St. Louis
Herpetoiogic
Inside
! The Few, the Proud, the Tortoises: Marines Protect Endangered Speciesj An Army of Biologists Are on Nature Patrol at Military Bases;
Presidents spot Meettn^dates
T
3
Next Meetings Minute's New series about veftompus snakes Rat eradication in The Galapagos Rats cont. St. Louis Reptile Show Classified ajp? ^ ^ Board members
Martin Husung, a natural-resource specialist on the base. "A lot of people think we're just running over things."
In their desert warfare training, U.S. Marines sometimes encounter shells of a different nature— 4 the desert tortoise. It's one of the species pro- Instead, Mr. Henen often hustles out to remote parts tected under the Department of Defense's con- of the Mojave Desert to make sure the threatened desert tortoise, which can weigh 10 pounds and live servation program. WSJ's Ben Kesling reports. • S\ to be more than 50 years old, isn't frightened by TWENTYN1NE PALMS, Calif.—U.S. Marines are charging troops. taught to overcome obstacles with a minimum of "When they get scared, they pee themselves," Mr. help. But when some Marines prepared to charge a hill in a training exercise here a few months ago, they Henen said, referring to the tortoises. Since tortoises can go two years between drinks of water, an unwere forced to halt and radio the one man who could help them advance: Brian Henen, turtle expert. planned micturition can cause dehydration and even death. So Mr. Henen sometimes demonstrates to | The troops were "running up the hill and firing at troops how he soaks the reptiles in a pool until they targets," Mr. Henen said. "Some of the tortoises like drink enough water to plod on with their lives. ' the hill also. The Marines don't want to hurt the The tortoise isn't the only animal benefiting from the | tortoise, so they call us and we go in and move it." limited hunting, high security and trained biologists I Mr. Henen, who has a doctorate in biology, is part of on many bases. On the Navy's San Clemente Island, ; a little-known army of biologists and other scientists biologists protect vulnerable loggerhead shrikes from '•>j who manage the Mojave desert tortoise and about hungry rats by installing metal "rat flashings" at the base of trees the birds nest in. In Texas, the Army •:\0 other threatened and endangered species on creates protective nesting environments for endani about 28 million acres of federally managed military gered golden-cheeked warblers to fend off incursions land, \y BEN KESLING. Wall Street journal by brown-headed cowbirds. "There's a lot of people who don't recognize the amount of conservation the Marine Corps does," said Continued on Page 3
St. Louis Herpetological Society
Page 2
General Meeting Dates For 2013:
The
Presidents Spot
by Steve Brown
Summer has arrived] Hot, but still better than last year's heat and drought. I will be making my trip to the southwest again this year. The last 2 years were disappointing for me but I am looking forward to another visit. I will take photos this year so I should have another talk ready in the near future.
July 14
Our July meeting will be a social. Bring your favorite herp! We generally have a wide variety of reptiles so come ready to show and tell and learn.
August I I
if anyone has any ideas for speakers please share your thoughts. Names that come to my mind a're Scott Ballard or Jeff Ettling.
September 8
I'm sorry for such a short Presidents Spot but work has been keeping me out of town. . . . . . . • . . - • . • . - . . - . ' • . . .
October 13
Steve
November 10 December 8
General meetings are held on Sundays, at 6:30 PM Kirkwood Community Center, I I I South Geyer Road, Kirl<wood, Mo. 63122 314-822-5855
/jk^
.
^
d^iei^ *
Volume 47, Issue 4 The Few cont. And at Arnold Air Force Base in Tennessee, the once-endangered Helianthus eggertii, or Eggert's sunflower, is doing so well it has been taken off the endangered list. Congress ordered the Defense Department to protect the flora and fauna on its lands under the 1 960 Sikes Act. Today, the military works with agencies like the Fish and Wildlife Service, a bureau of the Interior Department, to search for and protect animals, plants and archaeological sites on its bases. At Fort Benning, an Army base near Columbus, Ga., gunfire and explosions regularly set off fires in the pine trees, said John Brent, the base environmental manager. Oddly enough, this is a boon for the red-cockaded woodpecker, a bird on the endangered species list that has made a comeback there. The finicky woodpecker typically lives in longleaf pines at least 60 years old. The tree thrives on forest fires. "It needs fire to germinate and grow," Mr. Brent said. Outside the base, civilian agencies have long tried to prevent forest fires, and that ultimately hurts the pine population. Elsewhere, ve/opment. All of this has the birds flocking to the base, Mr Brent said. To help welcome the new
Page 3 tenants, Mr Brent and others have been building bird "condominiums," Mr. Brent said. For this they cut a hole about the size of a loaf of bread in an existing tree and slide in a cedar box to accommodate a nest. They can only do this once per tree because these picky birds prefer "condos, not townhouses," Mr. Brent said. "It's a well-kept secret" that biologists are drawn to work on military bases, Mr. Brent said. "There's a chance to do terrific work." Last year, the Department of Defense spent nearly $70 million on threatened and endangered species management and conservation, including $16.5 million on the red-cockaded woodpecker and just under $6 million on the desert tortoise. The outlays let biologists survey habitats, tag and track animals, build hatcheries and provide ecological training to thousands of troops. At Fort Irwin, an Army base near Barstow, Calif., Clarence Everly bumped along a dirt trail in a Dodge Ram pickup. The former Airborne Ranger is now the natural and cultural resources manager on base. "Having been in the Army, it gives you some street cred" dealing with soldiers and the chain of command, he said. "You're not just the environmentalist guy trying to prevent "them TrofTRioTh^ Training.1' ""'"'"" ~"" ~ He drove out to meet a team of biologists from the U.S. Geological Survey on a 10-acre restricted area where lonely Joshua trees
Louis, Lrtlesuryival.OT^^^^c1;?
TORTOISE AND FRESHWATER TURTLE SPECfALFST GROUP
shook in 50 mile per hour winds. This "is a great resource," said Christina Aiello, a USGS scientist and Ph.D. student from Penn State University, trying to yell over the gusts of wind. "Blocking off areas, restricting access, it's safe and secure and there's no public access." She is part of a team doing research on how tortoises interact socially. She said their research is "like Facebook, FB + L12% " as they track friend circles in the tortoise group. Back at Twentynine Palms, Ken Nagy, a professor emeritus in biology from UCLA studying the reproductive habits of the reptiles, held a baby tortoise in one hand, its shell still soft. They are like "walking ravioli" to predators, he said. A fenced-off section of the base covered by netting helps overcome the high mortality rate for young tortoises in the wild. Mr. Nagy's program helps protect juveniles from birds and allows for research in a natural habitat. Other parts of the military's domain aren't exactly natural but still offer the animals military-style protection. On Fort Irwin, Mr. Everly peered through the window of his pickup at some targets in the distanceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;home to a surprisingly large tortoise population. "In essence, the live-fire ranges are protection for the tortoises," he said, looking at a patch of ground where bullets often rain down but rarely hit the burrowing reptile. "Nobody goes out there."
Page 4
St. Louis Herpetological Society
For the July 14th General Meeting:
ANIMAL SOCIAL! You are invited to bring One or a few of your favorite herps.
The August I Ith general meeting is still TBA (Lynn Hartke is hoping to lure a presenter from the TSA Symposium) Keep an eye on the website for updates on the next meeting And details about the TSA Symposium.
www.stlherpsociety.org
Meeting Schedule 2013 General Meetings SUNDAY 6:30PM
2013 Board Meetings TUESDAYS 7PM
July 14
July 16 =
August I I
August 13
General Meetings are held Sundays at 6:30PM Kirkwood Community Center I I I South Geyer Road Kirkwood MO 63 122
Board Meetings are held Tuesdays at 7PM Cornerstone EvangelicaJ Free Church 921 Edgar Road Webster Groves, Mo. 63 I 19 314-968-9808
314-822-5855
Volume 47, Issue 4
Minutes of the Executive Meeting for May 14,2013 President Steve Brown called the meeting to order at 7:16 pm •
Steve Brown said that he has supplied snakes from the rescue program to kids.
•
Ed Bielik mentioned that he and 27 kids in the Nipher Herpetological Society traveled to Riverside Reptile Ranch for a field trip. And a great time was had by all!
•
Curt is having some formatting troubs with the newsletter";?:>::"?:<:>{:{?:"(!
•
St. Louis reptile Show is next month and Ed has a couple LARGE aquariums for the SLHS table. But he will need help with transport. Curt offered to help
There were 8 people in attendance for the meeting. The meeting ended at 7:43 pm.
Minutes of the Executive Meeting for June I 1, 2013 President Steve Brown called the meeting to order at 7:08 pm
•
We are getting lots of calls about wild reptiles due to all the flooding. Steve is handling most of those calls.
•
The talk on Sunday went really well. Thanks to Tony for working with us and sending the video.
•
Treasurer John Faletti said this month we had a negative cash flow. Income was $68, and expenses were $2636,68. Most of the expense was insurance.
•
We may drop our insurance coverage. This would impact our ability to do certain shows, but we just don't do enough to justify it anymore. However, we still do lots of private shows so the insurance would help cover us at those events. Ohhhh decisions, decisions.
•
Patrick's show is coming up and we will be represented there. We should have some items to sell as well.
•
The July meeting will be a social event.
•
We need a speaker for August and we need to start thinking of speakers for next year.
There were eight people in attendance for the meeting. The meeting ended at 7:42 pm.
^-^-
-s
St. Louis Herpetological Society
Page 6
Keeping Venomous Reptiles Part 2 You have followed all of the State, County and/or City regulations and you are now legal to maintain venomous reptiles in your collection. What is the best cage for venomous reptiles? The answer to that question varies from keeper to keeper. I suggest that you find a mentor that would be willing to train you on the safety issues and working With venomous reptiles. This will give you a chance to possibly find a cage •;• design that Works best for you. Choosing a mentor is just as critical as a cage design. It may prove to be a'difficult "job to find a mentor willing to train you. Remember, an EXPERIENCED MENTOR IS A MUST! I use slide fronts, hinged doors and back opening cages. I keep my Heladerma (Beadeds & Gilas) and small crotalus (Rattlesnakes) in rear opening cages. I keep my large fast Elapids (Cobras & such) and large -Q=©ta-I u s-(Ratt-les-na-kes-)- tn-s-Hdfront cages. I use rack systems as well. If you use glass aquariums make sure that you put a lip around the stand, table or shelf to keep the cages from sliding or getting pushed off. Rack systems should have a bar or pin system to keep the boxes from being
informed me that he was already and how many were out of the enclosure? These are very scary on his way to the airport. He proceeded to tell me that some questions. of the reptiles have been bred This leads to another conand are probably gravid. He was cern. You should have a venompositive that his female Bothrops ous reptile room that can be atrox (Fer-De-Lance) was gravid. locked to keep children out of harms way and to prevent unNo problem, 1 received the reptiles, 1 seem to remember there controlled access. This room must be escape proof as well. was thirty some odd reptiles. You need to seal the HVAC One of which was a very large female Bothrops asper system in the room as well as door jams, ceiling tiles and any (Terciopelo). He told me that this female had been with a male holes in the floor, walls and ceiling. If a venomous reptile does once, but he didn't observe any breeding activity. I came home manage to escape it's enclosure the secured room is of the utfrom work one afternoon and upon checking on the reptiles I most importance at that time. noticed that the female Bothrops Never remove a venomous asper had given birth to a lot of reptile from a cage that is located babies. After removing them on a high shelf. Bring the cage from the females cage I had a down to a safe level to remove count of sixty six babies. Each the animal. Your mentor should one was roughly the size of a explain this to you, but 1 will tell baby corn snake. The point is, you one of many things that could go wrong. When you if my cage design tolerhook a venomous snake above ances were made just to the horizontal level, the chances . • . keep^b^4bmaJ-e4i^^h-e^€age= "ur Li re" vria1^e^fMfrtg~bgrk~t:o your hands increases the higher the I would have had baby hook is above the level plain of Bothrops as pens all over the hook. Also important. Keep my venomous room. the area around your encloses Can you imagine coming home and finding a baby venom- free of clutter. —' Part 3 of this article will cover ous snake on your floor? Then a few more items before you get you would have to ask yourself your first "HOT" snake. how many babies did she have
pushed out of the rack. The slide fronts should be secured to prevent the reptile from sliding the door open while rubbing or crawling along the glass. The only requirement that I insist on is security! The cage system that you choose should have locks and/or latches. I'm sorry but the practice of using tape, rubber bands and/or heavy objects on a cage system is not security! If you choose locks or latches re' member they are only good if you use-them 100% of the time..-. Most of my cages and rack systems I make myself. If you decide to design and make your, own enclosures remember to keep the dimensional tolerances around any opening very close to prevent escape. I make my enclosures tight enough to keep a baby snake in the enclosure. These tight tolerances have saved me on two occasions. I will relate an incident that happened to LT
;
New Orleans a number of years ago. Along came Hurricane Katrina. 1 received a phone call from my friend asking if I could take in some of his venomous collection as he had been evacuated from his home. He knew that I could not turn him down. After I told him to ship them he
Eyelash Viper (Bothriechiis schlegelii)
article and photo by Steve Brown
Volume 47, Issue 4
Page 7
Invasive species: The 18-km2 rat trap - Ecuador has successfully eradicated invasive pigs and goats from most of the Galapagos archipelago. Now it is taking on the rats. bv Henry Nicholls, 5/15/13 Nature The helicopter appears as a speck on the horizon, moving slowly on a dead-straight path over the black volcanic island. Beneath it hangs a huge metal cone: an industrial-scale hopper that is sending a steady stream of blue pellets raining down on the scrubby landscape of Pinzon, one of the Galapagos Islands. Erin Hagen watches through her binoculars. She is standing on the deck of the Sierra Negra, one of three vessels moored just off the island on this morning in November 2012. When the helicopter reaches the rocky shoreline, it changes course, heads across the ocean and hovers just above the boat. At Hagen's instruction, a team of conservationists comes to life. Two men stand by to service the hopper. , Three others prepare to reload it with more than 400 kilograms of poisoned rat bait. Within three minutes, the loading is complete and the helicopter is heading back to lace Pinzon with more toxic bait. "It's kind of like a pit-stop," explains Hagen, a project manager for Island Conservation, an international nongovernmental organization with expertise in the eradication of invasive species. 'There's a real buzz from everyone." Five years ago, most of the major islands and smaller rocky outcrops in the Galapagos were home to a plague of invasive
mice and rats. The rodents feed Auckland in New Zealand who (Pterodroma phaeopygia), a speon the eggs and young of seahas a special interest in rat invacies that has been listed as critibirds, land birds and reptiles, and sions. "Their real challenge is cally endangered since 1994. His dedication was rewarded, have brought several species — going to be that biosecurity," he says Cruz. "There were more including the rare Pinzon giant says. birds, more plants, more lizards. tortoise For those involved, the antiIt was like an island within an (Chelonoidisduncanensis) — t o rat campaign is worth the trouisland," It was also a transformathe brink of extinction. In 2007, ble and the risks. It promises to tive experience. "It's something the Galapagos National Park allow unique species to flourish that fills me with pride, satisfacService (GNP) and the Charles again and, building on the prior tion and somehow shaped my Darwin Foundation (CDF) devel- removal of feral pigs and goats life," he says. oped an initiative code-named from much of the archipelago, to Before long, Cruz had an Project Pinzon, a military-style - make'Ecuador a world leader in opportunity to eradicate black plan-of-action to kill invasive the eradication of invasive sperats on a bigger scale: from the rodents on three islands-— cies. "Galapagos is up there in entire island of Pinzon, where starting with North Seymour : the front line looking to make they were destroying the island's (1.8 square kilometres), then the next big leap in multi-species endemic tortoise species by demoving on to Rabida (5 square pest management," Russell says. vouring hatchlings. In 1988, kilometres) and, finally, Pinzon By the time Darwin arrived in "there was a massive, massive (18 square kilometres) — plus the Galapagos in 1835, the rodrought and we began to see around a dozen smaller outcrops dents had long since settled in. dead rats everywhere", recalls and islets (see 'Rat race'). Mice and black rats were proba- Linda Cayot, then at the Charles The effort, costing some bly the first to arrive, introduced Darwin Research Station on the US$3 million so far, is not the by pirates or whalers in the sev- central island of Santa Cruz and biggest rat eradication ever atenteenth century; since the now science adviser for the Gatempted. But it is one of the 1980s, Norway rats have found lapagos Conservancy in Fairfax, - m 6srC -high - p rb'fi 1 e -an d*c h al 1 ehgi rTgf'their way there too±T~'.~" ^ - ""— -Virginia;-Gayot"and^Cru2rsaw~theBefore conservationists and sciGalapagos experts have little perfect opportunity to finish what the drought had started, doubt that the rodents have entists could start attacking the and convinced the directors of rodents, they had to ensure that devastated native wildlife, even the GNP and the CDF to allow a their poison would not take out though the creatures' effects have not been studied systemati- team to spread bait laced with some of the unique — and encally. "I just hated the immigrant rodenticide. dangered — mockingbirds, The rat population recovered killers because I could see what finches, rails, iguanas and torafter a few months, but Cayot they were doing," says Felipe toises famously described by describes the exercise as "a sucCruz, a lifelong conservationist Charles Darwin. And whereas cessful failure". The researchers most rat eradications so far have who grew up on Floreana, one of realized that very young rats may four inhabited islands in the artargeted remote, uninhabited not have encountered the bait, chipelago. In the early 1980s, islands, the Galapagos is home to and that they needed to apply it Cruz spent nine months of the some 30,000 people and receives twice. "I think we came really year camped in the Floreana around 180,000 visitors each close," Cayot says. "We just highlands deploying a cocktail of year. With so much boat traffic, rodenticide to prevent rats from learned so much about how to the risk of reinvasion will be very destroying eggs and chicks in the run a massive field operation," high, says James Russell, an most important breeding colony ecolegist at the University of Continued on page 8 of the Galapagos petrel
Page 8
St. Louis Herpetological Society
mice occupying the small uplifted Soon after Ecuador's environment ministry signed off on the island of North Plaza. In an added twist, the bait here and on plan, the GNP and the CDF set most subsequent islands was to work on North Seymour, with Island Conservation enter- spiked with a fluorescent dye to help researchers to track its ing into the project in 2008. Later that year, with signs of movement through the environment by tell-tale traces on trails, success on North Seymour, Isnests, faeces and the animals land Conservation approached themselves. "You go out with a Bell Laboratories, a company in Madison, Wisconsin, that special- big ultraviolet spotlight and you can see basically where this bait izes in industrial-scale rodent has gone," says Campbell. This control. Would the firm donate suggested that some finches and sufficient bait •— almost 45 tonnes — to cover all the remaining lava lizards were nibbling at the islets and islands identified in the bait, but were not killed by it. Although the taste tests indiProject Pinzon roadmap? The company, attracted by the philan- cated that the Galapagos' worldfamous tortoises and other repthropic cause, agreed. tiles would not gorge themselves The biggest uncertainty was what impact the active ingredi-. on the bait, nobody was taking any chances. "We needed to get ent •— an anticoagulant called some hard data on what to exbrodifacoum — might have on non-target species. In birds and pect if tortoises did eat the bait," mammals, the chemical prevents says Penny Fisher of Landcare the repair of capillaries that rup- Research. In 2010, Fisher fed the ture naturally, resulting in inter- bait pellets to captive tortoises nal bleeding and, if the dose is of hybrid origin — which conservationists consider less valuable high enough, death. What was not known was how the than wild-living, purebred animals "eminently curious" fauna of the — then drew blood samples ^-that-ha 5-50mPT g^|rlhejd==±r^oJy,p(^thp^poiHyp^j 50 years of experience in the it, would respond if exposed to and measured how long they eradication of invasive species the bait. "We had to start build- took to clot as an indicator of ranging from rabbits to wallabies. ing from scratch," Campbell says. toxic effects. "It was a nerveNew Zealand is also the record This meant doing a risk assesswracking trial to do," she says. holder for rat eradication: the ment for all vertebrates and But, for reasons that are not yet I 13-square-kiIometre Campbell threatened species that might be clear, the coagulation time reIsland has officially been rat-free affected on the islands yet to be mained fairly constant, suggesting for almost a decade (http:// baited. that tortoises would not face a "I just hated the immigrant serious risk of poisoning. eradictfonsdb.fos.auckland.ac.nz). "It's a bit of an industry in New killers because I could see what Protecting other species reZealand," says John Parkes, a they were doing." quired more drastic measures. collaborator with Landcare ReAmong the species of greatThe Galapagos hawk perches at search, an environmental reest concern were the Galapagos the top of the local food chain search organization based in mockingbirds and finches, which and, with a diet that ranges from Lincoln, New Zealand, and a key might happily peck away at the young iguanas to sea lion afterparticipant in the workshop. bait. So, in 2009, graduate stubirth, faced the greatest risk of "There's lots of research that dent Ana Lucfa Carrion Bonilla of inadvertent poisoning. So the shows the benefits of removing the University of San Francisco in team decided to bring all territothese exotic species from islands Quito set about determining rial hawks into captivity until six far outweigh the short-term what colour these iconic birds weeks after the first bait drop. In costs imposed by the control like leastS.. Once she had the January 201 I , when the helicoptechnologies themselves." answer — blue — Bell Laborato- ter delivered bait over Rabida The workshop resulted m ries cooked up a blue version of and a handful of smaller Islets, Project Pinzon, which, by work- an existing rat bait. Trials of a Julia Ponder of the University of ing from small to bigger islands, non-toxic version were promis- Minnesota looked after 20 hawks had the aim of "taking on proing: a suite of key endemic spein makeshift aviaries on the gressively larger and more com- cies turned their noses up at the nearby island of Santiago. All of plex eradications", says Karl bright blue blocks. Subsequent the birds survived and were reCampbell, senior programme tests showed that a toxic version leased back to the wild. And director for Island Conservation. of the bait killed invasive house after a thorough survey in NoInvasive Species cont. This paved the way for an onslaught against much larger invasive mammals — mainly, pigs and goats — whose relentless grazing had stripped out much of the vegetation, with knock-on consequences for native herbivores. Project Isabela, a staged initiative that began in 1997 and cost nearly $10.5 million, resulted in the eradication of invasive pigs from the huge island of Santiago^ and some 140,000 goats from more than 5,000. square kilometers on several islands. According to Cruz and others involved in the project, it is "the world's largest island restoration effort to date"4. The effort also gave Galapagos conservationists the confidence to think big, says Cruz. They resolved to launch a new assault on the rats. In 2007, the GNP and the CDF held a workshop to consider how best to approach the rat problem. This pulled together expertise from around the world, most notably from New
vember 2012, the GNP declared Rabida free of invasive rodents. Now, with a small population of tortoises in captivity as insurance, it was time to prepare for Pinzon itself. The helicopter pilot would need a three-day window of clear skies to bait the landscape with the necessary accuracy, and he would navigate along tight, pre-ordained flight lines just 35 metres apart. "Keeping those lines straight is what makes or breaks a project," says Hagen. "Then we know we can ensure full coverage." In the run-up to the operation, Hagen and the baiting team practised loading and dropping bait on an abandoned US military airstrip on the island of Baltra. Then, in midNovember 2012 and with the weather forecast looking good, the operation began in earnest. When Hagen stepped onto Pinzon after the second baiting in December, the island looked much as normal. "Typically what animals do when they are exposed to the rodenticide is go into safe areas because they pxl-wpjj;'' ^h^^y^ Jhat means the only evidence of mass poisoning is the occasional smell of rotting flesh and perhaps a skeletal rat carcass. It usually takes around two years of monitoring — using traps for live animals, 'bite cards' distributed across the landscape, and searches for rat footprints and faeces — before an eradication effort is declared a success. Assuming the rats are gone, the team will monitor how the ecosystem responds over the next five to ten years. Regular on -the-ground surveys will document how key species fare and acoustic sensors will gather data on the abundance and diversity of bird life from their calls. "For each of these threatened species the ultimate measure will be growing populations, possibty even self-sustaining," says Nick Holmes, director of science at Island Conservation. One archipelago-wide indicator will be land snails of the genus Bulimulus. Continued on page 1 I
Volume 47, Issue 4
Page 9
t Louis Reptile Shows Five Times a Year Since 1996!
Show Date: Sunday, July 14,2013 Visit The Shows at Our New Location
Admission; ^ 12 and Up S6°°, Kids 5-11S300 Upcoming Shows: New Show Hours " Sept.8 10am-3pm Nov. 10 and Dec. 29 •Lafge Selection of Reptiles and Amphibians at Great Prices! •"Visit our Website for a List of die Vendors Attending! •Feeder Rodents and Bugs! •Assorted Exotic Mammals! •Plus Books, Other Supplies and Mucli More!
| Would you like to place an ad in the newsletter?
Holiday Inn Southwest Viking Conference Center 10709 Watson Rd St. Louis, MO 63127 For More Information & Vendor Listings, Visit OurWebpage;
wwwSaurian.net
Business Card Ad $5 per month
Free ads up to 25
Email Patrick at Patrick(o)Saurian.net
PRICES FOR ADS: 1/4 Page 1/2 Page $10 $15
Full Page $25
words for members. Non-members may also place ads for a small fee. Contact the Editor or any board member to place your ad
Please send information to the editor at slhs.editor@gmail.com i Phone: 636-333-2939 i You may also contact any board member to place your ad;
^ | ; I
Note: All ads will expire in December. Yearly ads that did not have expiration dates in the past will now begin in January and end in December of the same year unless we are notified. Anyone who places an ad will notice the ad has an expiration date in the corner of the ad. If your ad is a yearly or extended ad, please notify the Editor or Associate Editor that you would like your ad extended for another term.
It. I
St. Louis Herpetological Society
CLASSIFIED ADS FOOD AND SUPPLIES MIDWEST PET SUPPLY Phil Ferke! 3I4_498-0637 Mice sizes Pinkies Fuzzies Hoppers Adults
Rat sizes Small Med Lg XL Jumbo
REPTILES
PET SITTING
I.I Atlantic Central American Milksnakes (Lt.polyzona) Proven Adult Breeders $500/PR 3.3 Atlantic Central American Milksnakes (Lt.polyzona) C.H. 201 I $200/PR LI Columbian Miiksnakes (L.t.micropholis x L.tandesiana) CH M 2003 & CH F 201 I $400/PR
Please call for prices and availability of rabbits
1.0 Andean Milksnake (L.t.andsiana) CH 201 I Partial Inca Pattern $150
Frozen—Deliver/ Available
0.! Honduran Milksnake (L.t.hondurensis) Young Adult Tangerine from nostalgic BILL love/Norm Damm bloodlines $150
Mike's Mice Pinks and fuzzies only. All 35 cents alive or frozen. Call Mike @ 636-629-7353. Also Susie's Jewelry Mice, Rats and other feeder Rodents Frozen or Live. Competitive prices. Contact Keith or Kathy 636-285-4237 or 573-718-6129. Email: Thompson@nightowl.net. Jefferson County area.
Contact Scott Ballard paws@earthlink.net
\-
In Home Pet sitting by Josh Higgins I have worked with all types of animals and can care for any kind of pet. 1 have numerous references and experience working in veterinary clinics, so I can give a pet medicine if needed. Rates VERY AFFORDABLE! LIVE REPTILE PRESENTATIONS Safe Hands on Demonstrations for kids/ adults of,all ages! • : . Birthday Parties/Scout Troops/Day Camps etc. : Fun and Educational Snaketiles@gmail.com or Carrie 3 14-565-9871 CONSTRICTOR CONNOISSEUR SNAKET1LES.COM
Venomous Species, endangered species and K^M species cannot be sold or brought to the genera/ m| ing to sell! Please be advise* Code, theref&ft •' "•, ' -'*•?''>>'if '••/ am
, . . - /;>/;&*&*:
Ferguson Animal Hospital "Quality Pet Cars by Caring Professionals" 4g3 Airport Rosd - Fergnson, MO 63135 Office- (314) 524-0707 Emergency: (314)739-1500 Daniel S. Wentz, D.V.MU Jixlie A. Weniz? Du
oticfiRC Tiie tophibidn a Reptile Center Phon» (3U) 631-7272 Fax (314J 631-7272
343 lemay F0i ry Rd
Volume 47, Issue 4 <<- ,-«ir
St. Louis Hprpetological Society Board Members BOARD OF DIRECTORS igCT President: Steve Brown
MEMBERS AT LARGE
636-942-3 13 1 E: sdk3brown@sbcglobal.net Lynn Hartke 3 14-645-55 12 E: hartkelk@slu.edu
Vice President: John Ward 3 14-645-55 12 E: hartkelk@slu.edu
Treasurer: John Faietti
Ed Bielik .3 14-775^8142 E: embielik@mac.com
618-345-6109 E: tajneil@sbcglobal.net
Editor: Curt Hendricks 3 14-772-0435 E: guitlizard 1 @att.net
•
Steve Heinrich '314-353,4218 E: grpap939I@gmail.com
Assistant Editor: Debbie Brown 636-942-3 13 I E: sdk3brown@sbcglobaf.net
Katie Neville Membership Secretary: Mary Heinrich 314-353-4218 E: slhsheinrich@yahoo.com
314-920-7080 E: frogadelic@earthlink.net
Corresponding Secretary: Michael Brodt 636-586-3702 E: rhodostom@hotmail.com
Invasive Species cont. Although not as famous as Darwin's finches, these small snails with pine-coneshaped shells offer an even more compelling illustration of natural selection's creative force: there are some 70 documented species, all of which could be descended from a single common colonizing ancestor. But rats feed on them, which might explain why more than 50 of the species are threatened — and their damaged shells offer a good way to quantify rat predation. "Invertebrates in general are going to give us a faster idea of the response to the eradication programme," says Christine Parent of the University of California, Berkeley, who in years to come will help to monitor Pinzon's snails for signs of a rebound. But if there is one certainty in such a complex operation, it's that not everything will go to plan. Although Ponder and her colleagues succeeded in keeping 60 Galapagos hawks in captivity over the course of the Pinzon campaign, the birds have not fared so well after their release. "We have 16 confirmed dead," says Ponder. She thinks that the birds dined on small reptiles that had consumed the bait.
In future, it may pay to keep the hawks in captivity for longer. Even if every last rodent is removed from an island, constant vigilance will be needed to prevent a reinvasion. In January 201 I, the GNP and Island Conservation assessed the probability of reinvasion by baiting the islands of Bartolome and Sombrero Chino, which lie within 500 metres — swimming distance for a rat— of the still rat-infested island of Santiago. In November 2012, they found evidence of rats on both of the treated islands. (Fortunately, Rabida and Pinzon are beyond rat swimming distance of neighboring islands.) Tourist vessels and other boat traffic will also need to be monitored for stowaway rats. And there is always the risk of human sabotage, which occurred several times after Project Isabela. In 2009, for instance, some malcontent set six goats down on Santiago, which by then had been goat-free for around three years. The GNP put the cost of monitoring the island and removing these animals at $32,393, more than $5,000 a beast4. In spite of such setbacks, Ecuador's environment ministry is pushing ahead
with its programme of ecological restoration in Galapagos. For 2014, the central government has committed several million dollars to attempt the extermination of rats from the 173-square-kiIometre island of Floreana, where the human population adds to the challenge. "Dropping poison around people adds a layer of complexity," says Parkes. But success on an island the size of Floreana would set an example for the rest of the world. It would also make it easier to realize conservationists' long-standing ambition of reintroducing mockingbirds and tortoises to the island, not to mention the respite it would bring for the Galapagos petrel. And that would be the realization of a lifelong dream for Cruz. "When I travel between the islands and 1 get to see groups of petrels flying about, I have to be quite honest," he says. "My heart beats faster."
www. stlh erpso cieiy.
This Box checked when it's time to renew
00/00 Minnesota Herp Society Bell Museum 10 Church St SE Minneapolis, MN 55455-0104
The St. Louis Herpetological Society Membership Application Name:
Date:
Address: City:
State:
Phone:
Zip:
Email:
Primary Interest in Herpetoiogy:
Occupation (optional):
Employer (optional):
Do you wish for your iafarm-action to be published in our membership directory? Y/N New Member: I—I
Renewal Member! I Address Change! I
Annual Dues: Dlndividual $20
D Family $23
DSustaining I YK $250
D Lifetime $500
Please Remit Payment to: Stx Louis Herpetological Society ;pj5/:Box220(54 St. LoiJns,MO 63122-0154
DPatron $1000
«-.