No, 2:176-187 Sprackland R 1992 G!an! ~Z3'-:::S T~H Pub 288pp

::);$

~,

MRS NEWSLETIER VOLUME XIII NUMBER 11

PAGE 16

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Qti§4i4i 'i41 11 1hfi/illYI 1

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'.i,~ 3'€- a~;"ec ~c Ud\ Tor

~\.Inrr,p;",,: ~-~j

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;hecall

hlte-U·HoatE.-d 'dlbrgulartSI Beri\ele\. c.o\ 9-F03

1UIlit'n.'//

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\\

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L -\ .;(: i

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'-',,1

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In these pages ...

Articles appearing in Varanews represent the opinions and experiences of the respective authors. Though best efforts are made to insure accuracy of contents, the reader must recognize that the majority of available infonnation is based on individual persona! experiences and therefore difficult to verify.

The _ is well-advised to evaluate everything heard and read, regardless of the source. Consult as many references as possible and never attempt any husbandry technique that is unfamiliar or you are not confident you are capable of perfOiming. This is especially true of medical

procedures or when sakty (monitor, petSOIIdl and public) is involved. If you read something in these pages you do not understand, question, or can add to, you are urged to respond for the benefit of other readers.

Reprinting parts of Varanews .•• ThecontentsofVarane'WS mayberepnx:iuced for inclusion the newsletters of herpetological societies with the tol lowing provisions; the material is reproduced without change, appropriate credits are given, arl;d a copy ofthe publication is sent to Varanix_

~. in

~ reprinting parts of this newsletter,

you are

re:quested to maintain the tJriWnaI context Tbis is ~Iy imporl;mt when the topic indudes discussion of unfortunate expenences or how not to do something. (Taken out of context, a ~'how-not-to-do" may be interpreted as a "how-to-do",) When submitting part of Varanews for reprint in another publication, please include a copy of this page.

further our understanding of Varanidae. The goal of these efforts ;s to improve their chances of surv;va/, both in captivity and in the wild.

'>'I',

MRS NEWSLETrER VOLUME XIII NUMBER 11

PAGE 17

路 H FY I

Herpetological For Your Information

HFYI is a listing of herp related information, products, trips, expeditions, classes and other items of interest for herp enthusiasts.

CONSERVATION AWARDS The Chevron-Times Mirror Magazines Conservation Awards is a recognition program to honor outstanding contribution to the conservation of natural resources in North America. Winners will receive $2,000 and be honored at a dinner in Washington DC. Due date is December 31st. Contact Michele 224-7212 if you want more information or a copy of guidelines.

NEW PRODUCTS The Ophidian Herpetological Network is a computer bulletin board for herp enthusiasts. 300-2400 BPS, 24 hours, 8+N+l Phone (602) 468-9860.

HERP-NET BBS, is a computer bulletin board with the subject of herpetology as the main interest. Contributors are from allover the country. All you need to participate is a computer, a modern and communication software. The #'s are (215) 698-1905 - for 9600 baud or higher and (215) 464-3562 for 2400 baud moderns. If you have questions you can call Bill Moss at 488-1383 and he'll try to get you set up.

MHS PRODUCT HIGHLIGHT MHS has two new t-shirt designs (see below). The iguana is on black with bright green and yellow colors, the turtles are on a white shirt with multiple colors.

Both t-shirts have the MHS turtle logo on the sleeve. See back of this newsletter for order form or pick one up at the general meeting.

漏1993l~O

~,

MHS NEWSLETIER VOLUME XIII

NUMBER II

PAGE 18

C 1 a . s s i:E i

ed

Ads

1.0.0 = male, 0.1.0 = female, 0.0.1 = ???

fOB SALE: 0,0,20 red &white candy cane corns x snow corns, $25, 0,0,7 Okatee's $15, Just in time for X-mas, David 612-444-9775, 1,0 Florida blue eastern garter snake, $15, 1,1,0 Western hognose snakes, $100 pr, 1,0 yearling black ratsnake, $35, Call Nancy or Dav 536-9783 days, 1.0 Albino banded Cal king,

pinkish - lavander, with bright yellow bands, $100, Call Becky evenings at 612-699-8031, 0,1,0 common Okatee corn, 3 yr old, $35, 0,0,1 red albino corn, 3 yr old $45, Glass lab mouse cages, gravity feed with water bottles, size for 4 mice, $4 each, Call David at 612-444-9775, 1,0 Sonoran gopher snake, $40" ,0,0,1 savanah monitor, 3 ft" $100,00, Call Jodi at 552-1545, 1,1 Burmese pythons, both 8 ft, $400,00 pr, or best offer, 1.1 Peruvian red-tailed boas, F-4 ft, M-2 ft, $850,00 or best offer, Lisa (612) 895-0m, 1,1 Ball pythons, captive bred, 30", $135,00 pr. Call Jeremy at (612) 871-1244, Feeder Rabbits, $1,50 lb, Crickets, 50 cents a doz, Call Dan 487 -3258,

2,1 Bimini boas (Epicrates striatus iosteri), make offer.

1,0 Columbian rainbow boa, $150, Call Greg at 612-533-7723, Captive bred snakes at affordable prices, Delivery at MHS meetings available, Send stamp for 1993 price list. Plains Reptile, P,O, Box 5818, Fargo, NO 58105, (701) 241-9742,

MRS NEWSLEITER VOLUME XIII

1,15 Brazilian rainbow boas (Epicrates cenchria cenchria) C,B, '93 - $225, 6,7 Columbian rainbow boas (Epicrates cenchria maurus) C,B, '93 - $95, 1.1 D'Albert's pythons (Liasis albertisi) C,B, '92 - $400,00 pr, Can deliver to the Twin Cities, Contact Mark or Kathy Wendling at (319) 857-4787, Veiled chameleons, $100, Boas, $75, Ball pythons, $40, Green Iguanas, $25, Niles, $50, Tokay Geckcs, $15, Cages, heat tape & misc accessories, Contact Hans at 1715) 425-8888,

BOA SURVEY: Please write for my questionaire on Boa constrictor reproduction, Even if your animals have not reproduced, please respond if they are least 4 yrs old and have had the opportunity, In return for a completed survey you will receive a chart showing the subspecies, their scale counts and range, William Joy, P,O, Box 821433, Dallas, TX 75382-1433, INTERNET: 72223,220@COMPUSERVE,COM

Solomon Island boas, Candoia carinata paulsoni, 18 months to 3 year juveniles, All captive bred and feeding well on dead mice, Price: $75,00 - $150,00, Unrelated pair 13 yrs, old) available, $300,00, Call Steph Porter (612) 690-2589, st. Paul, MN, IIAHTED

Casque-headed horned tree frogs (Hemiphractus probiscideus) or monkey tree frogs, would also like to exchange infor on red eye tree frogs, true chameleons, solomon island skinks, Call Corey Lewellyn 1414) 235-8605, Butterfly Agama - will trade, Call Nancy or Dav at 536-9783 days, Hamster habitat or cage, good condition, cheap! Call Becky at 699-8031 evenings, All the shed snakes skins in the world, always, to use at hands-on programs, Bob Duerr 541-9417, !fISC:

SNAKE SKINS TANNED, Call Jane for more info at 724-7437,

NUMBER 11

PAGE 19

MHS Classified Ads

All proceeds from the sales of MHS merchandise and donated items goes towards the operating costs of the society such as; speaker fees, books for the library, herp related charitable donations, newsletter printing, etc. MHS is a non profit organization and is volunteer run.

Rat and Mice Sales MICE Pinkies - $6.00 Fuzzies - $6.00 Adults - $9.00

doz. doz. doz.

RATS Pups - $10.00 doz.

Adults - $12.00 for six $24.00 doz.

Orders taken by Terry Scheiber only!

Must be made at least one week before the general meeting where they will be delivered.

Phone:

(612) 440-7482

*****

Mice and rats must be purchased by the dozen except for adult rats which can be purchase in allotments of six. Rat pinkies unavailable.

*****

Cage Sales Cages come pre-built but unfinished with the following; laminate interior, hinged mitered door, glass window, latch, incandescent light fixture and cord. A 7.5 watt bulb will be included. Some cages are available for immediate purchase at the meetings.

***

MHS does not take responsibility for any injuries to animal if purchaser uses a higher wattage bulb or other hardware.

Specifications

***

I x w x h

small: large:

24 x 18 x 12 48 x 18 x 18

$ 50 $ 75

Misc MHS also offers an assortment of other herp related items for sale at the general meeting. These include: Books MHS stickers, decals Posters MHS buttons Note cards Bumper stickers T -shirts, several styles Look for sales of MHS merchandise and items at the far right hand side of the meeting room. Items will be for sale during the break and before and after the meeting if time permits. Please have sales final before the meeting begins so as not to disrupt the meeting proceedings.

MHS NEWSLETTER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 11

PAGE 20

CLASSIFIED AD INSTRUCTIONS: Ads are run as a free service to paid members.

MRS takes NO responsibility for legality or health of animal advertised here. Ads may be run for three consecutive months at which time ads rna y be re-submitted. The editor reserves the right to omit ads when space is limited so as to allow all members a chance to advertise. Size of ad is limited to four (4) typed lines or one (I) standard size business card. DEADLINE for all newsletter items is one week before the general meeting.

NON MEMBER & EXPANDED SIZE ADS: Line ads:$.10 per word.

Business Cards: $5.00 per month.

Three or more months One month only $7.50 per month Quarter page ads: $10.00 per month $15.00 per month Half page .ads: $20.00 per month $25.00 per month Full page ads: $40.00 per month

Six or more months $5.00 per month $10.00 per month $15.00 per month

Send all newsletter items to: Minnesota Herpetological Society Newsletter Editor, 234 West George Street, St. Paul, MN 55107.

MEMBERSHIP AND T-SHIRT ORDER FORM MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY NAME(S) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ADDRES~~

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___

CITY _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ PHONE ___________________________

STATE _ _ __

ZIP CODE

LIST IN MHS DIRECTORY?

NO _ _

YES

HERPRELATEDINTERESTS: _______________________________________________________

TYPE OF MEMBERSHIP? MEMBERSHIP LEVEL?

NEW ___ RENEWAL ___ ____SUSTAINING..... $60.00

----1NSTITUTION .... $25.00

_ _CONTRIBUTING .....$30.00

___--'"'BASIC. ... $15.00

Are you currently ( or will be) a University of Minnesota student? ____(check if yes) HOW DID YOU HEAR OF MHS? _____________________________________________________

Newest T-Shirts

Two Designs

($17.00 includes postage)

NEW POISON DART FROG T-SHIRT ($14.00 postage included)

Circle Choice

North American Turtles

Iguana (Head Shot)

Indicate how many of each size SMALL___ LARGE___ ADULTS: MEDIUM___ X-LARGE___

Indicate how many of each size KIDS ___

SMALL___ ADULTS:

LARGE_

MEDIUM___ X-LARGE_

Please enclose payment. MAKE CHECKS PAY ABLE TO: Minnesota Herpetological Society. Membership is for 12 months from date of joining. A receipt will be sent only on request. Allow 6-8 weeks for processing, MAIL TO: Minnesota Herpetological Society, Bell Museum O1'Natural History, 10 Church Street South East, Minneapolis, MN 55455-0104

Non-Profit Bulk Rate U. S. Postage

MINNESOTA

PAID Mpls.MN Pennit No. 2275

HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY BELL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 10 CHURCH STREET S. E. MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55455-0104

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+

+

+ DELIVER BY NOVEMBER 24, 1993