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 […]

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

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

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,

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

Snake Fungal Disease was first confirmed in a captive rat snake in 2006 and has since been identified in seven species of wild snakes across the Eastern and Midwest United States. The disease is thought to be caused by the fungus Ophidiomyces (formerly Chrysosporium) ophiodiicola, though this is not yet the definitive cause of SFD.

Dr. Stephen Secor, a biology professor at the University of Alabama who specializes in the physiology and digestion of large constricting snakes, was approached by Discovery Channel producers to serve as a scientific adviser for “Eaten Alive.” This program, part of the channel’s Shock and Awe programming, has faced widespread media ridicule for its absurdity

A clinical study conducted in Nepal at three medical facilities demonstrated that a simple DNA swab on fang marks left on people bitten by snakes correctly identified the species of snake 100 percent of the time. The study, presented at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene’s (ASTMH) annual meeting, determined that if the

The Kansas Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Commission faces a pivotal decision regarding the redbelly snake (Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata). State wildlife and parks secretary Robin Jennison has urged the commission to vote against scientific recommendations to maintain the snake’s threatened listing under the Kansas Endangered Species Act. The Kansas Threatened and Endangered Species task committee had

When Australians discover snakes in their homes or workplaces, they often contact a snake catcher to safely remove the reptile. A recent call from a business in Newcastle resulted in a remarkable find. The snake catcher, Geoff Delooze, a subcontractor for Newcastle and Hunter Animal Control, was astonished when he retrieved a venomous red-bellied black