Three Louisiana pine snakes (Pituophis ruthveni), one of the nation’s rarest snake species, have been released into Kisatchie National Forest. This brings the total number of pine snakes released in the area over the past two years to 30. Native only to Louisiana and Texas, the snake was listed as a candidate for Endangered Species […]
Louisiana Pine Snake Conservation Update Read More »
Mark ‘Mack’ Wolford, a 44-year-old venomous snake-handling minister of Full Gospel Apostolic House of the Lord Jesus in Matoaka, West Virginia, died after being bitten by a timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus). The incident occurred around 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 27, while Wolford was presiding over a service in Panther State Forest. He was taken
Snake Handling Preacher Dies After Timber Rattlesnake Bite During Church Service Read More »
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service announced its support for the first significant conservation assessment of Asian snakes. This assessment, released on June 19, 2012 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), adds 348 snake species native to China and Southeast Asia to the IUCN Red List. According to a USFWS press
IUCN Red List Update and Conservation Efforts for Asian Snakes Read More »
In what can only be described as overwhelming opposition to a proposed exotic animal ban in Ohio last Tuesday, the Senate Agriculture, Environment & Natural Resources Committee entertained testimony for 6 hours from a gallery where opponents outnumbered proponents by more than 15-1. As expected the Committee made some minor concessions passing a Committee Substitute
Ohio Exotic Animal Ban Faces Overwhelming Opposition in Senate Hearing Read More »
The city of West Fargo, North Dakota voted on July 16 to uphold its local ordinance banning constricting snakes and other exotic animals. This decision came after resident Robert Butts III requested a change to allow constricting snakes as pets within the city. Butts III owns an 8-foot Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) and a
West Fargo Upholds Ban on Constricting Snakes After Resident’s Appeal Read More »
Four men camping in Western Maryland over the summer pleaded guilty to possessing or destroying a timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) in the state’s Green Ridge State Forest in Allegany County. The judge fined each man $500, with $300 suspended for destroying the rattlesnake. Additional fines were levied for other charges, and their guilty pleas will
Maryland Campers Plead Guilty to Killing Protected Timber Rattlesnake Read More »
The fungal disease that has decimated wild populations of venomous and non-venomous snakes across the midwestern and eastern United States has been formally identified as Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola. While it had been speculated that O. ophidiodiicola was the cause, it now has been confirmed. The first confirmed instance of the disease appeared in a captive rat
Snake Fungal Disease Identified and Its Impact on Ecosystems Read More »
National Recreation officials in the Santa Monica Mountains have discovered and seized 60 snake traps in Decker Canyon. Poachers are targeting native species, including California king snakes, rosy boa constrictors, and rattlesnakes, for illegal black market sales. Collecting these snakes from national parkland is prohibited, and the captured animals often carry parasites and diseases. The
Snake Poaching Crisis in Santa Monica Mountains Read More »
Imagine you are out on a warm, breezy spring afternoon, climbing through dense chaparral deep in the Los Padres National Forest in California. You’ve been searching for hours through rocks and crevices, trying to find the elusive California mountain kingsnake (Lampropeltis zonata), when all of a sudden you hear that loud characteristic sound, tsssst, tsssssst,
A Field Encounter and Guide to North American Rattlesnakes Read More »
Every year, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission performs snake surveys in the state in an effort to find southern hognose snakes (Heterodon simus), short-tailed snake (Lampropeltis extenuata), Florida pine snakes (Pituophis melanoleucus mugitus), and eastern diamondback rattlesnakes (Crotalus adamanteus). In 2014, researchers with the state’s upland snake survey didn’t find a single southern hognose
Florida Snake Surveys and Reporting Guidelines Read More »
