vol. 29 (2009), no. 1
DESCRIPTION
Minnesota Herpetological SocietyTRANSCRIPT
M I N N E S O T A
H E R P E T O L O G I C A L S O C I E T Y
January 2009 Volume 29 Number 1
� e Purpose of the Minnesota Herpetological Society is to:
• Further the education of the membership and the general public in care and captive propagation
• Educate the members and the general public in the ecological role of reptiles and amphibians;
• Promote the study and conservation of reptiles and amphibians.
� e Minnesota Herpetological Society is a non-profi t, tax-exempt organization. Membership is open Newsletter is published monthly to provide its members with information concerning the society’sto all individuals with an interest in amphibians and reptiles. � e Minnesota Herpetological Society activities and a media for exchanging information, opinions and resources.
General Meetings are held at Borlaug Hall, Room 335 on the St. Paul Campus of the University of Minnesota on the fi rst Friday of each month (unless there is a holiday confl ict). � e meeting starts at 7:00pm and lasts about three hours. Please check the MHS Voice mail for changes in schedules or cancellations.
Ads or Notices must be submitted no later than the night of the General Meeting to be included in the next issue. Longer Articles will be printed as time and space allows and should be in electronic File format if pos-sible. See Inside back cover for ad rates.
Submissions may be sent to:� e Minnesota Herpetological SocietyAttn: Newsletter EditorBell Museum of Natural History10 Church St. SE.Minneapolis, MN 55455.0104Please send email to [email protected]
MHS VOICE MAIL: 612.624.7065
MHS WEBPAGE: HTTP://WWW.MNHERPSOC .ORG
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MNHERPSOC
MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY JANUARY 2009 VOLUME 29 NUMBER 1President
Jennifer Hensley
Vice- President David Dewitt
Treasurer Nancy [email protected] Membership Secretary Ellen Heck
Recording Secretary Jenna Rypka-Hauer
News Letter Editor James Soos
MEMBERS AT LARGEJeff LeClere Kathy Claugherty
Chris Smith
Heather Clayton
COMMITTEES
Adoption Sara Richard
Education Jan Larson
Library Carmelita Pfar
WebmasterAnke Reinders
1
Cover Animal Green Tree Python by Jim Soos
© Copyright Minnesota Herpetological Society 2009. Contents may be reproduced
for non-profi t use provided that all material is reproduced without Change and proper
credit is given authors and the Minnesota Herpetological Society Newsletter citing:
volume, number and date.
2
THE NEWS LETTER OF THE MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY JANUARY 2009 VOLUME 29 NUMBER 1
MHS Members!
I hope this letter fi nds you after having a very Happy Holiday Season. I want to be among the fi rst to wish you a very Happy
New Year. Things are getting exciting. I can not begin to tell you how much I am looking forward to the next year. Dave has
lined up some awesome speakers for this year. I will let him tell you all about them.
Please look at all the upcoming hands-on events, Jan works really hard on putting these together and the more we get out there,
the more people we meet and educate.
Again I am looking forward to a GREAT new year! Hope to see you all soon,
Jennifer
A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT.
A few words form the Vice President. I’m hoping everyone had a wonderful holiday this year. I am also wishing you and yours
a happy and prosperous New Year. Looking back I think we had a good year for the MHS. I am looking forward to serving you
again in 2009 I feel good about the speakers were going to have in the upcoming year. I’m hoping to keep the monthly meet-
ings interesting. If you have any ideas or input to make our meetings better contact me or any board member with your sugges-
tions.
Our December speaker Joe Wasilewski , Had a good time up here. He was the fi rst to admit he is a freeze baby and didn’t really
care for the cold. so ice fi shing wasn’t on his list of things to do. Joe was impressed with your knowledge of the subjects he pre-
sented. He also expressed a interest in returning to speak in the future. So keep up the good work by supporting your society.
THANK YOU SINCERELY DAVE DEWITT
OUT OF THE OFFICE WITH THE VICE PRESIDENT.
Well folks as you can see some changes have occurred to the newsletter this up coming year. We are now running with a color
cover. So I am looking for Photo Covers, Photos of the month and Artwork, such as Cartoons. If they are sent to me with your
name, phone number and mailing address. I can give them back to you at the following meeting or mail them to you if requested.
Or email them to [email protected]
Please let me know what you think of the newsletter by dropping me an email or just come up to talk to me at a MHS meeting. I
thank you for your time and stay warm this winter.
Jim Soos
MHS Newsletter Editor
A WORD FROM THE NEWSLETTER EDITOR
THE NEWS LETTER OF THE MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY JANUARY 2009 VOLUME 29 NUMBER 1
THE MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY
UP COMING EVENTS PAGE
Friday, January 9, 2009
Room 335 Borlaug Hall,
U of M St. Paul Campus
Next Meeting:
Two Speakers:
Marc Bailey: Ball Pythons & Marc Bailey Reptiles and Rodents
Andrew Wyatt: The United States Association of Reptile Keepers (USARK)
Andrew is co-founder and president of USARK
March: Matt Edgar Ven:
Snake Curator of the St. Louis Zoo.
Friday, March 6 2009
Room 335 Borlaug Hall,
U of M St. Paul Campus
April: White Snake Sale. Do not forget the Photo Contest. details to come in the next few months.Friday, April 3 2009Room 335 Borlaug Hall,U of M St. Paul Campus
Future Speakers:
Febuary: John Moriarty
Friday, Febuary 6 2009
Room 335 Borlaug Hall,
U of M St. Paul Campus
3
THE NEWS LETTER OF THE MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY JANUARY 2009 VOLUME 29 NUMBER 1
NEW 2009 ELECTED BOARD MEMBERS
President Jennifer Hensley
Vice- President David Dewitt Treasurer Nancy Haig
Membership Secretary Ellen Heck
Recording Secretary Jenna Rypka-Hauer
Newsletter Editor James Soos
MEMBERS AT LARGE
Jeff LeClere
Kathy Claugherty
Chris Smith
Heather Clayton
The Speaker for December was Joe Wasilewski. Joe has
spent 35 years as a wildlife biologist and is employed by
Florida Power at the Turkey Point nuclear facility. Two
of his main herpetological interests are iguanas (which
he talked about Saturday at the banquet) and crocodiles,
which were the subject of his talk Friday.
American crocodiles are found in the new world from
Florida down through Central America to the northern
parts of South America, and throughout the Caribbean.
The population of American crocodiles in the US was
estimated at about 2000 in 1900. This declined until they
hit a low point of 225, give or take about 75 animals,
in 1972. Thanks to conservation efforts, this number is
back up to about 2000 today. In fact, the crocodile has
been down-graded from “endangered” to “threatened”.
All of the crocs in the US are found in Florida. As of
2005, approximately 400, or 20%, lived in the canals of
the nuclear plant.
The plant and its surrounding canal system cover an
area roughly 5 miles long, 2 miles wide and cover
about 3,300 acres. On one side is Biscayne Bay and the
National Park that preserves it. On the other side, the
facility touches on the Everglades. The plant became op-
erational in 1972, just as the crocs were hitting their low
point. The fi rst croc was spotted in the facility in 1976.
In 1978, when digging in the canals, a back hoe turned
up a nest. Since then, the plant has made a serious com-
mitment to helping preserve this and other endangered
species found on the site. These include several species
of snake, birds and at several sites, manatees.
At Turkey Point, in 1988 when Joe fi rst started working
with them, they catalogued 19 animals. This had risen
to 40 in 1990 and to 400 in 2005. Last year they found
28 nests, marking and releasing over 500 hatchlings.
Worldwide, the survival rate for hatchlings is 5-7%. At
the plant, it is about 10%. The largest is a 13’ male,
although in general the population there is a fairly young
one.
For several reasons, the area around the nuclear plant is
ideal for crocodiles. Water temperature does not seem to
be one of them, except indirectly. Most of the canal sys-
tem consists of berms of land divided by deep channels.
The water is about 1 meter close to shore, but drops off
sharply and abruptly to 6 meters further out. The com-
bination is perfect for crocodile courtship and mating.
This starts happening in February, when the crocs start
“recruiting”. They come in from surrounding areas and
start to pair off.
It is also the time of year when the males start fi ghting.
Some confrontations are all bluff and end peacefully, but
many result in severe injuries or even death for the combatants. Joe
showed one photo of a male that survived, but is missing the front
half of his lower jaw. Scars are numerous and several are missing
eyes. When amenable, the female raises her head at a 45° angle. The
male will almost gently approach her.
When ready to lay, the female will go up onto the shore and dig out
a nest. Nests are generally easy to spot, as the female leaves distinct
marks getting up onto shore. Crocodiles are very fussy about the
substrate they use, to the point where many animals will nest in a
very small area, if that is the only spot they can fi nd. Fortunately, at
Turkey Point, there is a fair amount of spots for them to choose from.
Some of the animals only come into the site to mate and make the
nests, and spend the rest of the year elsewhere. Joe and FPL recently
constructed an area geared towards being an ideal nesting spot, with
substrate mixed the way the crocs seem to prefer and small hatchling
and juvenile ponds surrounding the area.
4
Photo
by J
im S
oos
Continued on page 7
JOE WASILEWSKI SPEAKS
5
THE NEWS LETTER OF THE MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY JANUARY 2009 VOLUME 29 NUMBER 1
First, I wanted to say that I really enjoyed speaking at
your meeting in October. I learned so much from Kathy
Love’s corn snake presentation. Jim Soos asked me
if I would be interested in contributing articles for the
newsletter. I hope that you will fi nd these articles to be
informative and helpful. If there are any specifi c topics
you would like addressed you can reach me be e-mail at
This month I would like to provide information about
a disease that can affect captive collections of boas and
pythons. Inclusion body disease (IBD) is an important
viral disease to be aware of because it is responsible
for high mortalities and there is no treatment available.
To complicate matters, the mode of transmission is not
known. It is thought to be transmitted via oral or respira-
tory secretions. The snake mite may be a possible vector
as well.
Although there are no clinical signs specifi c to IBD,
any boid snake exhibiting neurological signs should be
a suspect for IBD. These neurological signs include
head tremors, stargazing, and lethargy. It is important to
remember that there other diseases that can cause these
signs as well. Clinical signs typically progress to anorex-
ia, dehydration, and severe incoordination. There is no
treatment or remission of IBD. All infected snakes will
die. The incubation is unknown, although some snakes
with confi rmed IBD will not exhibit signs for months
after infection. Because of this a strict quarantine for a
minimum of 6 months is recommended for all boas and
pythons.
Unfortunately, there is no defi nitive diagnosis of IBD in an
alive snake. Biopsies can be collected and the disease may
be seen histopathologically, but a negative result does not
rule out IBD. Although there are some labs working on a
blood test (serology) for the virus, at this time there is no
test available. Post mortem (after death) diagnosis is based
on histopathology, virus isolation, and electron microsco-
py. Because the disease is not well understood it is recom-
mended to send samples to labs with specifi c experience in
diagnosing the virus.
There is no treatment for IBD so prevention and control
are important. The snake’s history including where it
came from and potential exposure to other snakes should
be known. It is recommended that during quarantine a
full exam and bloodwork be performed to rule out any
abnormalities that should be addressed. Dilute bleach is an
effective disinfectant to prevent spread of IBD as well as
many other reptile diseases.
Dr. Amy Kizer practices at Lexington Pet Clinic in Eagan.
She is also the consulting veterinarian for Underwater
Adventures at Mall of America. She has a special interest
in reptile medicine and surgery.
Sources: Veterinary Information Network (VIN) – rep-
tile medicine
Schumacher, Juergen, “Inclusion Body Disease Virus”,
Reptile Medicine and Surgery, 2nd edition, Mader. 2006.
REPTILE CARE WITH DR. AMY KIZER
THE NEWS LETTER OF THE MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY JANUARY 2009 VOLUME 29 NUMBER 1
6
One of the things people often wonder about is how I
can travel to do my reptile shows when I the weather is
extremely hot or cold.
The answer is simple. I just make sure that the reptile’s
temperature is comfortable for them.
This can be achieved in a number of ways. Of course
using a vehicle that is properly maintained so that the
chance of a breakdown on the road is minimal is the fi rst
consideration. But cars do breakdown and precautions
can be taken. In the winter, chemical heat packs used
by campers and hunters can be part of a survival pack
that can also include blankets and a sleeping bag. These
should be kept in a warm house until the car is preheated,
as should the reptiles.
A summer survival pack should include towels, several
jugs of water, and a cooler of ice.
Traveling with reptiles and amphibians have two advan-
tages over traveling with mammals or birds. First, they
are happy to be confi ned in a small space as they would
be in their hide box at home. And secondly, they have
a much smaller oxygen requirement than their warm
blooded counterparts and can travel in containers with
very little ventilation, therefore keeping a relatively stable
temperature in the container. And, then too, they don’t
have to be fed on a daily basis as a bird or mammal does.
It’s also a good idea to schedule their feeding prior to a
trip in such a way that the chances of defecating in the
container is minimal. The same goes for watering.
Styrofoam tropical fi sh boxes with a few pencil holes
work well for containers. The herp should be in a smaller
container within the box. Plastic shoeboxes work well
for this with plenty of paper towels inside to give the herp
something to hold onto. The paper towels should be com-
pletely dry except for amphibians and soft-shelled turtles
where it can be moist but not soggy. Live moss works
even better for amphibians. With few exceptions, there
should be just one animal per container. Snakes, other
than juveniles should be in snake bags within the contain-
er. A hot water bottle (or plastic cola bottle), fi lled with
hot water wrapped in a towel can be added for warmth.
Check the temperature every half hour or so while travel-
ing so that adjustments can be made if necessary. And if
you haven’t traveled with live reptiles before it’s a good
idea to take a dry run and check the temps so you’ll be
confi dent with a live cargo.
In the winter I always shed my coat and just wear a T-shirt
so if I’m warm enough, my reptiles will be warm enough too.
If you are going somewhere in the cold of winter, and are just
bringing one or two small reptiles, simply tuck the small container
inside your shirt under your loose winter coat and, “Voila!” Instant
warm critter!
Some reptile species, and even certain individuals among one
species, take to boxing and traveling better than others. If a snake
is constantly trying to prowl when it’s boxed up changes must be
made. I don’t bring kingsnkes where a corn snake might catch its
scent because corn snakes have a fear of kingsnake scent and will
do anything to escape it.
One winter I went on a tour that included over two hundred school
programs and the large snake that season was an extremely iri-
descent male burmese python named Rainbow. From September
through January he seemed perfectly content to be taken out on
stage and held by several students, (good exercise for Rainbow),
boxed up, and again taken out in the motel in the evening. He fed
on weekends, and never tried to push out of his box. But come
February, that all changed. He prowled constantly when out of
the box, and pushed to get out, when in the box. He wouldn’t eat
either. Then it dawned on me that my other adult male burmese
pythons acted that way back at home in February too! It’s the
mating season normal behavior. He was taken home and replaced
with a female in my program. End of problem!
In the summer, of course, the concern is too much heat. An air
conditioned car solves that problem, right? Wrong!
The sun shining in on a box can still overheat the box and should
be shaded. Again, check the temperature with a thermometer
frequently. Here a plastic bottle fi lled with ice water and wrapped
in a towel will help keep things cool.
On a trip across the Arizona desert with a car full of herps the air
conditioning quit working. The temperature was one hundred ten
degrees F. Time to panic? No! This is where the towels and water
jugs come in. The boxes were placed on a wet towel and more
wet towels were draped over the boxes. The towels had to be re-
wetted every 20 minutes or so, but the rapid evaporation in the dry
Arizona heat cooled the boxes so the inside stayed at 75 degrees.
I also use this wet towel method to cool the boxes when doing an
outdoor reptile show in the summer.
When traveling with amphibians in the summer, I always have a
cooler of ice along. Check the containers frequently and add ice
if needed.
One last hint. If your air conditioning at home breaks down on a
very hot day, put a plastic bucket of ice and water in the cage. The
snake will coil around the bucket to cool off. It works!
TRAVELING WITH HERPSBy Terry Odegaard
THE HERPER’S CORNER
THE NEWS LETTER OF THE MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY JANUARY 2009 VOLUME 29 NUMBER 1
We had a nice well rounded Adoption this month.
Thanks to all my helpers, once again we found homes
for all the critters. It amuses me that 11 animals should
feel like a light month, but it does.
December Intake:
2 Leopard Tortoise (female)
2 Margenated Tortoise (male)
2 Sulcatas (small)
1 Box turtle (eastern?) with a bad jaw
1 Red Eared Slider
1 Ball Python
1 Boa, lrg
1 Tegu (black and white)
These 23 animals came in at the November meeting and
were all placed.
1 Bearded Dragon
1 Red Eared Slider
4 Frogs
7 Toads
1 Albino Burm lrg
4 Ball Pythons
2 Boas sml
3 Corn Snakes
Sarah Richard
Adoption Chair
Minnesota Herpetological Society
THE ADOPTION REPORT
The ponds are an important feature, and another reason
why the nuclear site is ideal for crocs. The environment
supports several types of water, from near fresh to 55
parts per thousand salination levels. This is important,
especially for the hatchlings. Crocs, thanks to a salt
gland on their tongue which excretes the excess salt,
can live in salt water. This only pertains to adults, how-
ever; hatchlings do not develop this gland for several
months. Therefore, the hatchlings must live in fresh or
near-fresh water for the fi rst months of their lives. Prior
to the nuclear facility being built, this meant that they
lived in and around the bay. They usually hatched out
in the rainy season, when the upper surface of the bay
has a much lower salination level.
There is an abundance and variety of wildlife in the fa-
cility. These means there is a lot of food for the crocs.
Bird life is particularly abundant. This includes spoon-
bills, fl amingos, loggerhead shrikes and white pelicans.
The pelicans are actually migrants from upper Mid-
west, where they are fairly common. They have only
recently, in the last 10 years or so, started to use the
plant area as a winter refuge. They quickly learned one
adaptation: in the North, they usually sleep at night on
the water, for protection from predators. In Florida,
they have learned that sleeping in the middle of the
canals is a very bad thing, unless their goal is to be a
crocodile’s dinner. So now they sleep on the berms
instead.
And in no small part, the security surrounding a nuclear
facility comes into play. Because of the threat of ter-
rorist attack, nuclear facilities are heavily guarded.
Joe mentioned M16’s. He didn’t elaborate, but in at
the Prairie Island facility here in Minnesota, there is a
“dead zone” surrounding the plant, with automated ma-
chine gun nests on the walls that guard it. This means
that poachers don’t have a chance at either animals or
nests. Motorized vehicles are restricted to authorized
vehicles only, so traffi c is minimal.
In fact, the main predator for the crocodiles, at least
the younger ones, are the larger crocs. Joe mentioned
tracking 8 microchips, originally implanted in hatch-
7
Photo
by J
im S
oos
Continued from page 4.ings, in the belly of one adult. 4 were from the nearby area, but the
other 4 were from a site 2 ½ miles away. So population control is
pretty much taking care of itself.
Joe’s site
http://www.natselections.com/
Two links to one of his favorite sites
http://www.iucn-isg.org/index.php
http://www.iucncsg.org/ph1/modules/Home/
THE NEWS LETTER OF THE MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY JANUARY 2009 VOLUME 29 NUMBER 1
MHS Ad Policy: The MHS assumes NO RESPONSIBILITY regarding the
health or legality of any animal, or the quality or legality of any product or
service advertised in the MHS Newsletter. Any ad may be rejected at the
discretion of the Newsletter Editor. Due to space limitations, unpaid and com-
plimentary advertisements are subject to occasional omission.
Classifi ed Ads: All active members are allowed a classifi ed ad, run free of
charge as space permits. Ads may be run three consecutive months, after
which time they may be resubmitted. Corresponding members are allowed a
complimentary business card advertisement monthly as space permits. Due
to federal restrictions on non-profi t mailing permits, we arenot allowed to run
ads for travel, credit, or insurance agencies.
Submissions: All advertisements should be submitted to the MHS Editor,
Bell Museum of Natural History, 10 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN
55455. Deadline is the night of the General Meeting for inclusion in the next
newsletter. Make checks payable to: Minnesota Herpetological Society.
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Photos of the Month.. This is a new segment starting every month. If you got some amaz-
ing color photos, please send them to [email protected]. I
will publish the best photos sent to me every month.
This Month’s Photos by Brad Bay-
Bell Museum of Natural History
10 Church Street SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455-0104
Friday, January 9 2009
Room 335 Borlaug Hall,
U of M St. Paul Campus
MHS Voice Mail: 612.624.7065
MHS Web Page:www.mnherpsoc.org
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