Vol. 18 (1998), No. 12

MHS Newsletter Volume J 8 Number J 2

NEWS, NOTES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Upcoming Meeting Highlights The Vice-President's Report By Barb Buzicky

January Program: "Velvet Tails of Minnesota Blufflands."

Speaker: Dr. Dan Keyler

Gosh, it's so hard to believe that another year has passed by much less into 1999. I hope that everyone's New Year brings them what they want Our first speaker of the New Year will be Dan Keyler, one of our own MHS members. He will talk about the natural history and current population status of the timber rattlesnake in Minnesota. The presentation will be embellished by his flamboyant style along with many colorful slides to convey the beauty of this animal along with the habitat where this snake is usually found.

He will focus on information concerning Minnesota species along with comparing them to the national status of other species. Further, he will provide us with the most current research results from Minnesota species along with national findings.

There are about twenty-seven species of rattlesnakes, genus of the Crotalidae, and they can be found in many habitats. They are found more commonly in areas outside forest regions, deserts both rocky and sandy, and prairies. They are distinctive due to the noise they make with their rattling tails. The head is covered with small scales, and the orbital areas have larger scales. They prey on small mammals and ground birds.

This is just a brief description of these animals. To hear more details, come to the January meeting. See your there!!!!

BAB

Date: January 8, 1998 Location: Borlaug Hall, Room 335, U of M. St. Paul Campus 7:00pm

Requests for Funding

Know of an organization or program that needs funding? The MHS Board of Directors is reviewing the allocation of donation funds for this year. We are looking for organizations and projects that are herp-related in the areas of conservation, education or research Contact a Board member if you have a suggestion or send a request with a summary of the groups planned activity and history to our mailing address:

The Minnesota Herpetological Society Bell Museum of Natural History 10 Church St. SE. Minneapolis,MN,55455

Volunteers Needed

Once again, Papa John's Pizza is willing to donate funds to any organization that volunteers to do pizza duty at the Mariucci Arena. Our dates are Jan. 16 and Feb 13, from 5:45- 9 ish p.m. Contact Marilyn Blasus (612) 925-4237 if you are interested in helping out.

End of the Year Reports

This is a reminder to all Chairpersons and Special Project people that their end of the year reports to the Board of Directors are coming due. Start compiling your lists of volunteer hours, activities, inventory and accounts. The reports should be submitted no later than the January /February Board Meetings. A brief summary for the Newsletter would also be appreciated.

Attention Members

The Annual Meeting of the Minnesota Herpetological Society will be held March 5, 1999.

As part of the meeting we will be electing the new Board of Directors. If you would like to run for a position or nominate someone else, please contact Bruce Haig, (612) 434- 8684.

The positions are: President Vice President Recording Secretary Membership Secretary Treasurer Newsletter Editor

And 4 pOSitions for Member at Large

If you are unsure of the duties required of a position, please feel free to contact that member of the board and ask questions. The MHS is an informal organization made up of volunteers that donate their time and varying levels of experience to help maintain the society functions. If you want to get further involved with the society now is the time. You might just enjoy it!

MHS Newsletter Volume 18 Number 12

NEWS, NOTES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Presidential Pabulum By George Richard - MRS President

Well by the time most of you read this we will be well into the holiday season (despite weather to the contrary) and hopefully everyone will be enjoying the best of the season. The MHS holiday party was a great get together with great food, good conversation, lots of laughs and a great speaker. I'd like to thank Gordon Merck who just when it looked like there would . be no banquet stepped forward, headed the committee and found an excellent place for the banquet. I'm sure every one who attended had a great time.

This month's column is about the office of President; it's duties, responsibilities and rewards. It's written to give anyone that is considering running for a board position, an idea of what I feel this position entails.

The President of the MHS is an "official" spokesperson for the organization, which means, as I understand it, representing the position, ethics, aims and goals of the society to the public. The President is responsible for some obvious functions like chairing the general and board meetings, (including trying to get them started, keeping them on track, civil, courteous and finished in a reasonable length of time) and forming committees and coordinating between committees and the board.

The President is also responsible (in my view) for developing a long term plan or vision for the growth and preservation of the society and building a consensus within the society to accomplish that plan. The President is also both a cheerleader when things go right and a whip when things don't.

Perhaps one of the most difficult parts of being President is you do not make policy or even solely interpret it (as a matter of fact you don't even vote at board meetings). Rather the President presides at board meetings where the policy is decided and the board attempts to determine the needs and desires of the entire society; decide upon a course on action; and act in a timely manner. The president also gets to be a fireman of sorts, dealing with the all the different issues and opinions that arise in a group of 300+ very diverse individuals.

Those are all the negatives and as I look at them they're not too bad, challenges would be a better description The benefits of the MHS presidency are many (the Helicopter, Band, Private Limo, Interns, etc.) but tile best thing I've found is that it can be hectic, busy, nerve racking, just plain fun and very rewarding.

To serve on the MHS board or run for an office, you don't have to be a long time member or a Herp God, you just have to be willing to donate some of your time and talents to a group you believe in.

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The Board I've had the pleasure of serving with is without a doubt the best group I have ever worked with and our membership is fantastic in their support and participation. If you want to consider this or any other board position I would offer two small pieces of advice first read the MHS constitution and two, take a chance, it's worth it.

It's my personal view that if you want to succeed at something, look at what has worked before. Since I sometimes tend to artificially inflate my own position I tried to approach the MHS presidency using past presidents as my guide. I decided on a philosophy that's cross between Teddy Roosevelt and Harry Truman. If s a bully pulpit but the president is only a temporary office holder, the society belongs to its members.

Consider it. GWR

Raffle Donors Items for the December raffle were donated by:

The Bell Museum of Natural History Fred and Liz Bosman Living Museum of Natural History- Lanesboro, MN MHS Adoption Committee Marilyn Blasus


GENERAL MEETING REVIEW Sexing Galapagos Tortoises Speaker: Wayne Hill

Wayne Hill is the president of the Central Florida Herpetological Society and a director of the National Reptile Breeder's Symposiwn held each August in Orlando.

Tortoises can be 10 to 15 years old before they show definitive external sexual differences. This makes it impossible for a tortoise breeder to guarantee the sex of the neonate tortoises or requires them to raise the young for many years before selling them. Wayne is looking for a low-cost effective means of sexing immature tortoises for selling and breeding purposes.

He heard that Dave Rostral at the University of Georgia was using lamproscopy to sex desert tortoises. Although inserting a stiff probe into the body of a tortoise is neither cheap nor minimally invasive, Wayne thought it would be a good way to verify the accuracy of an alternative method. Wayne works with Galapagos tortoises and wanted to see if measuring the relative estrogen and testosterone levels in blood samples would be a dependable indicator of sex.

He talked with Eliot Jacobson at the University of Florida and Eliot agreed that the technology exists but the only place you would be able to get a large enough sample of tortoises would be the Galapagos islands. Howard Snell, a professor of biology at the University of New Mexico, said that he could supply all the tortoises Wayne needed at the Darwin Station on Academy Bay. All Wayne had to do was get the necessary funding and CITES permits. He had to get the same permit to for each of the 300 blood samples they planned to take back to Florida as they would need to bring back the whole animals. The

National Reptile Breeders Association provided the funding and Wayne, Dave, Eliot, and Joe Flanigan, a veterinarian, flew down to the islands in October of this year.

At the Darwin Station they found an ideal situation with young Hood Island saddleback tortoises born at the station being raised in large pens, separated by the year of their birth. This should allow them to determine at what age the blood tests become accurate, if they work at all. The analysis of the samples taken was not yet available when Wayne spoke with us. They took samples from the offspring born in 1995,1996, 1997 and 1998.

Eliot and Joe bled 180 tortoises in the two days they had to take the blood samples. The taking of each sample was timed with a stop watch to verify that less than 5 minutes elapsed between the time each tortoise was picked up and the time the sample was taken. If any more time elapsed or the sample taken was less than 1.5 Cc, it had to be discarded because as soon as the tortoises were disturbed, they began to release a hormone into their blood that the tests would read as testosterone. All of the good blood samples were placed in liquid nitrogen within 15 minutes of being taken to prevent deterioration. Eliot used a "butterfly needle" to pierce the jugular vein in the neck and draw blood while Joe preferred to bend a hypodermic needle about 30° and guide it in with his thwnb. If they pierced the other side of the jugular vein, a hematoma resulted but was absorbed within a week. They used a combination of 10% Baytril and Lidocane to prevent infection and minimize pain.

It was only after they got there that one of the team members remembered an article he'd read

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By Bruce Haig Recording Secretary

that said Galapagos tortoises are allergic to Baytril. They didn't have any alternative with them so they decided to use it anyway. They found that lout of 40 tortoises foamed at the mouth after contacting it but all were back on their food the next day and did not appear to suffer any long lasting results.

Of the 180 tortoises that had blood samples taken, only 59 were examined with the larnproscope due to the severe qualifications for samples. A ridged tube was inserted into the body cavity through a slit made with a scalpel. If the ovaries were seen, it was clearly it female. If not, they either found the male sex organs or classified the animal as undetermined. After the tube was withdrawn, the hole was closed with the surgical equivalent of super glue.

The sex of Galapagos tortoises is determined by the temperature at which the eggs are incubated during a crucial period of the embryo's development. They use temperatures of 28° C to produce males and 29S C for females. This narrow difference seems to be enough to yield good results.

When the Hood Island tortoise breeding project was started, there were only 3.10 left in the wild. Until recently, all the Hood Island tortoises in the wild had been bred at the station and released after 5 years. There are now over 500 captive born animals that have been released and some breeding is occurring in the wild.

They are trying to do the same thing for land iguanas whose populations have been devastated by people and the cats, dogs, and rats they bring with them. The success of this breeding project has yet to be determined.


THE ROOT RIVER NATURALIST

"Super Cool"

The fields and woodlands, still so busy with life just a few short weeks ago, suddenly seem strangely desolate, quiet and forlorn. Tattered trees, their spectacular riot of colorful leaves almost completely blown away, only bare-boned sentinels to the passing of a season. These last feeble days of fall, whether somber gray or bright and fair, are surely and swiftly receding away into our winter. Indeed, here in Minnesota, that all too familiar coldness in the wind has already smashed any lingering hopes for a final taste of autwnn's glow.

Gone too are our natural "tourists," the warblers, flycatchers, hummingbirds and swallows which have so brightened up our days. Like many of their feathered brethren, these birds simply prefer life in perpetual endless summer and have long since fled south to escape the impending cold and gloom. The few birds which do remain, more hardy or perhaps less fickle than their avian cousins, go silently about their business. Squirrels, opossums and raccoons stay much later in their beds, content to sleep the days away while awaiting better weather.

Far less mobile creatures have largely disappeared from sight as well. Perhaps most conspicuous by their absence are the so called coldbloods or 1/ ectotherms/' animals which depend directly upon the environment as the only source of their body heat. For these species exposure to freezing temperatures almost invariably soon proves fatal. Naturally, completely frostfree winter den sites are vitally important to the long-term survival of most cold-blooded

animals. Aquatic turtles, frogs and some snakes over-winter at the bottom of lakes, rivers or streams in a true state of suspended animation most commonly known as hibernation. Other, more terrestrial amphibians and reptiles spend their winter dormancy periods well below the frost line in underground burrows, fissures and cavities.

At least some Minnesota reptiles and amphibians, however, exhibit a remarkably innovative evolutionary adaptation for coping with winter's cold. Gray Treefrogs, for example, make absolutely no effort to penetrate below the frost line and instead over-winter barely hidden under fallen leaves, rocks and other scattered bits of ground cover. There, in a biological process known as /I super-cooIing," these relatively small frogs partially freeze while hibernating the winter away under an insulating blanket of snow. Accumulated, naturally produced glycerol is circulated throughout the bloodstream, where it functions as anti-freeze to protect both the internal organs and individual celIs from freezing and dehydration. Tiny ice crystals do form in the surrounding body tissues, however, and well over half of all bodily fluids may be frozen while these frogs are in the depths of their winter hibernation. Respiration, heartbeat, and brain activity cease completely during this period as well. With the onset of spring, warming temperatures trigger a resumption of normal bodily functions as the frogs literally thaw out of their long winter's sleep.

Found throughout virtually all of Minnesota, Gray Treefrogs are extremely common and widespread inhabitants of Fillmore

4

By John Levell

County and other southeastern portions of the state. As their common name implies, these small frogs normally spend the majority of their active adult lives living in trees where they feed on a variety of insects and other small invertebrates. Adaptations to this arboreal life-style include" suctioncup" tips on the fingers and toes, which allow treefrogs to transverse smooth vertical walls and even windowpanes with ease. An uncanny ability to rapidly change color from mottled gray to green, is likewise advantageous for these tree dwelling animals. Frequent observation of green phase Gray Treefrogs, however, has resulted in the animals sometimes being erroneously called Green Treefrogs, which is the common name of still another closely related North American species.

Complicating the issue yet further, what is commonly known as the Gray Treefrog, rather than being a single clearly definable animal, is in reality two remarkably similar loo~a-like species. Although recognized as distinct as far back as 1880 by the famous North American naturalist Edward Drinker Cope, both Gray Treefrogs were considered a single species by most modern authorities until research during the early 1960's conclusively proved otherwise. Not surprisingly, records of both species, now known as the Gray Treefrog and Cope's Gray Treefrog respectively, have consistently been lumped together producing an exceeding complex mass of composite data virtually impossible to adequately sort out. In still another frustrating twist of fate, both species often occur in close proximity to one another and sometimes share breeding sites in many portions of their range including right here in Minnesota.


THE ROOT RIVER NATURALIST

Although subtle differences in size, coloration, and voice do exist, an exact determination of which of these treefrog species is actually which is usually only possible via sophisticated DNA analysis. Cope's Gray Treefrog, for instance, has the single paired chromosome strand typically associated with most normal animals. The Gray Treefrog, on the other hand, has double the normal compliment of chromosomes. While still somewhat poorly understood, the phenomenon of extra chromosome organisms is believed to be caused by the hybridization of two different species at some point in the geologic past. The interwoven life histories of these two closely related frogs is a most fascinating subject indeed.

John Levell is the nati/ralist for the Living Musellm of Natural Histon; in Lanesboro, MN. This article was reprinted with liis penllissioll from tlie Fillmore COllnti; JOllma/.

Gray Treefrog Facts

Class: Amphibia

Order: Anura (Frogs & Toads.)

Family: Hylidae (freefrogs)

Scientific Name: Hyla versicolor (Gray) and Hyla c1.rysoscelis (Cope's Gray)

Help a Hapless Herp

By John Levell

Average Adult Length: 1 to 2 inches.

Distribution: Widespread tluoughout eastern North America

Minnesota Distribution: Statewide

Despite the lack of snow the Holiday spirit has reached Minnesota and a large number of animals found new homes.

Adopted were:

2 Red eared sliders 1 Spotted Turtle 1 Box Turtle 2 African side neck turtles 1 Cornsnake 1 Bullsnake 1 Amazon Tree Boa 2 Burmese Pythons 1 Savannah Monitor

2 Iguanas were euthanized

Still needing homes:

14 Iguanas 2 Burmese Pythons (lg) 3 Common Boas 4 Box Turtles

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Sarah Richard would like to thank everyone who helped with fostering the animals last month while the family moved to their new house. Not having to move all those extra animals was really appreciated.


What Happens February 5, 1999?

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The Great White Snake Sale

& Photo Contest

Start getting ready for the photo contest. Rules and categories are the same as last year.

There are four categories:

Herps in a Natural Setting Herps with People Photographs by Professionals Miscellaneous styles

Entries must be:

4" x6" 5" x7" or 8"xl0" Mounted on cardboard no larger than 11"x14" .

Identified on the back with the entrants' name, address and category. Do not place names on the front of the prints.

Members may submit up to five prints.

Judging will be by popular ballot during the White Snake Sale.

Contact Michele Hewitt (935-5845) for more information on the photo contest and bring you entries to the January General Meeting.


M.H.S. BUSINESS

Holiday Banquet By Bruce Haig, Recording Secretary

The MHS hosted its annual Holiday Banquet on December 5, 1998 instead of holding a Board of Directors Meeting. About 42 members showed up at the Eagles 94 post in Stillwater, MN.

Wayne Hill, the Speaker for the December Meeting. gave an after dinner presentation on his adventures in the Ecuadorian rainforest. The description of his other than typical "guided tourist trip" was a great finish for the evening. The raffle winners this year were Derek Ulvenes- Budweiser Frog belt buckle and Mark Schmidtke- a framed print of Dan Keyler's rattlesnake drawing.

Once again we owe a big thanks to the members who participated in making the banquet a success. To those who came and helped set-up and clean up afterwards and to those who brought potluck contributions, Thank You very much and may you have a great holiday season.

To Wayne Hill, our speaker and his Minnesota hostesses, Ann Porwoll and Sally Lawrence, Barb Buzicky, who contributed the holiday music and to Jake Jacobsen who provided the slide projector and screen thanks for making the party run so smoothly.

And to Gordon Merck, who stepped in when the banquet was about to be cancelled, managed to find an excellent facility and attended to the various details that made the evening so enjoyable. Thanks for a Great Party!

Treasurer's Report

The Treasurer's Report was not submitted for November due to the Holiday Banquet

This card of appreciation was received from the Nature Conservancy for our donation in behalf of the

Weaver Dunes Preserve.

5f..t this time 0f'lftank§givittg,

we gratifuffg acknowfdge !l0UJ' contriDutions to our mission.

'We wisli !fou a

fUJPl!f fwfitfa!f season . .'

~~t' ~'~I~:O~

a.:n. 'Board oj 'Irustw amI Staff '11ie 9&ture COtrSelW1ICIf of 9>{jnlllSota

MHS Coming Events

Jan 8, 1999, MHS General Meeting. Speaker: Dr. Dan Keyler. Topic: Rattlesnake DNA Project. 335 Borlaug Hall, U of M, St. Paul Campus, 7:00p.m

Jan. 9, 1999 MHS Board of Directors Meeting. Student Union, U ofM, St. Paul Campus, 7:00p.m.

Feb 5, 1999, MHS General Meeting. THE GREAT WHITE SNAKE SALE 335 Borlaug Hall, U of M, St. Paul Campus, 7:00p.m

Mar 5, 1999, MHS General Meeting. Annual Meeting of the Minnesota Herpetological Society and Election of the Board of Directors. 335 Borlaug Hall, U of M, St. Paul Campus, 7:00p.m

Hands-On As of yet there are no Hands-On(s) scheduled for November or December.

Contact Sean Hewitt (612) 935-5845 for further information of Hands- On(s) events.

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MHS News/eller Volume 18 Number 12

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS

For Sale: Gassified ads are free to the membership. Deadline is the night of the general meeting to be included in the next newsletter. Contact Nancy Haig 434-8684 to leave ad or mail to: MHS Editor, Bell Museum of Natural History, 10 Church St., SEI rvtinneapolis, lvIN, 55455

1.0.0= male, 0.1.0"" female, 0.0.1 = WlSeXed, cb = captive bred, 000 = or best offer, += times run. ( ads are run only 3x unless requested to continue.)

Geckos: 1.2.0 Lined Day Gecko Pltelsuma liueata; 1.1.0 Peacock Day Gecko Phelsuma quadriocellata; 0.1.0 Gold Dust Day Gecko phelsuma laticauda; 0.1.0 Leopard Gecko Eublepltaris maculams; 1.0.0 Flying Gecko PhjcJlOzoon kultli; 1.0.0 Skunk Gecko Gekko vitlatus; 2.3.0 Micro land Geckos Stenodachjlus sp. $15 / each. 0.0.2 Chinese Tiger Gecko Golluirosaurus liclttenfelderi $90. 0.0.12 Panther Gecko Paroedura pictus $20-50. Heather C Matson (612) 871-7334 Email- gecko@blackhole.com ++

1.3 Brazilian Rainbow Boas, cb 4/13/98, $175., 1.1 subadult Queensland Carpet Pythons, one striped, one yellow, $225., 1.0 juvenile White-lipped Python, $300., Chelsea or Tyler DeArmond, 776-5216. Leave message. +++

Baby Corn Snakes, CB Aug. 98, red, black and buff varities. $10., Rubbermaid Stock Tank- 100 gal. $30., Galvanized Stock Tank- 100 gal. $30. Ann Porwo1l489-7853+++

1.0.0 Everglades Ratsnake cb Adult, bright orange, almost patternless $35., 0.1.0 Ball Python cb 98 voracious feeder $30. Call Mike Burpee 894-8722 +++

Frozen Rabbits - all sizes. Prices very reasonable- pinkies to adults. Jim Daluge (612) 295-2818

1.1 Albino Prairie Kingsnakes, Normal Pattern, proven adult breeding pair. Gorgeous light tan and cream colored. They have been bred in '97 & '98. $65. Ea. / 120 pr., 1.0 Striped Prairie Kingsnake. Adult, dark black stripes on greenish gray background. $45., 0.1 Black Pinesnake. '96 John Meltzer beauty, dark shiny black, $60., 0.1 Pacific Gopher Snake, Adult, striped with very pretty highlights, great feeder, $60., Ball Python 2 'Ii appears to be male, nice docile, feeds on hoppers. $60. Randy Blasus (612) 925-4237+++

Hatchling Corn Snakes. Amerethrystic $10., Normal $10., Snow $20., Ghost $25., also Adults, Normal $40., Snow $60., Breeding pair of Everglades Rat Snakes $100. Call Mark 481-0127+++

1.1 Blairs Grey-banded Kingsnakes cb '97; 1.1 Adult Breeding Sandfire Bearded Dragons cb '96; 0.0.9 juvenile Sandfire Bearded Dragons cb '98; 4.5 Veiled Chameleons cb '98; 1.0 Carpet Chameleons cb'98; 1.1 Uroplatlls sikorae, ch '97; 1.2 Uroplatlls sikorae, wc (97); 1.1 Uroplatlls lilleahls, wc (97); 0.2 Uroplahls hellkeli, ch '97; Albino Horned Frog cb '98; Common Snapping Turtle cb '98. Call or email for prices. Vern or Laurie (612) 428-4625. [email protected]

Boa & Cage. Common Boa, 6 yr old male. Cage- 8' x 4' x2' large front glass doors, will deliver nearby .$200/ boo Greg Nielsen (612) 479-6014 +

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Leopard Tortoise hatchlings $125.00 each. Call Jake at (507) 433-3006 +

Critter Cage- six section pressboard and plexiglass, hinged doors, 72'h x46'w x 28'd. four sections wifh lights. Call after 9:00am or leave message, must sell/ boo Lynn Peters 825-6767. +

Wanted: All the shed snake skins in fhe world. Needed for giveaways at educational programs contact Bob Duerr 541-0362

Freezer collection items for Bell Museum Contact John Moriarity (612) 476-4663

MHS Rodent Sales Mice Pinkies $7.00 dozen

Fuzzies $7.00 dozen Hoppers $8.00 d07.en Adults $10.00 dozen

Rats Sm. Pups $12.00 d7_ Lg Pups $18.00 dz. Juvn Rats. $24.00 dz. Adults $15.00 six

$30.00 dz.

For pick up at monthly meetings only. Orders must be placed at least one week in advance of date of meeting at which fhe frozen rodents are to be delivered. Place orders with Tina (Rat Girl) Cisewski at (612) 856-2865.

All proceeds go toward the operating costs of the society. The MHS is a completely volunteer run, non-profit organization.

Vol. 18 (1998), No. 12

Documents

Transcript of Vol. 18 (1998), No. 12