Daily Reptile News

Study: Global Warming Will Shrink Habitats

A study of reptile extinctions in ancient Greece may offer clues to how plants and animals will respond to global warming, researchers say.

U.S. scientists say as the climate warmed at the end of the last ice age, sea levels rose and formed scores of Aegean islands that had formerly been part of the Greek mainland. Many reptiles perished on the ever-smaller islands, ScienceDaily.com reported Friday.

Ecologist Johannes Foufopoulos of the University of Michigan and his colleagues, studying extinction rates of 35 reptile species from 87 Greek islands in the northeast Mediterranean Sea, found a striking pattern to the island extinctions. In most cases, they said, reptile populations disappeared on the smallest islands first — the places where the habitat choices were most limited.

Especially prone to extinction were “habitat specialist” reptiles that needed a narrow range of environmental conditions to survive, they said.

The researchers predict a similar pattern of extinctions will emerge at various spots across the globe as the climate warms in the coming decades and centuries, forcing plants and animals to traverse an increasingly fragmented natural landscape.

“The widespread fragmentation of natural habitats greatly exacerbates the effects of climate change and undermines the ability of species to adapt to the new conditions,” Foufopoulos said. “The lessons learned from the wave of reptile extinctions suggest that if species are to survive the global climate shift already underway, not only do humans have to set significantly more land aside for conservation, but these protected areas will also need to be connected through a network of habitat corridors that allow species migration.”

Three people bitten by snakes

THREE people were taken to Bundaberg Hospital with snake bite injuries on Friday.

A 38-year-old man was airlifted from a property in Dallarnil to the Bundaberg Hospital on Friday afternoon.

He was treated at the hospital and released on Saturday.

A 15-year-old girl and 19-year-old man were also bitten by snakes but the bites were not venomous.

Snakes Downunder Reptile Park owner Ian Jenkins said he had a number of calls to remove snakes in the past few days.

“I’ve heard a lot of anecdotal evidence that snakes tend of seek higher ground before a big storm,” he said.

Mr Jenkins urged people to be on the look out for snakes in the area.

“If you do see a snake it is always safest to leave it alone and call and expert if it is in a home,” he said.

Mr Jenkins said the best way to deter snakes from the back yard was to keep the lawn mowed and the area tidy.

Snakes on move as it warms up

SUMMER is more then just a time for swimming at the beach and lazy afternoons in the air-conditioning.

It is a time for Gladstone residents to remember snake season is upon us.

The Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) is urging everyone to take care through the summer months as snakes become more active. QAS Central Region Commissioner Peter Warrener said Queensland was home to some of the world’s most deadly snakes including the eastern brown and death adder.

“When it comes to snakebites, prevention is always better than cure,” Mr Warrener said.

“It’s recommended people take extra care to avoid snakes at this time of year.”

Gladstone’s own snake catcher, Kris Foster, said there were simple precautions everyone could take to ensure they were not the victim of a snakebite.

“Snakes do like the summer and are more active in the warmer weather,” he said.

“Always make sure you watch where you step when you’re walking and keep doors shut at all times.”

If you are bitten by a snake the first course of action is to immediately apply a tight bandage to the area and call the ambulance (000).

“Ensuring the snakebite victim remains calm is crucial, as panicking will cause the heart rate to increase, which will spread the poison around the body more quickly,” Mr Warrener said.

Mr Foster also reminds people to be wary of snakes all year round.

“Gladstone doesn’t really get cold enough for snakes to go into hibernation.”

If you have a problem with a snake, call Kris on 0407 372 895 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            0407 372 895      end_of_the_skype_highlighting or for more information go to www.derm.qld.gov.au.

TIPS/PRECAUTIONS

Call 000 immediately if you have been bitten.

Avoid washing the wound as hospitals can test the bandage for poison and may be able to identify the type of snake, which will aid in treatment.

If only one bandage is available, start over the bite site and then work up the limb.

If more than one bandage is available bandage over the bite site, and then with a second bandage start at the extremities (fingers or toes) and work up the limb.

Bandage the limb firmly as you would for a sprained ankle. Splint the limb to keep it straight.

– Sourced from Queensland Ambulance Service

Always make sure you watch where you step when you’re walking and keep doors shut

– Kris Foster

Kia‘i Moku: Keep an eye out for predatory veiled chameleons

This holiday season, when you finish unwrapping presents under the tree, take a look outside for another, unexpected surprise: a giant lizard. The veiled chameleon is not giant by Godzilla standards, but it can cause big trouble. Rather than terrorize the residents of New York City, this alien predator threatens the safety of upper-elevation rain-forest inhabitants: Maui’s rare birds and insects.

Veiled chameleons are similar to Jackson’s chameleons but worse. Resource managers have eliminated a population in the wild, but they suspect a few lizards still may be out there. You can help by looking.

Veiled chameleons are twice as large as, and much more aggressive than, Jackson’s chameleons. With a diverse diet of plants, animals and insects, they’re better equipped to survive dry periods than the insectivorous Jackson’s, and veiled chameleons tolerate a greater range of climates, from sea level up to 9,000-feet elevation. Though not well established, the hardy veiled chameleon could survive in the upper-elevation remnant rain forests, the last stronghold of native plants and animals on Maui. Veiled chameleons could prey on native insects and devastate native bird populations. State wildlife biologist Fern Duvall believes that this cryptic arboreal lizard poses as grave a threat to Maui’s native birds as snakes.

Recent studies have found that Jackson’s chameleons eat rare native tree snails, reinforcing concern about the possible impacts of the veiled chameleon. While Jackson’s are established too widely to eliminate from the wild, their larger relatives can still be stopped.

The veiled chameleon is native to Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

Fully grown individuals can measure 2 feet long. Unlike Jackson’s chameleons, they don’t have horns. Instead, both the male and female have a shark-finlike casque on the head and a fleshy fringe running along the underside, from chin to tail. Common pets on the Mainland, they are illegal to import, breed, keep as pets, sell or release in Hawaii. Lawbreakers could face up to $200,000 in fines and three years in jail.

The first veiled chameleon in the state was found above Kaanapali in March 2002. Not long after, Makawao residents reported more strange lizards. Surveys revealed a breeding population that seemed to be contained in a single gulch. State crews sprang into action, hoping to stop this lizard before it was too late. Area residents have helped by capturing and turning in a significant number of the contraband animals. There hasn’t been a veiled chameleon recovered since early 2008, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are gone.

Famous for their camouflage, veiled chameleons are tricky to locate in the wild. An animal intentionally released as a test eluded searchers for several hours, even though it was outfitted with a radio transmitter.

According to Adam Radford, operations manager at the Maui Invasive Species Committee, there’s a strong possibility that veiled chameleons are still out there, and not just in Makawao. Smuggled in through the pet trade, they likely have been moved as pets around the island. The Hawaii Department of Agriculture will accept illegal animals through its amnesty program, if they are turned in before an investigation is initiated. On Maui, call the Plant Quarantine office at 873-3556.

Like the protagonists in the Godzilla movie, Maui residents are racing against time to stop the veiled chameleon before it wreaks havoc. You can help. Look twice next time you see a chameleon climbing in your hedge. If it has a shark fin on its head and fleshy fringe down its belly, capture it safely using a towel or rag and call the Maui Invasive Species Committee at 573-6472.

* Lissa Fox is public relations and education specialist for the Maui Invasive Species Committee. She holds a biological sciences degree from Montana State University.

WILD ABOUT TEXAS: Alligators, once endangered in Texas, thrive east of I-35

The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is a large reptile that inhabits the wetlands, marshes, ponds, rivers and lakes of the southeastern United States.

These alligators range from coastal North Carolina southward to Florida, and westward through Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, southeastern Oklahoma, southern Arkansas, and eastern and southern Texas.

Their range in Texas, however, has been altered drastically over the past several decades. At one time their range could be drawn in a jagged line extending from the Red River to Dallas, through Waco, curving toward Austin to San Antonio and down to Laredo.

Today, alligators in these areas are rare. Instead, they thrive in the areas of more moisture east of I-35 in places such as Nacogdoches, Houston, Victoria and Corpus Christi.

Alligators are the largest reptiles in the United States. Adult male alligators, known as “bulls,” can achieve lengths of up to 14 feet in Texas, while the record bull was 19 feet, 2 inches in Louisiana. Large males may weigh more than 700 pounds, although most alligators in the wild today average less than 10 feet and weigh less than 250 pounds.

Alligators also have long lives, with up to 75 years in captivity.

The alligator on exhibit at the Abilene Zoo has been there since the mid-1950s.

The dietary requirements for this species is varied, to say the least, so dietary requirements may be too loose of a description.

It may be better to say that just about any smaller invertebrate or vertebrate animal that it can overpower and swallow may be consumed.

Of course, the diet changes as the animal matures, with most baby alligators feeding on crawfish, minnows, spiders and other insects.

As they mature, their diets reflect the change in size, as most adult gators will consume mostly vertebrate animals such rabbits, otters, raccoons, opossums, wading birds and even small deer.

Animals usually are ambushed as they approach the water to drink. Occasionally other reptiles such as snakes, lizards and turtles are preyed upon. Many large water turtles in the range of the alligator can be observed with large scars on their shells, telltale signs of an epic struggle for survival.

Breeding season for alligators occurs in the spring and can be quite an adrenaline rush for those who have never heard the bellowing of a large bull. Males congregate for short periods during the evening, each attempting to bellow louder than the others in an effort to attract a female. Once a male has selected a mate, they breed.

Females construct a nest mound manufactured from grasses, mud, cattails and bark. Once 15 to 50 eggs are laid in the nest, the female lies on top of it to protect the incubating eggs from predators such as raccoons. Hatching occurs in late August, and the 8-inch young emerge from the nest under the supervision of the mother. The young stay with the mother for up to a year, sheltered from predators. The most dangerous predators to a young gator, besides man, are other alligators.

Alligators almost were driven to extinction in the early 1900s by hunters in the skin market. In 1967, they were listed as an endangered species on the federal level, and Texas listed them as endangered in 1969. Once this occurred, the population of this remarkable beast began to grow at an accelerated pace, so much so that the state of Texas began to allow harvesting of alligators on a closely monitored basis in 1984.

In 1987, a mere 20 years after being listed as endangered and on the brink of extinction, the alligator was removed from the endangered species list. However, it is still afforded some protection in Texas as it is considered a game animal with limited harvesting available.

Crocodile guards Russian family

A BUSINESSMAN has installed the latest in home security – a 7ft crocodile.

Vlad Jersovovcov’s pet croc Gena has the run of the family home in Jaskinia, northern Russia.

He said: “She behaves more like a big dog than a killer and likes to sit on the sofa with us. Naturally, not many people try to break in.”

Petition to save the grass snake

AN ONLINE petition has been created to save the endangered Cyprus grass snake.

The petition says: “Snake George is desperately worried about the high risk that the endemic Cyprus grass snake will become extinct and realises that the Republic of Cyprus is simply not taking the necessary action to give it a real chance of survival.”

Snake George, whose name is Hans-George Wiedl is a conservationist whose speciality is reptiles.

He is proposing much stricter protection of habitats, combined with a really well-planned captive breeding programme to safeguard the genetic stock.  His focus is on the area around Paralmni Lake, which is being developed to the detriment of the grass snake (natrix natrix cypriaca).

The petition will be delivered to the government “as soon as possible as a real show of support for this critically endangered and beautiful animal,” he said. Snake George warned last month that the species was under threat.

He said: “The whole environment around the lake has changed for the worst. I would not be surprised if the grass snake at Paralimni has disappeared altogether.” He said that even if there was still a small number of grass snakes in the area they would soon disappear.

Earlier this week environmental services  officer Charalambos Hadjipakos warned deputies at the House that he had received reports that people with “twisted minds” had been shooting grass snakes at the Paralimni Lake.

Pantelis Hadjiyerou, Director of the Cyprus Game Fund said that he had heard similar reports but after investigating found no proof of such a phenomenon.

“There are limited chances of a person finding grass snakes, let alone killing them with a gun,” he said.

Cyprus has already been in trouble with the European Commission, which has sent a notice requiring that Paralimni Lake be designated a “site of community importance” (SCI). However the government ignored this by allowing development around the lake, which is home to the grass snake.

Barbara Helfferich, spokeswoman for the Environment at the European Commission said: “The Commission considered that the Cypriot authorities had not taken the necessary measures to protect the Cyprus grass snake, contrary to the requirements of directives on the conservation and habitats of flora and fauna.”

The Famagusta municipality under instructions from the Interior Minister has done some work to improve the site, local district officer George Antoniadis said: “We cleaned out a lot of the debris, waste from local farmers and levelled the motocross which affected the lake.”

Anyone interested in signing Snake George’s petition can do so online at http://www.cypruspetitions.com/petition_details.php?petition_id=25

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