November 1998

HERP TALK

"The Unofficial Publication of a Lone Herpetologist"

NUMBER 30. NOVEMBER 1998

Iguanas Sail From Guadaloupe to Anguilla and Into History

Fifteen iguanas on a tangle of waterlogged trees, tossed into the Caribbean Sea by a hurricane, have apparently sailed 200 miles from Guadeloupe to Anguilla and into biological history. By documenting the 1995 voyage of the 15 large, land-loving creatures -- enough to form a new population -- the first clear-cut evidence now exists that a seemingly impossible journeys like this could have been an be important avenue for the dispersal of species around the world.

The journey of the iguanas began in September 1995 when two powerful hurricanes moved through the eastern Caribbean. A month later the iguanas washed up on Anguilla's shores on an immense raft of trees. The lizards, which rest in trees, were probably blown down with them into the sea.

The fifteen lizards have a blue-green coloration and dark rings around their tails, making them easily distinguishable from the other iguana species on the island, which is brown and has a plain tail. Though the arriving iguanas appear to have been weak, dehydrated and, in some cases, injured, a number survived. A pregnant female iguana, the last element of a successful colonization of a new species, shows that the animals appear to be reproducing and establishing themselves. While some are concerned about the possible ecological impact of the new lizards on the island, any changes brought by them would be entirely natural.

This news bolsters the claims of those who have been advocating this type of rafting as a major explanation for the distribution of animals on islands in the Caribbean and elsewhere. Isolated ocean islands like the Hawaiian Islands would be devoid of terrestrial animals were it not for rafting, or the transportation of species by people. Others still think ancient land bridges, stretches of land long since disappeared, connected islands in the Caribbean to South America. These land bridges were likely to be a much more important mechanism for getting mammals to islands since they do not tolerate starvation or dehydration as well as reptiles. This report has confirmed that rafting is possible and has been observed. (Yoon, C. K., The New York Times, Oct. 8, 1998)

MD HERP SOCIETY NEWS

The October meeting of the Maryland Herpetological Society was held at the Baltimore Zoo's Reptile House on October 21, 1998. Jim McGibney, a local herpetologist, naturalist, and herpetoculturist gave an interesting talk on the photography of the timber rattlesnake. Using the seasons of the year, Jim took us through the life of the timber rattlesnake. From the emergence of the rattlesnakes from the den, Jim showed us the color variations of this snake, it's habitat, the gravid females, and the young produced. He talked about his experiences in the field and the variety of plant and animal life around the rattlesnake den. Being an avid photographer, Jim's slides showed the spectacular beauty of the natural world and showed the changing pattern of the environment. With the great shots, the close ups of the snakes, and Jim's description of the experience, all the ingredients were there for a great evening. However, Jim left us with one great thought: "Respect the Habitat". I think that alone has left a dramatic impression on all of us. Thank you Jim.

RECYCLE ALUMINUM CANS
In an effort to purchase more rainforest habitat, the MARS Preservation Fund has established a permanent recycling wagon on the grounds of Lutherville Lab Elementary School, 1700 York Road. By depositing your aluminum cans at this drop-off location, the proceeds from the cans will be utilized to purchase rainforest habitat. Help MARS save tropical rainforests and recycle!

HERP WORD

VENENE - This herp word is used to describe a preparation of blended South African venoms. This preparation was reportedly used to treat epilepsy in the 1950's.

WWW.

In an attempt to satisfy everyone's needs and interests, I came up with a turtle page that I thought would be interesting. The name of the web page is The Bigchelon Turtle Page, which can be reached at http://members.aol.com/bigchelon/bigc.htm. This site starts off with a turtle picture page that allows you to click on your favorite turtle. An extensive care page is next that covers such topics as water, filters temperature, feeding and breeding. The page provides links to a publication page that lists and discusses turtle publications and the site has links to other web sites where you can glean information on herpetology and turtles. As a compact web site, I found the site easy to use and packed with information to digest. I hope you like the site.

HERP RESCUE?

In January 1997, I brought up the idea of Herp Rescue. As you will recall, the concept was to rescue herps that have been found, abandoned, confiscated, or in need of a new home. At that time, we had no such organized program in place to perform this function. I envisioned the program as a data base with individual's names, addresses, and telephone numbers along with a listing of the animals that they would be willing to accept as rescue animals. Once the data base had been established, the program would be publicized with a central telephone number to call if Herp Rescue was needed. I anticipated that Animal Control Organizations, pet shops, veterinarians, DNR, Baltimore Zoo, National Aquarium, and Customs, would be some of the places where our number would be listed.

I mentioned the problems one runs into in accepting an animal of unknown origin and a questionable history. In addition to quarantine, there is always the issue of medical care and proper housing for the specimen. In order to be successful, I felt that Herp Rescue would have to be responsive to all calls. I estimated that we could expect a call a week and that we would need between 25-30 people interested in this project before we could go public. The question I posed to the membership was whether there was any interest in such a program.

While interest did exist, not enough individuals volunteered for the program. Due to the limited response, I decided not to continue with the program. Some members of the Herp Society have again brought up the idea of a herp rescue program. Their feeling is that if we can only help a few reptiles and amphibians find a good home, the program is a success. With that in mind, I am again soliciting interest in herp rescue. If you can help or you would want to care for sick animals or transport animals from place to place, please contact the editor of HERP TALK. I will be looking forward to hearing from you.

UPCOMING EVENTS
- Maryland Herpetological Society meets on the third Wednesday of every month from October thru July at the Baltimore Zoo's Reptile House at 7:15pm. In August, a meeting is held late in the month for the volunteers helping out at the Mid-Atlantic Reptile Show. The September meeting of the Society is not held so that everyone can attend the Mid-Atlantic Reptile Show and accompanying lecture series. Mark your calendar now so you won't miss a future meeting of the Society. (Editor"s Note: Please check the meeting announcement page to double check the date, time, and place of the next meeting.)
- January 30, 1999, 10 AM (Tentative) - Mid-Atlantic Turtle & Tortoise Society, Inc. Meeting - Patuxent National Wildlife Center. Contact Greg Pokrywka (410-882-2769) or Leslie Sturges (703-536-4443) for details or membership information.
- June 24-30, 1999 - Joint Meeting - Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, AmericanSociety of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, and The Herpetologists' League - Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania. Contact Jay Stauffer (814-863-0645).
- September 18 & 19, 1999 - Mid Atlantic Reptile Show, Maryland State Fairgrounds 4-H Hall.

MATTS

The Mid-Atlantic Turtle & Tortoise Society, Inc. held its quarterly meeting at the National Wildlife Visitors Center at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center on October 10, 1998. Christopher Swarth, Director of the Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary gave an interesting talk on the turtles of the Patuxent River. Using Jug Bay as his research base, Chris indicated that Jug Bay is a fresh water tidal wetland. This feature of the habitat creates some good and bad ecological points that turtles must cope with in order to survive. Using turtle traps to mark and recapture turtles, volunteers at Jug Bay have been able to determine population size, habitat use, and other attributes that contribute to the natural history of these reptilian residents. Painted turtles are the predominant turtle at Jug Bay with red-bellied, box, mud, musk, snapping, and spotted turtles rounding out the list. What was interesting to learn was that an organized effort of keeping turtle trap records and observational notes have enabled the staff at Jug Bay to determine sex ratios, animal size, home range, preferred location, clutch size, and activity cycles for the turtles. Such data is invaluable to conservationists so that they can understand the needs of the turtles and the ways to protect the habitat they need. I found the talk very enlightening and applaud the efforts at Jug Bay to understand the ecology and natural history of the turtles in this unique habitat. Thank you Chris for a great talk.

MARKET PLACE
- MD Herp Society Program Committee. New committee members always welcome. Contact a committee member or the Society for details.
- Herpetological Reprints, 25 & 50 cents each. Call Joe (410)-358-7834.
- Maryland Herpetological Society Logo Patches, $5.00 each. mailto:tim@reptileinfo.com
- Natural History Pictures and Posters, Framed, Prices range from $5.00 to $50.00. Call Joe (410)-358-7834.
- Natural History Society of Maryland Publications. Many topics, several herp related. Prices range from $0.50 to $15.00. Call Joe for more details (410)-358-7834.
- Styrofoam Herp Transport Containers (18"x26"x12") $3.00 each. Call Joe (410)-358-7834.
- Small Herp Cages, includes disposable water dish, hide box, and green carpet substrate. $7.50 and $12.50 each. Call Joe (410)-358-7834.
- Anti-Bacterial Soap. $3.00 a bottle. mailto:tim@reptileinfo.com
- 7.5 and 10 Gallon Stainless Steel Aquariums with Sliding Screen Tops. Best Offer. Call Herb (410)-969-1431.
- Woods - Ditmars Book. $20.00. Call Joe (410)-358-7834.
- Carr - The Reptiles (Time-Life Book). $10.00. Call Joe (410)-358-7834.
- Female Three-foot Boa Constrictor - $50.00. Call Joe (410)-358-7834.
- The Rat Pack, MD Breeder of Rats. Call Kevin (410)-551-2131.
- The Completely Illustrated Atlas of Reptiles and Amphibians for the Terrarium. $50.00. Call Herb (410)-969-1431.
- Iguanas need homes. Contact Dr. Tom Ryan (410)-876-0244.
- Amphibian & Reptile Crossing Sites Research. Contact Eugene Meyer e-mail: Meyer@loyola.edu for details.
- North American Amphibian Monitoring Program frog call survey. Call Wayne Hildebrand, Maryland State Coordinator, (301)-845-6582 or Linda Weir, Program Manager, (301)-497-5932 for details.
- 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, & 1998 Mid-Atlantic Reptile Show T-Shirts, many sizes. Colors - ash, white, or tan. '93 -'97 shirts at $8.00, '98 shirts at $12.00. The Maryland Herpetological Society Shirt, black with the herp society patch on it at $12.00. Our premium quality Mid-Atlantic Reptile Show Polo/Golf Shirts are available at $20.00 each. Shirts are soft cotton, pale gray, withsmall logo on front pocket, collar with 3 buttons. mailto:tim@reptileinfo.com
- Affinity Long Distance Telephone Carrier. Rebate goes to MARS to purchase rainforest habitat. mailto:tim@reptileinfo.com

FROG SKIN SECRETIONS
It is a well known fact that in nature, mimicry is a form of protection for many animals. In most cases, mimicry takes the form of an animal that is harmless having the same color pattern as an animal that has some poisonous or noxious trait. Mimicry can also have an animal look like something that is not an animal, thus avoiding detection. A less subtle mimicry involves the chemical mimicry that occurs in animals. The poison arrow frogs are a prime example of this. Not only do the bright color patterns warn off predators to the fact that these frogs have toxic skin secretions, but the chemical compounds that are associated with these frogs also mimic other chemical substance that are found in nature. Of particular interest is the fact that many of the frog secretions mimic opiates and seem to be geared to the opiate receptors in mammals. This would signify that the poison arrow frogs may have developed the skin secretions so that they would have a deleterious effect on any mammal that may consider the frog as a tasty meal. If this hypothesis is correct, the evolution of frog secretions may be a highly refined system of developing a defense mechanism that can combat specific targeted predators. Research is now underway to utilize frog secretions in an attempt to curb drug addiction. In this way, another resource of the rain forest is being harvested to help man in medical research and show the benefits and interrelationships of all animals. (Lazarus, L. H., Bryant, S. D., Attila, M., and Salvadori, S. (1994) Frog Skin Opioid Peptides: A Case for Environmental Mimicry. Environmental Health Perspectives 102 (8): 648-654.)

CREDITS

HERP TALK is written, edited, and produced by Joseph M. Lewandowski, unless otherwise stated. Publication is handled by Diane Hoen, Tim Hoen, and Holli Friedland. Comments, letters, articles, and submissions should be sent to: Joseph M. Lewandowski (410)-358-7834.

CONSIDER A DONATION OF NATURAL HISTORY BOOKS TO YOUR LOCAL SCHOOL LIBRARY. HELP A CHILD LEARN ABOUT OUR NATURAL HERITAGE.

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