Table of contents for March 2025 in Practical Reptile Keeping

Afossil hotspot in south-western England has revealed another of its secrets. The former quarry located in Cromhall, South Gloucestershire, is renowned as a rich source of Triassic wildlife. Gliding reptiles, dinosaur relatives and even one of the earliest known lizards have all been found at the site over the past few decades. Now, scientists have described a new species of procolophonid reptile notable for its unusual dental apparatus and jaw mechanics. The remains of Threordatoth chasmatos, some of which now form part of the Natural History Museum collection, were recovered from ancient fissure fills. Often described as ‘time capsules”, these had preserved fragments of skulls and jaws, offering a unique insight into the anatomy of this new species. The discovery provides a glimpse into the Carnian– Norian age of the…

Sometimes, nature’s surprises come with wings! In a new study, scientists used a 35-year dataset to examine long-term population trends of the federally endangered Schaus’ swallowtail butterfly (Heraclides ponceana). They found that the swallowtail’s population size was positively influenced by something unexpected — hurricanes! “This study is among the longest running for a tropical butterfly, and it has been a privilege to get to work with such an amazing dataset,” says Sarah Steele Cabrera, from the University of Florida. Already a rarity Schaus’ swallowtail is endemic to south Florida and one of the rarest butterflies in the United States. It was among the first insects placed on the U.S. Endangered Species list, and since the 1980s, researchers at the Florida Museum of Natural History have been keeping tabs on those…

Bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) are lizards that occur naturally in the arid interior of Australia, and can grow up to about 60cm (2ft) when adult. Their housing must take into account their adult size, although a youngster around a month old will obviously be considerably smaller, measuring just 10-13cm (4-5in), including its tail at this stage. There are two basic options when it comes to housing bearded dragons. Some owners prefer to choose a big aquarium for their pet, but the large expanse of glass here means that young bearded dragons in particular can suffer badly from stress. At this stage, they are naturally skittish, being very aware of real or perceived dangers, and they must have surroundings that offer them seclusion. It is, however, possible to get special naturalistic…

The world of reptile keeping is and always will be an exciting place. As keepers, we are driven by a quite insatiable thirst, both for knowledge and for a high degree of practical interaction with our charges. It is true to say that every day and every conversation can and should hold an element of education, in some form. It is this pursuit, this obsession, this drive for learning and knowledge that has allowed a global progression in the practical care of reptiles. As keepers, we know more about the care requirements of our pets than ever before, but however, we also must accept that we will always know even more tomorrow than today. This is the driving force for effective, ethical welfare and is at the very forefront of…

Introduction Within the reptile hobby today, we now keep and breed species from around the globe. Some of these reptiles, such as the corn snake (Pantherophis guttata) and leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius), are easy to breed whereas others are notoriously difficult. Among the more problematical species in this respect are those originating from small islands. They represent a special challenge, as it is often harder to trigger breeding behaviour in the first place. They are also subsequently likely to be less prolific, when it comes to their clutch sizes and the intervals between egg production may be longer too. Life on islands Island reptiles seem to have an idyllic existence, compared with their mainland counterparts. They frequently exist in environments with a reduced range of would-be predators, and in some…

First described in 1902, the Malleco spiny-chest frog (Alsodes vittatus) has evaded detection since then, despite multiple efforts to find it again. Now, after a decade of detailed investigation, a research team has finally rediscovered it, giving rise to the first recorded sighting since it was initially reported over 130 years ago. Numerous searches Alsodes vittatus was scientifically described in 1902 by Rodulfo Amando Philippi, a German naturalist living in Chile. French entomologist Philibert Germain had originally discovered the species in 1893 at the former Hacienda San Ignacio de Pemehue in Chile’s La Araucanía Region, and brought three specimens to Philippi for description. Since then, no one had seen the species again, despite multiple search efforts. Between 1995 and 2002, several researchers unsuccessfully tried to find this species in the…

Japan’s Sado Island is home to no less than seven different species of snake. This is the largest number to be found on any isolated island in Japan, except for the subtropical Ryukyu Archipelago. Researchers from the University of Tsukuba and Niigata University have conducted a five year field study to investigate the ecology of each separate snake species. Living together “Niche partitioning” is one of the most fundamental and essential ecological concepts, in terms of explaining how diverse organisms coexist and how resources such as activity time, location, and prey differ from those of other species, minimising competition. In the case of snakes, niche partitioning of prey resources has been considered the major factor enabling the coexistence of multiple species in an area, although the importance of timing and…

There is a movement in modern reptile keeping towards larger, more naturalistic enclosures suggesting these are better for snakes, but this is definitely not the case with hatchling and neonate snakes. I’ve used the term ‘hatchling’ in this article to describe babies of egg-laying species and ‘neonates’ to describe those of live-bearing snakes. How housing impacts on feeding Remember that baby snakes are very low on the food chain and need to avoid being eaten by predators if they want to survive to adulthood. They do this by spending the vast majority of their time hiding under rocks, under leaf litter or under logs. Placing baby snakes in large enclosures therefore makes them feel insecure, because they are in a big open space that they perceive could contain predators. Providing…

To all intents and purposes, the desert would seem to be the least likely of environments to find any kind of life form, let alone a group of animals whose waterproof skin inhibits the ability to sweat, which in turn leads to problems with regulating body temperature. But it is surprising just how many reptiles have made it their home. Even some groups that are considered to be delicate, and popularly perceived as denizens of tropical rainforests have populated this often unimaginably hostile environment. In Namibia, the Namaqua chameleon (Chamaeleo namaquensis) is found in the Namib desert, sometimes in quite open coastal dunes, stalking invertebrates on the ground. The desert I am most familiar with, and can talk about with some knowledge, is the Kalahari. This represents a huge sand…

Iguanas have often been encountered drifting around the Caribbean on mats of vegetation. Then, perhaps 5-10 million years ago, some individuals evidently hitched a 965km (600mi) ride from Central America to colonise the Galápagos Islands. Yet it has now emerged that for long distance travel, the ancestors of today’s Fiji iguanas can’t be beaten. A new analysis conducted by biologists at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of San Francisco (USF) suggests that sometime after about 34 million years ago, Fiji iguanas landed on this isolated group of South Pacific islands, having travelled 8,000km (5,000ml) from the western coast of North America. This marks the longest known transoceanic dispersal of any terrestrial vertebrate. Unravelling the clues Overwater dispersal is the main way that islands which are newly-formed get…

Avital rescue mission to southern South America launched by Zoological Society London conservationists last October has proved to be a success. The conservationists involved, accompanied by wildlife film-make Paul Glynn, undertook a 11,265km (7,000mi) journey to the remote part of an island off the coast of Chile. Serious losses Once a sanctuary for southern Darwin’s frogs (Rhinoderma darwinii), populations of this species in the Parque Tantauco forests in southern Chile faced devastation in 2023, when surveys confirmed the arrival of the deadly chytrid fungus. This led to a catastrophic 90% decline in monitored populations within a year, due to amphibian chytridiomycosis – a disease which has now affected at least 500 amphibian species, making it the most devastating infectious disease recognised by science. It is particularly critical to save this…

Whereas in the past, European species of tortoise were frequently imported under unsuitable conditions from their Mediterranean homelands and failed to thrive in more northerly latitudes, a much better understanding of their requirements has meant that they are now being regularly bred in this country. If you are thinking about obtaining a young tortoise, the best time to do so will be with summer ahead. The types There are four different species which can be kept outside for part of the year in a garden when the weather is fine. It is possible to distinguish the Mediterranean spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo graeca) easily by the presence of swellings or “spurs” located on each side of the tail. Hermann’s tortoise (Testudo hermanni) lacks these spurs and has a longer, narrower tip to…

This particular snake is just one of the many different garter snakes that can be found across much of North America extending down into more southerly latitudes. It is one of 13 subspecies of the common garter snake (T. s. sirtalis) that are generally recognised today, and is distinguishable, as its name suggests, by the very evident bright blue stripes running horizontally down the sides of the body. In terms of size, bluestripe garter snakes average between 51-66cm (20-26in) long, with the largest recorded individual being almost 100cm (39in) long. These snakes are commonly observed during the day, as they will venture out hunting at this stage. They are often encountered near stretches of water, hunting amphibians and even fish in the water itself. The bluestripe garter snake has a…

True or false? Make a mistake at your peril! Nature is full of species that mimic others and here I am not thinking about mynah birds, talking parrots and the like. Both the venomous coral snakes (of which there are approximately 70 different species) and the non-venomous false coral snake (Anilius scytale) are members of the same family (Colubridae). For some reason, I have always had a fascination for coral – especially the living variety – and I have been keen to explore the coral reefs on visits to the Maldives and other islands in the Indian Ocean. Asian islands I was particularly enthralled on one occasion when the cruise boat that I took to visit the island of Komodo (as featured in the March 2014 issue of this magazine)…