That Reptile Blog – Reptile, Amphibian and Exotic Pet Care and Information

Five species of sea turtle, all threatened or endangered, inhabit waters affected by the April, 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. In the 20 months that have passed since, many have been rescued, but problems still linger. Unfortunately, we cannot yet determine how this ecological nightmare has affected their survival prospects.

It is estimated that over 6,000 sea turtles of 5 species, along with 82,000+ birds, 26,000+ marine mammals and untold numbers of other creatures, were impacted by the Gulf Oil Spill. It is impossible to determine how many other turtles were killed as a result of fires that were set in order to burn off surface oil (the Center for Biological Diversity sued to force a change in that strategy, please see article below). Read More »

Unprecedented declines in amphibian populations have been much in the news lately.  Linked to a number of factors, including an emerging disease (Chytrid fungus infection), frog extinctions are being documented the world over, and herpetologists are scrambling to save those that remain.  Yet the international trade in frog legs remains largely unregulated, and is considered by many to serve only a limited market for “exotic foods”. However, a recent report, Canapés to Extinction: the International Trade in Frog’s Legs (July 26, 2011) reveals the trade’s shocking volume and impact on frogs and their habitats.

Trade Kills 1,000,000,000+ Frogs in US Alone

The extent of the frog leg trade in the USAis surprisingly large.  The USAannually imports 4.6 million pounds of frog legs, representing an estimated 1.1 billion frogs, and 4.4 million pounds of live frogs!   These figures, and those mentioned below, are bare minimums, as they do not include locally farmed and collected frogs and those that are not reported to regulatory authorities.  Read More »

Twenty of the world’s 5,000+ lizard species have been shown to live in family groups (i.e. the Prehensile Tailed Skink, Corucia zebrata, and the USA’s Desert Night Lizard, Xantusia vigilis).  Field studies have now revealed that one social lizard – Great Desert Skink or Tjakura, Liopholis kintorei – actually constructs complex, long-term dwellings and lives in extended family groups.  Native to the red sand plains of central Australia, it is the only lizard known to exhibit such highly-evolved social behavior.

Natural History and Conservation

The Great Desert Skink is stoutly-built, much like the familiar Blue-Tongued Skink (please see photo) and sports rust to burnt-orange coloration that closely matches the red sands in which it lives; its Aboriginal name, Mulyamiji, means “red nose”. 

The diet is comprised largely of beetles, spiders and other invertebrates, with termites being an important food source for part of their active season.  Small snakes, lizards and some vegetation are also taken.  Please click here to view a photo of this most attractive lizard.

The Great Desert Skink’s range has greatly decreased in recent years, and it is classified as Vulnerable by the Australian Government (please see article below for conservation plan).

Skink “Towns”

The degree of social behavior exhibited by the Great Desert Skink is unprecedented among lizards, and has shocked the herpetological community.  Researchers from Macquarie University and Parks Australia have discovered that families comprised of a breeding pair and several generations of offspring cooperatively build complex tunnel systems which are occupied for at least 7 years.

Their subterranean homes have up to 20 entrances and separate latrine areas, and may cover an area spanning 50 feet or more.  Tunnel construction and maintenance duties are carried out by family members based upon size, with the largest individuals doing most of the “heavy lifting”…all seem to contribute some effort, however.

Mate Fidelity and Family Ties

Mated pairs of Great Desert Skinks remain together for years.  Females seem to copulate only with their mate, but 40% of male skinks father young “outside” of their primary relationship.  The young are born alive and remain within the tunnel system of their birth, with their parents and siblings, for several years.  How and when they disperse and breed is being investigated.

Biologists hope that further studies of Great Desert Skink communities will reveal insights into the evolution of social behavior in reptiles and other creatures.

 

 

Further Reading

Natural History and Conservation of the Great Desert Skink (Australian Government Report)

Central Australia’s Red Sand Habitats

Social Behavior in the Prehensile-Tailed Skink

 

Several years ago, we learned that female Caecilians (odd, legless amphibians) of some species grow extra layers of skin with which to feed their young.  This unbelievable feeding strategy was first documented on film in the BBC series Life in Cold Blood,  and is among the most fascinating (if chilling!) footage I’ve ever seen.  Tadpoles of the recently discovered Fringe-Limbed Treefrogs, Ecnomiohyla rabborum are now known to feed upon living skin as well.  In this case, it is the male parent that provides dinner with its own body – the only frog, and the only male amphibian, known to do so.

Discovery of a New Species

The Fringe-Limbed Treefrog is known only from a single mountainous rainforest in Coclé, central Panama.  It was first collected in 2005, and was described as a new species in 2008.  Its species name, rabborum, was given in honor of noted herpetologists Mary and George Rabb. Read More »

The Burmese or Asian Rock Python, Python molurus bivittatus (or Python bivittatus, see below) is one the world’s longest snakes, and vies with the Green Anaconda for the title of heaviest. Florida’s introduced Burmese Pythons are often in the news these days for causing ecological havoc and occasional human fatalities.  However, not much attention is given to this massive serpent’s life in its natural habitat.

Description

Matched in size only by the Reticulated Python and Green Anaconda (the heaviest of which I’ve encountered tipped the scales at 215 lbs.), this stoutly-built snake may reach 25 feet in length, although animals of 18-20 feet are considered large.

“Baby”, a huge female in residence at Illinois’ Serpent Safari Park, is said to measure 27 feet in length and weigh 403 pounds (please check out this video).  A specimen under my care at the Bronx Zoo exceeded 300 pounds in weight and consumed 30-40 pound pigs with little difficulty.  The large albino python has been on exhibit at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum for over 20 years.

The ground color is yellowish-buff or tan fading to cream along the flanks, with large chestnut-brown blotches throughout.  There is an arrow-shaped mark on top of the head.  A variety of color morphs are common in the pet trade.

Most taxonomists now classify this snake as a distinct species, rather than as a subspecies of the Indian Python.

Range

The Burmese Python ranges widely throughout South and Southeast Asia, including northeastern India, Myanmar, southern Nepal, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and southern China (including Hainan and Hong Kong).  Introduced populations are established in Florida and Puerto Rico.  Records from Sumatra and Borneo are likely misidentifications.

The closely-related Indian Python, Python molurus, is found in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

Habitat

This snake is extremely adaptable, but requires the presence of a permanent water source.  It inhabits wooded grasslands, swamps, open forests, river valleys and rocky foothills.  Farms, suburbs and the fringes of urban areas are frequently colonized.

Natural Diet

All pythons have thermo-receptive sensory pits along the upper jaw that assist in locating warm-blooded animals at night.  Prey is killed by constriction, with death resulting due to compression of the lungs and heart failure (via pressure on the heart and blood vessels).

The range of animals taken is vast.  Adults usually concentrate on monkeys, deer (Muntjac, Chital, Hog Deer, Sambar Fawns) wild pigs, Peafowl, Red Jungle Fowl, small cats and other carnivores, and large rodents.  Toads, fishes, porcupines, pangolins and monitor lizards are listed as prey in several older field reports.

In his classic book The Giant Snakes (a “must read” for all snake fans!), Clifford Pope reports that a Leopard measuring 4’ 2” long was taken by an 18 foot Burmese Python and that a young captive consumed 61 pounds of rats in one year, thereby adding 34.5 pounds to her weight.  The largest meal of which I’m personally aware is a 50 pound pig taken by a captive in theUSA.

Humans and Domestic Animals as Prey

Burmese Pythons, Reticulated Pythons, Green Anacondas and African Rock Pythons are the only constrictors known to have killed people.  The reported cases concerning Burmese Pythons involved large pets attacking their owners; in several cases, escapees have attempted to consume children.  The other species mentioned have, on rare occasions, preyed upon people in natural (free-living) situations.

In addition to such tragic encounters, pythons also run afoul of people by feeding upon domestic animals.  I was once called to Prospect Park, Brooklyn to deal with an escaped pet snake that had consumed a cat (much to the horror of a large crowd of onlookers!).  Some years ago, an article in Herpetological Review recounted the story of a python that ate 2 chickens on a farm in China.  Upon capture, the snake regurgitated the chickens, which were promptly carted off by their rightful owner.  Domestic geese, ducks, goats, sheep, pigs and dogs are also taken on farms and in suburban areas.

Burmese Pythons in Florida are known to take endangered species such as Key Largo Wood Rats.  One now famous photo taken in the Everglades depicts a massive individual trying to swallow a large alligator.  In Puerto Rico, it is feared that introduced Burmese Pythons will out-compete and prey upon the endangered Puerto Rican Boa.

Please see my article Giant Snake Meals http://blogs.thatpetplace.com/thatreptileblog/2008/04/11/big-snake-meals/ for some personal and recorded observations on this topic (130 pound Impala, Siamese cat belonging to king of former Siam, etc.)

Status

Despite its wide range and adaptability, the Burmese Python is threatened in some regions by habitat loss and by over-collection for the leather and traditional medicine trades. Huge numbers were collected for sale as pets in years past, but most are now captive-born.

Burmese Pythons are bred in Vietnam for release as rodent control agents, but are killed for preying on domestic animals in other countries.  The species is listed on Appendix II of CITES and protected by the government ofIndia.

Longevity

Captives have lived for over 34 years; unknown in the wild.

Reproduction

Pythons possess a pair of vestigial legs (“spurs”) alongside the cloaca.  These are larger in males, and are rubbed along the female’s body during courtship.  Mating occurs from January through March, during periods of slightly reduced temperature.

In common with all pythons, the female protects and incubates her eggs.  Females engage in a “shivering” motion that can raise their own core temperatures and that of the egg clutch.

Female Burmese Pythons lay 18-100 eggs after a gestation period of 60-150 days.  The eggs hatch in 55-75 days.  The hatchlings are 18-24 inches long (large enough to consume adult mice) and become sexually mature at a length of approximately 10 feet (males) to 13 feet (females).  Under captive conditions, sexual maturity can be attained in 3 years.

 

 

Further Reading

Giant Snake Meals

Video: capture of huge python in Florida

The Giant Snakes (Clifford Pope, 1965); don’t miss this classic!

The Green Anaconda: Natural History of the World’s Largest Snake

Range information for all Pythons (40 species)

 

Burmese Python image referenced from wikipedia and originally posted by Mariluna
Albino Burmese Python image referenced from wikipedia and originally posted by Mike Murphy