Herpetology and Me

The Inside Story: Reptile ownership often begins with a baby Green Iguana

Sunday, January 27, 2019

Frozen iguanas fall out of trees in Florida




The cold is causing frozen iguanas to fall from trees in Florida

   http://cnn.it/2Ec1Ypk

January 5, 2018












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Frozen iguanas fall out of trees in Florida


(CNN)There's an iguanocalypse in Florida, or at least that's what it looks like judging from the photos worried Floridians are posting all over social media.

According to the park's Facebook page, the turtles are being cared for in warm kiddie pools while the cold snap passes.



Because of the cold temperatures sweeping the nation, iguanas are dropping out of trees like overripe mangoes, littering the ground in an apparent state of rigor mortis.

One tiny detail, though: They're probably not dead. They are, however, literally frozen.

Emily Maple, the reptile keeper at the Palm Beach County Zoo, told CNN affiliate WPEC the cold-blooded animals get "cold stunned" -- that is, they basically freeze -- if the temperature gets below 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

"If it's just for a day or two they'll just get to where they're completely frozen in time. They're still able to breathe. They're still able to do bodily functions just very slow," said Maple.

See, at first you probably felt sorry for them, didn't you? But what they're doing is kind of aspirational: When things start to go sideways, literally shut down your body, freak some stranger out by keeling over near their pool, and wait it out in a state of suspended animation. Just, you know. don't actually die.

The iguanas aren't the only ones noping out of the cold weather.

Sea turtles near the Padre Island National Seashore near Corpus Christi, Texas, had to be brought inside to avoid what the National Park Service is calling a "sea turtle cold stunning event due to extremely low temperatures."



 



Link: http://cnn.it/2Ec1Ypk  









Saturday, January 26, 2019

Spiny Taileats a red flower

Image result for ctenosaur

Tiger-leg Monkey Frog

  
  Tiger-leg Monkey Frog  —














Iguanas reintroduced to Galapagos island after 200 years



Conolophus subcristatus galapagos national park land iguanas island conservation
The Land Iguanas (Conolophus subcristatus) were introduced to the coastal regions Puerto Nuevo and Bucanero of Santiago Island



Iguanas reintroduced to Galapagos island after 200 years 


 
Emily Dixon, CNN • Updated 8th January 2019






Un gran noticia para #Galápagos, para el #Ecuador y el mundo.
Gracias a nuestros aliados estratégicos @NoExtinctions
Parque Galápagos @parquegalapagos
[BOLETÍN] Iguanas terrestres ayudarán a la restauración ecológica de la isla Santiago.
Leer más    http://ow.ly/3R1g30ndQID 


(CNN) — The last person to officially record seeing a land iguana on Santiago Island in the Galapagos was Charles Darwin in 1835. After that, iguanas were erased from the island, wiped out by invasive predators like the feral pig.
But now, 184 years later, the lizards have made a return, thanks to an initiative by the Galapagos National Park authority. More than 1,400 land iguanas, scientific name Conolophus subcristatus, were taken from the neighboring North Seymour Island and released on Santiago Island between January 3 and 4. 


They were introduced to the coastal regions Puerto Nuevo and Bucanero, authorities said in a statement, which have ecosystems that closely mimic their former home. 
The new iguanas needn't fear their old nemeses: the last feral pig was eradicated on Santiago Island in 2000 as part of the Galapagos Conservancy's Project Isabela, and the island was proclaimed officially pig-free in 2004.

On Twitter, Galápagos National Park Director Jorge Carrión called the reintroduction of the iguanas "great news for #Galápagos, for #Ecuador and the world."
More than 1,000 iguanas were relocated from the Galapagos' North Seymour Island by the national park authority.

More than 1,000 iguanas were relocated from the Galapagos' North Seymour Island by the national park authority.
Facebook/parquegalapagos

According to the Galapagos Conservation Trust, the land iguana population of the archipelago suffered a significant decline after the introduction of species like cats, rats and dogs, as well as the predatory feral pig. These species prey on young iguanas and eggs -- though some cats have targeted adult iguanas up to four years old, says the trust -- and also compete with the lizards for food. 
The reintroduction initiative, carried out alongside New Zealand's Massey University, was developed in response to the depletion of vegetation like the cactus on North Seymour Island, threatening the some 5,000 iguanas' food source. 
Some iguanas have remained on North Seymour Island to avoid compromising its existing vegetation. Galapagos ecosystems director Danny Rueda explained: "The land iguana is a herbivore that helps ecosystems by dispersing seeds and maintaining open areas free from vegetation." 
Authorities will continue to monitor the Santiago Island iguanas, determining whether they're creating nests and finding sufficient food. They'll also keep a close eye on newer species like rodents and ants to prevent them disturbing the iguanas' nests.
 

Threatened Galápagos Land Iguanas Return to Santiago Island En-Masse After 180-Year Absence

Reintroduction of Galápagos Land Iguanas helps restore Santiago Island’s ecological health and protect this important population.

Press Release, 8 January 2019

Contact: Sally Esposito, Island Conservation, Director of Marketing & Communications, +1 706-969-2783, sally.esposito@islandconservation.org
Resources: photos, interviews

The Directorate of Galápagos National Park (Dirección del Parque Nacional Galápagos – DPNG) and the international nonprofit organization Island Conservation reintroduced 1,436 Galápagos Land Iguanas (Conolophus subcristatus) to Santiago Island on the 4th January 2019. The partners are reintroducing the land iguanas in an effort to restore the island’s ecological health and to provide the opportunity for this iguana species to thrive.
The DNPG and Island Conservation captured the land iguanas in late 2018, and further captures are underway for additional releases. The DNPG and Massey University from New Zealand will begin monitoring the reintroduced iguana population in February.
Karl Campbell, Island Conservation’s South America Regional Director stated:
This is the largest iguana population ever translocated for a reintroduction and sees critical ecosystem processes like seed dispersal reinitiated for the first time in 180 years.”

 Conolophus subcristatus galapagos national park land iguanas island conservation
 Some iguanas have remained on North Seymour Island to avoid compromising its existing vegetation


Charles Darwin was the second-last person to record land iguanas alive on Santiago Island in 1835, with Abel du Petit-Thouars being the last in 1838. Introduced feral pigs wiped out the land iguana population. When the California Academy of Sciences visited in 1903 they found only skeletal remains.

Santiago Island (58,465 ha / 144,470 acres) was freed of feral pigs in 2000, and feral goats and donkeys in 2005.

Santiago Island is the largest island worldwide to be freed of feral pigs, goats and donkeys, setting the stage for the next phase of island restoration activities like returning locally extinct species.

Other large scale restoration efforts are planned for other islands in the Galápagos. Funding contingent, in 2020 invasive predators will be eradicated from Floreana Island, protecting 55 endangered species and allowing for the reintroduction of 13 locally extinct species, including the Endangered Floreana Mockingbird and Floreana Giant Tortoise.


About Island Conservation

Island Conservation prevents extinctions by removing invasive species from islands. To date, we have successfully restored 63 islands worldwide, benefiting 1173 populations of 468 species and subspecies. Working together with local communities, government management agencies, and conservation organizations, we select islands that have the greatest potential for preventing the extinction of globally threatened species.
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Island Conservation


About Island Conservation

Island Conservation prevents extinctions by removing invasive species from islands. To date, we have successfully restored 63 islands worldwide, benefiting 1173 populations of 468 species and subspecies. Working together with local communities, government management agencies, and conservation organizations, we select islands that have the greatest potential for preventing the extinction of globally threatened species.

Jorge Carrión Tacuri

@JcarrionTacuri


Director Parque Nacional Galápagos, el desarrollo armónico entre sociedad y naturaleza es posible, aprovechando de forma racional los recursos de Galápagos.

Parque Nacional Galápagos

Joined August 2015






Ctenosaur (Ctenosuara similis) Images



Ctenosaur

(Ctenosuara similis)






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Ctenosaur (Ctenosuara similis), Costa Rica





Link: http://www.1-costaricalink.com/costa_rica_fauna/ctenosaur.htm