Vol. 32 (2012), No. 7

MinnesotaHerpetologicalSociety

July 2012 Volume 32

the newsletter of the

Number 7

C o n t e n t s

Speaker: Christopher A. Brochu on the Fossil History of CrocodiliansMay Speaker Recap: Rattlesnakes in New England

B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S

PresidentChristopher E Smith [email protected]

Vice PresidentDāv Kaufman [email protected]

Recording SecretaryEllen Heck [email protected]

Membership SecretaryHeather Clayton 612.886.7175 [email protected]

TreasurerNancy Haig [email protected]

Newsletter EditorChristopher Rueber [email protected]

Members at LargeJeff LeClere [email protected]

Jacob Mee [email protected]

Beth Girard [email protected]

Peter [email protected]

C O M M I T T E E S

AdoptionSarah Richard [email protected]

EducationJan Larson [email protected]

LibraryNancy Haig [email protected]

THE PURPOSE OF THE MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY IS TO

• Further the education of the membership and the general public in care and captive propagation of reptiles and amphibians;

• Educate the members and the general public in the ecological role of reptiles and amphibians;

• Promote the study and conservation of reptiles and amphibians.

TheMinnesotaHerpetologicalSocietyisanon-profit,tax-exemptorganiza-tion. Membership is open to all individuals with an interest in amphibians and reptiles. The Minnesota Herpetological Society Newsletter is published monthly to provide its members with information concerning the society’s activitiesandamediaforexchanginginformation,opinionsandresources.

GeneralMeetingsareheldatBorlaugHall,Room335ontheSt.PaulCam-pusoftheUniversityofMinnesota,onthefirstFridayofeachmonth(unlessthereisaholidayconflict).Themeetingstartsat7:00pmandlastsaboutthree hours. Please check the MHS Voice mail for changes in schedules or cancellations.

SUBMISSIONS TO THE NEWSLETTER

Ads or Notices must be submitted no later than the night of the General Meetingtobeincludedinthenextissue.Longerarticleswillbeprintedastimeandspaceallowsandshouldbeinelec-tronicfileformatifpossible.See inside back cover for ad rates. Submissions may be sent to:

The Minnesota Herpetological Society -or- [email protected]: Newsletter EditorC/O Bell Museum of Natural History10 Church St SEMinneapolis,MN55455-0104

Stay informed! Join us on our forums!And,youcanstillleaveusaVoice Mail:612.326.6516

SNAKE BITE EMERGENCY

HENNEPIN REGIONAL POISON CENTER 800-222-1222

©Copyright2012,MinnesotaHerpetologicalSociety.Exceptwherenoted,contentsmayberepro-ducedfornon-profit,non-commercialuseonly.Allmaterialmustbereproducedwithoutchange.Proper credit will be given including the author/photographer and the Minnesota Herpetological SocietyNewsletterciting:volume,numberanddate.

C/OBellMuseumofNaturalHistory,10ChurchStreetSoutheast,Minneapolis,Minnesota,55455-0104

July 2012 Volume 32 Number 7

Cover Photo Credit: Bonnie ClineAbout.com - Timber Rattlesnake at the Pitts-

burgh Zoo.

The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society July 2012 Volume 32 Number 7

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April General Meeting Presentation - Friday, July 13st - Starting at 7 P.M.UniversityofMN-St.PaulCampus,BorlaugHall,Room335

Christopher A. Brochu will be presenting on...

The Fossil History of CrocodiliansAnd,incaseyoumissedtheJunegeneralmeeting,hereisarecapjustforyou!

Rattlesnakes in New England By Ellen Heck

ThespeakerforJunewasKevinMcCurley,speak-ing about rattlesnakes in New England and the threat they are currently encountering. He has also written several books on ball pythons as well as breeding them,aswellasre-ticulated pythons and albino water monitors.

New England has pop-ulations of several ven-omoussnakes,includ-ing timber rattlers and copperheads. They face the same threats as most wildlife from the encroachment of people – loss of habitat and being killed out of hand because most people view them as athreat.However,Kevinshowedseveralshotsofhimfree-handlingrattlesnakes(notsomethinghe does a lot and NOT something that is recom-mended)todemonstratethataslongasyoudon’t“push their buttons” they will not overreact by biting. Kevin feels he can read the signs of an animal’sbehaviorandgaugeitsmood,althoughhe points out the Steve Irwin could as well and it worksuntilitdoesn’t.However,hesaysthattheytend to be as interested in him as he is in them.

Ironically,oneoftheproblemsfacingthesnakesisthehumanrace’sabilitytocontrolforestfires.Normally,thesewillburnthroughanarea,clear-

ing out brush and smaller trees. This is impor-tant,aslikemostsnakes,theyneedplacestobask. Kevin spends time clearing trees around primedensites,toprovidebaskingareas.Theburned areas also tend to have more rodent

activity,whichinturnattractssnakes.

Rattlesnakes in New Hamp-shiretendtobemelanistic,although some show bits of yellow. Kevin has also seen several piebald specimens. Unfortunately,thesehavefallen victim to what appears to be a fungus infecting the snakes.Thisfungus,achryso-sporium,hasbeenseeninpygmy rattlesnakes in Florida as well as eastern massasauga insouthernIllinois.Itisfirstnoticeable in their faces and eyes as necrotic tissue. The fungusattackskeratin,which

snakes of course are covered with. Their skin and scalesliterallyrotoff.Asitprogresses,theeyesareaffected,theninternalorgans.Thesnakemayalso develop granulomatous dermatitis. Second-arybacterialinfections,suchaspneumonia,oc-cur as the snake’s immune system weakens.

The snakes shed almost constantly in an effort shedtheinfection.Astheylosetheireyesight,theyalsotendtoexhibitneuroticbehavior.Onespecimen panicked and went off a cliff. A snake maybeabletosurviveseveralyears;others,par-ticularlytheyoung,succumbwithinweeks.Thesnakestendtobaskexcessively,whichisaprob-


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lem if the snake in question is a gravid female. Itpreventstheeggsfromdevelopingcorrectly,resultinginslugs.Notjustrattlesnakesareaffect-ed;thefungushasalsobeenfoundinrat,waterand milk snakes as well.

It appears to affect the snakes while they are hibernat-ing. Kevin has observed snakes entering dens in the fall in perfect health and emerg-ing in the spring covered with sores. The im-mune system of a hibernating snake isnon-existent,which may be a factor. The fun-gus may die off at about 37 °F but since most dens remaininthe40’s,it is attacking the snakes the whole time. Kevin is currently tracking 2females,bothinfected with the fungus,whocan-not be allowed to hibernate.Iftheystart,theyareindangerofdy-ing. They were released in the spring with radio tracking devices. They will be collected in the fall,topreventtheirhibernating.

Some of the snakes appear to be infected with beauveriabassiana,anaturallyoccurringfungusthathasbeenmodifiedtobeusedasaninsec-ticide.Unfortunatelypartofitsmodificationmakes it resistant to UV radiation and tolerant of a wider temperature range.

Unfortunately,acceptanceoftheproblemandits possible causes has been slow. Although the snakesarebeingstudied,thereisatendencytoobserve,ratherthantopreserve,theanimals.

Their condition has been dismissed as rodent or birdbites,frostbiteorotherinjury.Withcasesbeing reported in more and more states however agencies are slowly rec-ognizingtheproblem.

Since it seems to be spread by sites rather than fromsnaketosnake,onestep would be to fumi-gate the dens after the snakes have emerged. This would allow the sites to be treated and aired before the snakes return in the fall to hibernate. This can also be done to densthatarenowempty,in the hope that with cap-tivebreeding,snakescanbe reintroduced to the sites. Providing den sites and re-establishing their habitat needs to be done as well.

Newenglandreptile.com/nerd

As the Board Meeting was postponed until July, there are no meeting minutes.


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Minnesota Herpetological Society– 2011 Volunteer Awards

Stats: 118 volunteers donated 4,352hours of time! 85 individuals donated ≥ 10 hoursof time! We would thank to thank ALL ofthose that volunteered in 2011! A special thank you and gift goesto those donating 10 or more hoursof time (listed to the right)! If youhave not already done so, pleasepickup your volunteer award at thegeneral meeting. Sincerely, MHS Board of Directors


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Treasurer’s Report for May 2012Prepared by Nancy Haig

Beginning Balance $14,952.25

Income:Membership $295.00

Raffle $57.75

Adoption $105.00

RodentSales $416.00

Hands-On Donations $10.00

Total Income $883.75

Expense:Newsletter $261.35

Program $50.00

Adopt/Vet $180.00

RodentCost $568.35

Total Expense $1,059.70

Cash Increase/Decrease -$175.95

Ending Balance $14,776.30

Placement of cash holdings CheckingAccount $14,776.30

TCF/Paypal $811.37

Paypal $102.28

Cashonhand $175.00

Total $15,864.95

June Adoption ReportPostedbySarahRichard,EditedbyChrisRueber

TwoRed-EaredSliders,two3-toedBoxTurtles,aRussianTortoise,aTigerSalamander,aSavannahMonitor,aLeopardGecko,fourBeardedDragons,aRatsnake,twpCommonBoas,aAlbinoBurmese

Python(6’),aCornsnake,twoBallPythons

Upcoming Hands-on Event Schedule

LookingtomeetotherMHSmembers?Helpassist the society achieve it’s goals of educating thepublic?Orjusthaveagoodtimeshowingoffyourherps?Here’stheperfectopportunity!

Here’s the deal-Bringyourherp(s)tooneoftheshowslistedabove,andtalkaboutthem.That’sit!Youdon’thavetobeanexpert,you’renot giving speeches. Most of the time you will findthatpeoplearemorethanopentohearingabout our misrepresented critters.

Sound fun? Great! Therearejustafewrequire-ments: Bring only healthy animals. Make sure youknowthebasicsaboutyouranimal;Whattheyeat,howlongtheylive,adultsize,cageneeds.Thereisnosizelimitsaslongasthehandlercancomfortablykeepcontrol.Wedonot let viewers pat them on the head and do not allow them to directly hold the animal. If theanimalsareveryyoung,displayinacageis recommended. Children may participate as long as they have adult supervision.

July 20 and 21 Hastings Rivertown Days

Contact: Jan Larson 507-263-4391 [email protected]

Minnesota Herpetological Society Membership ApplicationNew

Renewal

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Type

Check #

Active Memberships: Sustainin ($60/year)Contributing ($40/year)Basic ($20/year)Printed Newsletter($5/yearplusmembership)

Corresponding Memberships: Commercial ($25/year,2businesscardads/year)

Requiredcheckinfo.DriversLic# State DOB

Please enclose the proper payment with your application. Make checks payable to MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY.Membership is for 12 months from the date of approval. A receipt will be sent only upon request.Mail To: Minnesota Herpetological Society, C/OBELLMUSEUMOFNATURALHISTORY,10ChurchSt.SE,Minneapolis,MN55455Please allow 6-8 weeks for processing.

Name

Address

City,State,Zip

PhoneEmailListinMHSDirectory?YesNoContactinformationonly?YesNo

Herp related interests

Advertising Policies

MHS Ad Policy: The MHS assumes NO RESPON-SIBILITYregardingthehealthorlegalityofanyanimal,orthequalityorlegalityofanyproductorservice advertised in the MHS Newsletter. Any ad mayberejectedatthediscretionoftheNewsletterEditor.Duetospacelimitations,unpaidandcom-plimentaryadvertisementsaresubjecttooccasionalomission.

Classified Ads: All active members are allowed a classifiedad,runfreeofchargeasspacepermits.Adsmayberunthree(3)consecutivemonths,afterwhich time they may be resubmitted.

Submissions: All advertisements should be submitted to the MHS Membership Secretary at the general meeting or mailed to: Minnesota Herpetological Society, C/O Bell Museum of Natural History. 10 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455. Deadline is the night of the General Meeting for inclusion in thenextnewsletter.Makecheckspayableto:Min-nesota Herpetological Society.

Advertising Costs

Size Cost BusinessCardSized $5/monthor$55/year*1/4Page $10/monthor$110/year*1/2Page $20/monthor$220/year*FullPage $40/monthor$440/year*

For pick-up at monthly meetings only. Orders may be placed the following ways

1. At the meeting for the following Month2. Online at http://mnherpsoc.com/content/rodent-orders3. Calling the MHS voicemail: 612.326.6516

OrdersMUSTbeplaced10DAYSINADVANCE of the date of meeting in order to guarantee availability.

MICE WEIGHT PRICE Pinkies 2-3grams $7/dzFuzzies 5-7grams $7/dzHoppers 8-11grams $8/dzWeanlings 12-15grams $9/dzAdults 25-30grams $10/dzJumboAdult 45+grams $14/dz

RATS WEIGHT PRICE SmallAdults 50-60grams $18/dzMedAdults 125-150grams $24/dzLargeAdults 200-240grams $30/dzJumbo 250-350grams $36/dz

Rodents! Order online!Did you know you can

order online? By phone? See below!

NextMeeting:

Friday - July 13th - 7:00 pmRoom335BorlaugHall,U of M St. Paul Campus

MHS Voice Mail:612.326.6516

MHS Web Page:www.mnherpsoc.com

MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETYC/OBELLMUSEUMOFNATURALHISTORY10 CHURCH ST SEMINNNEAPOLIS,MN55455-0104

This newsletter is printed on recycled paper

Vol. 32 (2012), No. 7

Documents

Transcript of Vol. 32 (2012), No. 7