tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58708569960032023292024-03-14T00:23:25.297-04:00Garden of Eden Exotics & CC PhotographyChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287834077200908143noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5870856996003202329.post-59853277954247298232012-05-02T13:39:00.002-04:002012-05-08T10:56:35.541-04:00Dr. Bryan Grieg Fry, Venom, A Useless Pickup Line & A Long Recovery<br />
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<span style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;">Dr. Grieg Fry is one of the World's leading Venom experts. His research ranges from the most venomous sea creatures through to the only known venomous primate. Read on to get a glimpse of his world and the dangers involved.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TsBjdZrfpTw/T6FoyxBBWTI/AAAAAAAABRg/u43gvuvq-d0/s1600/CCarille+Invert+61.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TsBjdZrfpTw/T6FoyxBBWTI/AAAAAAAABRg/u43gvuvq-d0/s400/CCarille+Invert+61.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Chris Carille Photography</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">How did you first become
interested in reptiles/amphibians and biochemistry?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;">Dr. Greig Fry:</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">I've long
had an intimate relationship with toxins. My first memory is at age 20
months, strapped to a hospital bed, tubes surgically inserted into my legs,
arms and skull, heavily medicated to dull the searing pain from spinal
meningitis. At that time, a significant percentage of babies died and of
those that survived, many had severe neurological damage. All I was left
with in the way of permanent damage was the erasing of almost all the hearing
in my right ear. Its pretty much good for hanging sunglasses off of but not
much more than that. I have a random spike of perfect hearing in a narrow
mid-frequency bandwidth but pretty much nothing else. Its like all the
other neurons were photoshopped away. Audiologists all my life have been
amazed by it, they've never seen the like. It is, however, a daily
reminder of the power of toxins and also my own mortality. So it not only
seeded my intellectual interest, but also spurred my quest to live each day to
its fullest.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">I guess I am
simply obeying the inscrutabe exhortations of the innermost soul.... and my mandate
also includes weird bugs :) I have always had a deep and abiding interest
in all things venomous, with snakes being a particular fascination. I was
four years old when I grandly announced that I was going to make this my life's
work.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Did anyone think you were crazy wanting to spend your time
researching deadly creatures?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">'Hey, I keep
snakes' will never be an effective pickup line ;) Yes, my career choice
was viewed as not just unconventional but downright weird and to some eyes a
death-wish.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Yeah, I haven't seen that pickup line work yet. Where is your favorite herping spot in the world?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">Favorite
herping spot is the Komodo Dragon mecca called Rinca Island.</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;"> Oh, how I wish I could visit! Is there any herp that still gives you chills and sends your
excitement levels through the roof when you find it in the wild?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">Playing with
Komodo Dragons never gets old, ditto with King Cobras and Taipans.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5zb1ReUI_a0/T6FplYzqIeI/AAAAAAAABRo/TINlEjxkVoI/s1600/CCarille+Snake+20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5zb1ReUI_a0/T6FplYzqIeI/AAAAAAAABRo/TINlEjxkVoI/s320/CCarille+Snake+20.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King Cobra (<i>Ophiophagus hannah</i>), Borneo<br />
© Chris Carille Photography</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;"> What herp is at the top of your list to find in the wild?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">Inland
taipan, the world's most toxic snake, even that above all sea snakes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;"> Is there any country/area that is at the top of your list to
visit still? Why?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">Sri Lanka
due to the staggering snake bite toll in that country.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Aside from the venomous animals you work with, do you keep
any herps as personal pets? If so, what species and any favorites?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">Since I only
work on the animals that I love, every research animal effectively becomes a
pet :) </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">That must make for one interesting collection! haha What has been the worst bite/sting you’ve ever had?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">Horned sea
snake, it took nine months to recover from.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Talk about a hard lesson learned. Could you share any crazy/memorable herping stories?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">Easily the
worst field injury was falling off a four meter termite mound, landing on
another one a meter above the ground and breaking my back. Four months in
bed recovering. Luckily a mate of a mate is a world-leading neurosurgeon in
Beverly Hills and did a magnificent job repairing it. If it had been done
in Australia, they would have just laid down the concrete and fused multiple
vertebrate. Thus ruining my fieldwork forever. However, he did a
procedure not done in Australia, whereby he put titanium endcaps on three of
the vertebrate, with artificial discs in between. The same procedure that was filmed for a documentary done on Schwarzenegger's stunt-double. Within two
days I was able to stand while leaning on a walker and was able to relearn how
to walk. This was extremely painful as I not only had neurons firing that
hadn't been for months but also had wasted, atrophied leg muscles that needed
to be rebuilt and restretched. Being a former competitive swimmer, I was used
to having to suck it up for training, but taking those first few steps were
some of the most grueling workouts I've ever had to suffer through. So I now
have a spinal Xray that looks like Wolverines and set off metal detectors. But
I am able to do, at full-speed, all the extreme activities I was doing doing
before the sudden gust of gravity. Going off of the painkillers was
brutal. I was on massive doses of hydromorphone (synthetic heroin) for
four months. Even that was not enough to stop the pain at times.
There were occasions where the pain was so great that I tasted madness.
I was absolutely insensible with pain. For up to a half hour I
would be completely insane from the suffering. This was also when my legs
would fail as this was when the pressure was greatest on the S1 nerve.
The surgery fixed all of this properly. But then I was faced with
the looming withdrawal. Heroin is the hardest drug to come off of.
Junkies always talk about how they keep taking it to avoid 'the sickness'.
Now I know what they mean. I went off it fast. Perhaps too
fast. I made a judgement call as to when I thought I could deal with the
physical pain without the pills. So one day I took the same 100% dose I
had been on for four months. Next day 75%. Next day 50%. Next day
25%. Then nothing. I experienced agony and sickness like nothing I have
ever felt and hope to never feel again. Biting down on shirts to keep
from screaming. My bones felt like they were rubbing together. Even
my hair hurt. Every neuron fresh, raw and firing uncontrollably. I
sweated through the mattress. All the while knowing I could end it with
one of the pretty white pills. But I got through it. Threw the
pills away and haven't looked back.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dWUF-C_8Gys/T6FqMshgOyI/AAAAAAAABRw/gfgF_mdY-AE/s1600/AZ+'09+880.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dWUF-C_8Gys/T6FqMshgOyI/AAAAAAAABRw/gfgF_mdY-AE/s400/AZ+'09+880.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reticulate Gila Monster (<i>Heloderma suspectum suspectum</i>), Arizona<br />
© Chris Carille Photography</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Wow, quite possibly one of the most extraordinary stories I've ever heard. Congrats on making it back from something that seems like it would have ruined any else's life!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">A lot of arguments are made as to which herp species are
deadliest based on venom toxicity, occurrence, aggression, amount of
venom/toxin produced – which herp species would you consider the deadliest (or
are several clearly not survivable)?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">It is a
combination of different variables<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">- how toxic
is the venom? The inland taipan (</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">Oxyuranus microlepidotus</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">) is far and
away the most toxic, much more so than even sea snakes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">- how much
venom is injected? The biggest yeilders are the Gaboon viper (</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">Bitis
gabonica</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">), Eastern Diamondback rattlesnake (</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">Crotalus adamanteus</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">) and Mulga
snake (</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">Pseudechis australis</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">), all of which can deliver over a gram of venom
protein in a single bite.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">- is there
an effective antivenom? For many venomous snakes there are no effective
antivenoms so bites from these snakes are catastrophic.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RflYXiS0BZA/T6FrgcX_xkI/AAAAAAAABSA/Jn6gtgCcock/s1600/Snakeman+25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RflYXiS0BZA/T6FrgcX_xkI/AAAAAAAABSA/Jn6gtgCcock/s400/Snakeman+25.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Chris Carille Photography</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">What herp, venom, or toxin do you find the most fascinating
& why? (I personally like batrachotoxins because of how they are
assimilated into dart frogs)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">We are
currently finding some extraordinarily cool things in the venom of the Fea's
viper (</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">Azemiops feae</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">).</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yLAO4HCw2LM/T6FnvGJRPKI/AAAAAAAABRY/hClmA0WScFc/s1600/CCarille+Amphibian+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yLAO4HCw2LM/T6FnvGJRPKI/AAAAAAAABRY/hClmA0WScFc/s320/CCarille+Amphibian+13.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green-and-Black Poison Arrow Frog (<i>Dendrobates auratus</i>), Costa Rica<br />
© Chris Carille Photography</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;"> What do you think about the people who inject small amounts
of venom into themselves to gradually build up a resistance to venomous snake
bites? Crazy or completely sane?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">They are
public relations nightmares. There is absolutely no medical benefit for doing
this, they should have the proper antivenom on hand if they are keeping the
snakes. Further, there is no proven therapeutic benefit.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">So completely insane. I couldn't see risking your life in each injection. Putting that effort towards not getting bit would probably be a better idea.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Some venomous snake owners think owning their own anti-venom
is a great thing – potentially life-saving or life-threatening idea?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">Life-saving.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-shOcn4_YIEg/Tvn7iJnQAJI/AAAAAAAAAN8/bROTo7LyZGo/s1600/CCarille+51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-shOcn4_YIEg/Tvn7iJnQAJI/AAAAAAAAAN8/bROTo7LyZGo/s320/CCarille+51.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neotropical Rattlesnake (<i>Crotalus durissus</i>), Costa Rica<br />
© Chris Carille Photography</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">I’m always backpacking days out into the wilderness and I am
always looking for snakes, which can be troublesome. There is a lot of bad
information out there on how to handle a snake bite, could you set the record
straight?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">Essential
for any first aid kit is a satellite phone. As for immediate first aid,
never ever cut the bite. This has no benefit and only makes things worse.
Last thing you want with unclottable blood is to create new wounds.
Similarly, the suction kits are less than useless, they actually worsen
local damage.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Thanks for that info.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Any advice for students looking to get into the
herpetological field?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">Use your
passion as your fuel.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Handling venomous snakes?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">Get
experience from a credible mentor.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">If you weren’t dealing with venom for a living, what would
you be doing?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">Probably on
an over-pass with a rifle ;) Seriously though, I could not imagine doing
anything else that would give me such a feeling of deep satisfaction.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Since you have an interest in crocs as well, have you had
the pleasure of visiting the Madras Crocodile Bank?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">Yes, I have. Amazing place staffed full of great people.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Where are your current research focuses?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">A wide diversity of animals ranging from deep sea
Antarctic venomous octopuses through to slow lorises (the only venomous
primate) and even including vampire bats :)</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HNnmvk1g9T8/T6FhQh_tSgI/AAAAAAAABRM/HJORh5XPAAo/s1600/267227_10150303127671083_703306082_9608969_6082616_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HNnmvk1g9T8/T6FhQh_tSgI/AAAAAAAABRM/HJORh5XPAAo/s400/267227_10150303127671083_703306082_9608969_6082616_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bornean Slow Loris (<i>Nycticebus menagensis</i>)<br />
© Rob Colgan Taken at Danau Girang Field Centre, Borneo<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XLH_6vHB81g/T6Fwjjaf88I/AAAAAAAABSM/IDD3b4hTnUw/s1600/CCarille+Invert+34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XLH_6vHB81g/T6Fwjjaf88I/AAAAAAAABSM/IDD3b4hTnUw/s320/CCarille+Invert+34.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tarantula in Borneo <br />
© Chris Carille Photography</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Dr. Grieg Fry's Personal Site:</span> <a href="http://www.venomdoc.com/venomdoc/Venomdoc.html">VenomDoc</a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Australian Venom Research Unit:</span> <a href="http://www.avru.org/">AVRU</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.venomdoc.com/venomdoc/Venomdoc.html"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Natural Toxins Research Center:</span> <a href="http://ntrc.tamuk.edu/">NNTRC</a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">For information on Slow Lorises:</span> <a href="http://www.nocturama.org/">Slow Loris Site</a></div>
</span></div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287834077200908143noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5870856996003202329.post-81183096725412865472012-04-26T13:14:00.000-04:002012-04-26T13:14:14.963-04:00Photoshoot @ Jerry "The Snakeman" Hillard's HouseA friend of mine has a business performing educational shows with various snake species at events around the area. He can be booked to headline or run small shows. I put out a feeler two weeks ago, looking for anyone that possessed hybrid herps (interspecific, intra-specific, or intergeneric). I was invited over to shoot some of the species he works with. Here is a small selection of the many shots I took of his collection within two hours time. (note: a post/Q&A with Jerry about his business will be up shortly)<br />
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If you like the work, I can come and take photos of your collection for your business or personal use. Please inquire for pricing/contract at: <a href="mailto:ccarillephoto@gmail.com">ccarillephoto@gmail.com</a><br />
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<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287834077200908143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5870856996003202329.post-19895458670143423862012-04-23T15:37:00.003-04:002012-04-24T19:56:00.994-04:00Dr. Michael Tyler & Australian Herps<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Dr. Michael Tyler is a well-known Australian amphibian specialist, an author of numerous books and papers, and has had the distinct honor of hosting the Second World Congress of Herpetology. Here are a few words with that host.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">What sparked your interest in reptiles/amphibians?</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Dr. Michael Tyler:</span></span><span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> A childhood interest in natural history which led to a
fascination with entomology at first, and then to frogs.</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7h2e2s0PNgI/TxcbD3GarNI/AAAAAAAAAUs/vppR4-7ANHk/s1600/C.+Carille+Amphibian+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7h2e2s0PNgI/TxcbD3GarNI/AAAAAAAAAUs/vppR4-7ANHk/s320/C.+Carille+Amphibian+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hypsiboas rosenbergi</i> - Gladiator Tree Frog (Costa Rica)<br />
© Chris Carille Photography</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Were your parents or friends influential in your decision to
go into herpetology as a profession?</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> No one influenced me! I was an amateur
in the early days until I was appointed lecturer in Zoology and was able to
devote all my research interests to frog topics.</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">What led your interests towards amphibians specifically?</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> Working at the British Museum with an
Emeritus Curator who regretted being too old to travel to Australia and
New Guinea, where he anticipated there must be a large number of undescribed frogs
new to science.</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">If you were not into herpetology, what would you be doing?</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nET90ZRTwtc/T5WtkSHbkfI/AAAAAAAABPA/L7MCM59Mu2M/s1600/CCarille+Landscape+66.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nET90ZRTwtc/T5WtkSHbkfI/AAAAAAAABPA/L7MCM59Mu2M/s320/CCarille+Landscape+66.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Chris Carille Photography</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> Selling old and antiquarian books!</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">That is definitely a different profession! Where is your favorite herping spot in the world?</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> The Kimberley, in NW Australia because so much
of it is still unexplored.</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tl4rRqWkFLY/T5WmupqNpSI/AAAAAAAABOw/LNIaz3G5GUU/s1600/treeFrog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tl4rRqWkFLY/T5WmupqNpSI/AAAAAAAABOw/LNIaz3G5GUU/s1600/treeFrog.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Litoria spledida</i> - Magnificent Green Tree Frog<br />
Photo courtesy of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">What herp in the wild still sends your excitement levels
through the roof?</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Litoria splendida</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> (The Magnificent
Tree Frog which I found and first described!)</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I think I'd still be pretty excited to find a herp I had discovered. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Do you keep a life list?</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> No I don’t.</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Is there any country/area that is at the top of your list to
visit/herp still? Why?<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> New Guinea because there is still so much to be
discovered there.</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DugP1r1PQXk/Tx7_Osofv4I/AAAAAAAAAdI/H6QVmBL-kn8/s1600/C.+Carille+Amphibian+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DugP1r1PQXk/Tx7_Osofv4I/AAAAAAAAAdI/H6QVmBL-kn8/s320/C.+Carille+Amphibian+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Rhacophorus dulitensis</i> - Jade Tree Frog (Borneo)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I had a graduate professor perform his research in New Guinea - he would tell all sorts of stories about how remote field sites were. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">You set a precedent at the second World Congress of
Herpetology by keeping it out of the red and turning a profit. How important
was that standard you set towards the WCH reaching its goals?</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Calibri;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="color: #2c4a7a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">
</span></span></span><span style="color: #2c4a7a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">It was important to me as it needed to be successful if WCH was to have a great
future. However, I don’t think too many people realised just what a
challenge it was!</span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TlObMQBD3W4/T3nBndVNbaI/AAAAAAAABHk/KVPVriroZ5U/s1600/RETF+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TlObMQBD3W4/T3nBndVNbaI/AAAAAAAABHk/KVPVriroZ5U/s320/RETF+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Agalychnis callidryas</i> - Red-eyed Tree Frog (Costa Rica)<br />
A favorite among amphibian enthusiasts.<br />
© Chris Carille Photography</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Do you keep any herps as personal pets? If so, what species
and any favorites?</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I have a variety of frogs as “pets” and my
favourites are </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Litoria splendida</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> and </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Litoria caerulea</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">.</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Any crazy herping stories (I had a snapper almost bite
through my finger once while trying to photograph it)?</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Not that I can recall although most field trips have had their
moments!</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">8 species of frog have gone extinct in the last 25 years in
Australia, which species do you feel are currently of most concern?</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">This is incorrect! Only three have become extinct and I
can’t prioritise the others.</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Some misinformation on my part. I'm glad you corrected that. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">What is the number one conservation threat to Australia’s
endangered species? (invasives, pollution, collection, habitat destruction, Bd
fungus)</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SPNfS-zuTCs/T5Wn1EKlRKI/AAAAAAAABO4/2bFj1jEjs68/s1600/Yellowstone+NP+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SPNfS-zuTCs/T5Wn1EKlRKI/AAAAAAAABO4/2bFj1jEjs68/s320/Yellowstone+NP+14.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Bufo (Rhinella) marinus</i> - Cane Toad (Costa Rica)<br />
An destructive invasive in Australia.<br />
© Chris Carille Photography</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Probably Bd fungus.</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Bd fungus seems to be a huge threat to all amphibian populations. Hopefully, a cure can be found.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">In 2003 and 2004, you performed research on </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">odors</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">
produced by frogs – I’d imagine smelling frogs had to be the hardest time spent
in a lab?</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">No, it wasn’t at all difficult! I had known for a long time that
I had a keen sense of smell and often identified frogs by their odors. I
had a PhD student who also had an excellent sense of smell so we both enjoyed
the work which led to the award of the IgNobel Prize at Harvard!</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qp2wxHvY8-c/T2I6T298hVI/AAAAAAAAA5U/BLybMc916V8/s1600/CCarille+Amphibian+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qp2wxHvY8-c/T2I6T298hVI/AAAAAAAAA5U/BLybMc916V8/s320/CCarille+Amphibian+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hyla arenicolor</i> - Canyon Tree Frog (Arizona)</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Impressive! I'm not sure I could stomach smelling so many frogs.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">What’s the best avenue people from outside Australia can
help protect Australia’s amphibians?</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">To encourage captive breeding.</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Has there been anyone you’ve really enjoyed collaborating
with in your research? Why?</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Ben Smith, the PhD student mentioned earlier who had a truly
brilliant mind and was great to work with because he had so many ideas that we
developed together. He was the most outstanding student I have
ever met and we achieved a great deal together because he was head-hunted and
went to Europe!!</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Who would win in a herp id’ing contest, you or [Australian
herpetologist] Hal Cogger?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Calibri;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Calibri;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I have no idea!</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Calibri;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Haha. Probably an unfair question putting you on the spot.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Australia has pretty strict importation and exportation laws
regarding its wildlife. Do you think the increase of interest in the
herp-keeping hobby has helped or hindered reptile & </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">amphibian conservation?</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nOn8LbFIy4s/T5c9YDhXshI/AAAAAAAABPI/jC104X-hL6Y/s1600/1137989569.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nOn8LbFIy4s/T5c9YDhXshI/AAAAAAAABPI/jC104X-hL6Y/s320/1137989569.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Rheobatrachus silus</i> - Gastric Brooding Frog<br />Cares for its young in its stomach.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I doubt whether herp-keeping has had much of an impact in
Australia, with the possible exception of </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Rheobatrachus</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> which is so
popular that over-collecting is a real threat to its existence in the world.</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Calibri;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Anything else you’d like to share?</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">No, apart from the fact
that herpetology has given me a wonderful life and I could not imagine anything
better if I had my life starting all over again!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The threatened species and ecological communities in Australia:</span></span><span style="color: #2c4a7a; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span><a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Threatened Species</span></a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The amphibian research center for Australia: </span><a href="http://frogs.org.au/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">ARC</span></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Western Australia Museum's Frog Watch: </span><a href="http://frogwatch.museum.wa.gov.au/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Frog Watch</span></a><br />
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287834077200908143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5870856996003202329.post-21018541970394536642012-04-19T17:42:00.004-04:002012-04-21T12:55:28.138-04:00Ashok Captain, Herp Photography, & his Love for India<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Ashok Captain is a world renowned herp photographer and Indian snake enthusiast. Read on to learn about some of favorite spots, hear some photography advice, and get a peek into his favorite herping trips.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C1E0ajB0C34/T5HwJ1iXx0I/AAAAAAAABN4/3kHXcEx6BCM/s1600/Viridovipera_medoensis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C1E0ajB0C34/T5HwJ1iXx0I/AAAAAAAABN4/3kHXcEx6BCM/s400/Viridovipera_medoensis.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Viridovipera</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"> (</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Trimeresurus</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">) </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">medoensis</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"> - Medo Pit Viper </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">A. Captain/ Adu Ile Me/ The Lisus</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #3b164c;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;"><br />
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<span style="color: #3b164c;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;">How did you first become interested in reptiles/amphibians (particularly snakes) and photography?</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">A. Captain:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">In the 90's, we used to go on a lot of jungle trips - initially in the Western Ghats - places close to Pune (where I live). Most trips were during the monsoons (our rainy season) and we'd see a lotta creepies. Initially I tried to 'study' everything - monsoon plants, spiders, solifuges, amblypygids, scorpions, frogs, caecilians, lizards and snakes. I photographed all of these and needed captions for my slides (now digital images)! I soon gave up trying to 'id' everything and drifted towards snakes 'cos it was possible to do a lot (but not all) of the identification without killing 'em/ collecting 'em/ dissecting bits and pieces. This wasn't possible with several of the other animals.</span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3b164c;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Was anyone influential in your decision to go into herpetology as a profession?</span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Umm, nope. Snake taxonomy isn't a profession for me. Pros get funded to do this kinda thing. I spend most of my own money doing this stuff! Three guys who were extremely helpful (when I was a newbie) were Anil and Neelimkumar Khaire (brothers who run both the snake parks in Pune) and Rom Whitaker (he needs no introduction)! (Drum roll as Rom takes a bow).</span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Where is your favorite herping spot in the world?</span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Pretty much anywhere in India (I have a distinct Indian bias) though I have spent most of my 'field time' in the northern Western Ghats and eastern Arunachal Pradesh. </span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3b164c;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Do you have any favorite herps to find in the wild? Anything that still gets you excited to find?</span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">No favorite spots as such. Finding any herp is exciting for me!</span> </span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Oreocryptophis porphyraceus</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"> (formerly </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Elaphe porphyracea) </span></span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">- Red Mountain Rat Snake </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">A. Captain/ The Lisus</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #3b164c;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Do you have a life list? If so, what herp is at the top of your list to find in the wild?</span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">No life list as such, but I would love to see Indian </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Trimeresurus</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"> (</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Peltopelor</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">) macrolepis; the Sri Lankan </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Trimeresurus</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"> (</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Craspedocephalus</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">) </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">trigonocephalus</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"> and the African </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Bitis gabonica</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"> (all in the wild).</span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3b164c;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Is there any country/area that is at the top of your list to visit still?</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Injun bias again! In India, there are still so many places left to visit - the deserts, southern Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats, the Andamans, Nicobar Islands . . .</span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3b164c;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Do you keep any herps as personal pets? If so, what species and any favorites?</span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Nope. 'Tis illegal in India. We have a 'Wildlife Prevention Act' that does just that! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Did not know that!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3b164c;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">I know when I’m behind the camera I get pretty focused, have you had any “close calls”?</span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Nope, again. Yup, I get pretty focused too, but I usually have several folks I trust helping [me] with the snake and photography. If it's a hot 'un, there are usually two guys (with their mobiles switched off) with snake sticks between me (camera, tripod and flashes) and the model. Most of my pics are posed. There may be another 2-3 guys holding the flashes and/ or umbrellas. Sometimes its not possible to get a pic. That's okay. </span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-efIMfXVJ6ns/T5HwwDNDvtI/AAAAAAAABOA/Ap_FBeDNRoA/s1600/E_w_02+WEB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-efIMfXVJ6ns/T5HwwDNDvtI/AAAAAAAABOA/Ap_FBeDNRoA/s400/E_w_02+WEB.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Elachistodon westermanni - </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Indian Egg Eater <br /> A. Captain/ S. Deshmukh/ R. Nande</span></span></span></i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #3b164c;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">What’s more exciting, winning a cycling competition, discovering a new herp species, or getting that perfect photo published on a cover?</span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">All three are equally exciting! : )</span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3b164c;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">What has been your favorite/most memorable herping trip you’ve ever made?</span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Actually 4 of 'em! 1. I once spent 8 months in Arunachal. It was to be a year, but I had to meet my landlord in Pune! Anyways, I saw 26 </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Trimeresurus</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"> (</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Viridovipera</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">) </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">medoensis</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"> and several other beautiful snakes in the wild. One of the Medo Pit Vipers made the cover of a Christmas supplement of Geo (Germany)!</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Impressive!</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">2. On another trip to Arunachal, with the help of the villagers, we found a </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Protobothrops kaulbackii</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">. 3. In Maharashtra (the state I live in), some young herp enthusiasts found a snake they couldn't identify - I took a bus there and the snake turned out to be </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Elachistodon westermanni</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"> (previously thought to be extinct)! This was like finding a live dinosaur. 4. A professor who studies fish, found a snake in Trivandrum (it was netted by some fishermen). I went there and it was a Homalopsinae - </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Enhydris dussumierii</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">. The only place in the world its found in is Kerala state, India. So its not always in the deep dark jungles (as seen on telly)!</span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3b164c;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Of the new species you’ve described and helped to describe, has there been a favorite?</span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V4BknnTrj6Y/T5HxJDoyeWI/AAAAAAAABOI/snOrXTHjviQ/s1600/Ahaetulla+cf+nasutus_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V4BknnTrj6Y/T5HxJDoyeWI/AAAAAAAABOI/snOrXTHjviQ/s400/Ahaetulla+cf+nasutus_01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Ahaetulla c.f. nasuta </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">- Green Vine Snake </span></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"> A. Captain/ R. Whitaker/ A.R.R.S.</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">I've not described any new species yet! New records for India, several - <i>Sinonatrix percarinata</i>; <i>Trimeresurus medoensis</i>; <i>Lytorhynchus paradoxus</i>, <i>Protobothrops kaulbackii</i>, <i>Amphiesma venningii</i>. . . . No favorites! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">I apologize for my mistake, as I had read some false information that stated otherwise.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3b164c;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">For those of us that know nothing of Indian herp culture, is it a developing hobby to keep snakes as pets there?</span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">In a bad (according to me) way. Though illegal in India, there are several 'sarp mitras' (snake friends) who keep snakes in the name of 'educating' folks. Let's be honest - its a man against dangerous 'beast' adrenalin rush. My opinion is that this is extremely uncool. We've so few wild spaces left in India that preserving our wild populations is way more important than having 'em in (usually) smelly bags/ boxes/ jars. This is very different [compared] to the herp culture elsewhere in the world.</span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3b164c;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">A lot of people have a negative outlook of snake charmers in India, do you have an opinion you could share?</span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><i style="text-indent: 0px !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Chrysopelea ornata - </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Ornate Flying Snake<br /> A. Captain/ R. Whitaker/ A.R.R.S. <br /> (Agumbe Rainforest Research Station)</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">For me its kinda complicated. Sure, I'd rather see snakes in the wild, sure, but these guys are making a living 'using' snakes and have been for generations. Unless they get an equally profitable/ more lucrative means of getting cash, I doubt they're gonna quit (even if a few snakes are 'seized' by the authorities). In fact I think taking away their snakes is bad for the wild population. They'll go get some more (and deplete the wild population still further). Besides this, we misguidedly release the rescued snakes. This is daft 'cos we've no idea where the snakes originally came from; they'll most probably die in new territories/ ranges and if they're infected with mites or something worse, they could wipe out an entire wild population. </span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">I also see an amusing double standard - guys in the US catching snakes/ herps for profit are no different (from the snake's point of view) to Injun snake charmers. (Whoops, they got me! There goes my 'wild' life). Yet these folks are called snake wranglers! I'm not dissing 'em, nor am I pro-snake charmer (I am not). </span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3b164c;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">You’ve worked with several other herpetologists – anyone you’d like to work with again?</span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Yup lots of 'em actually! Rom (Whitaker), Kedar (Bhide), Varad (Giri), Aaron (Bauer), Mark (Wilkinson), David (Gower), Andreas (Gumprecht), Frank (Tillack), Patrick (David), Gernot (Vogel), others whom I've written to and would like to work with are Frederick (Wagner), Wolfgang (Wuster), Anita (Malhotra), Anslem (de Silva) and Van (Wallach).</span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3b164c;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Do you have any photography tips for shooting herps?</span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Be patient (be prepared to spend all day/ several days if necessary). Corny, but I think herps sense 'impatience' and one never gets a good picture if one is in this 'zone'. Use the best equipment one can afford. [It is] better to have a macro lens (as opposed to a zoom with a macro feature) than a 'fill up the memory card' fancy camera - 6 MP is fine. The lens is IMPORTANT. I use smart flashes off camera and a light tripod with an 'action head'. *Pelican cases (in plastic bags that are carried in rucksacs) also keep the camera gear alive in rain forests. I put a sock full of fresh silica gel into the case every time I open it (if I'm on a long trip). This keeps the inside relatively dry. *This sounds ridiculously unwieldy but read on . . . I wrap the cases in plastic bags 'cos we once crossed a river and, though the cases were watertight, I couldn't open them until water in the gutters had dried (this took ages in a rain forest). If you open them when wet, drops from the gutter actually enter the case and water is sealed into the case. I carry the cases in a rucsac, 'cos its impossible for me to carry a suitcase-type piece of luggage in rough terrain.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3b164c;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">How did it feel to have a snake named after you in 2007 (Captain’s Wood Snake - </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><i>Xylophis captaini</i></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Embarrassing actually, 'cos we didn't find it first. My mum dampened the mild euphoria (that came later) by saying something like - "It's dirty and brown like your room." Actually there are two snakes named after me (more embarassment). The other is </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Dendrelaphis ashokii</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">. </span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #571463;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Here in the US, I hear a lot about how great the tropics are to herp – do you think India gets proper recognition for it’s herpetological diversity?</span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">The tropics are different. Great to herp, I don't know. If one is out in the right season and at the right time, there is lots of 'stuff'. Off season (at least in our neck of the woods) everything disappears. Proper recognition? I don't know.</span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">A school of herpetology at the North Orissa University has (or will be) opening this year in India, how do you think further herpetological education will influence the conservation of India’s herpetofauna? </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">**Edit - I received some misinformation, corrected by Ashok. As it turns out, this school had been opened previously and was run more as a short course.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">About 5 years back Dr Sushil Kumar Dutta got the Department of Science & Technology to part with some cash and arranged this 'school' once every year in different Universities/ institutions - the first was in northern Orissa (and the last from this grant), the others were at the Wildlife Institute of India (Dehra Dun), Guwahaty (Assam), and at SACON (Salim Ali Center for Ornithology and Natural History) close to Coimbatore. The 'school' lasts about 10-12 days and is pretty intense. Most of the 30 or so folks that attend are really sharp, and some of them have already started doing really good work, so it's helping. However, these efforts are all drops in the ocean till we sort out our problem of rapidly vanishing wild spaces. This issue is kinda political and ecological, and I'm gonna stick to taxonomy and not get stuck in conservation arguments.</span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3b164c;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Any herp publications in the works? A possible follow-up to 2004’s Snake of India, The Field Guide?</span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">A few short notes. Rom wants 'at least 25 species additions' before we consider a follow up. Guess who has to go get 'em? Kidding. But yup, we'd definitely like to do another version. I'd like to add an annotated key as well, but Janaki (the editor) is of the firm opinion that no one will be able to lift the field guide if we keep adding stuff, so negotiations on point number two are still on.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Macropisthodon plumbicolor </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">- Green Keelback</span></span></span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"> A. Captain/ S. Thakur/ J. Kadapatti/ S. Mukherjee/ A. Patel</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3b164c;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Anything else you’d like to share?</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Nope! Think I've yakked quite enough. Happy, safe herping to you all. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">A</span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Ashok's and Rom's field guide can be purchased here:</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Snakes-India-The-Field-Guide/dp/8190187309">Snakes of India: The Field Guide</a></span></div>
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The interview with Rom Whitaker can be found here: <a href="http://nyexotics.blogspot.com/2012/03/dr-romulus-whitaker-crocodile.html">Dr. Rom Whitaker & the Madras Crocodile Bank</a></div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287834077200908143noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5870856996003202329.post-43938533907640192702012-04-16T14:21:00.000-04:002012-04-16T14:21:58.920-04:00Dangers of Herping, Hiking, & the Media<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QL4OGT8LPG0/Txsj5Yq8X5I/AAAAAAAAAbE/ykBLkxMx8XE/s1600/CCarille+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QL4OGT8LPG0/Txsj5Yq8X5I/AAAAAAAAAbE/ykBLkxMx8XE/s320/CCarille+13.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
So I've been pretty lucky - I must say a lot of herpers have. We encounter so many different dangers while looking for the herps we love so dearly, but most of us have gotten away unscathed. How many have been within inches of being bit by a venomous snake - or actually have been bit?! How many have been within feet of man-eating crocs that most people would stay well clear of?! How many of us have gone diving into rocks and cacti to grab the tail-end of an escaping snake we're not even sure the identity of?!<br />
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The point is, while we enjoy what we do there are a lot of potential life threats in our fun hobby. When I tell most people that I go out hiking to look for rattlesnakes to photograph, or I'm traveling to the tropics to dig under logs for venomous snakes - not for the beer and beaches... okay maybe a little for the beer and beaches - I get a look like I'm deranged. I literally get asked, "Are You Crazy?!?" While I may actually be a little, I feel like what I do while herping, and what <i>most </i>do is within acceptable ranges of sanity. I'm not out driving in excess of 100+mph (not anymore anyways); I'm not out swimming in the ocean - how many more shark attacks and drownings are there than deadly snake bites a year; I'm not even free climbing - I even give those guys the "you are crazy" look. So why so many crazy stares for us?<br />
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It simply comes down to the fact that we don't necessarily get painted in a good light. Most main stream media doesn't show the discovery of a new herp species, but rather the drunken idiot that got bit on his face from playing with a Southern Pacific Rattlesnake. Not the researcher doing species counts, but the hiker that gets mauled by the bear from luring it closer for photos - it really does make for a better shot when that grizzly is only feet away and angry.<br />
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I guess my issue, is that herpers and hikers that look for herps along their travels, are still seen as an outside, secret society cult for whack-jobs. I'd love to one day turn on the tv and see a story about the hiker that trudged 60+ miles, 5-days, through rain and mud, and got the perfect shot of a Bushmaster in striking pose, surrounded by lush tropical jungle. But it seems as those we're always going to be limited to the unprepared people lost while hiking - learn to read a compass and trail map would ya!, the boozing red-necks that had to pick up the snake - really?! really?! I've had my share of nights half-in-the-bag before and never had the urge to play with "rattly" snakes, and the people eaten by crocs - come on, there is no place safer to swim?!<br />
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We've all had our close calls, but for all of you that go out there and actually plan a little - Kudos to you! Knowing map skills, how to handle snakes properly - or not handle them at all, and not being the drunk that loses an arm "wrastling" an alligator deserves some notice for once. Congrats on being someone future herpers and current herpers can look up to and respect!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-meooTfyxCOg/T20qMDIWB-I/AAAAAAAAA-0/wOZ6RSccors/s1600/CCarille+Snake+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-meooTfyxCOg/T20qMDIWB-I/AAAAAAAAA-0/wOZ6RSccors/s640/CCarille+Snake+7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287834077200908143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5870856996003202329.post-90513540000471524742012-04-01T11:06:00.003-04:002012-04-02T11:17:15.140-04:00Dr. William Lamar, Close Calls, & an Avian Life List<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 48.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;">A look into how Dr. Lamar got his start in herpetology, what he's currently up to with research, and a very close call with one big, angry <i>Bothrops atrox</i>.</span><br />
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</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">How did you first become interested in reptiles/amphibians?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;">Dr. Bill Lamar</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;">: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">I found a California Ribbon snake in my yard, it thrilled me and my mother was gently encouraging about it. Had she scolded me, likely I would be a Republican today. Also, from birth I was fascinated by dinosaurs.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Were your parents or friends influential in your decision to go into herpetology as a profession?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">Only in the sense that no one ever discouraged me.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">I’m in love with Central and South America myself, what draws you to those areas?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">I was always drawn to tropical areas filled with mystery. As it happens, I landed a position with the Smithsonian Environmental Program that moved me to Colombia and I have concentrated on Latin America ever since.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oJ5RGXGNXas/T3nCDvyD16I/AAAAAAAABHs/5epgc9rpivA/s1600/CCarille+Landscape+85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oJ5RGXGNXas/T3nCDvyD16I/AAAAAAAABHs/5epgc9rpivA/s400/CCarille+Landscape+85.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tambopata River, Peruvian Amazon<br />
© Chris Carille Photography</td></tr>
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Where is your favorite herping spot in the world?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">Hmmm, I can't say I favor one over all others. I know of some places that have been extremely productive over the years, and they include spots in Costa Rica and Ecuador. In Ecuador I once collected 60 species of herps in one night.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-19LMx5SocD8/T3X4lRd1P2I/AAAAAAAABG8/FkqWV-CNGaY/s1600/CCarille+Landscape+124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-19LMx5SocD8/T3X4lRd1P2I/AAAAAAAABG8/FkqWV-CNGaY/s400/CCarille+Landscape+124.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playa Ballena, Costa Rica</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Do you have any favorite herps to find in the wild?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">Not really. I have worked with all major groups and collected broadly. Certainly there are snakes that make me smile, such as boa constrictors, some ratsnakes, etc., and I am deeply interested in most kinds of New World venomous species of snake, so I like turning them up.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Do you have a life list? If so, what herp is at the top of your list to find in the wild?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">I do not have a life list of herps, although I do of birds, interestingly enough. I suppose if I were to name a species it would be some nearly mythological species such as </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">Corallus</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"> (</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">Xenoboa</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">)</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"> cropanii</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Is there any country/area that is at the top of your list to visit still? Why?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">I would like to spend time in French Guiana because such large tracts of habitat are still intact. Unfortunately most parts of the world, no matter how remote, have become significantly compromised owing to human intrusion during my lifetime.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Do you keep any herps as personal pets? If so, what species and any favorites?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">I do keep herps, although I do not consider them pets. Everything I keep is venomous and I do so to further familiarize myself with them.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Any crazy herping stories?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">Oh, I could fill a couple of books with crazy stories. I did publish some viper encounters in an article in FAUNA Magazine.</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">An excerpt from Dr. Lamar's article in FAUNA (2001) titled "Lucky Strike" - </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">A couple of years ago, I hiked in a beautiful upland forest along the Rio Tahuayo, in Peru. It is filled with arching tress, and mosses and ferns so strange it seems like another planet. A clear, flat stream cuts the land like a flooded road. There is basically no rock in this part of the Amazon Basin, but the broad creek bed is aged clay that has the consistency of asphalt. At one point, it has collapsed creating a four-foot waterfall that crosses the stream like a jagged smile and forms a plunge pool below. On that day the water was chilly and running swiftly because it had rained all the previous evening. It was a classic "swimming hole," so I decided to jump in and cool off.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">Eventually my companions began to arrive. They would be hot and sweaty and would waste no time in joining me for a dip. All were wading in the shallow stream in lieu of using the trail and one of them reached the pool ahead of the others. "There's a big snake swimming in the creek!" he shouted above the din of falling water. "What kind is it?" I yelled back. "I think it may be poisonous!" he replied. he kept glancing upstream behind him so I gathered that the snake was about to make its appearance. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">Standing with difficulty in the chest-deep, folling water, it was nearly impossible to ascertain anything about what was happening above. The laborious climb up from the pool was out-of-the-question. "Here it comes!" he said suddenly. I was bouncing up-and-down in an effort to see the streambed above, but the current kept knocking me back. "Just point your arm like a rifle at the snake to show me where it is swimming!" I instructed him. He did this, indicating - to my horror - a spot precisely in front of where I was standing.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">I lunged sideways just as a large and thoroughly aroused <i>B. atrox</i>, floating high and striking at everything, came over the waterfall. Mouth half-open, she quickly turned her attention to me and I hit her point-blank in the face with a hard splash of water, pushing her back. In an instant, the current swept her past and she was thrown against the bank downstream where she (big ones are always females) made her way rapidly into the forest. Had I not been forewarned, the first thing that frightened snake would have contacted after plunging over the precipice would have been my head. Somehow, waterfalls will never be quite the same.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">What has been your favorite/most memorable herping trip you’ve ever made?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><div style="text-align: right;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iDte7b5xBpw/T3nCi_1G81I/AAAAAAAABH0/R1qy9-kTP_g/s1600/CCarille+People+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iDte7b5xBpw/T3nCi_1G81I/AAAAAAAABH0/R1qy9-kTP_g/s320/CCarille+People+3.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">A local guide in the Peruvian Amazon</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">© Chris Carille Photography</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">Honestly, there have been so many I cannot single any one out. Each has been special for different reasons: location, results, sights, some special species, etc. But I would have to say that the locals who have worked with me are what have really made those trips successful or at least memorable.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Of the new species you’ve described and helped to describe, which has been the favorite?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">Hmm, again, there is no favorite. I have concentrated on each one and thoroughly enjoyed dealing with them. Currently, I am at work on a watersnake from the Amazon so that is where my attention lies, but I can honestly say I have enjoyed all of them.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">You’ve worked with a bunch of other herpetologists – anyone you’d like to work with again?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">Well, some of my favorites are no longer with us: my mentor Federico Medem, my friends Arthur Loveridge, James A. Peters, Charles Bogert, among many others. Among extant herpetologists, I enjoy the company of Jonathan Campbell, Roy McDiarmid, Bob Reynolds, Norm Scott, Jay Savage, Bill Duellman, and young guys such as Dante Fenolio</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="color: #44104e; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Being into photography and herps, what do you find more satisfying finding a species in the wild you haven’t seen before or having a photo published on the cover of a book or magazine?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">They are very different things but finding something new is always exciting, although it usually will be a small, drab brown thing...nothing spectacular.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Any advice for people that want to get more involved in field herping, but don’t have the educational herpetology background?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">Well, formal education is not really all that conducive to learning herpetology. I, like most herpetologists, am basically self-taught. Live with books, ask lots of questions, THINK about things, observe, observe, observe.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Who do I go to if I need a Costa Rican herp identified, you or [Costa Rican herpetologist] Alejandro Solorzano?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><br />
</span></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TgHblFtXqqI/T3huGn2M49I/AAAAAAAABHc/T94NVAOBi9M/s1600/Yellowstone+NP+40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TgHblFtXqqI/T3huGn2M49I/AAAAAAAABHc/T94NVAOBi9M/s320/Yellowstone+NP+40.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Craugastor bransfordii</i>, Costa Rica - identified<br />
by Jay Savage through e-mail.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">Either one of us could likely help, as could Mahmood Sasa, Quetzal Dwyer, Jay Savage, and others.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uJw9sbWI0wM/T3huBuE5crI/AAAAAAAABHU/0j-nyEGJU1Y/s1600/Costa+Rica+120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uJw9sbWI0wM/T3huBuE5crI/AAAAAAAABHU/0j-nyEGJU1Y/s400/Costa+Rica+120.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Diasporus diastema </i>complex, Costa Rica - identified<br />
by Jay Savage through e-mail.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;">Do you think the increase of interest in the herp-keeping hobby has helped or hindered reptile & amphibian conservation?</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">I wish I could put a pretty face on conservation, and I certainly believe in it, but the sheer mass of humanity and the damage they do is so overwhelming I have to admit that I mostly feel it to be something of a fait accompli that all this stuff is going away. Certainly, during my 37 years spent in the Orinoco and Amazon Basins as well as Central America and Mexico, the steady disappearance of species has, if anything, accelerated.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Are you currently carrying out any herp research at UT Tyler you could let us all in on?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">Right now all I am involved with are descriptions of a new lizard and a new snake. I am also working on an amphibian conservation program in Chile. It involves captive reproduction as well as field studies.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Anything else you’d like to share?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">As I look back on my life I am deeply grateful for all the wonderful times spent in primitive situations far from human settlements. I feel as though I have come as close to living my life as though I had been born 100 years prior, that I am satisfied with this. For me, the natural world is everything, so I cherish the opportunities I have had to enjoy it.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-avfuKeUD424/T3X317WXrPI/AAAAAAAABGs/ENytnMSDmLk/s1600/CCarille+Croc+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-avfuKeUD424/T3X317WXrPI/AAAAAAAABGs/ENytnMSDmLk/s400/CCarille+Croc+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Spectacled Caiman (<i>Caiman crocodilus</i>) Rio Sierpe, Costa Rica</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px;">Sites dedicated to protecting endangered species, including Chilean amphibians: </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px;">SaveDarwin'sFrogs: <a href="http://www.savedarwinsfrogs.org/about.htm">http://www.savedarwinsfrogs.org/about.htm</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px;">EDGE: <a href="http://www.edgeofexistence.org/about/default.php">http://www.edgeofexistence.org/about/default.php</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Smithsonian National Zoo: <a href="https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1483/t/3613/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=4547">https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1483/t/3613/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=4547</a></span></div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287834077200908143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5870856996003202329.post-72307327152444799802012-03-27T10:04:00.000-04:002012-03-27T10:04:52.243-04:00Some Mussurana LoveI recently picked up the Lamborghini of the colubrids - Mussuranas (<i>Boiruna maculata</i>). I got a pair of these wonderful little snakes from John Michels, at Black Pearl Reptiles - if you've never dealt with him, I have nothing but nice things to say. Quality snakes and a very knowledgeable, flexible guy to work with! You can check his site out here: <a href="http://web.mac.com/michelsj/Black_Pearl_Reptiles/Home.html">http://web.mac.com/michelsj/Black_Pearl_Reptiles/Home.html</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OKbp-owISC8/T3DM3EgA5QI/AAAAAAAABDw/KqHjlRP7xJc/s1600/CCarille+Pet+19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OKbp-owISC8/T3DM3EgA5QI/AAAAAAAABDw/KqHjlRP7xJc/s400/CCarille+Pet+19.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
So these colubrids are CBB (captive bred and born) by John, originating from a line started by David Fabius in Uruguay. Native to Central and South America, not many have been imported into the US and even fewer have been captive bred and born.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q7_6ynHeEmI/T3DNelpVE8I/AAAAAAAABD4/7B90CcozND0/s1600/CCarille+Pet+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q7_6ynHeEmI/T3DNelpVE8I/AAAAAAAABD4/7B90CcozND0/s1600/CCarille+Pet+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1C8mIerW6NA/T3DNgC3ScCI/AAAAAAAABEI/3x3zOd6MzWk/s1600/CCarille+Pet+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1C8mIerW6NA/T3DNgC3ScCI/AAAAAAAABEI/3x3zOd6MzWk/s400/CCarille+Pet+9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q7_6ynHeEmI/T3DNelpVE8I/AAAAAAAABD4/7B90CcozND0/s1600/CCarille+Pet+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q7_6ynHeEmI/T3DNelpVE8I/AAAAAAAABD4/7B90CcozND0/s320/CCarille+Pet+10.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ny7eTbmLxIM/T3DNfF6VJoI/AAAAAAAABEA/Cy1N99VxThU/s1600/CCarille+Pet+25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-neA3bNHD4wc/T3DPvZ6RO6I/AAAAAAAABEw/ZDInQrUWKts/s1600/CCarille+Pet+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="119" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-neA3bNHD4wc/T3DPvZ6RO6I/AAAAAAAABEw/ZDInQrUWKts/s320/CCarille+Pet+12.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Pied Female with the fading red nuchal band</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
These colubrids are fast and powerful! They max out around 7 ft in length and are explosive feeders - they strike very hard! Similar to indigos, they are shiny, jet-black, and shine with iridescence comparable to an oil-slick. They are quite the attractive, intelligent, and personable colubrid!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yOcMgcrjBEg/T3DN-kRYrpI/AAAAAAAABEQ/IdCHoxLcjfw/s1600/CCarille+Pet+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yOcMgcrjBEg/T3DN-kRYrpI/AAAAAAAABEQ/IdCHoxLcjfw/s320/CCarille+Pet+11.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rnRszod7ew0/T3DN_jsPTBI/AAAAAAAABEY/beZibKELzOc/s1600/CCarille+Pet+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rnRszod7ew0/T3DN_jsPTBI/AAAAAAAABEY/beZibKELzOc/s400/CCarille+Pet+13.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Aoc_lQhZsAc/T3DOAdFSZwI/AAAAAAAABEg/Q42McKl9ugQ/s1600/CCarille+Pet+18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Aoc_lQhZsAc/T3DOAdFSZwI/AAAAAAAABEg/Q42McKl9ugQ/s320/CCarille+Pet+18.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ventral scales of a pied mussurana. You can see the white patches, <br />
along with the typical red belly that will fade to black through an ontogenetic color change.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Md1Z1nAv1Ro/T3DOA-j02wI/AAAAAAAABEo/b8pbe-iPw9Q/s1600/CCarille+Pet+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Md1Z1nAv1Ro/T3DOA-j02wI/AAAAAAAABEo/b8pbe-iPw9Q/s640/CCarille+Pet+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
They basically come in three flavors: Normal, Pied, and SuperPied. All three start out with a red nuchal band and red ventral scales. The red fades within their first year of life, becoming the deep jet-black coloration, carried into adulthood. Normals are shiny and very deep black. Pieds are also very deep black with patches of stark white scales - this is a codominant mutation. The SuperPieds are almost the polar opposites of the pieds - almost all white with a few random black patches. This is the homozygous form of the pied gene.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287834077200908143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5870856996003202329.post-49173900603388981222012-03-26T19:26:00.001-04:002012-03-26T19:26:54.872-04:00Candoia: Natural History & Husbandry<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 48pt;">The Pacific Boas<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 28pt;">Natural History and Husbandry of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Candoia<o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BgVKJbcDa6A/T3DmG61f4KI/AAAAAAAABE4/vIqdA_6vLoo/s1600/CCarille+Pet+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BgVKJbcDa6A/T3DmG61f4KI/AAAAAAAABE4/vIqdA_6vLoo/s400/CCarille+Pet+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red <i>Candoia bibroni australis</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">There are no other boas within thousands of miles. They most likely had to raft across the Pacific to get to where they now reside. Triangular shaped viper heads, up-turned snouts, no heat sensitive pits, and thick-keeled scales with flattened bodies separate them in structure. Some are semi-fossorial and some have prehensile tails. Adult sizes range from a diminutive pencil-thin 16 inches to over 7 feet with girth. They survive in the typical rainforest that most other boas do: dense undergrowth, high humidity, and lots of rain and prey. However these boas thrive equally well in dry grasslands, woodlands, plantations, and around human dwellings. The <i>Candoia</i> genus is like no other genus in the <i>Boidae</i> family. They are unique in their locality and appearance, but are overlooked in the herpetological hobby world.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xV2AOxOfBYY/T3Dn_glOulI/AAAAAAAABFA/DxWsAKdh0Rs/s1600/CCarille+Pet+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xV2AOxOfBYY/T3Dn_glOulI/AAAAAAAABFA/DxWsAKdh0Rs/s320/CCarille+Pet+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pinkish/tan <i>Candoia bibroni australis</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Candoia</i> are one of five <i>Boidae</i> genera that include the <i>Eunectes</i>, <i>Epicrates</i>, and <i>Corallus </i>of the Americas and the <i>Boa</i> that range from the Americas to Madagascar. <i>Candoia</i> do not possess the size of <i>Eunectes</i>, the iridescence of <i>Epicrates</i>, the bright Technicolor coloration of some <i>Corallus</i>, nor the popularity of the <i>Boa </i>genus though. Jerry Conway, one of the first hobbyist to give <i>Candoia</i> a real chance and the first innovator of their care, said it best; “[<i>Candoia</i>] are naturally beautiful…there are no ‘morphs’…no man made nonsense involved with <i>Candoia</i> at all…they are underdogs of the snake world…true, primitive wonders of the wild.” These boas are the hidden gems that have been sitting out in the open. They are easy to care for, the easiest to sex properly, naturally calmer than their relatives, naturally variable, and beautifully unique in the <i>Boidae</i> family.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Species and Subspecies</span><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Candoia aspera</span></i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">Viper boas, aka New Guinea ground boas, are the most well known species of <i>Candoia</i> in the herpetological world and are commonly found throughout their range. They are found on their namesake island, New Guinea, on Irian Jaya, and on hundreds of islands off the shore of Indonesia. Viper boas are short and stocky, resembling death adders, and display a lot of variation in their coloring. They run the gambit of colors and patterns including black, brown, orange, yellow, and gold, and can be blotched or banded. The most impressive individuals are fire engine red with red ventral scales. These snakes have the thickest keeled scales of all <i>Candoia</i>, are between 22 and 36 inches long as adults, and spend a lot of their time in their water bowls. They are also completely terrestrial and even semi-fossorial. Two subspecies are recognized: <i>C. a. aspera </i>(Bismarck Ground boa) and <i>C. a. schmidti </i>(New Guinea Ground boa).<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Candoia bibroni </span><o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">Two subspecies are recognized:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">C. b. australis</span></i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">Solomon Islands tree boas are probably the second most well known species of <i>Candoia</i>, although not nearly as well known as <i>C. aspera</i>. Solomon Islands tree boas can be found throughout the islands and will usually be found in coastal mangrove or cultivated areas. They can be quite variable in color and pattern, colored in reds, pinks, oranges, yellows, browns, grays and black. They may have blotched or splotchy patterning, uniform color, or have an almost zig-zag dorsal stripe. Along with their great display of colors and patterns, <i>C. b. australis</i> also have the ability to lighten and darken in color and patterning throughout the day. I’ve seen individuals change from a dark brownish-red with heavy patterning to a light pinkish-tan with faint patterning, over the course of a few hours. This species’ habits are almost completely opposite of the Viper boas’ habits. They are arboreal 90% of the time, sometimes even perched in the classic fashion of a Green Tree python. Their thin bodies lend themselves nicely to an arboreal lifestyle, where they can stretch across and move between branches with ease. Rarely you’ll spot individuals hanging out and coiled up on the ground. Males of this species range from 3 to 4 feet in length, while females rarely exceed 6 feet.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7IsELZ57u5o/T3DqY3pCD-I/AAAAAAAABGM/KO5TUs1-828/s1600/CCarille+Pet+94.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7IsELZ57u5o/T3DqY3pCD-I/AAAAAAAABGM/KO5TUs1-828/s320/CCarille+Pet+94.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keeled <i>C. b. australis</i> scales.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">C. b. bibroni</span></i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">Fiji Island boas are known from Fiji, Somoa, Tonga and other small Solomon Islands. These boas are mostly terrestrial, climbing little. Fiji boas are dark reddish-brown, usually with faint blotching or banding. Ventral scales on these boas are normally cream or brownish, but some rare specimens have red or orange ventrals. The largest boas of the <i>Candoia </i>genus, males grow to 3 or 4 feet with adult females exceeding 7 feet. Overall, little is known about Fiji boas due to their protected status throughout their range.<br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Candoia carinata</span><o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">New Guinea, Pacific, or Waigeo Island tree boas are by far the smallest and most variable in pattern of the <i>Candoia</i> genus. <i>C. carinata </i>are found on low shrubbery around human dwellings and plantations. New Guinea tree boas can be found climbing or curled up on the ground, and may even be found burrowing. Individuals are usually blotched, with flowery patterning, but they can be completely striped, banded, or solid in color. Their background colors can be gray, tan, yellow, cream, or reddish-brown, with most being a mottled gray and white similar to <i>Hyla marmorata</i>, the Marbled tree frog. The mottled individuals are the best adapted for camouflage, blending in extremely well with tree bark. All individuals have the distinctive characteristic of a yellow-cream dorsal stripe just anterior to, and a white ventral spot posterior to, the cloaca. Adult size spans from 16 to 24 inches, becoming not much thicker than a Sharpie highlighter marker. The Waigeo Island locality is almost always brown and tan with a dark stripe running dorsally from the head all the way to the tail tip. Some specimens have a broken dorsal stripe. Waigeo Island <i>Candoia </i>may be a <i>C. carinata </i>subspecies, but to date has not been distinguished as one. Two subspecies are recognized though: <i>C. c. carinata</i> (Western New Guinea tree boa) and <i>C. c. tepedeleni </i>(Tepedelen’s tree boa).<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AUcGnLn7jdE/T3DqVx2MbKI/AAAAAAAABF4/A31dgAqocxw/s1600/CCarille+Pet+104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AUcGnLn7jdE/T3DqVx2MbKI/AAAAAAAABF4/A31dgAqocxw/s400/CCarille+Pet+104.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keeled <i>C. carinata</i> scales.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Candoia paulsoni</span></i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">Pacific or Solomon Islands ground boas prefer dry grasslands and wooded areas, but can be found in on the ground and climbing through pineapple and coffee plantations. Background colors in this species run the gambit from red, gold, orange, tan, and bluish-brown. There have even been some leucistic <i>C. paulsoni</i> found. Patterning consists of a dark dorsal zig-zag pattern from head to tail. Isabel Island (the prettiest <i>Candoia</i>) boas, a possible subspecies, are locality variations that usually have white base coloring with a dark dorsal striping. Similar to <i>C. australis</i>, <i>C. paulsoni</i> have the ability to darken and lighten their base color throughout the day. Adults of this species average 3 feet for males and 5 feet for females. Six subspecies are recognized: <i>C. p. paulsoni</i> (Solomon Ground boa), <i>C. p. vindumi</i> (Vindum’s Ground boa), <i>C. p. tasmai </i>(Tasma’s Ground boa), <i>C. p. mcdowelli </i>(McDowell’s Ground boa), <i>C. p. sadlieri</i> (Sadlier’s Ground boa), and <i>C. p. rosadoi</i> (Rosado’s Ground boa).<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jIhSdH3-JfM/T3Do-QVuwgI/AAAAAAAABFg/BDN6ct9oCeg/s1600/CCarille+Pet+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jIhSdH3-JfM/T3Do-QVuwgI/AAAAAAAABFg/BDN6ct9oCeg/s400/CCarille+Pet+6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Candoia paulsoni</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DoiY4MxRBSc/T3DpUPZRjeI/AAAAAAAABFo/ijoVmoJk3iU/s1600/CCarille+Pet+16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DoiY4MxRBSc/T3DpUPZRjeI/AAAAAAAABFo/ijoVmoJk3iU/s320/CCarille+Pet+16.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>C. paulsoni </i>light (the same <i>C. paulsoni</i> as left).</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6pqbMuAsPZY/T3DpXM9PueI/AAAAAAAABFw/6pf3piTur64/s1600/CCarille+Pet+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6pqbMuAsPZY/T3DpXM9PueI/AAAAAAAABFw/6pf3piTur64/s320/CCarille+Pet+5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>C. paulsoni </i>dark (the same <i>C. paulsoni</i> as right).</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Candoia superciliosa</span></i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Palau Bevel-nosed boas are the least known species of <i>Candoia</i>. Until recently (within the last ten years) these boas were considered a subspecies of <i>Candoia carinata</i>, therefore much of the information on them refers to the New Guinea tree boa natural history. They are found on the islands of Palau and Nqeaur (Anguar island). Adapting well to disturbance, these boas live in deforested areas, as well as banana and taro plantations. As with <i>C. carinata</i>, they are thin, arboreal snakes with prehensile tails that can be found in low shrubbery and on the ground. Coloration in the Palau Bevel-nosed boa varies from yellow, black, and red, with patterning of dull or brightly contrasting stripes, spots, mottling, or zig-zags. These boas have the distinctive white spot situated behind the cloaca, characteristic of the New Guinea tree boa, and enlarged scales above the eye sockets. Two <a href="http://www.arkive.org/palau-bevelnosed-boa/candoia-superciliosa/#GlossaryTerm"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">subspecies</span></span></a> are currently recognized: <i>C. s. superciliosa</i> (Northern Belau Bevel-nosed boa) and <i>C. s. crombiei</i> (Ngeaur Bevel-nosed boa).<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Candoia </span></i></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">in the Herp Industry</span><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">It is a near impossibility to find captive bred-and-born individuals in the herp industry, and this does not bode well for conservation. I admit I’m not a tree-hugging conservation nut – I’ve worked for tree companies, clearing acres of land; keep dozens of snakes; and create a huge carbon imprint with all the traveling I do. I am however against the importation and exportation of hundreds of species. The animals have to suffer through the process and many die or import mites with them, infecting otherwise healthy individuals in collections. I believe that small numbers should be imported, bred, and distributed. Whatever can be done to limit deaths, decrease mites, and increase the numbers of healthy, “tame” snakes in the trade is the best option. Snakes make great pets but without conservation we cannot keep wild population numbers healthy. I would hate to see a species disappear from the wild because I wanted to put it in a tank just to look at it. With that said, almost all available <i>Candoia </i>are wild-caught and are usually dehydrated and may come with mites or other parasites.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">With the exception of <i>C. aspera</i>,<i> Candoia</i> are naturally calm, but you want to look for an individual that looks healthy and is active when held. It is also always better to buy from a vendor that has some knowledge of the species rather than a person who can only tell you what country it was exported out of. As with all new snakes, they should be quarantined, rehydrated, and left alone until they acclimate. Once home, I’ll soak the snake in a water bath to rehydrate. This means putting the snake in a Rubbermaid container for a few hours with a few inches of clean water and a branch to use to climb out of the water to prevent drowning. After rehydrating, I’ll put new individuals in a separate room for 2 to 4 months, checking for mites and other illnesses before I merge them into the rest of the collection.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Disposition</span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9x9VjF-5UwQ/T3Drb2eEebI/AAAAAAAABGc/4H7v-MiFYnU/s1600/CCarille+Pet+103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9x9VjF-5UwQ/T3Drb2eEebI/AAAAAAAABGc/4H7v-MiFYnU/s320/CCarille+Pet+103.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>C. carinata</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Almost all <i>Candoia </i>are hesitant to bite, and if they do it is only to test what you are. <i>C. b. australis </i>rarely ever bite unless you’re restraining them. <i>C. carinata</i> will bite for the same reason, but are so small they can barely bite around a pinky finger. <i>C. b. bibroni </i>and <i>C. paulsoni </i>bite when unsettled, but most will sit still for a cage cleaning as long as they don’t have to be moved too much. Contrary to all the other <i>Candoia</i> species, <i>C. aspera</i> can be downright mean sometimes. They are by far the most bitey of all the <i>Candoia</i> and can be pretty cage defensive. As with all snakes though, captive bred will always be more docile and wild caught can be worked with and handled often to calm them down.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Morphs</span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">Until the end of 2011, there were no known morphs within the <i>Candoia</i> genus other than a one-of-a-kind leucistic <i>C. paulsoni</i> Jerry Conway had been working with. Recently, there have been several albino projects popping up. Albinos Unlimited Inc. announced their importation of a wild-caught, albino <i>C. aspera</i>. If all goes well, there should be het albinos entering the hobby within the next couple of years if the trait proves to be recessive. There is also another private hobbyist that is currently working with possible het albino Isabel Island ground boas (<i>C. paulsoni</i>) and hypomelanistic <i>Candoia</i> sp. Another private hobbyist is working on producing calico <i>C. aspera</i>, from a dark male with random orange and white splotches.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Lastly, although I haven’t heard of any proven lines of hypos, there are some hypo <i>C. carinata</i>, <i>C. aspera</i>, and <i>C. b. australis</i> floating around in private collections.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Husbandry</span></span><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Housing & Humidity</span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Adults can be kept in simple 20 to 50-gallon aquariums, dependent on size. <i>C. paulsoni</i> and <i>C. bibroni</i> will utilize larger enclosures, while the more diminutive species will be comfortable in smaller tanks. The tanks should have secure tops since <i>Candoia </i>are quite inquisitive and will surely test their enclosures for escape routes. Large water bowls are also a must to allow the snakes to soak. <i>C. aspera</i> can often be found soaking in their bowls throughout the day.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mHRTvMD9v5g/Tz1I8Ov6OsI/AAAAAAAAA0U/JLhu-2IYXD8/s1600/New+Pet+Pics+263.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mHRTvMD9v5g/Tz1I8Ov6OsI/AAAAAAAAA0U/JLhu-2IYXD8/s400/New+Pet+Pics+263.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>C. b. australis</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Humidity should be kept between 50 and 80% with daytime temperatures around 85<sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">o</span></sup>F. A temperature gradient should be created using a heat lamp or outside-of-the-tank heating mat, with the hot spot at 90<sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">o</span></sup>F. Nighttime temperatures should not drop below the mid-70s. The cage should also be misted 2 or 3 times a week to allow the snakes to drink water off of the sides and help with shedding. A healthy <i>Candoia</i> will shed about once every two months. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Within the tank there should be plenty of branches to climb on and a couple of hides at different heights. Arboreal species, such as <i>C. b. australis </i>and <i>C. carinata</i>, are better housed in taller terrariums where they can climb upwards. The more terrestrial species, such as <i>C. paulsoni </i>and <i>C. aspera</i>, can be housed is shorter terrariums where a thick layer of substrate is provided to burrow into. Many people prefer Aspen tree shavings, but I particularly like Zoo Med Repti Bark (fir tree pieces) for their control of “snake smell” and their ability to hold moisture. <i>Candoia</i> are all ambush predators and will use the branches to wait in a coiled “S,” burrow and wait for prey to come by, or sit by the entrance of their hide and strike when prey is in range.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Feeding Your Adult Candoia</span><br />
<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">Adults should be fed once every three weeks. They have a fairly slow metabolism and can go off feed for months without losing large amounts of weight. Most will eat more often – my adults will eat two adult mice every 15 to 20 days, but you need to watch that they do not become overweight. Also, if it is a new acquisition, wait at least one week before offering food. This time allows the snake to acclimate, without which it can become stressed and go off feed permanently.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">Since <i>Candoia</i> are nocturnal, hunting mostly at night, appropriate sized prey should be offered after dark. Food items should only be slightly larger than the width of the snake. If the food item is a lot larger, regurgitation problems may occur. Another way to ensure that proper digestion takes place is to make slits in the skin of the food item to aid with speeding up digestion.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pa_qS09UO_E/TvjiATPSbII/AAAAAAAAAGk/2V1z4huiPnc/s1600/Carille+25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pa_qS09UO_E/TvjiATPSbII/AAAAAAAAAGk/2V1z4huiPnc/s640/Carille+25.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>C. carinata</i> in strike position.</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">Most adult <i>Candoia</i> will readily accept rodents, but there are exceptions. <i>C. b. australis </i>and <i>C. b. bibroni</i> will eat rodents, but many favor birds (chicks and quail are favorites). <i>C. carinata </i>and <i>C. paulsoni</i> may be picky and only eat anoles or tree frogs (<i>Hemidactylus frenatus </i>and <i>Hyla cinera</i> are the easiest to obtain). I’d imagine <i>C. superciliosa </i>follows suit since they are so similar to<i> C. carinata</i>. Viper boas, <i>C. aspera</i>, are the easiest to feed, with most individuals readily accepting frozen/thawed rodents. This is understandable though, as Viper boas are the most terrestrial of all the <i>Candoia</i> species and consume more rodents in the wild than their counterparts.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Breeding</span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">Start cooling your <i>Candoia</i> in early November, gradually dropping the temperature 2 to 3<sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">o</span></sup>F a week until it reaches 68<sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">o</span></sup>F at night, keeping the daytime temperature around 83<sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">o</span></sup>F. This should last for two months before increasing the temperatures back to normal. Once the cooling period is done, introduce the males into the females’ enclosures. Males should be at least 3 years old, while females should be at least 4 years old. I’m in no rush when it comes to breeding because it is not worth possibly stressing a snake that is too young.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">MULTIPLE MALES, MULTIPLE MALES, MULTIPLE MALES!!! When breeding <i>Candoia</i> you need to use three to four males per female. I’m not saying that one or two males won’t work, but the odds of successful mating greatly increase when three or more males are used. Of course, you need to carefully watch since “wrestling,” a series of twisting and constricting motions, may occur between the males and you don’t want any of them being injured. After a little competition has occurred, you can select the winner. If you may see that a male has paired off with a female, pull the other males out. Copulation may take place for a couple weeks, upon which the female will become noticeably swollen. At this point I leave the male with the female for another week before taking him out to ensure that the female is gravid. Most of my <i>Candoia</i> will breed throughout January.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">Gestation lasts up to 9 months in Candoia, during which the female may go off feed for weeks or even a couple of months. If your female remains feeding, smaller prey items than normal should be offered to prevent regurgitation. During this period, many females avoid the heat source while gravid, so care should be taken to ensure a heat gradient throughout the enclosure. Since gestation lasts so long and females may go off feed during much of the pregnancy, they should only be bred once every 2 years. Giving them a year off allows them to recoup the lost body weight and get back to breeding size without being stressed.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Neonate Care</span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><i>Candoia</i>, like all boas, are viviparous. They give birth to anywhere from 2 to over 70 live little worms. For the most part, neonate care is identical across the <i>Candoia</i> genus; it is just a matter as to how many babies you need to care for. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">With smaller litters, <i>C. carinata</i> produce 2 to 6 offspring. Producing intermediate size litters, <i>C. bibroni and C. aspera </i>will give you 3 to 35 offspring. The largest litters of <i>Candoia</i> come from <i>C. paulsoni</i>, with 20 to upwards of 80 young, and <i>C. superciliosa</i>, with 12 to 50 young. There are outliers to these averages, as litter size is extremely dependent on the size, age, and health of the individuals.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n2Z_nNYQW-I/TvjfAAkUz7I/AAAAAAAAAGY/XYOcLeWOV1Q/s1600/Carille+41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n2Z_nNYQW-I/TvjfAAkUz7I/AAAAAAAAAGY/XYOcLeWOV1Q/s320/Carille+41.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>C. b. australis</i>.</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">Once the <i>Candoia </i>neonates are born, you can sex them immediately by looking for spurs. Males have spurs and females don’t - they cannot get any easier to distinguish. You’ll want to house them individually in small enclosures as cannibalism has been reported among baby <i>Candoia</i>. The size will be dependent on the species, but generally a 5–gallon aquarium is enough space. You just need to make sure the holes aren’t big enough for the neonates to escape. Housing neonates on paper towels makes it easy to clean and ensures that no wood chips or debris will be accidentally eaten. Temperatures should be a few degrees cooler during the day than what is provided for adults, maxing out around 86<sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">o</span></sup>F. As always, a temperature gradient should be provided as much as possible in a small enclosure so the snakes can thermoregulate. Humidity should be kept between 50% and 70%, with cage misting 2 to 3 times a week and a water bowl deep enough to soak in. A small hide and some climbing branches complete the enclosures, providing the neonates with a place of security and a location to wait for prey.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">The neonates will shed their skin immediately after birth, but you should not feed them for at least two weeks. At this time, small pinky mice can be offered. Most neonates, especially <i>C. b. australis </i>and <i>C. carinata</i>, will refuse this first offering of pinky mice. Some neonates may be too small to comfortably eat a pinky mouse. <i>C. carinata </i>are born about as long as a pinky finger and as thin as a piece of string. Since <i>Candoia</i> feed on lizards in the wild, gecko tails can be used to start them feeding. You could also start them feeding using mice tails and assist feeding methods, but I would strongly suggest this method only for an experienced keeper. After feeding on gecko tails for two cycles (every two weeks), no food should be offered for three weeks and a lizard-scented pinky mouse should then be offered. This usually does the trick in starting the neonates on mice. In some cases, the neonates will still refuse and will have to continue to be fed with geckos. Other feeding success has been reported with earthworms, minnows, and even tuna fish.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">Inhabiting hundreds of islands in the South Pacific, new species may be waiting to be discovered, the same way <i>Candoia</i> are waiting to be discovered in the herp-keeping hobby. Now is the time to start keeping the more interesting species. Instead of following the crowd of people that are surrounding ball python morphs, become a more well-versed keeper. Add a <i>Candoia</i> to your collection. Help stop the importation of animals by adding captive bred individuals to the hobby. Who knows, you may even find a new morph… hey it made ball pythons popular!<b><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OPMoBYe_8Dc/T3DqWrGgLaI/AAAAAAAABGA/Gag18_uJ_9I/s1600/CCarille+Pet+117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OPMoBYe_8Dc/T3DqWrGgLaI/AAAAAAAABGA/Gag18_uJ_9I/s640/CCarille+Pet+117.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keeled scales of a <i>C. paulsoni</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">References:</span></span></b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.2in;">Conway, J. (June 27, 2009). <i>The Candoia Page: Boas of the South Pacific</i>. Retrieved September 2011 from: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.kingsnake.com/candoia/">http://www.kingsnake.com/candoia/</a></span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.2in;">Mattison, C. (2007). <i>The New Encyclopedia of Snakes</i>. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.2in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.2in;">O’Shea, Marc. (2007). <i>Boas and Pythons of the World</i>. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.<o:p></o:p></div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287834077200908143noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5870856996003202329.post-71214841720466760212012-03-23T22:06:00.001-04:002012-03-26T13:59:36.656-04:00Dr. Marc Hayes, Integral Bd Research, & Herp Photography<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px;">Ever wonder how herpetologists got started in their professions or the current research their performing? Read on to get some insight into the life of Dr. Marc Hayes, the Oregon spotted frog, and how photography can play a part in furthering herp research.</span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Afq55B51Mpc/TxcbEzfN4QI/AAAAAAAAAU8/bdDGSkJWymc/s1600/C.+Carille+Amphibian+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Afq55B51Mpc/TxcbEzfN4QI/AAAAAAAAAU8/bdDGSkJWymc/s640/C.+Carille+Amphibian+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jade Tree Frog (<i>Rhacophorus dulitensis</i>) - Sabah, Borneo</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">How did you first become interested in reptiles/amphibians?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;">Dr. Marc Hayes:</span><span style="color: #da251a; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Walking ephemeral streams checking for breeding </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Anopheles</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"> mosquitoes on algal mats as an entomologist for the Goleta Valley and Carpinteria Mosquito Abatement Districts in Santa Barbara County, California.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Were your parents or friends influential in your decision to go into herpetology as a profession?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">No, but they always encouraged me to follow my interests in the biological arena. I began actually in Marine Biology and got a Bachelors degree in Marine Biology with [an] Entomology Minor, which led to my first job with the Mosquito Abatement District. My reason for trying Marine Biology was the influence of my mother's mother, who is French, I am first generation American; my mother was a war bride. In any case, my grandmother has a rather strong personality and she wrote Jacques Cousteau several times indicating I wanted to be a Marine Biologist; of course, that was her idea, not mine. In any case, I tried Marine Biology for awhile, and liked it, but it was just not my passion as much as it was my grandmother's. I was fairly interested in Entomology for awhile, but the herps really caught me.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">What led your interests towards amphibian conservation specifically?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Seeing the loss of habitat for amphibians in California in the 1970s and rapid development eliminating or degrading habitat.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">However, among herps, I was originally interested in snake conservation, but it was difficult to cuItivate an interest in snake conservation in the 1970s, and I saw the early handwriting on the wall with amphibian problems and began working on ranid frogs that I knew would become at risk species; that panned out faster than I ever imagined.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Where is your favorite herping spot in the world?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">The Great Basin of Oregon</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Is there any herp that still gives you chills and sends your excitement levels through the roof when you spot it?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">California Kingsnake</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">We all have animals we would love to find in nature, what herp is at the top of your list to find in the wild?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Bushmaster</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-meooTfyxCOg/T20qMDIWB-I/AAAAAAAAA-0/wOZ6RSccors/s1600/CCarille+Snake+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-meooTfyxCOg/T20qMDIWB-I/AAAAAAAAA-0/wOZ6RSccors/s400/CCarille+Snake+7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bushmaster (<i>Lachesis stenophyrs</i>) - Costa Rica</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Is there any country/area that is at the top of your list to visit still? Why?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Borneo-Sarawak - because there is still much unexplored area there herpwise</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M_4BXj8a-UA/T20p7ZTk-hI/AAAAAAAAA-c/xK5iaB5oLBc/s1600/CCarille+Amphibian+20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M_4BXj8a-UA/T20p7ZTk-hI/AAAAAAAAA-c/xK5iaB5oLBc/s320/CCarille+Amphibian+20.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brown Bullfrog (<i>Kaloula baleata</i>) - Sabah, Borneo</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Aside from specimens for study, do you keep any herps as personal pets? If so, what species and any favorites?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Not any more, I prefer to see them in the wild. Historically, I kept as many as 25 different snakes, but it takes a lot of care if you are going to do it right, which I have always viewed as a must. Now, I take great pleasure in doing macrophotography of herps.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Could you share any crazy herping stories?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Got bit by a green palm viper in Costa Rica back in 1983. I was measuring a juvenile that I hand pinned on the table. Its head slipped out from under the pin because I was trying to hold it down too delicately. I did not pull my hand away fast enough and it struck me on the tip of the index finger. When I pulled away, I pulled the fang out of its mouth and ended staring at the fang for a few seconds. The tip of the fang [had] hit a blood vessel and I could see the blood move up through the venom canal in the translucent fang (it was a very small snake – roughly 200 mm snout-to-vent). Anyway, that made be realize it was a dry bite, but I nevertheless sucked on it for awhile and watched it carefully over the next few hours; fortunately, nothing happened.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Your known for your work with Washington State’s declining amphibian populations, what has been your greatest achievement (to date) towards amphibian conservation?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Finishing a 150+ page literature review on tailed frogs (genus </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Ascaphus</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">), which is in the review process as we speak.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">If you weren’t a herpetologist, what would you be doing professionally?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">I would be a hydrologist because stream systems fascinate me.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">What is the number one conservation threat to Washinton’s endangered amphibians – over-collection, pollution, global warming, Bd, invasives? Why?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Habitat loss and degradation related to human activities of diverse kinds, because humans are a historically and still growing impact that will not be reversed until the human population size shows a reversing trend.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">In a 2010 study you carried out on the Oregon Spotted Frog (</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Rana pretiosa</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">), you found that your exposed specimens recovered from the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"> (Bd) fungus. Do you believe the species may hold a key to preventing Bd in other amphibian populations?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Not clear, some species are resistant, others are not, that situation is largely genetically based. Oregon spotted frog resistance appears to be related to have some unique skin peptides, one of which is not shared with any other frog species (at least known to date). How that might contribute to making other species resistant is unclear with modification of the genome of the susceptible frogs to include the coding for the resistant peptide. Technology has the potential to do this, but there are complications to actually effecting it in frogs.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">What would a cure to Bd mean in the herpetological world?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Wonderful for the susceptible species. A lot of the spread of Bd, however, is via the pet trade and Bd prophys [prophylactics] are available, so this is a great way to cut down on spread if you can get pet trade folks interested enough to do it. It would also cut down on captive animal losses considerably saving dealers considerable $$.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">What’s the best avenue people can help your conservation efforts (donation links, volunteering, becoming part of the Pacific Rivers Council, etc)?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">I do not think there is any absolute best way, and folks can contribute in ways that their means allow them to. However, education is very high up there among better ways. People cannot be interested in what they do not know about; and there are a lot of folks out there that are ignorant of the biological riches of this earth.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">I have a few friends currently doing amphibian and Bd research abroad in Australia and Guyana for PhDs, any advice for them? Or students looking to get into the herpetological research profession?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Choose a project you can be passionate about and that will never feel like a drudge, co-operate with folks willing to share equally, and do as much as you can without burning yourself out (you only live so long).</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Do you think the increase of interest in recent years in the herp-keeping hobby has helped or hindered reptile & amphibian conservation?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">I think it has helped enormously. Many, if not most herp hobbyists have a really [strong] interest in taking the best care of their charges, which has greatly improved the quality of care for many hard to keep species. Further, quality captive breeding reduces the need to collect in the wild. Academics and others can learn a lot from the pet hobbyists and vice versa, they just have to be tolerant of their respective directions</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">If I need a US amphibian species identified, whom do I turn to?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">There is a Professional Herpetologist blog linked to Facebook that trades ID info all over, it is global, not just US.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Anything else you’d like to share about you or your research?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">You must come up with these questions in your sleep. I recently got into wildlife camera work that either takes video footage or stills at almost any frequency of resolution one would want. We tried it first by putting cameras on the first Oregon spotted frog egg mass lay-site we have been monitoring for several years (here, you have to understand that the species lays communally). One day out, at a frame [capture rate of] every 30 seconds resolution we got gorgeous shots of two ovipositional sequences, and I got completely sucked into it. Herp folks using this will revolutionize natural history knowledge of diverse herp species</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ajHM_WeqMP8/T20p9VaV_tI/AAAAAAAAA-k/UKBhMYJsX8s/s1600/CCarille+Amphibian+30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ajHM_WeqMP8/T20p9VaV_tI/AAAAAAAAA-k/UKBhMYJsX8s/s640/CCarille+Amphibian+30.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaf Toad(<i>Bufo margaritifer</i>) - Peruvian Amazon</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JEKxIr_yhDg/T20p_6umA4I/AAAAAAAAA-s/6igB3Tecaew/s1600/CCarille+Amphibian+31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JEKxIr_yhDg/T20p_6umA4I/AAAAAAAAA-s/6igB3Tecaew/s640/CCarille+Amphibian+31.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Campbell's Rainforest Toad (<i>Bufo campbelli</i>) - Belize</td></tr>
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</span></span>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287834077200908143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5870856996003202329.post-79812472095751439912012-03-19T10:01:00.003-04:002012-03-19T10:03:12.510-04:00Dr. Romulus Whitaker, Crocodile Conservation & a love for India's Wildlife<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 48.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px;">A strong desire to herp at home in India, and a drive to protect the native wildlife, how'd Dr. Rom Whitaker, the leader in King Cobra and Gharial conservation, get his start? Read on to find out.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 48.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WR1Cm2lDCog/Txg8ZEyY0ZI/AAAAAAAAAZM/dbHiiPR6_jM/s1600/Carille+-+Borneo+30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WR1Cm2lDCog/Txg8ZEyY0ZI/AAAAAAAAAZM/dbHiiPR6_jM/s640/Carille+-+Borneo+30.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 48.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">How did you first become interested in reptiles/amphibians? </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 48.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;">Dr. Whitaker:</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;">Till I was seven I grew up in the country in New York State. At Hoosick, NY I found my first snake (a Dekay's snake) at around age 5 and I was hooked. [I] Kept a terrarium full of local snakes and moved to India (the land of snakes) when I was seven. Over the years my interest broadened to all herps.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;">Were your parents or friends influential in your decision to go into herpetology as a profession?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;">My mother in particular was very supportive of my 'unusual' interest and bought me books by Pope, Ditmars etc.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">What led your interests towards King Cobras and Crocodiles? </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;">These happened later in life. When I was in highschool in South India I saw the huge preserved head of a king cobra in a small museum collection and spent the next several years visiting the spot where it was killed but never found one. In 1972, after setting up India's first snake park I went to a place famous for kings, Agumbe, and in two days caught my first pair of adult kings. Crocs I got deeply into in 1973 when I was doing surveys throughout India and found out that crocs were so badly hammered they were going extinct.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Where is your favorite herping spot in the world?</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;">I guess my best place in Agumbe, Karnataka State, near the west coast of India, where we have one of our field research stations. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">What herp in the wild still gives you chills and sends your excitement levels through the roof? </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;">I guess the king cobra tops the list but I get great pleasure in seeing any of the wonderful herps we have here in the wild.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">What herp is at the top of your list to find in the wild?</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;">Well, having found a lot of species in a lot of places I guess it's just the mere idea of finding 'new' species, which I've never seen in the wild, which excites me.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Is there any country/area that is at the top of your list to visit still? Why?</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;">I would still like to explore the far Northeast of India a lot more for the pit vipers, frogs and other relatively unknown herps that occur there.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Aside from the conservation programs you’ve set-up, do you keep any herps as personal pets? If so, what species and any favorites?</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;">Nope, no herp pets. We live on an 11 acre farm with Russells vipers, cobras, kraits, saw-scaled vipers, rat snakes, trinket snakes, vine snakes and so on, so there are rarely 'dull' moments here.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Could you share any crazy herping stories (I almost stepped on a bushmaster once in Costa Rica!)?</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;">Well one of the dumbest things I did was lifting a bunch of stones on a rock slide in the Huachuca mtns in southern Arizona in pursuit of a small rattler which I could hear rattling. This insanity resulted in me getting a good solid bite from a green rock rattler (C.lepidus klauberi) which ended up blinding me for an hour (neurotoxins? blood pressure?) late in the night.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">What has been your greatest achievement (to date) towards Gharial conservation?</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;">Besides captive breeding the species I guess a good achievement is raising the awareness levels about how badly hit the gharial have been and how their survival is even today hit or miss because of the intense human pressures on their remaining river habitats.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Do you believe there is still hope for conservation of the Gharial and India’s other crocodiles?</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;">The mugger can live in any sort of pond, lake, reservoir, stream or river so it is probably ok in the long run. The salty has the unfortunate habit of taking people now and then and its mangrove habitat is dwindling so it is in trouble. The gharial remains the most endangered and is seriously threatened in the long term because of our inability to use rivers properly and sustainably.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">What is the number one conservation threat to India’s endangered species?</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;">Loss of habitat is probably the main threat.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome to set-up your stations?</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;">The Madras Crocodile Bank now has three field stations (Agumbe Rainforest Research Station, Chambal River Gharial Research Station and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Environmental Team. The first big obstacle in setting up these places was of course finding the funds and the right people for the job. They are all running well now with good people and we've learned a lot about finding funds to keep them going.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">What’s the best avenue people can help your conservation trusts and efforts?</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;">People can donate out right of course but perhaps more of them might be interested in coming over to India on a 'paying volunteer' program which allows people to stay on site and do work to help keep the research and general work going, bringing their own special inputs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Any advice for students looking to get into the herpetological field? Handling venomous snakes?</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;">I think the best way is to attach yourself to an existing herp program in any capacity just to get that experience and to work with people who are obviously doing it right and learning from them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Could you take [Indian herpetologist] Gerry Martin in a herp id’ing contest of India’s herps?</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;">I have never been one to have a 'life list' of herps or been especially great at i.d.ing herps. Right now Gerry is encouraging and working with some young Indian herpetologists and entomologists who are coming up with new species and its awesome.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Do you think the increase of interest in the herp-keeping hobby has helped or hindered reptile & amphibian conservation?</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;">I</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;"> can't say much about the herp keeping hobby, I know that it should be done responsibly and people should learn and know where their animals are coming from. If most of the herps on the market are from captive bred stocks fine, but taking them from the wild can be a fatal ripoff and that has hammered several species worldwide.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Is there anything you would like to share about your mentor, Bill Haast? (My condolences as well, we lost a few good people and amazing herpetologists this past year) </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;"> Bill Haast influenced me greatly. Working for him for two years was tough (we worked HARD) but it instilled a good work ethic in me and I think I have passed it on to the people who work with me today (and curse me for being their boss, no doubt).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 48.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Anything else you’d like to share? </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;">Just that it would be good to see more American herp people travelling around the world and getting to know and understand local problems for themselves. This will naturally instill a desire to make things better in the world for herps (and for the people affected by herps! like the close to a million people who are bitten by snakes each year in India for example!).</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;">Dr. Whitaker is one of India's leading herpetologists and conservationists. His efforts have helped to put numerous endangered wildlife on the conservation map. If you're interested in helping out, taking a volunteer vacation, or just learning more you can check out these great links:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span></span></div><div><a href="http://www.madrascrocodilebank.org/cms/index.php" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">http://www.<wbr></wbr>madrascrocodilebank.org/cms/<wbr></wbr>index.php</span></a></div><div><a href="http://www.anetindia.org/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">http://www.anetindia.org/</span></a></div><div><a href="http://www.agumberainforest.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">http://www.agumberainforest.<wbr></wbr>com/</span></a></div><div><a href="http://www.gharialconservation.org/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">http://www.<wbr></wbr>gharialconservation.org/</span></a></div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287834077200908143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5870856996003202329.post-76130318052753391702012-03-15T14:50:00.072-04:002012-03-15T16:09:37.639-04:00An Appreciation of Field Herping Finds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The last five years I've had opportunities to travel a lot and see explore many interesting places. I was also afforded time to look for (and find) many herps. Over those years I've traveled to Borneo, Costa Rica, Belize, Honduras, and the Peruvian Amazon among other places. I've tracked down some, such as the Jade Tree Frog and Hogg Island Boa, and stumbled across others; see: almost stepping on a Bushmaster! All in all, I've done a lot of preparation and had a lot of luck. I owe a lot to the advice of others I've e-mailed with and spoken to in person.</div><br />
Here are some of the great finds I've made, and been fortunate enough to photograph, on those travels:<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Two Common Costa Rican finds: A Green-and-Black Poison Arrow Frog (</span>Dendrobates auratus<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">) and a Gladiator Tree Frog (</span>Hypsiboas rosenbergi<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">).</span></i></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aoUoRkm11A0/T2Ixo43lcOI/AAAAAAAAA4c/LxafslBTAm4/s1600/CCarille+Amphibian+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aoUoRkm11A0/T2Ixo43lcOI/AAAAAAAAA4c/LxafslBTAm4/s320/CCarille+Amphibian+13.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XRdfprYoUN0/T2Ixm1E3s3I/AAAAAAAAA4U/hLmSdkFlZSQ/s1600/CCarille+Amphibian+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XRdfprYoUN0/T2Ixm1E3s3I/AAAAAAAAA4U/hLmSdkFlZSQ/s320/CCarille+Amphibian+12.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XRdfprYoUN0/T2Ixm1E3s3I/AAAAAAAAA4U/hLmSdkFlZSQ/s1600/CCarille+Amphibian+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SJANOmOPfnI/T2IlW6BxQmI/AAAAAAAAA4E/6GmOLk3Jv-k/s1600/CCarille+Amphibian+25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SJANOmOPfnI/T2IlW6BxQmI/AAAAAAAAA4E/6GmOLk3Jv-k/s640/CCarille+Amphibian+25.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A Jade Tree Frog (<i>Rhacophorus dulitensis</i>) tracked down while walking transects at night at Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) in Sabah, Borneo.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ashWyddoBaE/T2I4T8oH_5I/AAAAAAAAA40/Fg9k_O9CMBQ/s1600/CCarille+Amphibian+21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ashWyddoBaE/T2I4T8oH_5I/AAAAAAAAA40/Fg9k_O9CMBQ/s320/CCarille+Amphibian+21.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brown Bullfrog (<i>Kaloula baleata</i>) doing pull-ups in Borneo.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2ilVVZlBYCs/T2I4aCqUk1I/AAAAAAAAA48/P1QD-K2K-L0/s1600/CCarille+Amphibian+32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2ilVVZlBYCs/T2I4aCqUk1I/AAAAAAAAA48/P1QD-K2K-L0/s320/CCarille+Amphibian+32.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Campbell's Rainforest Toad (<i>Bufo campbelli</i>)@ Gale's Point, Belize.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dzp67CzNPhI/T2I6OBXbD3I/AAAAAAAAA5M/zrvIF9TvT_k/s1600/CCarille+Amphibian+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dzp67CzNPhI/T2I6OBXbD3I/AAAAAAAAA5M/zrvIF9TvT_k/s320/CCarille+Amphibian+10.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Northern Redback Salamander (<i>Plethodon cinereus</i>) of NY.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qp2wxHvY8-c/T2I6T298hVI/AAAAAAAAA5U/BLybMc916V8/s1600/CCarille+Amphibian+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qp2wxHvY8-c/T2I6T298hVI/AAAAAAAAA5U/BLybMc916V8/s640/CCarille+Amphibian+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canyon Tree Frog (Hyla arenicolor) in Sabino Canyon State Park, Arizona.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C_BVWUoCq4c/T2JCo8u2y7I/AAAAAAAAA5c/fFJ_5eNGy1I/s1600/CCarille+Croc+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C_BVWUoCq4c/T2JCo8u2y7I/AAAAAAAAA5c/fFJ_5eNGy1I/s320/CCarille+Croc+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spectacled Caiman (<i>Caiman crocodylus</i>) caught by hand in the Rio Sierpe, Costa Rica.</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div><br />
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<div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y5ohTnadslI/T2JC2PHe6FI/AAAAAAAAA5s/tULX4rHkYwM/s1600/CCarille+Croc+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y5ohTnadslI/T2JC2PHe6FI/AAAAAAAAA5s/tULX4rHkYwM/s400/CCarille+Croc+8.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saltwater Crocodile (<i>Crocodylus porosus</i>) in the Kinabatangan River, Borneo.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oTg_8ZaSB-8/T2JCvwafLOI/AAAAAAAAA5k/OtNpYCiTXK4/s1600/CCarille+Croc+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oTg_8ZaSB-8/T2JCvwafLOI/AAAAAAAAA5k/OtNpYCiTXK4/s320/CCarille+Croc+11.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">American Crocodile (<i>Crocodylus acutus</i>) in Costa Rica.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h4BfOskuYNQ/T2JGCg6p1oI/AAAAAAAAA58/wsxwj8nyADU/s1600/CCarille+Lizard+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="172" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h4BfOskuYNQ/T2JGCg6p1oI/AAAAAAAAA58/wsxwj8nyADU/s400/CCarille+Lizard+14.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Common Sun Skink (<i>Mabuya multifasciata</i>) basking on a dead tree in Borneo.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jMM6WjIorak/T2JF_X7NCNI/AAAAAAAAA50/LJoPPaXdTrw/s1600/CCarille+Lizard+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jMM6WjIorak/T2JF_X7NCNI/AAAAAAAAA50/LJoPPaXdTrw/s320/CCarille+Lizard+11.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my favorite finds, a baby Water Monitor (<i>Varanus salvator</i>) found<br />
in Tunku Abdul Rahman National Marine Park.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9qr4Ke7l-Ls/T2JIlC8CQZI/AAAAAAAAA6c/Xi6Bqk6WIfg/s1600/CCarille+Snake+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9qr4Ke7l-Ls/T2JIlC8CQZI/AAAAAAAAA6c/Xi6Bqk6WIfg/s640/CCarille+Snake+7.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A big Bushmaster (<i>Lachesis stenophrys</i>) that two other people walked right past before I almost stepped on it! <br />
El Zota Biological Field Station, Costa Rica.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8wPMOsgTgFQ/T2JIr-dB-BI/AAAAAAAAA6k/QSOSVYyS-n8/s1600/CCarille+Snake+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="405" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8wPMOsgTgFQ/T2JIr-dB-BI/AAAAAAAAA6k/QSOSVYyS-n8/s640/CCarille+Snake+8.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Central American Coral Snake (<i>Micrurus nigrocinctus</i>) found <br />
during the day at El Zota Biological Field Station, Costa Rica.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K9E6mP1C7M8/T2JIREGp_eI/AAAAAAAAA6E/0Zkj5GOCSc8/s1600/CCarille+Snake+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K9E6mP1C7M8/T2JIREGp_eI/AAAAAAAAA6E/0Zkj5GOCSc8/s320/CCarille+Snake+10.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dog-toothed Cat-eyed Snake (<i>Boiga cynodon</i>) resting on a branch at DGFC, Borneo.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TF3_BJCLf6g/T2JIfS7OJOI/AAAAAAAAA6U/1s6OPUn4jig/s1600/CCarille+Snake+20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TF3_BJCLf6g/T2JIfS7OJOI/AAAAAAAAA6U/1s6OPUn4jig/s320/CCarille+Snake+20.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not a field find, but a King Cobra (<i>Ophiophagus hannah</i>) at Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Borneo.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5sJzcVaCgFc/T2JIasRbb0I/AAAAAAAAA6M/Iiuwfcttq1U/s1600/CCarille+Snake+16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5sJzcVaCgFc/T2JIasRbb0I/AAAAAAAAA6M/Iiuwfcttq1U/s400/CCarille+Snake+16.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A big Reticulated Python (<i>Python reticulatus</i>) in Borneo.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div></div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287834077200908143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5870856996003202329.post-14051175478103957882012-03-15T14:10:00.002-04:002012-03-15T14:11:19.233-04:00New Lizard Species Discovered in the AndesScience Daily reports that two scientists discovered a new species of lizard in the Andes. It ranges from 1600 - 2100 meters and is aptly named <i>Potamites montanicola</i> (aka: mountain dweller).<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-paQkEwm1AwA/T2IwTYqD9fI/AAAAAAAAA4M/kMzq9sLb8Cg/s1600/120217115500-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="462" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-paQkEwm1AwA/T2IwTYqD9fI/AAAAAAAAA4M/kMzq9sLb8Cg/s640/120217115500-large.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 15px;"><em>Credit: Image courtesy of Pensoft Publishers</em></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Read more here: <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120217115500.htm#.T0pnGNCdMDA.blogger">A new, beautifully colored lizard discovered in the Peruvian Andes</a>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287834077200908143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5870856996003202329.post-75956615888298051722012-02-12T17:42:00.000-05:002012-02-12T17:42:21.552-05:00The Unpredictably Variant Amazon Tree Boa<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wd94HBrsg9c/Tzg9OibXrII/AAAAAAAAAo8/RawCaCE3Y6U/s1600/1-30-12+Pets+125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wd94HBrsg9c/Tzg9OibXrII/AAAAAAAAAo8/RawCaCE3Y6U/s320/1-30-12+Pets+125.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">The Amazon Tree Boa (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Corallus hortulanus</i>), or ATB, has become increasingly popular in the herpetological hobby world, yet little is still known about their genetics. While several species of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Corallus</i> complex are popular among hobbyists – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">C. hortulanus</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">C. batesii</i>, & <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">C. caninus</i> – many are still very rare due to low demand or CITES restrictions – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">C. annulatus</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">C. cookii</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">C. grenadensis</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">C. ruschenbergerii</i>, &<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> C. cropanii</i>. This has led to several very tight-nit communities working with these animals – case in point: the Amazon Alliance (<a href="http://www.boakindom.com/">www.boakindom.com</a>). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">They are being exported and bred at a faster pace than ever before, with more morphs than ever before – albeit only 4 proven. Although there are several hobbyists, including myself, working to prove out ATB genetics, many are happy to just pair up random animals and see what pops out. This creates a lot of interesting ammies, but does not help with determining color and pattern inheritance.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Now some genetics. ATBs come in a variety of patterns and a mélange of colors – and now you can even find some morphs. First, a little background on what we do know. There are garden, halloween, and colored ammies. Garden ATBs are those that have base colors that are darker – any shade of brown, grey, granite, black, or rust. Halloween ATBs are a form of garden that start off with red/orange on their dorsal scales, which then disappears with age. In the long run, there is nothing different between them and “normal” garden (that we know of). If it were a logic problem: All Halloween ATBs are gardens, but not all gardens are Halloween phase. Then there are colored ATBs. These are the yellows, oranges, and reds – they may be heavily patterned, have slight speckling, or no pattern at all. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b9MdPme6KaE/TysTmF9r6nI/AAAAAAAAAmU/vwyaTPU6130/s1600/1-30-12+Pets+72.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b9MdPme6KaE/TysTmF9r6nI/AAAAAAAAAmU/vwyaTPU6130/s320/1-30-12+Pets+72.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical "garden" phase ATB with granite coloration and heavy patterning</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ViNpjUBsQCI/Tzgyaz0zVNI/AAAAAAAAAoU/TEjn_p5v9VU/s1600/2-08-12+Pets+17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ViNpjUBsQCI/Tzgyaz0zVNI/AAAAAAAAAoU/TEjn_p5v9VU/s1600/2-08-12+Pets+17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> </a>From the morph list: there are tigers, calicos, hypos, & leopards. Tiger ammies are due to a dominant gene that presents as striping along the dorsal scales. There are garden (Halloween included) and colored tigers with various colored stripes. Several calico lines are being worked with. They’ve so far been proven to be dominant as well, producing heavily mottled ammies. Hypo ammies have only been proven by one breeder so far – GCR – and are a codominant trait with a super form. The heterozygous form produces solid colored ammies that have faint colored banding and develop black speckling with age – I work with a pair that may carry these genes. The super form is an off-white colored ammie that also seems to develop some yellow and black. The last known morph is the leopard phase ATB. This has supposedly been proven to be a recessive trait, but with the second generation leopard offspring differing in form. The first generation have dorsal splotches, are darkly colored, have metallic eyes, and can darken and lighten throughout the course of a day. Second generation leopards have similar characteristics but are solid silver/black/gray. To me, it would seem as if they are also codominant, but I have yet to work with any – although I possess a pair that may be leopards. On the unproven list, there are several lines of possible calicos, some candycane atbs (a name of a proven calico line that has also been given to a lot of ammies that have colored banding), and Aztec ammies – a line with an aberrant dorsal patterning that extends onto the sides somewhat.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ViNpjUBsQCI/Tzgyaz0zVNI/AAAAAAAAAoU/TEjn_p5v9VU/s1600/2-08-12+Pets+17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ViNpjUBsQCI/Tzgyaz0zVNI/AAAAAAAAAoU/TEjn_p5v9VU/s200/2-08-12+Pets+17.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kxJtdX-_mN0/Tzg1RVDjGFI/AAAAAAAAAok/9w1M8xfO640/s1600/2-08-12+Pets+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kxJtdX-_mN0/Tzg1RVDjGFI/AAAAAAAAAok/9w1M8xfO640/s320/2-08-12+Pets+8.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Possible first generation Leopard Boa</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GiTGF7Dr_rc/Tzg0BNyDsJI/AAAAAAAAAoc/AAI332TUpnA/s1600/2-08-12+Pets+24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GiTGF7Dr_rc/Tzg0BNyDsJI/AAAAAAAAAoc/AAI332TUpnA/s320/2-08-12+Pets+24.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">There hasn’t been much work breeding similarly colored and patterned individuals together, and even when that is done the offspring seem random in outcome: two differently colored gardens producing yellow and orange patterned offspring; two coloreds producing all gardens or patterned individuals; two mottled ammies producing gardens and coloreds; or a garden and colored producing everything under the sun. Since they are so variable, with no predictable outcomes (aside from the proven morphs), I believe their patterns and colors to be polygenic. That is, I think their patterns and their colors are determined by several sets of alleles , like human skin color, as opposed to one set or alleles, like the proven morphs. It works similar to skin pigments in humans, which is why we have a range of skin colors and not just one or the other. With that being said, I think body color, head color, patterning, speckling, and eye color are all windows into their genetics. I’m currently trying to pair up my ATBs with individuals that are as close to the same as possible.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WpCePHfmgqM/Tzg6aGhCn8I/AAAAAAAAAos/jDV6K7l94Yk/s1600/1-12+Pets+65.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WpCePHfmgqM/Tzg6aGhCn8I/AAAAAAAAAos/jDV6K7l94Yk/s320/1-12+Pets+65.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Hopefully this year, some of the genetics behind Amazon Tree Boas will begin to be understood. We’ll then start to see ammies with cleaner patterns and probably see some new morphs proven out. It will also just be an overall benefit to the herpetological world, gaining some insight into another unique arboreal boa.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fRAnwtQdIi8/Tzg_z4zFAUI/AAAAAAAAApU/66hEYLYo9dI/s1600/New+Pet+Pics+50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fRAnwtQdIi8/Tzg_z4zFAUI/AAAAAAAAApU/66hEYLYo9dI/s320/New+Pet+Pics+50.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CgCdP2hrVTg/Tzg-sbCna_I/AAAAAAAAApE/5r1t4b7cOX0/s1600/1-30-12+Pets+90.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CgCdP2hrVTg/Tzg-sbCna_I/AAAAAAAAApE/5r1t4b7cOX0/s320/1-30-12+Pets+90.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
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</div><!--EndFragment-->Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287834077200908143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5870856996003202329.post-18294466508024087432012-02-02T18:02:00.002-05:002012-02-02T18:04:26.280-05:00- Scales & Other Updated Pics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3EBq8yUpQkQ/TysVy9MZTHI/AAAAAAAAAoM/DOd-23_Jh9o/s1600/1-30-12+Pets+216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3EBq8yUpQkQ/TysVy9MZTHI/AAAAAAAAAoM/DOd-23_Jh9o/s320/1-30-12+Pets+216.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I got some time the other day to snap some updated photos of part of the collection. I used the wonderful Nikon 105 mm macro lens and captured some nice detailed scale shots as well.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JGI20fGG4lM/TysUIqON0OI/AAAAAAAAAn8/7utxVZIxFQQ/s1600/1-30-12+Pets+257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JGI20fGG4lM/TysUIqON0OI/AAAAAAAAAn8/7utxVZIxFQQ/s320/1-30-12+Pets+257.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-68eAbrBeDWE/TysUJ1Woj-I/AAAAAAAAAoE/Ru1HHRYb3gI/s1600/1-30-12+Pets+284.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-68eAbrBeDWE/TysUJ1Woj-I/AAAAAAAAAoE/Ru1HHRYb3gI/s320/1-30-12+Pets+284.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287834077200908143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5870856996003202329.post-50721817670252903352012-01-21T16:02:00.000-05:002012-02-02T11:27:12.379-05:00- First LoveEveryone has one - a place where they've gone and just can't get enough of. Mine is Costa Rica. My first trip there was over 6 years ago and I've only recently been back. It's the place I daydream about and, given the money, would hop on a plane - or in a car - and go back in a heart beat. My g/f and I have even contemplated picking up everything and moving there. Enjoy some photos of the wildlife and scenery that I experienced on my first trip 6 years ago (the latest trip will come in a later post):<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lmEQ4zS0D1I/Txsju_rFX5I/AAAAAAAAAac/cQ3d2bJFLjU/s1600/CCarille+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lmEQ4zS0D1I/Txsju_rFX5I/AAAAAAAAAac/cQ3d2bJFLjU/s320/CCarille+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Annulated Tree Boa (<i>Corallus annulatus</i>)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Central American Bushmaster (<i>Lachesis stenophyrs</i>)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g41iBWaQUxM/Txsj1HrdOxI/AAAAAAAAAa0/oGGtNb-SouM/s1600/CCarille+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="187" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g41iBWaQUxM/Txsj1HrdOxI/AAAAAAAAAa0/oGGtNb-SouM/s320/CCarille+6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Striped Basilisk (<i>Basiliscus vittatus</i>)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HA8KoEzCe6w/Txsj2HWO6xI/AAAAAAAAAa8/SZt7KHnmtvI/s1600/CCarille+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="138" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HA8KoEzCe6w/Txsj2HWO6xI/AAAAAAAAAa8/SZt7KHnmtvI/s320/CCarille+8.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Variegated Snail Eater (<i>Dipsas variegata</i>)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Central American Coral Snake (<i>Micrurus nigrocinctus</i>)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sjjf3T3XxVA/Txsj6SmpnOI/AAAAAAAAAbM/tlKKl9KzuR8/s1600/CCarille+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sjjf3T3XxVA/Txsj6SmpnOI/AAAAAAAAAbM/tlKKl9KzuR8/s320/CCarille+14.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red-eyed Tree Frog (<i>Agalychnis callidryas</i>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V1RISAEJoJs/Txsj8ZOPiFI/AAAAAAAAAbU/G2NMvIsyml4/s1600/CCarille+15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="204" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V1RISAEJoJs/Txsj8ZOPiFI/AAAAAAAAAbU/G2NMvIsyml4/s320/CCarille+15.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unknown katydid - if you know an i.d. please e-mail me</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TugQwqXabLk/Txsj-sUesyI/AAAAAAAAAbc/EqKEDHa33E0/s1600/CCarille+16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TugQwqXabLk/Txsj-sUesyI/AAAAAAAAAbc/EqKEDHa33E0/s320/CCarille+16.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White-lipped Mud Turtle eaten by a Jaguar</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CCwnvOttMJQ/TxskAhfhNqI/AAAAAAAAAbk/O0obUPR19Ro/s1600/CCarille+37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CCwnvOttMJQ/TxskAhfhNqI/AAAAAAAAAbk/O0obUPR19Ro/s320/CCarille+37.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green-and-black Poison Arrow Frog (<i>Dendrobates auratus</i>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dtcGo8pnNMo/TxskDLxw_aI/AAAAAAAAAbs/LAqCpGIjOks/s1600/CCarille+39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dtcGo8pnNMo/TxskDLxw_aI/AAAAAAAAAbs/LAqCpGIjOks/s320/CCarille+39.jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brown Spotbelly (<i>Coniophanes fissidens</i>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8jIJ03M4vjg/TxskDvnJMtI/AAAAAAAAAb0/M25kDAQbDng/s1600/CCarille+40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8jIJ03M4vjg/TxskDvnJMtI/AAAAAAAAAb0/M25kDAQbDng/s320/CCarille+40.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unknown Leaf Mimic Praying Mantis - if you know an i.d. please e-mail me</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jHamYb0TSOc/TxskErUHVYI/AAAAAAAAAb8/CS9qkYcuVIs/s1600/CCarille+41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jHamYb0TSOc/TxskErUHVYI/AAAAAAAAAb8/CS9qkYcuVIs/s320/CCarille+41.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bransford's Litter Frog (<i>Craugastor bransfordii</i>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n41cYUJh0xI/TxskFxwsUqI/AAAAAAAAAcE/gPbgFE_s_3s/s1600/CCarille+43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n41cYUJh0xI/TxskFxwsUqI/AAAAAAAAAcE/gPbgFE_s_3s/s320/CCarille+43.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cat-eyed Snake (<i>Leptodiera septentrionalis</i>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--MN9ikYpARE/TxskIT_yWyI/AAAAAAAAAcM/Z6WSf1oGt44/s1600/CCarille+44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="147" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--MN9ikYpARE/TxskIT_yWyI/AAAAAAAAAcM/Z6WSf1oGt44/s320/CCarille+44.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caiman (<i>Caiman crocodilus</i>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XpfhYGafSls/TxskMKrt6_I/AAAAAAAAAcU/2gmI36ZO1KQ/s1600/CCarille+45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XpfhYGafSls/TxskMKrt6_I/AAAAAAAAAcU/2gmI36ZO1KQ/s320/CCarille+45.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tortuguero habitat</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FWXT7GJce1M/TxskNYjP3fI/AAAAAAAAAcc/PXjoQBq79_E/s1600/CCarille+46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FWXT7GJce1M/TxskNYjP3fI/AAAAAAAAAcc/PXjoQBq79_E/s320/CCarille+46.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Common Mexican Tree Frog (<i>Smilisca baudinii</i>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AM_yoZAFYQA/TxskPH7Z_BI/AAAAAAAAAck/x2mRXWjb0cQ/s1600/CCarille+47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AM_yoZAFYQA/TxskPH7Z_BI/AAAAAAAAAck/x2mRXWjb0cQ/s320/CCarille+47.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green Vine Snake (<i>Oxybelis fuldigus</i>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287834077200908143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5870856996003202329.post-86062004614811436692012-01-19T11:27:00.000-05:002012-02-02T11:27:24.699-05:00- On the Other Side of the World: Borneo<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wTh0RzUZVYM/TyLLMVVXruI/AAAAAAAAAkw/c6766irz_5g/s1600/Sukau+and+Gomantong+Caves+736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wTh0RzUZVYM/TyLLMVVXruI/AAAAAAAAAkw/c6766irz_5g/s320/Sukau+and+Gomantong+Caves+736.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I love it! I could travel and backpack Borneo all year long. I've been fortunate enough to have had some great opportunities to get out and experience the world. This was no different - 3 weeks in Sabah, Borneo.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Just this past December I finished up an amazing program and completed my Master's in Zoology. The last course I took in the program sent me to Borneo to study at Danau Girang Field Centre and Sukau. Below are some of the amazing herps, and other animals, I got to see.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--rKAuQOQwL0/TyLBQpdGeGI/AAAAAAAAAgA/Zku9jqYVsCc/s1600/C.+Carille+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--rKAuQOQwL0/TyLBQpdGeGI/AAAAAAAAAgA/Zku9jqYVsCc/s320/C.+Carille+11.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JtS0wyPKy7I/TyLBI9f8xSI/AAAAAAAAAf4/BwXEN2suVk8/s1600/Borneo+Pygmy+Elephant+%2528Elephas+maximus+borneensis%2529+20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JtS0wyPKy7I/TyLBI9f8xSI/AAAAAAAAAf4/BwXEN2suVk8/s320/Borneo+Pygmy+Elephant+%2528Elephas+maximus+borneensis%2529+20.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hef3_lLt_5c/TyLCMFROTPI/AAAAAAAAAiA/9kamkkF8-zw/s1600/Sukau+and+Gomantong+Caves+845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hef3_lLt_5c/TyLCMFROTPI/AAAAAAAAAiA/9kamkkF8-zw/s320/Sukau+and+Gomantong+Caves+845.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4Q9MAwl0fWM/TyLJ6Si_iTI/AAAAAAAAAiI/6-CR4Rx0G5w/s1600/Collett's+Tree+Frog+(Polypedates+colletti)+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4Q9MAwl0fWM/TyLJ6Si_iTI/AAAAAAAAAiI/6-CR4Rx0G5w/s320/Collett's+Tree+Frog+(Polypedates+colletti)+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287834077200908143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5870856996003202329.post-70754908045879784042012-01-18T14:09:00.000-05:002012-02-02T11:27:36.629-05:00- Care SheetsNow up is the first of many to come - care sheets! <br />
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</div><div>I'll be posting care sheets for various species over the coming weeks - a great way to learn about what you want to keep before buying it. This will also be a great chance to correct husbandry issues, brush up on keeping knowledge, and to see how other keepers do it. So far each sheet will be posted as a PDF "Tear and Care" sheet for you to print off.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I've already posted care sheets for <i>Candoia</i> species, Ball Pythons, Amazon Tree Boas, and <i>Leptodiera annulata</i>. Coming up: <i>Dendrobates</i> sp., <i>Sibon nebulatus</i>, Tanimbar pythons, and <i>Varanus salvator </i>among many others!</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2KYwGa66z0I/TxcYmnZgqNI/AAAAAAAAAUE/rH3yzQoQKM4/s1600/C.+Carille+Reptile+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2KYwGa66z0I/TxcYmnZgqNI/AAAAAAAAAUE/rH3yzQoQKM4/s400/C.+Carille+Reptile+10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
</div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287834077200908143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5870856996003202329.post-34774879318747937642012-01-03T13:59:00.000-05:002012-02-02T11:27:47.317-05:00- Happy New Year Everyone!2012 and a lot of exciting projects underway!<br />
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Within the next couple months there will be a lot of pairings: Ball pythons, Amazon tree boas, New Guinea tree boas, Solomon Island tree boas, Haitian boas, and Banded Cat-eyed snakes! I may be breeding my Sibon, and finding mates for the Jungle Carpet python, the Diamond-Coastal intergrade, the Sonoran Desert Boa, and the Solomon Islands ground boa.<br />
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My Bimini Island boas will be good to go in a couple years, I'll be paying off and receiving a pair of Mussuranas from John Michels (a normal male and pied female), and will be looking to expand my collection with Jamaican boas, Annulated tree boas, Viper boas, and/or Bromeliad boas! A very exciting year ahead indeed!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FKDzneRcvwg/TwNPtM8frrI/AAAAAAAAAT8/9lxOF0uo-ww/s1600/C.+Carille+Amphibian+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FKDzneRcvwg/TwNPtM8frrI/AAAAAAAAAT8/9lxOF0uo-ww/s400/C.+Carille+Amphibian+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As always, if you're interested in any pairing e-mail me to get on a list for them!</div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287834077200908143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5870856996003202329.post-11666259470771965272011-12-27T11:34:00.000-05:002012-02-02T11:27:56.458-05:00- Feeding DayMice, rats, chicks, geckos, ASFs, guinea pigs, snails, mice tails, and quail - it's quite an exhaustive process to feed the collection of snakes I have. It'd be so much easier to only care for one species of snake that eats only one type of food, but then what kind of collection would that be?!<br />
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</div><div>My JCP will take any type of prey at times (large rats, guinea pigs, quail), and then go off feed and only accept adult mice (this is small for a 1700+ gram snake) once a month. All of my ball pythons are on to mice or rats, except for one that refuses to eat anything but the hard to find African Soft-furred rats. Now my Leptodiera and Oxyrhopus will eat scented pinks, but I stick with the natural items, so they get feeder geckos delivered from LLLReptile every few weeks. There's even one Solomon Islands tree boa (SITB) that only eats geckos, unless it's really reared up and mistakes an offered pinky for food. The Sibon only eat snails... a real pain to find in a place where winter causes everything to go into hibernation. A couple ball pythons get picky every so often and only want chicks or quail. Lastly, the baby haitian boas are very picky and are still being assist fed mice tails. Good thing I'm patient and they're comfortable with me.</div><div><br />
</div><div>The saving graces are my Adult Haitian boas, my DCI python, and my Het VPI Snow male BP. These consistently eat large rats! I love them! They eat like clockwork, only need one meal, and are gaining a lot of weight.</div><div><br />
</div><div>The great thing about feeding day is that everyone is getting bigger and healthier (I don't overfeed), and it's another week before I need to feed them all again.</div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287834077200908143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5870856996003202329.post-37284289329666095102011-12-26T15:13:00.000-05:002012-02-02T11:28:06.854-05:00- A New Year & Lots of Breeding Plans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A new year is coming up - 2012 - and I have a lot of big plans in mind. To start, I will be launching a small breeding company called New York Exotics - at least that's what I plan on calling it. I know, it sounds a little like a strip club company, but I assure you it's only going to be for <i>pet</i> snakes and other reptiles/amphibians.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This will be the first year dedicated to proving out a lot of my collection. There will be holdbacks, but if you'd like to get on a waiting list for any breeding project just send me an e-mail and I will answer any questions you have and put your name down.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So to start off the new year, I am working on getting a few females up to weight, but will soon be breeding several species. I plan to start with my Amazon Tree Boas (<i>Corallus hortulanus</i>) and the first pairing will be Chromia and Lucy. Chromia is a yellow "patternless" female and Lucy is a lighter yellow "patternless" male.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucy</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chromia</td></tr>
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I am very interested in this pairing for a couple reasons: first off, they're just a really hot pairing and at the very least, they should produce some amazing yellow snakes; secondly, these two both exhibit faint orange/red patterning that can only be seen in certain lighting; lastly, they both exhibit heterochromia - a condition in this particular case that makes them both have blue eyes with a think orange strip around the retina. The second two reasons are the main reasons why I'm interested. From what I've heard and read, the "hypos," produced by GCR, possess those two traits. When the "hypos" are bred together they produced the famed blue-eyed lucy - an all-white (off-white) snake that has baby blue eyes. Now, I know it's a real long shot, but I'm hoping for a miracle!</div><div><br />
</div><div>The second big pairing of ATBs for the season, will be two very dark ones picked up from Matt Edgar. This pair is very, very black with dark bellies and really aberrant patterning. They also have silver eyes and change color from a darker gray to a much lighter gray at night. These are traits exhibited in Leopard ATBs. I'm not saying mine are leopards, but I think these two have something else going on (genetically) that will produce some wild looking offspring. Anna Mollie is an '09 female and Noir is an '08 male.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eXu4qHKW24c/TvjTCbx-yCI/AAAAAAAAACA/cTBsiaowfyg/s1600/New+Pet+Pics+343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eXu4qHKW24c/TvjTCbx-yCI/AAAAAAAAACA/cTBsiaowfyg/s200/New+Pet+Pics+343.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tint</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m_z0hexZE6o/TvjTIU3mLMI/AAAAAAAAACg/BRkMKTMWVVM/s1600/Pets+3+31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m_z0hexZE6o/TvjTIU3mLMI/AAAAAAAAACg/BRkMKTMWVVM/s200/Pets+3+31.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anna Mollie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>A couple shots to show off their heavy head-patterning and silvery eyes.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J1KtmCKaSxw/TvjTAhWZk6I/AAAAAAAAAB4/P0MC89CeBi8/s1600/New+Pet+Pics+333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J1KtmCKaSxw/TvjTAhWZk6I/AAAAAAAAAB4/P0MC89CeBi8/s400/New+Pet+Pics+333.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wmzNOb4b95Y/TvjTI-NCpYI/AAAAAAAAACo/bSJToL4lH40/s1600/Pets+3+35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wmzNOb4b95Y/TvjTI-NCpYI/AAAAAAAAACo/bSJToL4lH40/s200/Pets+3+35.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pw7CYu9xvac/TvjS_8GJ14I/AAAAAAAAABw/TgEzArzczxE/s1600/New+Pet+Pics+325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pw7CYu9xvac/TvjS_8GJ14I/AAAAAAAAABw/TgEzArzczxE/s200/New+Pet+Pics+325.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7geY-m8goCo/TvjTEmtZUUI/AAAAAAAAACQ/_3u1SfL3ULY/s1600/New+Pet+Pics+358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7geY-m8goCo/TvjTEmtZUUI/AAAAAAAAACQ/_3u1SfL3ULY/s200/New+Pet+Pics+358.jpg" width="200" /></a>Last up for the ATBs, I have a granite colored male with nice patterning and a beautiful red and gray female that has a bright yellow head. I'm not sure if I'm going to use the male this year, but the female will definitely be able to go. I think I may end up putting her on breeding loan to a friend with a Danny Mendez Tiger ATB. I've always wanted a tiger, and this will produce some amazing tigers and tiger siblings. I should be able to holdback one or two tigers and still have one (or a sibling) for sale after the split with my friend.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-owZzeY5u8vs/TvjVBSWXHSI/AAAAAAAAAC8/Hss__08qSuE/s1600/New+Pet+Pics+53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-owZzeY5u8vs/TvjVBSWXHSI/AAAAAAAAAC8/Hss__08qSuE/s320/New+Pet+Pics+53.jpg" width="179" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gAZhvrmPD-8/TvjVC6KPK3I/AAAAAAAAADE/o-f3tBR8bK8/s1600/New+Pet+Pics+56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gAZhvrmPD-8/TvjVC6KPK3I/AAAAAAAAADE/o-f3tBR8bK8/s200/New+Pet+Pics+56.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YFsif5l3hkA/TvjVFmqLAfI/AAAAAAAAADU/IonUQZ32mkw/s1600/Pets+3+41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YFsif5l3hkA/TvjVFmqLAfI/AAAAAAAAADU/IonUQZ32mkw/s200/Pets+3+41.jpg" width="200" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dt7mJY2lrAI/TvjVE_FdS6I/AAAAAAAAADM/qmASAJnw7Bo/s1600/Pets+3+39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dt7mJY2lrAI/TvjVE_FdS6I/AAAAAAAAADM/qmASAJnw7Bo/s200/Pets+3+39.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287834077200908143noreply@blogger.com0