Reptiles and Amphibians of California's Journal

Journal archives for January 2018

January 3, 2018

The Animal Most Likely to Kill You in Each State.

Horses, cows, and deer are to be respected and avoided whenever possible. In the northeast, dog attacks lead the way. In California, you stand a better chance of being bit by a venomous snake than a canine. In Tennessee, spiders are the primary suspect.

http://mentalfloss.com/article/519289/animal-most-likely-kill-you-each-state

Posted on January 3, 2018 12:31 AM by biohexx1 biohexx1 | 0 comments | Leave a comment

January 4, 2018

Which Bay Area Salamanders Drop Their Tails?

When Billy Shakespeare had those witches in Macbeth call for an “eye of newt, and toe of frog” to complete a very special hell-broth recipe, I’m not sure he knew those amphibians could actually regrow those body parts. But they can. And scientists are researching exactly how they do it.

https://baynature.org/article/bay-area-salamanders-drop-tails/

Posted on January 4, 2018 09:48 AM by biohexx1 biohexx1 | 0 comments | Leave a comment

January 10, 2018

How the weather is making 99 percent of these baby sea turtles female.

Green sea turtles do not develop into males or females due to sex chromosomes, like humans and most other mammals do. Instead, the temperature outside a turtle egg influences the sex of the growing embryo. And this unusual biological quirk, scientists say, endangers their future in a warmer world.

Already, some sea turtle populations are so skewed by heat that the young reptiles are almost entirely female, according to a new report in the journal Current Biology.

http://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article193738014.html

Posted on January 10, 2018 12:08 PM by biohexx1 biohexx1 | 0 comments | Leave a comment

January 12, 2018

Rare, venomous sea snake found slithering on Southern California shores. Are more coming?

The yellow-bellied sea snake discovered near the 18th Street lifeguard tower on Monday was the third report of the species in Southern California since 2015 — and the fifth since 1972, said Greg Pauly, herpetological curator at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-sea-snake-newport-beach-20180111-story.html

Posted on January 12, 2018 02:58 PM by biohexx1 biohexx1 | 0 comments | Leave a comment

January 15, 2018

Snakes — yes, snakes — were also victims of the mudslides, and they need your help.

“Due to the recent Montecito flood, a variety of snake species, including gopher snakes, California king snakes and western rattlesnakes have potentially been misplaced onto local beaches. Snakes at this time in Southern California will be in brumatation (hibernation) and will be unable to protect themselves in this unfamiliar habitat,” the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network posted in a statement on Facebook.

The organization urged anyone who finds a snake on a beach to contact them at 805-681-1080 so that a trained volunteer can “collect any misplaced wildlife, assess them for injuries, and treat and release them back into their natural habitat."

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/state/california/article194699669.html

Posted on January 15, 2018 10:13 AM by biohexx1 biohexx1 | 0 comments | Leave a comment

January 21, 2018

This amphibian – loved for its legs – threatens its California cousins.

QUINCY
American bullfrogs, native to the eastern United States, are hopping around Northern California ponds, gobbling up lizards, snakes, bats and birds – anything that fits in their mouths.

http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article195771914.html

Posted on January 21, 2018 10:26 AM by biohexx1 biohexx1 | 0 comments | Leave a comment

January 23, 2018

Students Invited to Predict When Mojave Maxine Will Make Her 2018 Debut at the Living Desert.

Maxine and her fellow desert tortoise typically enter brumation (hibernation for reptiles) around Thanksgiving. Their bodies know when to go to sleep based on the outside temperatures and the change in daylight hours. Sometime in the coming weeks, she will awaken from her long winter’s slumber and emerge from her subterranean burrow at The Living Desert. The exact date of this annual occurrence, however, is anyone’s guess.

http://www.kmir.com/story/37320598/students-invited-to-predict-when-mojave-maxine-will-make-her-2018-debut-at-the-living-desert

Posted on January 23, 2018 08:34 AM by biohexx1 biohexx1 | 0 comments | Leave a comment

January 24, 2018

Ridiculous California Instagram Accounts to Follow If You Need a Little Perspective.

@californiaherps

Go ahead and tell me what you think this one is for solely on the basis of its name. Great. Now, I can call you a gutter-brained doofus, because it’s the account for the North American Field Herping Association, which is essentially a group of people who find reptiles and amphibians (herptiles) in the wild. Don’t knock it, buddy — maybe we could all try indulging in the joy of something as simple as finding a snake on the side of the road.

https://thebolditalic.com/ridiculous-california-instagram-accounts-to-follow-if-you-need-a-little-perspective-6dfaec461f1e

Posted on January 24, 2018 03:18 AM by biohexx1 biohexx1 | 1 comment | Leave a comment

January 25, 2018

Experts: Viral 'snake fish' video was likely a mealtime mishap.

Experts said a viral clip appearing to show a snake wearing a fish head like a mask likely resulted from the serpent's mealtime accident.

https://www.upi.com/Experts-Viral-snake-fish-video-was-likely-a-mealtime-mishap/9631516823010/

Posted on January 25, 2018 12:19 PM by biohexx1 biohexx1 | 0 comments | Leave a comment

January 26, 2018

Ecologist unearths the foothill yellow-legged frog's past in order to inform its future.

Once abundant in Southern California, the foothill yellow-legged frog inexplicably vanished from the region sometime between the late 1960s and early 1970s. The reasons behind its rapid extirpation have been an ecological mystery.
Share:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180125135526.htm

Posted on January 26, 2018 10:33 AM by biohexx1 biohexx1 | 0 comments | Leave a comment