Vol. 13 (1993), No. 12

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NEWSLETTER OF THE

MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY

DECEMBER 1993 BELL MUSEUM OF NA'FURAL HISTORY

VOLUME XIII 10 CHURCH STREET SOUTH EAST

NUMBER 12 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 ofMHS 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 489-7853 Ann Porwoll

Aquatic Turtles Michele Stillinger Dennis Daly

377-8637 331-8606

The purpose of the Minnesota HepetologicaJ Society is: to further the education of the membership and the general public in care and captive propagation of retiIes 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.

MHS 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

(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

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

SNAKEBITE EMERGENCY HENNEPIN REGIONAL POISON CENTER

(612) 347-3141

MINNESOTA POISON CONmOL SYSTEM LOCAL

(612) 221-2113

OUT OF STATE

(800) 222-1222

Copyright 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 MHS Newsletter, citing, volume, number, and date.

. MINNESOTA

HERPETOLOGICAL

SOCIETY

Table of Contents

Page

Upcoming Meeting Highlights

by John P. Levpll MHS Business MHS Blast from the Past Articles of Interest HFYI Neonate Page Classifieds

2

3 7

13 15 16 17

From the Editor Well, the Holiday Banquet was a great success, thank you to all who attended and helped out! The winner of the original drawing by Siri Rea was David Munson.

Thomas Tyning was a delightful and entertaining speaker. He also was kind enough to sell his field guide books (Stoke's Amphibians and Reptiles) for a great price and sign them all!

On to this month's newsletter, you may have noticed a marked decrease in thickness. Unfortunately, due to the holiday craziness that touches us all, there were no articles available for this month. My apologies, but I'm sure you have many other things to keep you occupied for the next month (bills, gift returns, bills, leftovers, bills). But, I hope to have an extra large newsletter for January so catch up on all your other reading!

Also, I found an old cartoon by Fran Frisch about this four, and I would like to thank Fran for all the great newsletter this past year. Fran is no longer a member timeless cartoons.' If anyone has stayed in touch with

month's speaker" see page cartoons we've had in the but we still print these Fran, give him my thanks!

Take care, have a safe and Happy New Year, and don't set those New Year's Resolutions too high!

Michele

j'

Next Newsletter Deadline:

January 3rd, 1993

II

II'\

I

*** Send all inquiries, ads, and articles directly to the edit.or *** MHS EDITOR 234 West George St. Paul, 11N

MRS NEWSLETTER

VOLUME XIII NUMBER 12

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PAGE I

• UpCOMING

MHS

MEETING

HIGHLIGHTS

January Program: Reptile Gardens Speaker: Don Middaugh Where: Room 335, Borlaug Hall, U of MN St. Paul Campus When: 7:00 pm, Friday, January 7th, 1994

January's meeting of the MHS will feature a photographic tour of the "new ;ind improved" Reptile Gardens of Rapid city, South Dakota. The sideshow atmosphere of alligator wrestling matches and the infamous rattlesnake pit are things of the past, replaced by excellent educational programs, interesting exhibits, and a truly impressive collection of animals, makin9' "The Gardens" a must see for any herpers visiting Rap1d city.

Much of this change for the better is due to the efforts of our guest speaker, Don Middaugh, who has helped build "The Gardens" into one of the world's leading institutions in the field of captive reptile husbandry and propagation.

Don works almost exclusively caring for Reptiles Gardens' extensive collection of over 200 different species, of which 140 species are on display.

Don's major area of interest is venomous snakes, particularly elapids, a fact that is clearly evident in the composition of "The Gardens'" collection.

Simply put, Reptile Gardens has one of the finest collections of venomous reptiles on exhibit anywhere in the united states, a collection which features all 4 varieties of mambas, numerous cobras and other elapids, and a great selection of rattlesnakes. other reptiles are exhibited also and Reptile Gardens is actively involved in the propagation of numerous rare or endangered herps, including 4 species of crocodilians. Don is especially proud of his king cobras, which have successfully reproduced at the Gardens the past 6 years.

Besides many years of practical "hands-on" experience, Don owns one of the largest herp reference libraries I've ever seen and is a highly knowledgable herpetologist.

This meeting promises to be entertaining as well as informative, so I urge everyone to attend.

If you've never been to "The Gardens" you will be amazed at the amount of herps under one roof, especially considering the scarcity of reptiles on display at Minnesota's zoos.

I do miss the gator wrestling though, since I always wanted that job when I was a kid! JPL UNCOMING MEETINGS February:

Annual White Snake Sale

March:

Delvin Jones / North American Desert Reptiles

MHS NEWSLETTER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 12

PAGE 2

'MRS

BUSINESS

December General Meeting Raffle Donors

Raffle Winners

John & Connie Levell Siri Rea Jodi Aherns Gary Sherman Jeff LeClere Becky Helgesen

Dav Lydon Jeff Nielsen Bill Moss Ruth Meltzer Dave Munson Kagen, Riedel Aaron Riedel

Hans Paulson Beau Larson Ann Porwoll Steph Porter Megan Strand Nancy Luger Alex Larson

Dallas Ost Barney Oldfield

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

Critter of the Month

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

Bring a proper display case, clear all potentially dangerous reptiles with the Vice President first, this includes venomous animals! Keep animals inside their bags or cages in the meeting room at all Urnes 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!

Critters for December were: John Levell - Western hognose Randy Blasus - Map turtle Dan Bergquist - Red-sided garter snake Beau Larson - Corn snake John Meltzer - Texas longnose snake ***********************************************

SPECIAL NOTE!!

Thanks to Dan Bergquist who picked up the job of MHS Secretary! my assistant editor!! The help is greatly appreciated!

And for being

************************************************

Board Meeting No board meeting in December due to Holiday Party

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.

MRS NEWSLETTER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 12

PAGE 3

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MHS NEWS LEITER

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VOLUME XIII NUMBER 12

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SOCIETY CONTRIBUTIONS

AS a member of Minnesota Herpetological Society your dues are working harder then you may realize.

The most obvious benefit of your membership is the newsletter; less well known is how M. H. S. attempts to achieves its purposes as stated in the front of every newsletter.

The objective of this brief note is to highlight some of the projects that M. H. S. and you, as a member, have helped to fund over the past 3 years.

April 1990:

Donation to the S.S.A.R. for publication and revision of "Standard, Common & Scientific路 Names For North American Amphibians And Reptiles"

June 1990:

Donation to the Desert Tortoise Preserve Council for property acquisition.

November 1990:

Donation to D.N.R. and Bell Museum for helping with the Midwest Symposium to be used in herpetology.

December 1990:

Donation to the Bell Museum to help finance their Herp collection.

February 1991:

Donation to S.S.A.R. for a symposium, "Captive Management And Conservation Of Reptiles And Amphibians" in Roger Conant's honor.

December 1991:

Donation to D.N.R. for printing of the "Turtle Hurdle"supplement to the 'Project wild' curriculum: an interactive classroom activity on turtle life history.

December 1991:

Donation to the Bell Museum supporting the Museums'effort to remain active.

June 1992:

Donation to the S.S.A.R. for publication of a university of Kansas book by Brown, "Biology Of The Timber Rattlesnake: A Guide To Their Conservation".

June 1992:

Donation to "Friends Of Rare Amphibians Of Western Ghats" a region of India (F.R.A.W.G.) in care of Fred Swengal.

May 1993:

University of Minnesota Press, for publishing "Amphibians and Reptiles Native To Minnesota"by Barney Oldfield and John J. Moriarty (due October 1994).

R.E.

MHS NEWSLETfER

Blasus/M. Brooks

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 12

PAGES

8 Novem!:Jer 1993 Marilyn Brooks Treasurer

Minnesota Herpetological Society 13304 Parkwood Drive, Apt. 204 Burnsville, MN 55337 Dear Marilyn,

We would like to thank the Minnesota Herpetological Society once again for their support of the FRAWG (Friends of Rare Amphibians of the Western Ghats) project and update you on recent developments. As a direct result of the article in the MHS newsletter, we received a grant of $50 from the Michigan Society of Herpetologists.

Wi thin the last month the Columbus Zoo's Animal Health, Management, and scientific Committee has awarded FRAWG a $500 grant. We have also sold about 65 FRAWG t-shirts and have successfully reached our first year goal of raising $1000 to fund the four projects outlined in the MHS article.

Friday we sent the balance of the $1000 needed to fund FRAWG' s first year's objectives to Sally Walker of Zoo Outreach Organisation in India. Sally will probably be assisted by Dr. Ranjit Daniels, a leading authority on amphibians of the Western Ghats, in selecting the in situ project and we can expect to hear from her within about a month if she hasn't strayed too far from home. We'll send you full details on the project when we receive them.

TO summarize, the four initial projects are: 1.

$500 to an in situ conservation project focussed on preserving a specific site or

Ghats amphibian (this is the project Sally Walker and Dr. Ranjit reccomendations on).

species of Western

Daniels will soon be making the Sub~continent

2.

$200 to Dr. Sushil K. Dutta to help defray the administrative expenses of the Indian Reptile and Amphibian Specialist Group (already funded).

3.

$200 to Sally Walker of Zoo Outreach Organisation/C.B.S.G., India to help cover costs of their herp conservation work and to cover costs of doing the ground work in India to ensure that funds are directed towards qualified parties.

4.

$100 for a research scholarship on Western Ghats amphibians to a M.Sc. student at A.V.C. College in Tamil Nadu (we should hear shortly on which student and project has been selected for this year).

We will attempt to acquire slides from the project coordinator that can be used to accompany talks on the project (including to MHS if desired). We will provide you with a

final

performance report and final

financial

status report on

completion of the first year of the project and will also keep you updated throughout the year on the project's progress as we receive reports from India.

We are very excited at the potential of this type of approach to support the efforts of scientist/conservationists from areas with rich and threatened endemic herp faunas and are hopeful that it might prove to be a useful strategy in other parts of the world as well. Thank you again for your help in funding this project.

Sincerely,

-;~

6(A y

/\..-,

~-'"

Fred Swengel

Becky Meller

Jim Gerholdt

425 S. Warwick st. st. Paul, MN 55105

1112 Circle High Drive Burnsville, MN 55306

P.O. Box 86 Webster, MN 55088

MHS NEWSLETfER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 12

PAGE 6

MRS

BLAST

FROM THE

PAST

by Michele Stillinger

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

The following article was reprinted from the MHS newsletter Vol III #1 Feb. 1983 The Meaning of Minnesota Herptile Names: Discovering the Spotted Bind-Around Snake

By G.S. Casper Do you ever wonder what

ve attach

.~ose

sometimes unpronouncable scientific names

to animals mean? Scientific names can be translated into plain

English, and doing so often reveals descriptive and informative names for

animals. Most scientific names are derived from Greek and Latin - two "dead tl 1anf1J.ages; i .. e .. they are no longer spoken and thus are no longer changin~

with use. Static, unchan~ing languages were chosen for scie~tific

names to eliminate confusion which

mi~ht

result if word meanings changed

with time. (All spoken languages are constantly evolvin~ new words and new meani~p,'s for old word.·.) All or~anisms are given a formal scientific namA

at the time of their discoverJ. The system for

namin~

new organisms is

called "binomial ~omenclature't, which was founded by Carolus Linnaeus in

the 1700'A. This system assi€TIs two names to each

or~anism

- one identifying

the species and the other the genus to which the species oelongs. The genus is always listed first and capatilized, then comes the species (which is never capatilized), and this is usually followed in;par~~theses by the last name of the person who named the species. Genus and species names are always wri tten either in italics or underlined. For example, Gopherus polyuhemus (Daudin) is the name given to the Gopher Tortoise by Daudin.

This name means "many-voiced burrower" ..

Scientific names, once formally assigned, never change unless new information

merits a change in

ta~anomic

status. This single scientific name is used

worldwide in all l~~guages to describe the organism. By contrast, common

names often change and vary widely from place to place. For example, the term "rat snake" can refer to at least three differant genera of snakes Elanhe, Spilotes, and Ptyas. Pituonhis melanoleucus is known variously as .the tt"'9ullsnake", "Gopher snake tt ,

and "Pine snake" in Minnesota; while

Mergus 1ler",anser is called the "Goosander" in Britain and the "Common Merganser" in North America. With all this confusion over common names, we are lucky indeed to have a universal scientific name, otherwise ve mi~ht

never be sure e7actly what we were talking about! Many groups of

animals nov have official standard oommon names, but these ars not always ~,

MRS NEWSLETfER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 12

PAGE 7

used in all localities.

With this understanding of what a scientific name is, one can usually di~covp-r

tbe literal meaning of those funny looking words from their

Latin and Greek roots. I say usually because it's not always that simple.

Scienti fic names May be "latinized" nraper names of people or places, mytholo.~ical

names, geographical localities, or even unonsenselt names

wbich were arbitrarily made up) It can take quite a bit of detective york to discover the tru~ meani~g of some names.

I bave attempted a translation for all tbe reptile and amphibian species found in

Minn~sota.

The following list gives the scientific name followed

by my bast effort at a I i teral meaning. I make no guarantees as to accuracy, however. To aid readers in finding- any miRtakes I follow ea.ch

~pecies

wi th

the root words from which my English translation was derived. (If anyone out thrre can come up with a better meaning for Flanhe please let me

know!) This kind of work 50

C,U1

be fun and rewarding (thou,路

time consuming)

I have include路" a bibliography at the end to aid rsaiers in finding

tbe meanings of other curious names.

Abbreviations: Gr.

a

Greek; .L. = Latin; ML. = modern Latin; elL. - 'lew Latin;

gentt. "" genitive; fern ..

Chelydra serpentina

::z;

feminine; ppr ..

~

present participle

water serpent chelydros - Gr., a water serpent serpentis -

Clemmys insculpta

L.,

a serpent

engraved turtle klemmys - Gr., a tortoise insculpo - L., to cut in, engrave, inprint

false map turtle graptoB - Gr., inscribed, painted emydos - Gr., a freshwater tortoise pseudes - Gr., false geo - Gr., land graphe - Gr., a drawing, painting, representation map turtle

Grantemys geoUTaphica

see GraptemY9 ouachitensis

~ useudo~ograpblca

Ouachita inscribed turtle Granternys - see preceding entry Ouac~ita - a river in Louisiana -ensis - L~. suffix meaning belonginl; to

MH' NEWSLETIER VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 12

PAGES

painted

Chry.SP'T!V8 nicta

turtle

~lden

chryseos - Gr., golden, rich, superb emydos - Gr., a frpshwater tortoise

pictus - L., painted, embroidered Emydoidea

Blanding's Emys-like* one

blandin~ii

emydos - Gr., a freshwater tortoise -aidios - ~r., suffi7 meanin~ form of, type of

blandingii - proper name, W. Blanding * - Emys is the genus Emydoidea was derived from curtailed toree-clawed one

Trion,VY muticus

tri - L., three onycho8 - Gr., nail, talon, claw muticus - L., curtailed, cut off spine-bes=in路g three-clawed One

Trionvx sniniferus

Trionyx - see preceding entry spinula - L., thorn, spine

fero - L., to bear Eum~ces sententrio~alis

nOTthern long One eu- - Gr., prefix me:1ning good, well" tr'.le, nice mekos - Gr., len~th, heir~ht

septentrionalis - L., northern Eumece~

bundled long one

fasciatus

Eumeces - see

prec0din~

entry

fasciatus - L., bunnled Cnemidouhorus se:xlineatus

six-lined

one~with-Iegging8

knemidophorus - Gr., equipped with leggings sex - L., six lineatus - L., streaked, marked with lines Storeria occipitomaculata

Storer's one-wi th-spotted-back-of-head Storeria - a proper name, D.H. Storer occipitis - L., the back part of the head maculatus - L., spotted Storer's and Dekay's

Storeri a dekavi

Storeria - a proper name, D.H. Storer dekayi - a proper name, James E. Dekay, (179??-lfI51), American naturalist swimming earth

NeroJi a sipedon

neros - Gr., humid, fluid, as in swimming

-od -

NL., form

saie - Gr., to wave, move to and fro

pedon - Gr., ground, earth Tha~nonhis

radix

root shrub-snake thamnos -Gr., a shrub Gr., a snake oobis radix - L., a root

MRS NEWSLETTER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 12

PAGE 9

garter-like shrub-snake

~etero1on

nasicus

Tha~nonhis

-

sirtalis -

~~.,

s~e

pr8ceding entry like a garter

other-toothed pointy-nosed one heteros - Gr., other., di fferant odontos - Gr., tooth nasica - ~:L., wi th a large or pointed nose

Hete~orlon

ulatyrhinos

other-toothed broad-nosed one ~ete~odon - see preceding entry platys - Gr., flat, broad, wide rhis - Gr. (genit.=rhinos), a nose

Diadoohis

nu~ctatus

spotted bind-around snake diadeo - Gr., to bind around aphis - Gr., a ,snake punctatus - L., spo~ted as with punctures

Colub~r

con8trictor

contricting serpent coluber - L., a serpent can - L. t pr~fix mp~ihg with strictura - ~., a contraction

Ooneodrvs vernalis

~Drine

oa..k.-sna..lce

opheo - NL., a snake drys - Gr., a tree especially oak vernalis - L., belonging to spring PituoD~in mela~oleucus

black-and-whi te pine "na.'<:e pitys

~r.t

the pine

aphis - r.r., a snake melas - Gr., black leukos - Gr., whitp ElaD'!1F'> vul nina

foy-like

de~r-like

one*

elaohos - Gr., a deer, stag* vulpinus - L., of or belonging to a fox (pr~bably r~fers to head colQr resembling a red fo~) * - this interpretation of Elanhe doesn't seem to make sense; I know of no deerlike characters in the genus

Elanhf! obsoleta

indistinct deer-like 0ne ~laD~e - see ~receding e~try obsoletus - L., indistinct, without clear markings, effaced, worn out

LamnroTIel t i

R

tri :~.n.rrul urn

three-angled beautifully-shielded one - Gr., shining, beautiful pelte - Gr., a small shield tri - L., three angulus - L., an.o-Ie. corner

la~pros

Sistrurus catenatus

chained rattle-tailed one sistrum - L., a rattle oura - Gr., the tail catenatus Lâ&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘ chained, oonn,>oted by chains

MHS NEWSLETTER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 12

PAGE 10

Crotalu~

ho~ri~us

T:-oni_noclonion lineat.um

one with a

projectin~

rattle

krotalon horridus

Gr .. , a rattle

L., standi~g on end, rou c.h, !,ri ckly

projectin~,

keeled-twig lined one tropis - Gr. (late genit.=tronidos), a keel klonion - Gr.(dim.), a branch, twig lineatus - L., strpa~ed. marked with lines

~ec~urus

maculosus

swimming-tail mottled one nektos - Gr., swimming oura - ~r., the tail maculosus - L., speckled, mottled, full of snote,blotted, stained

~;otoD~thal!TlUR

virini::-:cenFl

ereen back-eyed one notus - Gr., the back ophthalmos - Gr., the eye viridis - L., ~een

.ft-.J~ty~toma

tigrinum

round-rnouthed tiger-like one ambyy. - Gr.,. a cup, the rounded top of a cup stoma - ~r., mouth tigrinus - L., striped like a tiger, tiger~like

Anlb.~.T~~oma

round-mouthed flanked one

laterale

Amby~toma - see precedin~ entry lateris - L., side, flank

full-toothed ashY, one

?lethoden cinerus

pletho

Gr., to be full, to become full, complete odonos Gr.(genit.), tooth cinerus - L.(genit.), ashes nuf6 hpllionhrvs

hal f -brow to ad bufo - .L., toad hemi - Gr., half ophrys - Gr., brow, eyebrow

:Sufe americanus

American toad bufo - L., toad americanus - proper name, America

Bufo cognatus

reI a ted toad bufo - L., toad cognatus L., rplated

Hyla crucifer

cross-bearer of the woods hyle - Gr., a wtod hylaios - ~r., belonging to the forest crucis - L.(eenit.), a crOSB fero - L., to bear

~.chrvsoscelis

gold stain of the wOods - see preceding entry chrysos - Gr., u,old keli.s.-- Gr., a spot, stain ~

MHS NEWSLETIER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 12

PAGE 11

.l!.Y.llc versicolor

one turned the hue of the woods syla - see nreceding entry versus - L., turned color - L., tint, hue

Aeris crenitans

clattering'locust akris - Gr., a locust crepito - L., to rattle, to clatter

Pseudacri~

triseriata

three-rowed falAe locust pseudes - Gr., false akris - Gr., a locust tri - L., three aeriatus - ML., to arrange in a series series -

Rana palustris

L., a row

marsh frog

rana - L., a frog palustris - L.(fem.), marshy Ra~a ~ententrionalis

northern frog - L., a frog septentrionalis L., northern

r~~a

peeping frog

Ra!la '01 ni e"1S

rana - L., a frog pipiens - L., peeping

Rans clam; tans

loud-calling frog rana - L., a frog clami tans - L â&#x20AC;˘.(ppr), loud-calling frog among the trees

Ra.."1a s,VI vatica

L., a frop; sylvaticus - L., ~rowing among the trees

ra.TIa -

Catesby's frog

Rana catesbeiana

rana -

L., a

fro~

catesbeia.!1a - proper name, I,lark Catesby (1679?-1749), English naturalist f:iblio.q;ra1Jhy:

Choate, E.A. - 'Phe Dictionar;v T~rn;'.t,.

C.H.

f:~

fiarbour, R.l'i. _

2f. American Bird 'lames, Gambit, Boston, 1973. :~urtle~ of 1.!J..::. rTnited States, see glo!¡~sary of

scip.ntific names Pl'. ?9?-?94, University of Kentucky, 1972.

Gotch, A,F. - Mammals - Their Latin ';ames Explained. A Guide

12.

Animal

Cla,sification, Sterling Public,tions/Slandford Press, 1979.

Gruson, E.S,

Words For Birds, Quadrangle Books, New York, 197?

Jaeger, E.C.

l!.

Source-~

2f. Biolocical "ames and Terms, 3rd edition,

6th printing, '"harles C', Thomas. Illinois, 1978.

MHS NEWSLEITER VOLUME XIII NUMBER 12

PAGE 12

Ar::-t:i..c::Le.:s

The following are some quick article submitted by MHS members that you might find interesting. If you see a Herp related article and want to share it, please clip it out and include the publication and date and send to Michele.

The following article was clipped from the Adrian, MN town newspaper and was submitted by member Tom Jessen.

October 21, 1'1'13 6A

Man teaches people to reach out and touch reptile friends Dy Lori Elide

Ever since the days of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, snakes have been associated with evil and deception.

Bul Brent Miclkclhinksrcptilcs have been unfairly discriminated against

To change public perception he has opened a reptile petting zoo.

"We're trying to dispel the myths ami-misconceptions about snakes,"

he said. "People have always hated smkcs. They don't know why; they jllst hale. them."

Ills reptile zoo, TIle Reptile Conncc-

tion and Discovery CenLer, is located on Main Street in Adrian and

fealures hundreds of unusual reptiles, birds and fish.

lIis largest reptile, Sensational Shcrd, is the world's largest Burmese pylhon. She weighs 350pounds and is 25 feel long.

Although the crentures are at home in the Main Strcetshop, they also are used 10 hitting the road for cducatioTlni tours across the country.

Wl!atmakes Mie.Jke'sreplilecollcction so special, however, is that it is setUjl toneeommodatc curiOIlS hands and fingers.

"Everything here is hands-on," he

said. Walking through the longma:re of lighted, glassed-in cages, nearly all of the fronts are mOlmted on hinges for easy access.

f'hol0 by Lori Ehdo

Brent Mielke'S daughler, Melinda, demonstrates with one of her favorite pets, the proper way to handle a snake - support it, but leI it crawl aU over you. Mielke said the Reptile Connection and Discovery Center, Adrian, have been a good way for 8-year-old Melinda and 6year-old Miranda 10 learn about science Rnd responsibility in caring for the animals.

His petting zoo houses more than 100 differcntreptiles and nearly 200 animals - rabbits, birds, etc.

MHS NEWSLETIER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 12

PAGEl3

"r-.'Ios[ Z(X)s don't let you \Ouch the nnim<l!s," Miel\..-n said. "Rnt we're sct up for that" And lllcanimals don 'tscem to mind, he said. "We teach people how to support them (the snakes), and thcy crowl along their anns," he said.

"1l1<Ll ,,'ay you gel a chance to see hnw they move."

Bcc;\llse lhcpri'naryf"lhjl'r" of the Reptile Connection is to educate. the repl ilc and animal cagcs arc not labc1cd,111al way, as students and visitors browse among the cages, tllCY are encouraged to askquestions and remember answers, Mielke said, Sn"'f' "r Mjf'lkf"<:

lnv~l.<:I1J(Jen'<: il(~

elude Scout troops, 4-11 clubs, daycare, social and civic organil.ations and tourists.

Mielke has been interested in science - particularly reptiles ~ all his life. He taught high school biology in Chisago City.

Four years ago, he and his family movcd to Adrian, and he currently teaches at the jllnior high school in Worthington.

Mielke's love of reptiles started in their home where they designated space in their double-stall garage for a collection of scnly pets, When community interest got to the point where too many people were visiting the Mielkes' garage, he de-. dded to open an official 700 downtown earlier this summer.

"Discovery Days," as they're called. are organh.ed hands-on activities in different area<: of science for chil-

dren of a1l ages.

This Friday and Saturday is the Zoo Boo Celebration with ac tivilics mnglng from face-painting and costume conlests to hands-on learning about reptiles and birds.

Also on the agenda arc trips lhrougl

(

a mouse maze and a spook house/ haunted hou.~e in the zoo ba<:cment.

"Discovery Days arc pretty popular," Mielke said, "Every week we get more people."

11lCRcplilc Connection isopcn from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays, Spe.cial activities are arnlllged by appointment.

MHS NEWSLETI'ER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 12

PAGE 14

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.

NEW PRODUCTS The Ophidian Herpetological Network is a computer bulletin board for herp enthusiasts. 300-2400 BPS, 24 hours, 8+N+1 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 modem and communication software. The #'s are (215) 698-1905 - for 9600 baud or higher and (215) 464-3562 for 2400 baud modems. If you have questions you can call Bill Moss at 488-1383 and he'll try to get you set up.

"'rut. L~ST BE.Lt) \-\t.R~ETOLOGI~TS tlt.\.'PfU~ lUNl 051\\t 5t.f\~OM~ \~ YOUfE. c,olltG 10 SPt.IIDlIlE \.IIKit'R

UA

MERRVC~1US ~~APPY NÂŁfJ

I"~ SM~\\ ~TMlNi \ll'm 1"1~t.'R.

5~l~I'\I\Ni)l'RS ...1)o!l'r Lti1\lU'\ "ME.

,

Too I"\\JC" Of l\H INnU~"Cl Olt Yoll'R.

, ,

-, "

MRS NEWSLETfER

VOLUME XIII NUMBER 12

PAGE 15

[About a year ago Carlos along with his friend Baldrick started a kids page called the Neonate Page. Unfortunately, Baldrick met with an untimely death and Carlos has been grieving ever since.

But now Carlos has taken pen in hand again (not an easy task for an iguana) and would like to start his kids page again with the help of his small, three legged iguana pal Sam. (also has difficulty holding pen!) The following is their first effort (a reprint from November, 1983 MHS newsletter by Peter Fuglestad). They hope you find it interesting.]

Thanks Mom! - C & S Answers next month

-HERP FINDMSYMPOSIUMKSHXNLSSCO Y F M X V C C ROC 0 D ILL A N S E 0 GHPKPPIFAHBKVUCAHLHO FARVGZYUPOYXVNYLFLBS IRDUTXYIYGTUOVOFDVOX HRETTELSWENUFNAHJSHX SIZPBESEYCIJRRQMWRAS N J P L Z L G D G L T L C T E I E WD L RIHRZLPDCXADJRLDQXOT V 0 D EON A A B J S C Z R N E H r" P C U 0 W G RUG K M X FL G A W I S J T A S U WN J PSG X BUR M ESE C M I E EKE S H N E S V A MAW Y W E P P 0 C LQVDAPDTNYLXCUNORENI I JWKCRNAOAMPllIBIAN SL TUEVANUXSLXPMPUDHBII PSOZLGBMXPOLZVVGCNEA EAITIBWKWZPGNGYEVEWN R L Z U T Z E J K 0 M C Y N WX Q V K S SHRMOJFYLEIIFHMJNHOC There are 15 words here. Can you find them? Here are the words to look for:

ADOPTIONS BURMESE

CROCODILIANS IGUANA NEWSLETTER REPTILES

CAEClLIANS

SNAKES

HF..RPETOLOGY LIZARDS

TURTLES AMPHIBBNS

RAFFLE

SALAJ'lANDER SYMPOSIUM

MHS NEWSLETIER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 12

PAGE 16

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 urganization and is volunteer run.

Rat and Mice- Sales MICE Pin kies - $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 SalLs 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

***

1x

wx h small: large:

24 x 18 x 12 48 x 18 x 18

$ 50 $ 75

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 mee-cing 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 d;srupt the meeting proceedings.

MHS NEWSLETTER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 12

PAGE 17

HAPPY

NEW

YEAR'

c_____ <:::::::=>

May the new year bring you joy, happiness, and many baby herps!

<;I'.

MRS NEWSLETTER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 12

PAGElS

--------------

Cla.ssified

fOR SALE:

1.0,0 African rock python, 6 ft, feeding on frozen bunnies, $125, 0,1.0 Green anaconda, '93 baby, feeding on adult frozen rats, $325, 1,0,0 12 ft burmese, $200, Contact Karl Hermann (612) 774-1044,

Ads

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

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) 895-0242, 1,1 Ball pythons, captive bred, 30', $135,00 pr, Call Jeremy at (612) 871-1244,

Stainless steel rodent breeding cages witb water bottles, $10 ea, Contact Mike (507) 289-3916,

Feeder Rabbits, $1,50 1b, Crickets, 50 cents a doz, Call Dan

Large selection of lizards and baby snakes avail, now and expected, Buy breeder direct, Call or write for details, Aaron Hampton, 10252 11arble Arch Ln" St, Louis, MO 63123 (314) 638-6218,

Captive bred snakes at affordable prices, Delivery at MHS meetings available, Send stamp for 1993 price list, Plains Reptile, P,O, Box 5818, Fargo, ND 58105, (701)

, 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 (414) 235-8605, Butterfly Agama ' will trade, Call Nancy or Dav at 536-9783 days,

<87-3258,

FROZEN RODENTS: Mice pinks 25 cents, adults 35 cents, breeders 50 cents, Rats are 75 cents for weaners, adults start at $1,25 and up, Jumbo occasionally avail, Call or write for info, KJ's Rodents, RR1 Box 266, Detroit Lakes, MN 56501 (218) 439-6999, 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, 115, 1,1,0 Western hognose snakes, $100 pr, 1,0 yearling black ratsnake, $35, Call Nancy or Dav 536-9783 days, 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,

241-9742 ,

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, 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,

All the shed snakes skins in the world, always, to use at hands-on programs, Bob Duerr 541-9417, RlSC: SNAKE SKINS TANNED, Call Jane for more info at 724-7437, 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, liilliam Joy, P,O, Box 821433, Dallas, :X 75382-1433, INTERNET: 72223,220@COMPDSERVE,COM

VAHlED

Adult snakes - 0,1 Northern pine, 0,1 Mexican blackkingsnake, 0,1 black pine, Contact Mike (507) 289-3916,

1.0 Sonoran gopher snake, $40" ,0,0,1 savanah monitor, 3 ft., $100,00, Call Jodi at 552-1545,

MHS NEWSLETTER VOLUME Xill

NUMBER 12

PAGE 19

~ota

creature tuas ~tirrtng...

not eben .

a mou~e.

~,

MHS NEWSLETTER

VOLUME XIII

NUMBER 12

PAGE 20

-----

----------------------------------------,

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

MHS takes NO responsibility for legality or health of animal advertised here. Ads may be run for three consecutive months at which time ads may 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.

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

___.llBASIC .... $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: X-LARGE_ MEDIUM_

Indicate how many of each size KIDS

ADULTS:

SMALL_

LARGE_

MEDIUM__

X-LARGE__

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

Non-Profit Rate U. S. Postage

MINNESOTA

PAID Mpls.MN Permit No. 2275

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

+

+

+

+ DELIVER BY DECEMBER 29,1993