Reptiles and Amphibians

Does anyone have any experience dealing with Russian Sand Boas? I've heard that they are much more active than Kenyan Sand Boas and that Russian Sand Boas spend much less burrowing compared to Kenyans

A new species of salamander from Costa Rica, Bolitoglossa chirripoensis, has been described!

KLANK, JEREMY, et al. "A new species of salamander of the genus Bolitoglossa (Caudata: Plethodontidae) from the highest massif of the Cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica." Zootaxa 5642.5 (2025): 427-450.

Research Gate Link

Rana pyrenaica is considered as endangered because of its small habitat in the pyrenees. Additionally the known populations are seperated from each other due to loss of habitat. We searched for this little fellow around Ordesa and found it next to the hiking trail. There is a little stream, and they love the moving and oxygen rich water. The end of the hike was a big waterfall where we found egg clutches! Really happy about that as this was the first evidence of reproduction at this locality 🐸

During hiking to the Refugio Respomuso we found 7 of these venomous snakes directly on trail.

More pictures in the comments

There are a few people out there self-dosing with snake venom. The posted article is based on a study on the blood of one of these guys, Tim Friede, who has developed very effective antivenom in his blood after 20 years of self-dosing with a diverse array of snake venoms.

Vice did a few documentaries on Steve Ludwin, who is also self-immunizing. In one of these he answers questions about how he began and his motivation for doing what he does. In addition to producing anti-bodies he also believes that snake venoms have medicinal and anti-ageing properties - but these beliefs do not appear to be supported by any animal-based data as far as I can tell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcbqB0pFRPA

Self-dosing with snake venom is not something I would recommend. Generally a bad idea. But it is interesting to see the results and to learn about what motivates someone to do something like this.

In the northern hemisphere, at least. This little guy was kind enough to let me take a picture.

Male Moor frogs turn blue during mating season. The one in the back is also a male, that is yet to get the blue colour.

Himmelmoor, Germany, April

Canon R7 + RF 100-400

Lower Saxony, Germany, April

Canon R7 + RF 100-400

A fun species of snake at the reserve.

Abstract

Bolitoglossa digitigrada Wake, Brame and Thomas, 1982 was described from a few kilometers upstream from the Rio Santa Rosa, Ayacucho Region, Peru, at 1000 m a.s.l. in the Eastern Amazonian Montane Forest. Besides the type specimens, no additional collections or sightings of B. digitigrada had been reported for 43 years, and there is no information about its phylogenetic position inside its group. During a field expedition conducted in October 2022, we found four individuals of B. digitigrada in a corn and banana field near the community of San Jose, approximately 2.7 km from the type locality. Here, we provide information about living specimens, update description of coloration in life, elevation, and evaluate the phylogenetic relationships of B. digitigrada with a molecular phylogeny based on a 16S rRNA sequence.

Grumpy, dumpy, and gorgeous! I'm so lucky to have these nearby. They spend most of their lives underground but when it rains in October-November you can hear them call as they start to emerge.

They get their name because their call sounds like a banjo! A commonly heard, but not often seen frog native to Southwest Australia. They spend a lot of their lives burrowed underground or under leaf litter.

Currently in an argument- "too thin to be a Gila" vs "too beaded to be a chuckwalla"

Very sluggish, but it's only like 19c today. Maybe 25-30cm long

This is a Trachycephalus typhonius, formerly Trachycephalus venulosus, from Yucatan.

These frogs secrete a sticky and irritant milk-like fliud through its skin when bothered. Several years ago I got some some of that fluid into my eyes by accident - that hurts similar to scratching one's eye after touching a spicy pepper. So, they are not terribly toxic but I certainly do not recommend the experience.

Funnily enough I just ran a search and found a publication of someone who describes a similar but worse experience: https://www.thebhs.org/publications/the-herpetological-bulletin/issue-number-152-summer-2020-1/3101-09-a-caution-on-handling-i-trachycephalus-venulosus-i-anura-hylidae-toxic-effects-of-skin-secretion-on-human-eyes/file

You may notice that the finger pads of this frog look green. That's because its bones are green! A characteristic feature of this species. Here is a photo (not mine) of a skeleton of one of these : https://www.pybio.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/t-ven31.jpg

A new paper on a Bolitoglossid showed up in my alerts today! 🥳

It is a one-pager and comes with a beautiful photo of a foraging arboreal salamander 😄

Found this Imantodes cenchoa sleeping on top of a leaf in Punta Laguna, Quintana Roo.

Here is a photo of where it was sleeping:

There are a few different snakes of the genus Imantodes in Yucatán. What sets this species apart is that the row of scales on its back consists of enlarged scales. Here is a closeup emphasizing that row of scales. The green arrow points at an enlarged mid-dorsal scale, the blue arrow at a regular scale.

In comparison, here is a photo from an Imantodes tenuissimus that I took back in 2009 in Mérida, Yucatán (with a less sharp camera), and a closeup of its mid-dorsal scales that does not show this enlargement.

One of my favorite frogs! Spent some time specifically looking for it. Managed to find two near Cobá, in Quintana Roo (in the Yucatán peninsula). This frog hides in holes in lime stone and tree trunks, and makes use of its flat head to block the entrance. This type of defense is known as phragmosis.

Some other shots:

Found this anole in Yucatan. I am not sure of its exact species - probably an Anolis sp..

Anoles often sleep at the tips of leaves and twigs. My guess is that this is a strategy to prevent nocturnal predators sneaking up on them through the branches without making its bed vibrate. When woken up they can quickly drop down.

Im noticing white chalky excretions in my tank but I'm not seeing any turds. Can the lizard still be blocked up or are they fine?

Found this little gal(?) In my bedroom all emaciated and sluggish, got her a heat pad, uv lamp and fattening it up with small crickets with calcium. Think it's a New Mexican Whiptail but not sure. Looks kinda wrinkly. Is it ok?

Hi -

Wondering if someone know a reputable rankin dragon breeder.

I’m first time reptile enthusiast and looking to find good trustworthy breeders in the US.

Thanks

Found many of these frogs under a wet trash bag in a back yard in Mérida, Yucatán. I made use of a handheld flash with a remote trigger for lighting, and a Sigma 105 mm as my macro lens.

These frogs do not seem to match with any of the local frogs reported in Julian C. Lee's field guide to the amphibians and reptiles of the maya world.

From a reverse image search, I mostly found images of the green house frog Eleutherodactylus planirostris. Eleutherodactylus planirostris is native to Cuba and the Bahamas, and is often introduced with plants that come from green houses in those areas. These frogs go from tadpole to frog while still inside of the egg, which explains why the baby frogs are so small.

The visual aspect, the incredibly small baby frogs, and the fact that they were found in a back yard in the city with greenhouse plants, all lead me to conclude that it is likely Eleutherodactylus planirostris.