Daily Reptile News

Albino alligator coming to aquarium

One of fewer than 50 living albino alligators makes his debut at the South Carolina Aquarium this week.

Although an adult American alligator, a species that lives in South Carolina’s Piedmont and Coastal Plain, this particular reptile lacks melanin in its eyes and skin, leaving it translucent, light-sensitive and vulnerable to predators in the wild.

It weighs in at 150 pounds and stretches 7 1/2 feet from teeth to tail.

The alligator greets the public Saturday, but look for a sneak preview in Friday’s Post and Courier.

The exhibit comes one year after Penguin Planet launched with its four playful, warm-weather birds, originally scheduled to depart upon the alligator’s arrival. That plan changed after the aquarium experienced an 11.5 percent jump in attendance thanks, in part, to the penguins, who will stick around until October.

Slow climb

Hotel occupancy fell less than 1 percent year over year for February, according to the

College of Charleston’s Office of Tourism Analysis.

Though not ideal, the slight drop means an improvement in the trend.

Occupancy in North Charleston properties fell 2 percent and in East Cooper less than 4 percent, after both areas experienced double-digit declines month after month last year.

The new attraction will reside in the Aquarium’s renovated

Blackwater Swamp exhibit with life-size cypress trees and other new species, including gopher tortoises, rattlesnakes and screech owls.

Scientists reveal how snakes ‘see’ at night

PARIS — Scientists revealed Sunday for the first time how some snakes can detect the faint body heat exuded by a mouse a metre (three feet) away with enough precision and speed to hunt in the dark.

It has been known for decades that rattlesnakes, boas and pythons have so-called pit organs between the eye and the nostril that can sense even tiny amounts of infrared radiation — heat — in their surroundings.

Among pit vipers, the western diamondback rattlesnake, native to northern Mexico and southwestern United States, is in a class of its own, its heat-seeking ability up to 10 times keener than any of its cousins.

Even with tiny patches covering its eyes, the snake has shown the ability to track and kill prey blindfolded.

But exactly how these reptiles detect and convert infrared signals into nerve impulses has remained a mystery, and the subject of sharp debate.

One candidate was the photochemical process underlying vision, whereby the eye sees electromagnetic radiation — visible light for humans — in the form of photons that activate receptor cells, which in turn convert the energy into a biochemical signal to the brain.

Some fish, for example, can see into the infrared wavelength of the electromagnetic spectrum.

But David Julius, a molecular biologist at the University of California in San Francisco, demonstrated in laboratory experiments that a different neurological pathway was at work for the serpentine “sixth sense.”

“In this case, the infrared radiation is actually detected inside the pit organ as heat,” Julius said in a phone interview. “We found the molecule responsible.”

A very thin membrane inside the pit organ — essentially a hollow, bony cavity — warms up as the radiation enters through an opening in the skin, he explained.

Because the membrane is in a hollow space, it is exquisitely sensitive to changes in temperature.

“The heated tissue then imparts a signal to nerve fibres to activate the receptors we have identified,” known as TRPA1 channels.

The neurochemical pathway involved suggests that snakes feel heat rather than see it.

“The molecule we found belongs to a family of receptors related to pain pathways in mammals,” Julius said.

In humans, the equivalent mechanism is called the “wasabi receptor” because it allows our sensory nervous system to detect irritants — such as the Japanese condiment — that belong to the mustard family.

It is not, however, activated by heat.

The discovery, published in Nature, may also shed light on how snakes, which have been slithering across the planet for more than 100 million years, evolved.

“Studying change in sensory molecules is an interesting way to look at evolution because as animals inhabit different niches, smell and taste different things, hunt different animals, their sensory systems have to adapt,” Julius said.

The findings also suggest that the forces of natural selection yielded the same remarkable heat-seeking mechanism in reptiles on separate occasions.

Unlike boas and pythons, which also have pit organs, vipers — including rattlesnakes — are relatively recent arrivals, in evolutionary terms, and thus must have developed the same capacity independently.

“It is amazing to think that random mutation could have come up with the same kind of solution more than once,” Julius said.

Snake in sofa bites youth, gets killed three days later

MUMBAI: In a bizarre incident at Kurla, a snake returned to bite the same youth that it had bitten three days before, but only to get killed this time.

After three days of hospital stay due to snakebite, 21-year-old Atish Mistry was petrified to feel something move under his hand when he was lying on the floor and watching TV. “This time, I stood on my feet in a jiffy, and hit the snake hard with a rod that was lying nearby,’’ he said. “I killed it right there,’’ he said.

Soon after, the family made the slithery discovery that the snake was tucked somewhere in their sofa. “It must have been living inside the sofa for quite sometime,’’ he said.

The first time when he was bitten last week, Mistry was watching TV lying on the floor in the same position. He suddenly experienced a piercing pain in the middle finger of his right hand. After ignoring it for a while, he had to go to a doctor as the pain did not subside. The local doctor gave Mistry tetanus shots as he felt he must have been bitten by a rat.

But, as hours passed, his swollen hand became worse, and the pain more severe. Mistry then rushed to the Aryan group of hospitals in Kurla, where the doctors realised that it was a snakebite. “But, since the patient had not seen the snake, he refused to believe us,’’ said the on-duty doctor, Rajendra Nikam. “He said there was no way a snake could have bitten him inside his house,’’ Nikam said.

Looking at two tiny dots where the snake bit him, Nikam administered him anti-venom immediately. “His condition improved and he was discharged after three days,’’ he said. “The snake’s poison was spreading slowly, so he did not show many symptoms immediately after the bite,’’ said Nikam.

When Mistry managed to kill the 3.5 ft-long snake, he took it to the hospital. “He brought the dead snake in a plastic bag and showed it to us, saying that our treatment was right,’’ said Nikam. Mistry is doing well now, he added.

The HSUS Welcomes Proposed Federal Rule on Constrictor Snakes

Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s publication of a proposed rule to list nine species of large constrictor snakes as “injurious.” This would prohibit importation and interstate transportation of the snakes as pets.

“Our thanks to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and the leaders of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for moving forward to restrict the trade in giant constrictor snakes as pets. The proposed regulations will curb the cruelty and harmful ecological consequences associated with the trade in nonnative, large constrictor snakes.  These animals in private hands also pose a public safety threat. The Humane Society of the United States urges swift implementation of the final rule.”

The agency is accepting comments from the public for the next 60 days.

WILD ABOUT TEXAS: Rattler variant has range of habitats

SAN ANGELO, Texas — There are times when I write this column that the information about an animal is scarce and hard to come by. However, at other times the material that is available is almost overwhelming.

There is so much information (true and false) that I would like to present that a column like this would quickly take up more space than is allowed.

Such is the case with the Western diamondback rattlesnake.

The Western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) occurs from central Oklahoma through the western two-thirds of Texas westward to the southeastern border of California and south to the state of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. In Texas, it is the most commonly encountered venomous snake in both the Trans-Pecos eco-region and the Tamaulipan thornscrub of South Texas. It is a habitat generalist, occupying a variety of habitats ranging from desert scrub near the Permian Basin to high elevation pine-oak forests of the Davis Mountains.

Western diamondbacks are the second largest venomous snake in the United States, slightly exceeded in size only by the Eastern diamondback rattlesnake of Florida and other East Coast states. It is by far the largest venomous snake that occurs in Texas. Adult Western diamondbacks can achieve lengths up to seven feet, although the average is much smaller. Most individuals max out at a length between four and five feet in total length.

The body coloration of Western diamondbacks can vary (depending on the soil type where it occurs) from a chalky gray to a dull reddish brown. Along the spine is a series of darker diamond-shaped markings that are bordered by a black and white line, hence the name diamondback. A common nickname among those who encounter this serpent frequently is coon-tail, which refers to the black and white banded tail. These tail bands are of nearly equal width, one characteristic used to distinguish it from the more dangerous Mojave rattlesnake that inhabits the Trans-Pecos area of Texas as well.

The head is distinctly wider than the neck, giving this animal the famous “diamond-shaped” head. The pupils are elliptical, and the rattle is large and is capable of being heard from several yards away.

Diamondbacks, like other snakes, do not hibernate in the true sense of the word, but rather employ an activity known as brumation. This means that the snake’s metabolism, heart rate and breathing all slow down to a near stop, but they are quite awake and aware of their surroundings.

They often congregate in large numbers in “dens” to spend the long periods of inactivity of winter, and once temperatures achieve a level of warmth that the snake finds tolerable, usually in early to mid-March, the males begin leaving the dens in their quest to mate.

Females release a pheromone that attracts the males, and many times more than one male will encounter a female that is receptive. During these encounters, the males will participate in a dramatic “dance” as they entwine their bodies together in a wrestling match style event. The winner is the one who is able to pin the other to the ground, and mating ensues upon the dominant male’s victory.

Diamondbacks are oviviparous, which means they give birth to living young, and the foot-long neonates (which number from 4 to 25) are typically born in late summer and early fall. Other than having a “button” on the end of the tail, they are exact replicas of the adults and are fully capable of fending for themselves, including having fully functional fangs and venom apparatus.

Western diamondbacks defend themselves in a variety of ways, with the main defensive mechanism being that of camouflage. Even with the gaudy patterns and colors, this snake blends in well with its primarily brushy habitats.

The second defensive plan is that of crawling away from a potential predator while rattling its tail slightly. If this does not deter its assailant, then it will begin to curl up in a defensive “s-coiled” stance and aggressively vibrate its tail, causing the rattling sound to get louder.

This behavior is typically a final stand, so to speak, and many times an encounter with a diamondback does not come to this point. Out of the 300 or so diamondbacks that I encounter each summer, less than 10 percent resort to this tactic, with most being satisfied to avoid any confrontations.

The last defensive mechanism is biting and injecting a deadly venom into a would-be attacker. This venom, depending on a huge variety of factors, can be lethal to humans, although few human fatalities actually occur.

Despite these venomous propensities, the Western diamondback is actually beneficial because it preys primarily on small mammals such as mice and rats.

When participating in outdoor activities, the risk of encountering a Western diamondback is slim. If such an encounter occurs, remember that this animal, despite its harmful capability, is more afraid of you than you are of it, and it would prefer to be left alone. Most bites from this species occur when people make an attempt to either capture or kill this snake.

The best course of action is to walk, don’t run, in the opposite direction, making both you and the snake more at ease.

Justification for Congressional python ban unscientific, researchers say

Biologists and veterinarians are urging the U.S. Congress to hold off on a ban on trade in pythons and other large exotic snakes until research into how much of a threat they pose to U.S. ecosystems has been thoroughly reviewed by independent scientists.

In a letter to the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary (full text at the bottom of this blog entry), an independent group of scientists characterized a United States Geological Survey (USGS) report being touted as the justification for a ban on import and trade in pythons as “unscientific,” stated a news release issued by United States Association of Reptile Keepers (USARK).

USARK President Andrew Wyatt presented written testimony to Congress last month. “It is our belief that best management practices and professional standards specific to certain reptiles is what is needed, not draconian measures that will only succeed in destroying a viable industry,” he said. (Read a summary of Wyatt’s testimony.)

Congress is weighing a ban on the importation of large snakes like pythons and boas following a report by the USGS earlier this year that stated that climate conditions might be conducive to the spreading of feral Burnese pythons across much of the southern part of the United States.

“The independent group of scientists and herpetologists, including professors from the University of Florida, Arizona State, and Texas A&M among others penned members of Congress in response to comments made by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) during a November 6th hearing on H.R. 2811, a bill that could determine the fate of much of the reptile trade in the United States,” the USARK statement said.

“During that hearing USFWS Deputy Director Dan Ashe characterized the USGS report as “peer-reviewed science”, a claim that struck a nerve within the scientific community.

“It is a misrepresentation to call the USGS document ‘scientific'” stated the scientists,” USARK said. “As written, this [USGS] document is not suitable as the basis for legislative or regulatory policies, as its content is not based on best science practices, it has not undergone external peer-review, and it diverts attention away from the primary concern.

“We encourage the USFWS and USGS to submit this document to an independent body for proper and legitimate peer review. Additionally, we encourage the Committee to review this document, not as an authoritative scientific publication, but rather as a report currently drafted to support a predetermined policy.”

H.R. 2811, Introduced by U.S. Representative Kendrick Meek (D-FL), who recently announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate, could add all pythons, and even boas, to the Injurious Wildlife list of the Lacey Act; a designation reserved for only the most dangerous alien invaders to our natural ecosystem, according to USARK.

“Such a move would prevent all import, export, and interstate transport of pythons in the U.S. The scientific justification for such a move hinges on a recently published report of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) entitled ‘Risk Assessment of Nine Large Constricting Snakes,’ which attempts to paints a picture of large constrictor snakes as an immediate threat to eco-systems over much of the U.S.”

Letter To Congress:

24 November 2009

U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary
The Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism & Homeland Security

Dear Chairman Bobby Scott and Ranking Member Louie Gohmert:

We write in regard to the recent Congressional hearing on HR 2811. As scientists who have worked with reptiles including those cited in HR2811, we express our reservations regarding the document recently released by USGS as an “Open-Report”, titled Giant Constrictors: Biological and Management Profiles and an Establishment Risk Assessment for Nine Large Species of Pythons, Anacondas, and the Boa Constrictor.

Simply put, this report is not a bona-fide “scientific” paper that has gone through external peer review. Part of this report is fact-driven, described by the authors as “traditional library scholarship.” By the authors’ admissions, there are surprisingly little data available regarding the natural history of these species. In their attempt to compile as much information as possible, the authors draw from a wide variety of references, ranging from articles published in peer-reviewed professional journals to far less authoritative hobbyist sources, including popular magazines, the internet, pet industry publications, and even various media sources.  While such an approach is inclusive, it tends to include information that is unsubstantiated and, in some cases, contradicts sound existing data.

As scientists whose careers are focused around publishing in peer-reviewed journals and providing expert reviews of papers submitted to these journals, we feel it is a misrepresentation to call the USGS document “scientific”. In fact, much of this report is based on an unproven risk assessment model that produces results that contradict the findings presented in a recently published scientific paper that used a more complex and superior model (see: Pyron R.A., F.T. Burbrink, and T.J. Guiher. 2008. Claims of Potential Expansion throughout the U.S. by Invasive Python Species Are Contradicted by Ecological Niche Models, PLoS One 3: e2931.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0002931).

Unfortunately, the authors of the USGS document limit their reference to this scientific work to an unsubstantiated criticism.  To the contrary, this alternate model is validated by its relatively accurate prediction of the natural distribution of the species in question (something the USGS model does not even attempt).   Furthermore, despite its conclusion of a limited potential distribution of Burmese pythons in the United States, the model presented by Pyron et al. accurately predicts the presence of Burmese pythons in the Everglades.

The USGS model likely provides a gross overestimate of potential habitat for these snake species.  People throughout the United States keep pythons as pets, yet the only known breeding populations in the United States are in the Everglades.  Such a wide distribution of potential sources of invasion, but only a localized invasive event, suggests that factors beyond those used in the USGS model are critical to limiting the suitability of habitat for pythons.  The authors even state that climate is only one factor of several that affect the distribution of an animal, yet they develop a model that only uses overly simplistic climatic data (e.g., the climatic data did not take seasonality into consideration).

We are further concerned by the pervasive bias throughout this report. There is an obvious effort to emphasize the size, fecundity and dangers posed by each species; no chance is missed to speculate on negative scenarios. The report appears designed to promote the tenuous concept that invasive giant snakes are a national threat. However, throughout the report there is a preponderance of grammatical qualifiers that serve to weaken many, if not most, statements that are made.

We fully recognize the serious concerns associated with the presence of persistent python populations in southern Florida.  As top predators, these animals can and will have a dramatic impact on the community of wildlife that lives in the Everglades.  Inaccurately extending this threat to a much large geographic area is not only inappropriate, but likely takes needed focus away from the real problem in the Everglades.

In conclusion, as written, this document is not suitable as the basis for legislative or regulatory policies, as its content is not based on best science practices, it has not gone through external peer-review, and it diverts attention away from the primary concern. We encourage the USFWS and USGS to submit this document to an independent body for proper and legitimate peer review.  Additionally, we encourage the Committee to review this document, not as an authoritative scientific publication, but rather as a report currently drafted to support a predetermined policy.

Signed:
Elliott Jacobson, MS, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACZM
Professor of Zoological Medicine
University of Florida

Dale DeNardo, DVM, PhD
Associate Professor School of Life Sciences
Arizona State University

Paul M. Gibbons, DVM, MS, Dipl. ABVP (Avian)
President-Elect, Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians
Interim Regent, Reptiles & Amphibians, American Board of Veterinary Practitioners
Director, Exotic Species Specialty Service
Animal Emergency Center and Specialty Services

Chris Griffin, DVM, Dipl. ABVP (Avian)
President, Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians
Owner and Medical Director
Griffin Avian and Exotic Veterinary Hospital

Brady Barr, PhD
Resident Herpetologist
National Geographic Society
Endangered Species Coalition of the Council of State Governments
Crocodilian Specialist Group

Warren Booth, PhD
Invasive Species Biologist
Research Associate
North Carolina State University
Director of Science
United States Association of Reptile Keepers

Ray E. Ashton, Jr.
President
Ashton Biodiversity Research & Preservation Institute

Robert Herrington, PhD
Professor of Biology
Georgia Southwestern State University

Douglas L. Hotle
Curator of Herpetology/Conservation/Research
Natural Toxins Research Center
Texas A&M University

Francis L. Rose (Retired) , B.S., M.S.  (Zoology), PhD (Zoology)
Professor Emeritus
Texas State University

Edward J. Wozniak DVM, PhD
Regional Veterinarian
Zoonosis Control Division
Texas Department of State Health Services

CC: Secretary Kenneth Salazar, US Dept of the Interior; Director Marcia McNutt, US Geological Survey; Director Sam Hamilton, US Fish & Wildlife Service

Python Ban Bill Slithering Through State House

SUMTER COUNTY — Support is growing to keep anyone from owning a Burmese python like the one that killed a 2-year-old girl in 2009.

Lawmakers said Burmese pythons and other non-native reptiles have been a concern for years.

Legislation is moving through the state House to ban these reptiles.

However, they said it was the death of Shaiunna Hare’s at her Sumter County home that really got people’s attention.

“I am ground zero and it’s terrible. What happened there was terrible,” said Robbie Keszey from Glades Herp Farm.

Keszey, who makes a living in the reptile industry, said banning the snakes is a bad move.

“(An) All out ban I think would be stupid,” Keszey said. “It would hurt the economy. And when you all out ban stuff, you’re just creating more criminals because everyone is going to find a way to do it anyway.”

Keszey also argued people should have the right to keep them as pets.

The legislation would allow anyone who already has one of the reptiles of concern to keep it with a permit for the rest of its life.

Some legislators said without any natural predators, these non-native reptiles are just too dangerous to be in the state.

“It’s an intrusive foreign species that threatens our native fauna,” said Rep. Luis Garcia.

Keszey believes the state should focus on getting more snake owners to abide by the law already on the books, which requires a permit and specifies the reptiles must be housed in a locked cage.

Authorities said Jaren Hare, Shaiunna’s mother, and her live-in boyfriend, Charles Jason Darnell, did not have a permit for their pet python.

Darnell said the snake was housed in a glass aquarium with a quilt tied down on top.

“Not everybody knows that there is a permit system, and everybody is crying that something has got to be done because the negligence of the parents,” Keszey said.

Senate Bill 318 would ban what are identified as reptiles of concern, which includes five species of giant snakes and one species of giant lizard.

Under the bill, current owners would be grandfathered in and be allowed to keep their pets.

This, along with already existing pet amnesty days, would ensure there are no unintended releases in response to the new law.

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