Philip🦎@EcotrakNI @EcotrakNI A bit of holiday herping at Meloneras #GranCanaria produced lots of sightings of the Gran Canaria Giant Lizard (Gallotia stehlini) - up to 80cm long.
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Gran Canaria Giant Lizard (Gallotia stehlini)
Philip🦎@EcotrakNI @EcotrakNI A bit of holiday herping at Meloneras #GranCanaria produced lots of sightings of the Gran Canaria Giant Lizard (Gallotia stehlini) - up to 80cm long.
Sunday, February 10, 2019
Charges recommended against Reptile Guy
News
Charges recommended against Reptile Guy
by Kevin Mills - Mission City Record
posted Jan 14, 2016
The BCSPCA has recommended animal cruelty charges against Mission’s The Reptile Guy Rescue and Education Centre, owned by Mike Hopcraft.
Marcie Moriarty, chief prevention and enforcement officer for the BCSPCA, confirmed the recommendation this week and said more charges may be sought.
“In virtually any case where we do seize animals, our role as the investigation agency is to prepare a report to Crown counsel. We have done that.” she explained.
The charges are being recommended under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
While one set of recommendations has already been presented, a second set will go in shortly. Moriarty said it could take several months before hearing back from Crown counsel.
Court documents – the search warrant and information to obtain a search warrant – were made public by an animal activist group and state that in June 2015, the SPCA received a complaint from an ex-employee at the reptile centre, including photographs of animals in distress.
The documents list a series of concerns following several inspections. The allegations include animals enclosed in unsanitary conditions, dead animals, underweight animals, animals without water, a fungal infection, overcrowding and animals in critical distress.
Other concerns included small enclosures, inappropriate lighting and heating, and exposed wiring.
According to the documentation, a mountain horned dragon was found dead, with its eyes eaten out by crickets.
Two bearded dragons were seized, “one was found to be emaciated and had four broken legs,” according to the court documents.
The dragon was euthanized. The second dragon was also emaciated, according to the allegations.
Moriarty said the BCSPCA is currently working with Hopcraft.
“There were some outstanding orders with respect to animals in his care and he has had a veterinarian out to examine the animals and he’s complying with the veterinarian’s recommendations.”
She added that unless the BCSPCA receives additional concerns, they will just be following up to ensure that animals are not in distress.
“Our role is to ensure, whether you are an individual or a business, whether you own a cat or an iguana, it is receiving care and remaining free from distress as the law requires.”
Hopcraft is declining to talk to the media.
But on his Facebook page he said he wanted to clear up some of the allegations.
On the claim there was a bearded dragon with four broken legs, Hopcraft wrote, “To my and my staff’s knowledge, there was no such bearded dragon and we are not sure where that information is coming from.”
He added there is a “huge difference between broken limbs and limbs affected by metabolic bone disease,” saying a vet may diagnose it as fractures depending on the severity of the condition.
As for the overcrowding concerns, Hopcraft said there is a “double standard.”
He wrote, “Are some of my animals over crowded and being kept in enclosures that are too small? For a long term situation, yes.
“Our isolation snakes are kept in smaller enclosures as they are not here long term. This is the same as the SPCA keeping adult cats in 2x2x2 cages or dogs in 6-8 foot cages. Is it ideal? No, but it is what is necessary in order to take in the animals and find them new homes.”
He also addresses more concerns in his post.
Two-Headed Boa Constrictor
Two-Headed Boa Constrictor
diagonalviewPublished: June 13, 2016
Two-Headed Boa Constrictor
Link: https://rumble.com/v30qaw-two-headed-boa-constrictor.html
Newborn Boa Constrictor Still In Amniotic Sac
Incredible Footage Shows Newborn Boa Constrictor Still In Amniotic Sac
[source: https://buff.ly/2SmuOPm ]
Link:
https://youtu.be/Y3iz3eEwvzg
Life
is so amazing! This is a boa constrictor still in its amniotic sac that
has just been born. Little guy hasn't even had its first breath yet. So
amazing to witness!
It might be strange to see a snake in a sack, rather than a soft-shell egg, like we are used to seeing them. But according to a page on Wikipedia, both reptiles (this includes snakes) and mammals are members of the clade "Amniotes", meaning that these animals possess amniotic sacs. They may also further protect the fetus with a shell, but this is not necessarily the case for all amniotes and many species have gained and then lost shells as they evolved.
Chickens also have amniotic sacs in their eggs. There is an incredibly thin membrane between the shell and the egg white, which is technically the amniotic sac.
Despite the ominous part of their name, boa constrictors are actually quite frequently kept as domestic pets. The give birth to live young, where the mother bite through the sac to release the young. Boas are among the 30% of snakes that do give birth to their young, as opposed to pythons, which are classified as being ovoviviparous, meaning that their eggs emerge inside of the body.
It might be strange to see a snake in a sack, rather than a soft-shell egg, like we are used to seeing them. But according to a page on Wikipedia, both reptiles (this includes snakes) and mammals are members of the clade "Amniotes", meaning that these animals possess amniotic sacs. They may also further protect the fetus with a shell, but this is not necessarily the case for all amniotes and many species have gained and then lost shells as they evolved.
Chickens also have amniotic sacs in their eggs. There is an incredibly thin membrane between the shell and the egg white, which is technically the amniotic sac.
Despite the ominous part of their name, boa constrictors are actually quite frequently kept as domestic pets. The give birth to live young, where the mother bite through the sac to release the young. Boas are among the 30% of snakes that do give birth to their young, as opposed to pythons, which are classified as being ovoviviparous, meaning that their eggs emerge inside of the body.
Boa
mothers carry their young for between 100 and 150 days. Boa litters
typically account about 25 baby boa constrictors, but can be as low as
10 snakes to an incredible count of 64.
Source: https://rumble.com/v5d495-just-born-boa-constrictor.html
Friday, February 8, 2019
Chlcken of the Trees - Common Green Iguana
Common Name: Green Iguana
Green iguanas have strong jaws with razor-sharp teeth and powerfull tails.
Fast Facts
- Description
- Arboreal; earthy green lizard with transverse bands on the body
and tail; short, powerful limbs; sharp claws; long, strong tail; large
flap of skin (dewlap) that hangs from throat and helps to regulate
temperature; prominent crest of soft spines along the middle of the neck
and back, beginning at base of the skull
Male: Males typically have brighter overall coloration than females - Size
- Male: 120-195 cm (4-6.5 ft) as adults
Female: Slightly smaller than males - Weight
- 4.5-6.75 kg (10-15 lb.)
- Diet
- Omnivorous as young but adults are almost exclusively herbivores; fruits, flowers, leaves; insects and snails opportunistically; young iguanas eat more insects and shift to 95% vegetation as they age
- Incubation
- 60-85 days
Clutch Size: 10-50 eggs - Sexual Maturity
- 2 years; males sometimes longer (need longer period of growth in order to be large enough to compete for females)
- Life Span
- 15 years
- Range
- No data
- Habitat
- Tree dweller in tropics; trees/bushes close to water in tropical rainforests; prefers temperatures in the upper 90s (Farenheit)
- Population
- Global: No data
- Status
- IUCN: No data
CITES: Not listed
USFWS: Not listed
Fun Facts
- Iguanas are able to hold their breath for up to 30 minutes.
- They will often jump from tree to water using their powerful tail for swimming to escape. They are also able to leap down 40-50 feet without injury.
- To attract a mate, mature males may turn orange during breeding season.
- Iguanas store large amounts of fat in their lower jaw and neck area in order to survive times of famine. The pouch at the base of their neck is called a dewlap, and is used in display.
- Their tail has weakened vertebrae so the iguana can break free and escape if caught by the tail. Iguanas are also able to whip their tail in defense, leaving behind a stinging welt or worse.
Ecology and Conservation
Iguana meat is a valuable source of protein; theoretically, farming iguanas could yield more meat per acre than cattle, while requiring only 70% of what a chicken consumes. With the loss of habitat due to deforestation, iguana farming research is on the rise.Iguana eggs are also considered a delicacy in the tropics, coining the term "chicken of the tree."
Although not listed as endangered or threatened, populations are under pressure from both habitat destruction and their popularity in the pet trade.
Bibliography
Although not listed as endangered or threatened, populations are under pressure from both habitat destruction and their popularity in the pet trade.Burghardt, Gordon M., and Rand, Stanley A. Iguanas of the World. New Jersey: Noyes Publications, 1982.
Burghardt, Gordon M., and Rand, Stanley A. Iguanas of the World. New Jersey: Noyes Publications, 1982.
Burghardt, Gordon M., and Rand, Stanley A. Iguanas of the World. New Jersey: Noyes Publications, 1982.
Halliday, Tim R., and Adler, Kraig. The Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. New York: Equinox Books, 1986.
Roberts, Mervin and Martha D. Roberts. All About Iguanas. T.F.H. Publications, Inc., New Jersey. 1976.
Link: https://seaworld.org/animals/facts/reptiles/green-iguana/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)