Tabla de contenidos para June 2023 en Practical Reptile Keeping

Recently, I was lucky to receive an invitation to a conference organised by the Royal Society of Medicine. This tied in with a celebration of the reopening of one of London's hidden secrets - the Hunterian Museum, which has been described as the capital's'weirdest museum'. It is located at the Royal College of Surgeons of England in Lincoln's Inn Fields. Few people today will recognise the name of John Hunter, whose guest to create a collection that could be used both for research purposes and for the teaching of medical students seemingly became something of an obsession for him. Hunter was born in 1728 on a farm near Glasgow, before moving to London where, with the help of his elder brother William, he received a medical training and was soon…

Broadley, D.G. 1998. The reptilian fauna of the Democratic Republic of Congo (Congo Kinshasa). In: Schmidt, K.P. and Noble, G.K., Contributions to the Herpetology of the Belgian Congo… [reprint of the 1919 and 1923 papers]. SSAR Facsimile reprints in Herpetology, 780 pp. Jakob Hallermann, Luis MP Ceriaco, Andreas Schmitz, Raffael Ernst, Werner Conradie, Luke Verburgt, Mariana P Marques & Aaron M Bauer (2020). A review of the Angolan House snakes, genus Boaedon Dumeril, Bibron and Dumeril (1854) (Serpentes: Lamprophiidae), with description of three new species in the Boaedon fuliginosus (Boie, 1827) species complex, African Journal of Herpetology, 69:1, 29-78. N. Vidal, W. R. Branch, O. S.G. Pauwels, S. B. Hedges, D. G. Broadley, M. W., Corinne Cruaud, U. Joger & Z. T. Nagy, 2008, Dissecting the major African snake radiation: a…

The horned frog group, comprising the genus Ceratophrys, currently contains a total of eight species. In addition to Cornata and C.cranwelli, representatives of these six other species may sometimes be available, and they offer plenty of scope for the specialist. All these species are similar in terms of their physique, corresponding to the classic horned frog body shape, but their sizes and patterning vary widely. Brazilian horned frog: Ceratophrys aurita-this ranks as one of the largest horned frog species and has only recently become available in the hobby. Perhaps unsurprisingly therefore, prices currently remain high and it may take some searching to find individuals of this species, but for the committed enthusiast, it will definitely be worth the effort. Colombian/Venezuelan horned frog: Ceratophrys calcarata-the Colombian horned frog varies between green…

Bark substrates Bark substrates come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes. Basically, it is all pretty much the same and consists of the bark that has been stripped from the trunks of commercially harvested trees such as pine and cypress. It is chipped, graded and cleaned to some degree to make the final product that we see offered as bagged reptile bedding. Although the basic material is the same however, there is a big difference between the final products. Some will be extremely high quality, carefully graded, cleaned and dried such as the Zoo Med "ReptiBark" product, while others can be low quality with lots of very small pieces, in addition to being very wet and dirty. The majority of keepers will use the good mid-range products that…

Coursing through the canopy of interweaved branches in the Amazonian rainforest, these long slender boas are particularly agile, and they can slither through or around obstacles, just like the river that races past close to them. They are widely distributed through the Amazon basin, as well as being found on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The Amazon tree boa - often better known now under its cyber handle of "ATB"- is a beautiful snake that has been kept in vivarium surroundings for over a century. Yet even now, it still has something of a bad reputation and is not regarded as a good snake to keep by some people. This is very strange, especially when you consider how attractive Amazon tree boas are - not to mention the facts…

This uniquely engrossing book provides the most extensive survey of secret snakes and serpent surprises ever published, with leading cryptozoologist Dr Karl Shuker examining such varied serpentine controversies as Africa's crowing crested cobra, mystery snakes of the Mediterranean lands, the Mongolian death worm and North America's boss snakes. There’s much more as well, including St John's viper, gargantuan anacondas with horns, hairy snakes and feathered serpents, Glycon the talking horse-headed ophidian deity of ancient Rome, plus venerated king cobras, not to mention vast serpent kings and venomquelling snake-stones, as well as serpents that shriek, jump, fly, and hypnotise their prey. Entitled Secret Snakes and Serpent Surprises and extending to 328 pages, it is published by Coachwhip Publications (https://www.coachwhipbooks.com/coachwhip), priced at approximately £21.95/$35.…

Night-time pollinators, notably moths, may visit just as many plants as bees, and should also be the focus of conservation and protection efforts, according to the conclusions of a new study from the University of Sheffield in the U.K.. The results revealed that moths under pressure from urbanisation may also be less resilient than bees, due to their more complex life cycle and more specific plant requirements. It also emerged that despite this threat, moths play a crucial role in supporting urban plant communities, accounting for a third of all pollination in flowering plants, crops and trees. Planning for moths The researchers suggest that when planning or redeveloping urban areas, supporting the introduction of plant species that are beneficial for moths, as well as bees, will become increasingly important for…

Desert ants increase the visibility of their nest entrances in the absence of landmarks. If other visual cues are missing, ants then build higher nest hills to facilitate the homing abilities of foraging nest mates. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology report that in the absence of distinctive landmarks, desert ants increase the likelihood that foraging nest mates will find their way home quickly and safely by constructing taller nest entrances. Ant colonies whose nests are found deep in theTunisian saltpan are particularly reliant on these self-made landmarks. Indeed, if the mound at the nest entrance is removed, they immediately began building a new hill, unless the researchers provided artificial landmarks. This phenomenon adds yet another fascinating facet to the amazing navigational skills of these tiny desert…

Check out the Amphibians volume - one of a set of six 100 page digital publications which make up our Exotic Pets library series. The other titles cover invertebrates, snakes, tortoises, lizards and reptile health care, adding up to more than a quarter of a million words of informative text in total, combined with many hundreds of fantastic colour photographs. See the set at https://pocketmags.com/practical-reptile-keeping-magazine/specialissues with each title selling for £7.99.…

■ Hard lumps that can be felt when gently feeling the belly. ■ Swelling of the body that appears uneven. The side nearest to the animal's head may be swollen while the side nearest the tail looks normal, or even appears shrunken or smaller than normal. A hard lump can often be felt at the point where the swelling stops. ■ The animal may be eating normally but not passing faeces. ■ There may be a loss of appetite, lethargy or a change in behaviour suggesting that something is not quite right. ■ The animal may be seen to be straining to pass waste. This is often a sign that the blockage could be right at the cloaca and the cause may even be visible, particularly if it is a…

Check out the Snakes volume - one of a set of six 100 page digital publications which make up our Exotic Pets library series. The other titles cover amphibians, invertebrates, tortoises, reptile health care and lizards, adding up to more than a quarter of a million words of informative text in total, combined with many hundreds of fantastic colour photographs. See the set at https://pocketmags.com/practical-reptile-keeping-magazine/specialissues with each title selling for £7.99.…

New research from Florida State University has found that extreme concentrations of microplastics could increase the temperature of beach sand sufficiently to threaten the development of incubating sea turtles. Sea turtles play a vital role in the marine ecosystem, and for these ocean-going reptiles to thrive, they need healthy beaches where their eggs can incubate successfully."Sea turtle sex, fitness and hatchling success is influenced by temperature," says Mariana Fuentes, an associate professor in FSU's Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science. The potential impact of plastic "Not much is known, however, about how the presence of microplastics affect the thermal profile of sand. Understanding how changes to the environment could affect the temperature of nesting grounds is important for monitoring the future of these keystone species." Researchers mixed sand from…

With its diminutive legs, a round body and an enormous mouth, the horned frog certainly justifies its popular nickname of Pacman frog, based on the appearance of the early gaming character. These amphibians can reach a length of up to 15cm (6in) - and may be almost as wide as they are long! Although large, horned frogs are considerably less active than other frog species. Furthermore, their bright patterns and quirky personalities make them an interesting addition to any collection. Life history Horned frogs are found throughout South America, extending from Venezuela to Argentina. Most frogs move around actively in order to secure a meal. Horned frogs, on the other hand, are ambush hunters, simply sitting patiently, hidden in leaf litter. Bulbous eyes keep a keen watch for any passing…

DO YOU NEED A HELPING HAND OR ADVICE? Email your queries to practicalreptilekeepingiagmail.com. A selection of submitted questions will appear here every month. Regrettably, replies can only be given through this column, and if you are worried about the health of your animal, seek veterinary advice without delay. Q&A My son suffers badly from asthma, and this severely restricts our potential choice of a pet for him. Any suggestions? A reptile should prove suitable, and for a pet that your son can interact with, then a young tortoise can develop into an excellent companion. They are quite expensive though, along with the cost of a suitable set-up, but choosing a Mediterranean tortoise such as the Hermann's (Testudo hermanni) can represent a pet for life! Although tortoises can become very tame, feeding…

Spike was not the most active bearded dragon in the world. When he was younger, he was always keen to get time out of his vivarium to exercise, but as he became older, so he preferred to spend more time conserving his energy. His owners had checked vivarium temperatures were appropriate, changed his UV light regularly and encouraged daily exercise but Spike simply preferred to spend time sitting around. Reduced activity levels can be quite normal though, as bearded dragons age. In the wild, they will also shift from a primarily insectivorous diet to more herbivorous one, with the idea being that it makes little sense to spend all their energy chasing around after a small mouthful when they can just browse on vegetation that stays still. In vivarium surroundings…

LOBSTER ROACH: these look similar to dubias, and are one of the fastest breeding roach species around. Unlike dubias though, they can climb plastic and glass, so it is essential that something like Vaseline® (petroleum jelly) is used as a barrier. This needs to be smeared liberally around the top of their enclosures, because otherwise, escapes are possible. They give birth to live young. TURKISTAN ROACH: this roach is about the size of a cricket and, rather than hiding, it will run around the vivarium catching the attention of the inhabitant. Turkistan roaches lay eggs rather than having live young, and they reproduce at a fast rate. They cannot climb, but the males are able to jump. DISCOID ROACH this species is almost identical to the dubia roach - it…