Vol. 27 (2007), No. 7

t he n e w sl e t t e r o f t he

minnesota herpetological society

WEB VERSION

Information edited/removed to respect privacy concerns.

Ready for RenFest?

Book Review:

Get more info at the July meeting!

State Fair 2007!

See page 8 for details

JU L Y 20 0 7

VOL U ME 2 7

NUMBER 7

President Bruce Haig

Board of Directors

BELL MUSEUM

Vice Presid ent Jennifer Hensley

Recording Secretary Ellen Heck

Membership Secretary George Richard

Members at Large Sarah Richard

The Purpose of the Minnesota Herpetological Society is to:

David Dewitt

Carmelita Knudson Jeff LeClere

Library Ted Schave

Webmaster Anke Reinders

The Minnesota H er pet ol og i ca l S o c i e t y

July 2007 Volume 27, Number 7

Newsletter Editor Asra Halvorson

Education Jan Larson

NATURAL HISTORY, 10 CHURCH STREET SOUTHEAST, MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA 55455-0104

V O I C E M A I L : 612.624.7065 • M H S W E B P A G E : HTTP :// WWW. MNHERPSOC . ORG M H S G R O U P E M A I L : H T T P :// W W W. G R O U P S . YA H O O . C O M / G R O U P / M N H E R P S O C

Treasurer Nancy Haig

Adoption Sarah Richard

OF

Committees

• of • •

Further the education of the membership and the general public in care and captive propagation reptiles and amphibians; Educate the members and the general public in the ecological role of reptiles and amphibians; Promote the study and conservation of reptiles and amphibians.

The Minnesota Herpetological Society is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization. Membership is open to all individuals with an interest in amphibians and reptiles. The Minnesota Herpetological Society Newsletter is published monthly to provide its members with information concerning the society’s activities and a media for exchanging information, opinions and resources.

General Meetings are held at Borlaug Hall, Room 335 on the St. Paul Campus of the University of Minnesota, on the first Friday of each month (unless there is a holiday conflict). The meeting starts at 7:00pm and lasts about three hours. Please check the MHS Voice mail for changes in schedules or cancellations.

Submissions to the Newsletter Ads or Notices must be submitted no later than the night of the General Meeting to be included in the next issue. Longer articles will be printed as time and space allows and should be in electronic file format if possible. See inside back cover for ad rates.

Submissions may be sent to: The Minnesota Herpetological Society Attn: Newsletter Editor Bell Museum of Natural History 10 Church St. SE. Minneapolis, MN 55455.0104

Copyright 2007, Minnesota Herpetological Society. Except where noted, contents may be reproduced for non-profit, noncommercial use only. All material must be reproduced without change. Proper credit will be given including the author/photographer and the MHS Newsletter citing: volume, number and date.

L...------- s The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

July 2007

Volume 27

June Speaker Review:

Number 7

Trevor Keyler “Traveling and Herping in Eastern Australia 2006”

By Ellen Heck, Recording Secretary

This month’s speaker was Trevor Keyler. In 2006, he and a group of 26 biology students from St Olaf spent 4 months in Australia. They started in Queenscliff and ended up in Queensland, spending about one week in each location along the way. Travel was mainly by bus, and occasionally by boat or train.

The group flew into Melbourne, and from there headed to the Swan Bay Marine Research Center on Port Phillip Bay, which protects several critically endangered species of birds.

Although no herps were found here, other interesting marine animals, such as seahorses, were.

From there it was down the Great Ocean Road to Queenscliff and a set of natural limestone monoliths known as the 12 Apostles. However, no herps made an appearance until the group got to Wilson’s Promontory. This is the southern-most point of mainland Australia and contains the 2nd highest peaks in the country. Here the group discovered one of the 370+ species of skink. Because the guide book Trevor had wasn’t very detailed, the best identification he could get to was some species of Egernia. The next type found here was a hemiergis, or earless, skink.

Amphibians made an appearance next, in the form of the Limnodynastes dorsalis, or western banjo frog, also known as the pobblebonk frog. The brown striped marsh frog (Limnodynastes pero) and the southern brown tree frog (Litoria ewingii) were also seen here.

As the group worked their way north, other animals were seen in the parks. Kangaroos abound, of course, as well as other animals like wombats. One interesting specimen was the southern or blotched blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua nigrolutea). This animal is somewhat rarer than its popular cousin (Tiliqua adelaidensis) and although similar looking, has a splotchy back.

While going through Jindabyne in the Snowy Mountains, the bus broke down in 110 degrees Fahrenheit heat. The

Snowy Mountains contain the highest peak in Australia, Mt. Kosciusko, as well as the Snowy River. Here the group stayed at a Seventh Day Adventist camp. Trevor and Tim made nooses from the elastic in their socks and set them to catch skinks. One specimen caught was the critically endangered alpine water skink (Eulampris kosciuskoi). Another that proved more elusive was the Cunningham skink (Egernia cunninghami), a large, rough-scaled animal about two inches in diameter. Trevor and Tim couldn’t catch one, but several kids did – and made sure they knew it.

On a hike up Mt. Kosciusko, they found an Ergernia guthega, a species discovered in 2002 and so new there is no common name yet. They are found only in elevations above 1600m and as high as 1940m.

At one point, Trevor was chasing a skink when the skink was nabbed by a white-lipped snake (Drysdalia coronoides), a smallish live-bearing snake that feeds exclusively on skinks. This species is mildly venomous, so although he stayed to watch pictures, Trevor decided to let the snake have its lunch.

The group passed through the capital city of Canberra on the way north. According to Trevor, they couldn’t decide between Melbourne and Sydney as the capital, so they imported water and created Canberra halfway between.

Then it was to Sydney, a bike trip through the Blue Mountains and on to a week in the rainforest at Coff’s Harbor. Here they encountered a White’s tree frog (Litoria caerulea). This is a very large species of tree frog, being from 3 inches to 4 ½ inches in length and have little fear of humans. In fact, this specimen was living behind the refrigerator of the house they were staying in. The owner of the house let the frog live there for pest control.

It was at Barrington Plateau near Brisbane that they found their first carpet python (Morelia spilota). They also found a southern angle-headed dragon (Hypsilurus spinipes) and a few non-herps like the paddy melon, a small wallaby, very large king crickets and a centipede several inches long.

They also found a leaf-tailed gecko (Phyllurus cornutus).

(Australia, continued on page 5)

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News, Notes, & Announcements

The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

July Meeting Preview

July’s meeting we will have a presentation on the Renaissance Festival and information on participating in the upcoming Como Cottage cleanup! Don’t miss it!

Reminder: The July meeting is a week later due to the 4th of July holiday weekend! The July meeting will be held on Friday, July 13th.

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend!

Critter of the Month

Skyler shows off her albino desert phase California kingsnake to MHS members at the June meeting.

July 2007

Volume 27

Number 7

June Adoption Report

By Sarah Richard, Adoption Chair 3 Iguanas a Box turtle a smallish Sulcata a Burmese Python a Corn Snake a Panther Gecko and a Bearded Dragon

were all placed at the meeting. My car came full and left empty. We had a really nice month as all of the animals came in on Thursday so I had no long-term care for anyone. Many thanks to everyone who put in for the animals. We had at least 2 applications for many of the critters, which is great. Some went to really experienced people and a few went to brand new members so if you didn’t get what you wanted there is always next month.

Also many thanks to the people who helped out on Saturday cleaning and sorting plastic. If you are interested in helping out, see me at the meeting and I’ll tell you how. Thanks again.

Wanted: Volunteers!

Someone to assist with rodent sales at the general meeting. Contact a board member for more information.

Videographer volunteer to: A.) Bring video equipment to the meetings; B.) Stand at the back of the room and setup & run the camera. or C.) donate some video equipment to the club and let someone else run it.

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( Cover photo © Asra Halvorson )

L...------- s The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

(Australia, continued from page 3)

As the temperature was down around 55 degrees Fahrenheit, these were relatively easy to catch.

Trevor found a red-bellied blacksnake (Pseudechis prophyracus), which is a very pretty and harmless snake.

Tim retaliated by finding a keelback snake (Amphiesma mairii). However, when he brought the keelback to show Trevor, the snake opened its mouth and Trevor noticed fangs. It turns out that what Tim had caught was a venomous rough-scaled snake (Tropidechis carinatus), considered to be one of the 10 deadliest in Australia precisely because it is easily mistaken for the keelback.

The keelback, however, is one of the few species able to kill and eat cane toads, and the only one able to eat the entire toad.

Less dangerous species were the 3-claws worm skink (Anomalopus verreauxii), a species with vestigial limbs that it doesn’t use. Another harmless animal was an odd species of bird called the bower bird. This bird is a bright blue in color and decorates its nest with bright blue objects to attract a mate. The placing of the objects is very precise and the behavior is thought to be a relatively recent one, since there are few bright blue objects to be found in nature.

A five hour boat trip brought them to Heron Island in the Great Barrier Reef. The emphasis on this stop was obviously marine. One species was the eagle ray, famous for jumping up to 7 feet out of the water as it swims.

Another odd species of bird encountered was the mutton bird (Puffinus tenuirostris), also known as the shorttailed shearwater. Trevor described them as a water bird, unable to land well, and frequently crashing into trees.

Another venomous snake encountered on the trip was the small-eyed snake (Rhinoplocephalus nigrescens).

Although similar looking to the red-bellied blacksnake, its belly is not as brightly colored. A less venomous though “not very friendly” animal was the velvet gecko (Oedura monilis). This animal clamped onto Trevor’s finger, and since his professor didn’t want him to hurt it, he had to wait for it to let go on its own. His took about an hour, although it was the only bite Trevor received all trip. x

July 2007

Volume 27

Number 7

Tree Frogs Use Geometry to Hang On

By Sara Goudarzi LiveScience Staff Writer 4/9/07

The ability to stick to smooth objects and detach when needed is a perpetual game of geometry for tree frogs, which repeatedly adjust the angle of their toes with respect to the surface.

White’s tree frogs—originating in Australia and Indonesia and capable of growing to almost 5 inches—maintain their grip on surfaces by keeping the angles of their toe pads below 90 degrees, according to a new study presented earlier this month at the annual meeting of the Society for Experimental Biology in Glasgow, Scotland.

“The toe pads of tree frogs are coated with thin mucus which adheres to surfaces by wet adhesion, like wet tissue paper sticking to glass,” said study leader Jon Barnes of the University of Glasgow. Rather than a mechanical force, such as air suction, adhesion relies on the attraction between molecules of its toe pads and those along the walking surface.

The tree frogs, which range in color from light blue to emerald green and gray, can stick to leaves and trees even when they are tilted downward, which would typically make more of a slide than a steady platform. The frogs can also detach their toe pads in a snap to jump elsewhere when needed.

“The process by which they detach their toe pads is called peeling and is akin to us removing a sticking plaster from ourselves,” Barnes said, referring to adhesive bandages.

To investigate how these gravity-defying amphibians can both stick and peel, Barnes and his team measured the adhesive and frictional forces created by the frogs’ toe pads when placed at different angles.

Adhesive forces weakened at steep angles above 90 degrees. So when the frogs needed to stay stuck to a surface, they kept the angle of their toes with respect to the surface at low values, and when the time came to detach they increased these angles. x

Reprinted from the St. Louis Herpetological Society’s June 2007 newsletter, Volume 40, Issue 6.

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The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

July 2007

Volume 27

Number 7

(§) - - - Herp Book Review

By John Moriarty

The Amphibians and Reptiles of New York State. by James P. Gibbs, Alvin R. Breisch, Peter K. Ducey, Glenn Johnson, John L. Behler, and Richard C. Bothner. 2007. Oxford University Press (www.oup.com). ISBN 978-0-19-530430-5 ($34.50 paper, $74.50 cloth)

The long awaited, The Amphibians and Reptiles of New York State has been in works for the last ten years. This attractive field guide is written by some of the leading herpetologists and conservationists working in New York State.

The book covers 69 native and 3 introduced species, of these 36 are also found in Minnesota. This makes it a useful book for Minnesota since 75% of our species are covered. The herpetofauna of New York includes 18 species of salamanders, 14 frogs, 19 turtles (5 of which are sea turtles), 4 lizards, and 17 snakes.

The book has a typical layout for state guides with an introductions, habitats section and species accounts.

The introductory chapters give a short history of herpetology in the state, a listing of the conservation status of all the species, and habitat info. The habitat chapter provides a series of maps showing the ecological zones, major rives and lakes, counties, and land use. Several recent field guides have failed to include even a basic county map. There are good descriptions and photos of each ecological zone. The chapter ends with a habitat matrix of each species, unfortunately it omits the Northern Map Turtle.

The species accounts include Quick Identification, Description, Habitat, Natural History, Status and Distribution, and Other Intriguing Facts. There is a state

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distribution map with each account. High quality, color photos of all the species, some with multiple images showing different life stages or features, are found in the middle of the book. The sea turtles are represented by well drawn watercolors by Jackie Grant.

The chapters after the species accounts, which include Threats, Legal Protections, Habitat Conservation Guidelines, Finding and Studying, and Folklore, can be widely applied to Minnesota.

The habitat conservation guidelines are based on the authors experience and from guidelines developed by Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC). The guidelines, if implemented, by conservationists, land managers, and developers will help protect and enhance amphibian and reptile populations. Similar guidelines have been developed by PARC for the Midwest states.

Several of the folklore stories are widespread and have also been reported from the Midwest. One story that hasn’t been reported from here is “sea monsters. The stories of Lake Champlain’s “Champ” and the tale of the Serpent of Silver Lake are unique to the New York area.

The Silver Lake serpent legend from the 1850’s was solved several years after its appearance when a hotel fire uncovered the wire and fabric used to create the monster. Champ is still hiding in the depths of Lake Champlain waiting to be officially discovered.

The Amphibians and Reptiles of New York State, along with the forthcoming New York Herp Atlas, will make a an important addition to the library of anyone interested in the natural history of New York, the Great Lakes, and Northeast regions of the United States. It is also important to anyone interested in amphibian or reptile conservation, no matter where they live. x

The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

‘Noah’s Ark’ of 5,000 rare animals found floating off the coast of China

Endangered, hunted, smuggled and now abandoned, 5,000 of the world’s rarest animals have been found drifting in a deserted boat near the coast of China.

The pangolins, Asian giant turtles and lizards were crushed inside crates on a rickety wooden vessel that had lost engine power off Qingzhou Island in the southern province of Guangdong.

Most were alive, though the cargo also contained 21 bear paws wrapped in newspaper.

According to conservation groups, the haul was discovered on one of the world’s most lucrative and destructive smuggling routes: from the threatened jungles of Southeast Asia to the restaurant tables of southern China.

The animals were found when local fishermen noticed a strange smell emanating from the vessel, which did not have any registration plates, on Tuesday, the Guangzhou Daily reported.

When coastguard officials boarded the 25-metre craft, it was reportedly deserted and stripped of identification papers.

They found more than 200 crates full of animals, many so dehydrated in the tropical sun that they were close to death.

The animals - which weighed 13 tons were taken to port, doused with water and sent to an animal welfare centre.

“We have received some animals,” said an office worker at the Guangdong Wild Animal Protection Centre. “We are waiting to hear from the authorities what we should do with them.”

According to the local media, the cargo included 31 pangolins, 44 leatherback turtles, 2,720 monitor lizards, 1,130

July 2007

Brazilian turtles as well as the bear paws. Photographs showed other animals, including an Asian giant turtle.

All of these south-east Asian species are critically endangered, banned from international trade and yet openly sold in restaurants and markets in China’s southern province of Guangdong, which is famous for its exotic cuisine.

The accidental discovery highlights the negative impact that the growing power of Chinese consumption is having on global conservation efforts.

According to wildlife groups, China is the main market for illegally traded exotic species, which are eaten or used in traditional medicine. Pangolins are in great demand because their meat is consider a delicacy and their scales are thought to help mothers breastfeed their babies.

As a result of demand, the pangolin populations of China, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia have been wiped out.

With traders moving further and further south, the animal is declining even in its last habitats in Java, Sumatra and the Malaysian peninsula. It is a similar story for many species of turtle, tortoise, frog and snake.

Despite China’s international commitments to get to grips with this illicit activity, the trade is booming. Border controls are lax, and smugglers know that fines are usually far lower than the potential rewards. As a result, raids and seizures of banned products occur regularly. One recent raid on a restaurant in Guanghzou turned up 118 pangolins, 60kg of snakes and 400kg of toads.

Traffic - an organization that monitors and tries to prevent the smuggling of endangered species - welcomed the fact that China’s authorities had reacted swiftly to rescue the animals but said

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much more needs to be done to prevent similar cases.

“Unfortunately, this is all too common.

This trade is a far bigger threat to these species than habitat destruction,” said Chris Shepherd, senior program officer with Traffic Southeast Asia. “The vigilance on the border has to be improved, cooperation with source countries needs to be strengthened, there should be better monitoring of dealers, and the people violating the laws must be penalized severely.”

Despite the ban on pangolins, many restaurants offer their meat. The Chaoxing restaurant in Shenzhen said yesterday that pangolin was available but was only suitable for large dining parties.

“The animal is very big - about 10kg,” said a waitress contacted by telephone.

“We serve it in hotpot. That is the tastiest way.”

According to recent reports in the Chinese media, the price of 1kg of pangolin served in Guangdong or Yunnan is between 600 and 800 yuan per kilogram (between £43 and £50).

A Guangdong chef interviewed last year in the Beijing Science and Technology Daily described how to cook a pangolin.

“We keep them alive in cages until the customer makes an order. Then we hammer them unconscious, cut their throats and drain the blood. It is a slow death. We then boil them to remove the scales. We cut the meat into small pieces and use it to make a number of dishes, including braised meat and soup. Usually the customers take the blood home with them afterwards.”

Watts, Jonathan. “Noah’s Ark of 5,000 Rare Animals found floating off the coast of China.” Guardian Unlimited. 26 May 2007. http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,2088589,00.htm

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The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

July 2007

Volume 27

Number 7

A Fair to Remember

By Bill Sandberg

First, I want to thank Jan Larson, Jim Gerholdt, John Moriarty, and Jeff LeClere for the use of their animals at last year’s State Fair. It was their time to shine and they did an admirable job of it. I went out to the fair with Jim Gerholdt to set up the animals and display. Jim and I were on the same ship together in the Navy at different times.

Jim has many friends at the DNR and I knew a great many of the police officers there. It was like a family reunion.

Jim found a life sized cut out of a DNR employee named Carol that explains what a herpetologist is. Jim used to work with her and stated to the DNR, “I have my target, so where is the shooting range?” The people at DNR were great and it was fun to work with them. They made a new colorful poster for Minnesota Snakes, Lizards, and Turtles for display. We limited our handouts and I have received permission to put up a wood plaque of our logo at our display next year. There were many visitors to the DNR building and our exhibit is extremely appreciated by all.

For this year’s State Fair, I am thinking of a new approach to signing up for days at the fair. One person signed up for a fair day and then decided to go to RenFest on the same day instead. This left me to fill that spot and denied

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someone else the chance to go there.

Mark Schmidtke and I filled out 6 of the twelve days. I am thinking of bid sheets for the days. One would fill out a sheet for the days they would be able to work and bid them 1, 2, 3 etc. If they could work them all, they could just put an X on each day or days they were willing to work it.

I am also going to provide a siphon hose with a primer bulb to quickly change water in the turtle tanks. If every animal (except the Timber Rattlesnake) display needed to be cleaned which is highly unlikely. It would take about 40 minutes or less to do so. For this you get two free tickets to the fair and with the lists of free

Jim Gerholdt and cutout “friend” Carol

park and rides from M.T.C., this makes it a very economical day of entertainment.

I am also looking to update a list of Minnesota Herps that our members own for possible display animals.

Please email me. Remember displayed animal owners get first bid on days at the fair.

I overheard one young man was discussing why the hognose snake had a turned up nose. I believe it was his brother said it was from bumping into the front glass. Silly snake. That will do it every time. x

L...------s Pag J

The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

July 2007

Volume 27

Number 7

e

r e H v e e rp u

The winner for June’s favorite herp survey...

It was a close race, but in the end the CORN SNAKE won out! We had 12 Juve voters. Some of the comments on why they voted for the corn snake: Billy - I like the corn snakes mostly because I have a corn snake.

Theo - Because they have so many variations.

Skyler - Because they are great beginner pets that are easy to take care of if they are taken care of properly.

Phoebe - Because I like snakes most.

Sam - I like snake

Joelyn - Because I picked it out

Juve Interview

Kaia - I think that corn snakes are very wonderful reptiles and they’re very beautiful.

Name: Mariah Age: 8

Lives with: Dad, Mom, and brother Casey

How long have you been going to MHS meetings?

8 years What’s best about MHS? Raffle and hands-on.

What’s your favorite herp? Bearded dragon

Next herp you would like to get? A baby iguana

What are your pets’ names?

Brutus - red-tailed boa Mike - desert kingsnake Julius Squeezer - ball python Dartanian - corn snake

Birthday wishes go out to Marcy 7/20 Joelyn I. 7/11 Abby O. 7/7 Jessie P. 7/17 Theo G. 7/7

Got a good tip or idea for the Juve Herper Page? Email Dan Monson. See you at the meeting! -Dan FishMan

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Classified Ads: All active members are allowed a classified ad, run free of charge as space permits. Ads may be run three consecutive months, after which time they may be resubmitted. Corresponding members are allowed a complimentary business card advertisement monthly as space permits. Due to federal restrictions on non-profit mailing permits, we are not allowed to run ads for travel, credit, or insurance agencies.

Submissions: All advertisements should be submitted to the MHS Editor, Bell Museum of Natural History, 10 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455. Deadline is the night of the General Meeting for inclusion in the next newsletter. Make checks payable to: Minnesota Herpetological Society.

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Please enclose the proper payment with your application. Make Checks Payable To: Minnesota Herpetological Society. Membership is for 12 months from the date of approval, a receipt will be sent only upon request. Mail to: Minnesota Herpetological Society, Bell Museum of Natural History, 10 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455. Please allow 6-8 weeks for processing.

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