August, 2004

DEDICATED TO EDUCATION ABOUT AND CONSERVATION OF REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS

NEWSLETTER OF THE MICHIGAN SOCIETY OF HERPETOLOGISTS

THE MICHIGAN HERPETOLOGIST

CHECK THESE OUT:

• Be aware: there is no monthly membership meeting for the month of August!

• It’s time once again to think about serving on the board of directors. This is your chance to help shape Society policies. If you’d like to serve, send your editor a short bio stating why you feel your qualified. They need to be on my desk no later than October 31st.

• Your editor needs volunteers for an exhibit at the Wayne County Community College at Belleville on August 28th from 11 AM till 3 PM. If you can help, contact me using the information on page 10.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

COMING EVENTS 2

TREASURER’S REPORT 2

NEWS BRIEFS 4,5

MSH MEETS PRECIOUS 6,7

BLADDERSTONES IN TOROISES

8,9

CLASSIFIED ADS 10

BIG GENOME CAN UP EXTINCTION RISK

Scientists have shown that -within groups of reptiles and birds at least- the bigger an animal’s collection of DNA, the greater its risk of extinc-tion But the picture is more complicated in amphibians, fish and mammals. Those are the findings of Russian biolo-gist Alexander Vinogradov, who compared genome size and conservation status in almost 2,000 animal species.

In mammals, genome size does not affect extinction risk, Dr. Vinogradov reports in Proceedings of the Royal Soci-ety B. When the raw data is

analyzed for fish, reptiles and amphibians, threatened spe-cies do, on average, tend to have larger genomes. But Vi-nogradov broke these big groups down into families and orders to see if the relation-ship still held true within even smaller groupings of animals.

Genome size had no effect at either the family or order level in amphibians and fish. But it still held true at lower “taxonomic levels” in reptiles and birds. In mammals, no significant effect was seen at either the higher or lower taxonomic levels.

The effect of large genomes on extinction threat was first noted in plants. According to some scientists, this relation-ship fits the so-called selfish DNA hypothesis in which DNA continues to propagate despite serving no purpose other than its own “survival”. The accumulation of this “Junk DNA” is said to be mal-adaptive - that is to say it ad-versely affects the fitness of the organism. However, the new data suggests that the clear effect seen in plants does not hold true in all organisms.

(See DNA on page 3)

Memphis, TN--Memphis Zoo biologists are proud par-ents of 1,800 baby Wyoming toads spawned in Petri dishes far from their native mountain lakes. The zoo shipped 1,700 inch-long tadpoles to Denver, where a federal wildlife offi-cer waited to take them to a release site in southeast Wyo-ming last weekend. The re-maining 80 or so tadpoles will be raised in the zoo’s research lab where technicians keep an eye on them as they study

giant pandas, aardvarks and dozens of other animals.

The mass hatching of tad-poles marked the first time endangered amphibians have been reproduced through artificial fertilization, zoo re-search and conservation cura-tor Andy Kouba said. It marked a number of firsts for the zoo, including the most endangered animals repro-duced and the most released in the wild, he said.

The feat bodes well for the

(See toads on page 3)

GIANT LEAP FOR TOADKIND BY WAYNE RISHER

The tadpoles that remained in Memphis will grow up to join 27

adults as breeding stock. To-gether they may equal the wild population of Wyoming toads,

which has numbered as few as 58. Photo by Jim Weber.

August, 2004

WELCOME RENEWING MEMBERS . . .

Barry Durst

The Vassallo Family

E.C.O.--Bob and Sheri Ashley

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

THINGS TO DO, THINGS TO SEE MSH general membership meetings are open to the public, and members are encouraged to bring guests. Junior member meetings begin at 4 PM, the board meets at 5:30 PM, members are welcome at 7 PM, and the program begins at 7:30 PM.. Members are welcome to observe MSH board meetings.

THE MICHIGAN HERPETOLOGIST

August 7-8 REPTILE WEEKEND II. Most MSH mem-bers are familiar with this exhibit, which is our biggest of the year. We always need more volunteers and exhibitors. If you can participate, contact Eric Tobin and let him know what you can bring or if you can man the membership table, herp pond game, or relieve exhibitors so they can take a break. Binder Park Zoo, Battle Creek.

August 20-22 JUNIOR MEMBERS CAMPING. the Junior members will be traveling to Orchard Beach State Park in Manistee to go camping and herping for the weekend. Even though it is a Junior Member camping trip, we have opened it up for all members to attend. Eric Tobin will be leading groups into the field along the Little Manistee River, including a visit to infamous “snake bush”. Dudley Smith has reserved several sites for MSH so you will need to contact him at dudley.b.smith@gm.com to book your site. The cost for camping is $39 for the weekend and they do allow up to two tents per camp-site. This is a great way to see herps in the wild as well as to enjoy beautiful Lake Michi-gan as well. The Campground is right on the shores of Lake Michigan. At last year’s camping trip we found several herps includ-ing the opportunity to see a Hognose go through all its defensive moves. This event will be fun for the whole family; just ask Eric’s son, who had the opportunity to hold a yearling Hognose snake.

September 4 MSH FALL EXPO. Holiday Inn Livonia West, 17123 N. Laurel Park Drive, Livonia from 10 AM till 3 PM. People, we need lots of volunteers if this thing’s gonna be a suc-cess. Get in touch with Dave Scott or Eric Tobin to help out, or for vendor informa-tion.

September 18 MSH MEMBERSHIP MEETING. Speaker TBA. Scott Center, Lansing.

TREASURER’S REPORT JUNE 1-30, 2004

STARTING BALANCE $2,967.56 Income: Memberships $182.00 Repayments 130.00 T-shirt sales 579.00 Book sales 153.00 Tape and CD sales 61.00 Expo concessions 34.90 Expo table sales 320.00 Expo admissions 660.00 Herp photos 256.00 Herp pond 803.00 Donations 70.15 Expenses: Newsletter printing and postage $252.08 June refreshments 13.09 Envelopes (treasurer) 4.21 Button purchase 34.00 Reptile weekend food 92.80 Herp photo ink and paper 80.00 Expo refreshments 73.00 Table rentals 111.00 Books and CDs 479.00 Herp pond prizes 835.53 T-shirt purchase 632.00 Spring expo advertising 209.04

ENDING BALANCE $3,400.50 PAUL SUPLINSKAS, TREASURER

August, 2004

PAGE 3 THE NEWSLETTER OF THE MICHIGAN SOCIETY OF HERPETOLOGISTS

future of critically endangered toads and frogs, disappearing at a faster clip than other animals worldwide, zoo officials say. “I think it's incredibly important be-cause it can be transferred to other species worldwide,” zoo research fellow Robert Browne said. “We're raising the bar for

reproduction of amphibians.”

The tadpoles that remained in Memphis will grow up to join 27 adults as breeding stock. Together, they may equal the wild population of Wyoming toads, which has numbered as few as 58.

The tadpoles were the product of an all-night session June 5-6 in which Kouba, Browne and research associate Carrie Vance fertilized some 30,000 toad eggs with sperm previously collected and chilled. Tadpoles, no more than a tenth of an inch long, emerged from their jelly-like surroundings four days later.

Kouba said the artificial spawning used techniques developed by Memphis re-searchers experimenting with the Fowler toad, common in the Mid-South. The research team also pioneered the use of two reproductive hormones, administered in two doses, to stimulate female toads to lay eggs.

“I think what we found here will be applicable to other endangered amphibian

species, like the Puerto Rican crested toad and the Mississippi gopher frog,” Kouba said. Like any parents, Kouba and his staff were anxious about letting the young ones go, but happy to improve their chance of survival.

They packed the tadpoles in water overlaid with oxygen in five heavy-duty, clear plastic bags. They placed the bags in boxes used to ship exotic fish, took the boxes to the airport Friday and said good-bye.

Michelle Geraud, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service coordinator on the re-ceiving end, said the release went smoothly. The tadpoles arrived healthy and were released in two ponds on private land in the Laramie River basin.--Reprinted by permission from the Commercial Appeal, July 7, 2004

(toads from page 1)

Scott Edwards, professor of organismal and evolutionary biology at Harvard Uni-versity, suggested the more complicated picture in animals might be caused by the influence of another variable. “For exam-ple, frogs and salamanders are very sensi-tive to environmental change, maybe be-cause of the way their absorbent skin in-teracts with the environment.”

Dr Vinogradov also proposes that for some animals, the cost of accumulating non-coding DNA in their genomes is probably balanced by other benefits. These may include having a low metabolic rate in ecosystems where energy is in short supply. He says that having a rela-tively small genome may influence the strong effect recorded in reptiles and birds: “It is interesting that birds and rep-tiles have the smallest genomes among tetrapods, which suggests that selection against the redundant DNA is generally

stronger in them.”

Professor Edwards commented: “The question is how you interpret all these correlations. There are real things going on above the species level, but it’s not clear what those things are yet.”--Reprinted by permission from BBC News, July 21, 2004

(DNA continued from page 1)

Zoo research fellow Robert Browne displays a beaker of Wyoming toad tadpoles Tuesday

afternoon. They were hatched at the Memphis Zoo where researchers have joined other zoos around the country in trying to reintroduce the endangered toad into the wild. Photo by

Jim Weber.

• A genome is the name given to an organism's collection of "life code"

• Genomes comprise long strands of DNA, into which are written genes Genomes vary in size between organisms.

• Human have about 30,000 genes, rice contains 60,000 genes, and some bacteria contain less than 1,000 genes

August, 2004

PAGE 4 THE MICHIGAN HERPETOLOGIST

MICHHERP NEWS BRIEFS . . . PET TORTOISE SATISFIES ITCH TO WANDER

Toledo, OH--If a 30 pound tortoise leaves Waterville Township at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, how long will it take before he arrives in Monclova Township? The answer, the reptile’s owner discovered last night, is 43 hours. Connie Luderman was reunited with her pet, Henry, who escaped through the open gate of his outdoor enclosure at her parents’ home. He was found at a home alongside a Monclova Township road. If this tortoise crawls as the crow flies, Henry traveled nearly 5 miles. His average speed: a slow but steady 0.1 miles per hour.

Ms. Luderman said Henry will be grounded for running away. Now that she’s got him back, the next thing on her agenda is to get a different type of door for the enclosure he shares with his smaller brother, Humphrey - perhaps a swinging one with a latch.--The Toledo Blade, July 16, 2004

STAR TURTLES SEIZED AT INDIAN AIRPORT

Chennai, India--Chinks in the airport security came to light today when a Bangkok-bound traveler smuggling 450 star tortoises in a suitcase was cleared by the security. The suitcase of Faidhul Rahman with the security clearance sticker was screened by the CISF personnel who found the traveler carrying the tortoises which were most sought after delicacy in South East Asia, airport sources said. Rahman, a resident of Chennai, was handed over to the police, the sources said.

The tortoises were hidden in a plastic box without water and kept inside the suitcase. The tortoises could survive for three days in such a condition. When questioned by the CISF, Rahman said he was planning to go to Singapore by road from Bangkok to deliver the smuggled tortoises.

About 2,500 star turtles have been seized while being smuggled in the last three months, the sources said.--Chennai Online News, July 18, 2004

SNAKES ALIVE - ALICE'S PET IS A SCOT

Edinburgh, Scotland--He is world renowned for the use of snakes in his wild stage act. Not so well known is the fact that the current reptile of choice for US rocker Alice Cooper’s live European show is a boa constrictor named Lady Macbeth, who lives in East Lothian. The 12-foot long snake, whose owner Murray Bain hails from Longniddry, has been part of Cooper’s entourage on four European tours to date. Traveling from venue to venue on Cooper’s tour bus in a custom-built heated container, Lady Macbeth has lapped up the adoration of audiences from Berlin to Barcelona while draped across the singer’s shoulders.

Known for his heavily made-up shock rock image, Cooper has been making records since the late 1960s. Among his hits are the prototype punk anthems, Schools Out and Eighteen. However, despite his status as a rock’n’roll wild man, Cooper is also a successful businessman and a keen, low-handicap golfer, and now lives in Phoenix, Arizona.--Edinburghnews.com, July 19, 2004. Editor’s note: As an old Alice Cooper fan, I couldn’t pass this one up. The unaccredited picture at right is from 1972, about the year I first saw Alice (born here in Michigan one Vincent Daman Furnier) in Ypsilanti. It was my first big rock concert and I still haven’t quite recovered. “Schools out forever . . .”

BILL MIGHT HELP HAWAII WITH FIGHT AGAINST BROWN TREE SNAKE

Washington D.C.--Hawaii's fight against the brown tree snake would be fortified with more money and federal organization under a bill that is moving quickly in Congress. Legislation sponsored by Hawaii and Guam lawmakers that

August, 2004

PAGE 5 THE NEWSLETTER OF THE MICHIGAN SOCIETY OF HERPETOLOGISTS

would steer $18 million annually to brown tree snake eradication was approved unanimously on Thursday by the House Resources Committee.

Officials said the species so far has not made it past inspectors at island ports, but Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, said the snakes pose “a huge, massive problem.” “The introduction of the brown tree snake would really be the greatest ecological threat from an invasive species that Hawaii has faced in modern times,” he said. The snakes' decimation of birds and lizards on Guam have caused economic, environmental and health problems there. Snakes also crawl along power lines, causing an average of 86 outages each year, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The snakes, which can grow up to eight feet long, arrived in Guam sometime during the 1940s, stowing away on military cargo ships. Today the island has an estimated 13,000 snakes per square mile. “All you have to do is look at what happened in Guam and imagine it in Hawaii,” Case said.--West Hawaii Today, July 16, 2004

FOUR FACE CHARGES IN THEFT OF ANIMALS FROM EXPO

Charleston, SC--Four people have been charged in connection with last weekend's theft of dozens of rare snakes and amphibians, but investigators still haven't solved the mystery of exactly what happened to the critters. It's believed the thieves already might have sold the pythons, boa constrictors, western pond tortoises and other rare and expensive reptiles on the black market. The animals were stolen from a reptile show held over the weekend at the fairgrounds in Ladson.

Investigators have recovered some exotic animals, but it's not known if those were among the ones stolen over the weekend. The suspects reportedly have refused to say what happened to the animals. “Our concern right now is that the stolen animals have not been recovered,” said Kay Hyman, spokeswoman for the John Ancrum SPCA. “They're in danger of dying. Those kinds of animals need to be kept in the correct environment.”

Among the animals stolen were albino Burmese pythons, hognose snakes, wood turtles and hatchling pancake turtles. Alan Bosch, owner of Alan Bosch Reptiles in Moncks Corner, lost about $3,000 worth of reptiles in the burglary. He's convinced the thieves have already sold the animals.

Robert Constantinou, an organizer of the Lowcountry Reptile and Amphibian Expo, said as exotic animals grow in popularity, thieves are increasingly targeting them. “Exotic animals are the fastest growing animal market in the world, hands down,” he said. “We take all the precautions we can to prevent thefts, but where there’s a will, there’s a way.”--The Post and Courier, July 28, 2004

CAPTIVE CHAMELEON BLOODLINE TRACKING DATABASE ANNOUNCED

The captive breeding of chameleons has come a long way over the past decade. From animals that were once thought to be impossible to keep alive in captivity, chameleons have made their way into the mainstream of the reptile hobby. The Captive Chameleon Bloodline Tracking Database, or CCBTD, was originally designed as a way to track breeding programs of rare species between a small group of breeders. As this system evolved it became apparent that all breeders and all species could benefit from this type of system.

Establishing a stable, traceable gene pool is what the CCBTD is all about. It is their goal to establish a virtual, international “studbook” for all chameleon species bred in captivity, both common and rare, and to use this information to keep the genetic diversity of the captive populations intact for future generations. The current CCBTD membership ranges from the United States to Europe to Canada, so this is truly and international effort.

From May 1st 2004 though November 1st 2004, 50% of all CCBTD membership fees received will be donated to research efforts. To visit the Captive Chameleon Bloodline Tracking Database, point your web browser to www.chameleondatabase.com and register.--Edited from the Southwestern Herpetologists Society Newsletter, July 2004.

August, 2004

RECENT MSH HAPPENINGS: A CLOSE LOOK AT “PRECIOUS”-JULY 17TH

TEST AND PHOTOS BY RANDY WORDEN

PAGE 6 THE MICHIGAN HERPETOLOGIST

It was the biggest Grand Rapids meeting I’ve been to (not that I’ve been to that many). And the 25 to 30 peo-ple who showed up weren’t disappointed, either. Thanks to Paul Suplinskas and the fine people at the John Ball Zoo, everyone who wanted to got an up close and personal look at Precious, the zoo’s new Komodo dragon.

Well, he’s not that new. Born in 1995, he was one of the first ever hatched in the United States. Trooper Walsh, of the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. led the team of zoo keepers responsible for pampering the original pair that were Precious’ parents. That pair of lizards was a gift from the Indonesian government to then President Ronald Regan.

In addition to Precious, we got close looks at Aruba Island rattlesnakes, our own Eastern massasauga, and a Taylor’s cantil that had just given birth. Paul also explained the protocol the zoo has in the event someone gets bitten by a venomous reptile and how it’s change over the years.

Theresa Moran caught Precious in this pose.

August, 2004

PAGE 7 THE NEWSLETTER OF THE MICHIGAN SOCIETY OF HERPETOLOGISTS

This one’s hard to make out, but in the light area on the left is newly born Taylor’s cantil. Knowledgeable observ-ers theorized it had been delivered within a few hours of

our visit.

August, 2004

PAGE 8 THE MICHIGAN HERPETOLOGIST

BLADDER STONES IN TORTOISES BY LYNN MOHNS

“Bigfoot,” a large, 17 lb. male desert tortoise, was relinquished to the San Diego Turtle and Tortoise Society by his owner because he was fighting with an-other male. As difficult as it was for the owner to give him up for adoption, it was the right decision as aggression occurs nearly 100 percent of the time between males of this species. This aggression can be fatal and at the very least, it will cause stress to both animals. Stress is never healthy.

The Society routinely X-rays all incom-ing desert tortoises because for the fre-quent occurrence of bladder stones. After “Bigfoot’s” X-ray showed an enormous stone, nearly 4 inches in diameter, he was successfully operated on by Dr. Rosanne Brown, D.V.M. Thanks (again and again) to Dr. Brown, he has recovered and has been adopted by a new family.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT BLADDER STONES:

1. What in the heck is a “bladder stone” anyway?

When tortoises urinate, the urine has two main components: a clear watery part and a semi-solid whitish part. Ideally, the whitish part should be similar in consis-tency to gooey bird droppings, but it can also be gritty and similar to wet concrete. The solid components of the urine are called “urates.” If the urates are not ex-creted, they collect in the tortoise’s blad-der and gradually create a solid, rock-like sphere after layer and layer of urates accu-mulate. The “stone” may reach the size of a tennis ball. Some of the smaller stones can be passed if the animal is soaked prop-erly (talk to your vet) but the larger ones require surgery. Left untreated, a bladder stone can be fatal to your tortoise.

2. How do you know if your tor-toise has a bladder stone?

If you see urates from your tortoise on a regular basis, and it seems fine, there is probably no reason to worry that it may have a blockage. The only certain way to know is with an X-ray.

3. What are the symptoms of a blad-der stone?

Many tortoises that seem perfectly nor-mal may be wandering around with a large internal bladder stone. (In “Bigfoot’s case, he displayed no symptoms.) I often get calls from people who report that their tortoise “just hasn’t been himself lately,” especially after coming out of hi-bernation. They describe their tortoise as having a decreased appetite, loss of inter-est in mating, overall less active and a general downhill trend in health. For fe-males, a bladder stone can present an es-

(Continued on page 9)

August, 2004

Geckos Galore

Amphibians, Reptiles, Feeders, and more

www.geckosgalore.com

geckosgalore@comcast.net

Jamie (517) 663-4587

Buy Sell Trade

PAGE 9 THE NEWSLETTER OF THE MICHIGAN SOCIETY OF HERPETOLOGISTS

David Critchlow

10450 Gorsline Rd.

Battle Creek, MI 49014 www.tbns.net/reptile

phone (616) 962-0532 gatordad0812@yahoo.com

CRITCHLOW’S

Reptile Farm

&

Exotic Plants

pecially serious problem if it blocks the passage of eggs. Male or female, left uncor-rected, the tortoise becomes weaker and more debilitated and surgery on a weaker ani-mal poses more risk.

4. What causes bladder stones and are they pre-ventable?

Veterinarians believe the main cause of bladder stones in tortoises is dehydration. It is absolutely not true that tor-toises obtain all the water that they need from their food!! The following are recommen-dations to prevent the occur-rence of bladder stones:

a. A large shallow pan of fresh water must be available to the tortoises at all times. This pan should be sunk into the ground so that the animal can easily walk in and out.

b. Tortoises should have a 20-30 min-ute weekly soak in a tub of lukewarm water deep enough to cover the bottom of the shell when the tortoise is standing.

The tub should be deep so that the animal cannot climb out.

c. Since many desert tortoises will not drink from a dish but will hotfoot it over to a puddle, use a sprinkler or a hose to create a more “natural” water source.

d. Feed your tortoise an appropriate diet, one that is varied, high in fiber (grass, weeds, and flowers), and low in fruits.

(See care sheets for more information.)

e. If your desert tortoise has never been X-rayed, you should consider having it done.

5. What happens in the surgery? The tortoise must be anesthetized. A “window” is cut in the plastron (bottom of the shell) and set aside. The stone is re-moved and the bladder is stitched. The section of the plastron is replaced and secured with epoxy. Care-ful observation and antibi-otics follow. Most desert tortoises will survive this procedure and go on to live

happy and healthy lives.--Reprinted by per-mission from Voice of the Turtle, the news-letter of the San Diego Turtle and Tortoise Society. July 2004

(Pigpen from page 8)

Q. What’s a frog’s favorite breakfast food? A. Hop-Tarts! Q. How deep do frogs like to wade? A. Knee-deep! Q. Why did the frogs go to the mall? A. They wanted to “Hopping.” Q. What did they eat at the food court? A. French flies and a diet croak! Reprinted from the Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society July 2004

An x-ray of “Bigfoot”, a male desrt tortoise (Gorpherus agassizii). The large, round white sphere is a huger bladder stone. X-ray courtesy of Dr. Rosanne Brown.

August, 2004

PAGE 10 THE MICHIGAN HERPETOLOGIST

Classified Ads Classified advertisements are free to MSH members. Contact the editor for rates for quarter, half, and full page ads.

For Sale: Large, shallow cage (suitable for large terrestrial lizards or tortoises), sturdy wood base (6 ft x 3 ft x 1 ft) with hinged wire cover (1in x 2 in mesh), can be latched or locked. $50 firm. Also for sale used aquariums; lime covered but sound . 10gal $5 each. 20 gal long $10 each. Solid plastic cov-ers also available from $1-5 each. Contact Theresa Moran at 517.372.5730. Can be delivered to most MSH events, or picked up in Lansing.

For Sale: Newly hatched normal, hypomelanistic, and albino corn snakes. “Potosi” king snakes. Contact Rob Cook at 517.795.5142 or greenfire2000@hotmail.com.

For Sale: 1.2 Australian Velvet Geckos (Oedura monilis) $250. 0.0.1 100% Pure Australian Sand Monitors (Varanus flavirufus) $65. Contact Jon Mikosz at (734) 658-6242 or XCrun5@aol.com

For Sale: Snake hooks, curved (cage style) or straight (field style). $15 each or 2 for $25. Can bring to MSH meetings. Paul Suplinskas; 231.834.7803.

For Sale: 8.8' male albino Burmese python, $120; 1.1 captive bred juvenile Tiger ratsnakes (spilotes) $150 pr.; 1.1 adult Ruthven's kingsnakes (male albino, female normal) $120 *make offers, but no trades contact Matt Lindstrom at reptilian63@hotmail.com or 517.337.0946

For Sale: Baby Boa Constrictors 66% het albino $90 each or $160 pair. Also have one 100% het albino male for $140. Call Jason Morgan at 231.788.1888 or e-mail jmogan@sawdaddys.com

Free to a loving home: 3 young (9 months) red-eared slid-ers, approx. 4-5 inches. Unknown sexes. You can contact Tammy Mellen at (313) 531-4523 or via email at sprig@twmi.rr.com .

About The Michigan Herpetologist The Michigan Herpetologist is published monthly by the Michigan Society of Herpetologists, a non-profit organization “dedicated to member and public education about reptiles and amphibians.”

“The mission of The Michigan Herpetologist is to inform the membership of Society events, to report on those events whenever possible, to provide interesting information about the herpetological community, and to provide members a platform to express their interests and views.”

Editorial Team

Stephanie Beiser, Shelley DeFouw, Matt Lindstrom, Dudley Smith, Barbara Wheeler.

Editor Randy Worden

1828 E. Irvington Ave. Lansing MI 48910 Phone: 517.202.4800 E-mail: dogfish@acd.net

Classified ads are free to MSH members. Others may contact the editor for rates. Articles by mem-bers and interested individuals are always welcome in almost any format. Please contact the editor.

This newsletter is now delivered in full color elec-tronically as a PDF (adobe acrobat) file; e-mail the editor to start receiving it that way.

© 2003 by Michigan Society of Herpetologists. All rights reserved. You may reprint any original article from The Michigan Herpetologist provided you credit “The Michigan Herpetologist, the newsletter of the Michigan Society of Herpetologists.”

August, 2004

PAGE 11 THE NEWSLETTER OF THE MICHIGAN SOCIETY OF HERPETOLOGISTS

DIRECTIONS TO MSH MEETING PLACES

SCOTT CENTER - LANSING

The Scott Center is located at 125 W. Main Street where Capitol Avenue dead-ends at Main. Main Street is the freeway access road that runs immediately south of I-496 in downtown Lansing.

Eastbound I-496: Take Pine-Walnut Street exit. The third traffic light will be at the driveway to the Scott Center. Turn right into driveway.

Westbound I-496: Take the Downtown-Grand Ave. exit. Cross Grand Ave., cross first light at Washington Ave., turn left (south) at next light at Capitol Ave., and get in the right hand lane immediately. One block ahead is a light at Main. You must be in the right hand lane to drive straight across to the drive of the Scott Center.

The Scott Center phone number is 517.372.3232

JOHN BALL ZOO - GRAND RAPIDS

John Ball Zoo is located at the corner of Fulton and Valley (1300 W. Fulton), two miles west of downtown Grand Rapids, with easy access from I-196. Meetings are held in the lower level of the pavilion, located near the parking lot and outside of the perimeter fence.

From 196 East, exit at Lake Michigan Drive, and turn right to Fulton. Zoo entrance is to your right.

From 196 West, exit at Lane Street. Turn left on Lane. Turn right on Fulton. Proceed to corner of Fulton and Valley for Zoo entrance.

NO LIVE ANIMALS MAY BE BROUGHT TO MEETINGS HELD AT JOHN BALL ZOO.

MSH MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

To join MSH, please complete the following application and return it, ____ Individual ($15.00) ____ New Member

with your membership fee, to: ____ Family ($20.00) ____ Renewal Membership Secretary, ____ Junior ($12.00) ____ Name or Address Change

Michigan Society of Herpetologists, ____ Commercial ($30.00)

321 W. Oakland Ave., Lansing, MI 48906 ____ Sponsorship ($100)

Name(s) (Please Print): Date:

Parent or Guardian (if member is a minor):

Address:

City: State: Zip:

Telephone: ( ) E-mail:

Herpetological Area of Interest:

Would you be willing to volunteer for any MSH events? Yes No

Would you like to be listed in the MSH Directory? Yes No TMH

GENERAL INFORMATION:

The Michigan Society of Herpetologists (MSH) is a non-profit organization dedicated to member and non-member education about reptiles and amphibians.

MEETING INFORMATION:

MSH holds its general meetings alternately in the cities of Lansing and Grand Rapids (see directions below). Meetings generally are held on the third Saturday of the month (but check the Calendar of Events). Meetings are open to the public and the society encourages anyone with an interest in herpetology to attend.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Michigan Society of Herpetologists, 321 W. Oakland Ave., Lansing, MI 48906

WEB SITE:

www.michherp.org

Officers:

President Eric Tobin 269.729.4623 orionet@aol.com

Vice-President David Scott 231.463.2780 reptidave@msn.com

Secretary Ann Miller 616.365.2429 jrmiller@iserv.net

Treasurer Paul Suplinskas 231.834.7803 MSUPLINS@MSN.COM

Members-at-Large:

Jane Billette 989.684.7938 jiffypop61@hotmail.com

Rob Cook 517.484.7712 greenfire2000@hotmail.com

Randy Worden 517.202.4800 dogfish@acd.net

Membership and Circulation:

Barbara Wheeler 517.321.6105 wheelerba@aol.com

August, 2004

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THE MICHIGAN SOCIETY OF HERPETOLOGISTS 321 W. OAKLAND AVE. LANSING, MI 48906

Omaha, NE--Matt Bolek and John Janovy Jr. have found a tadpole that will rock the bullfrog world. Bolek, a gradu-ate student at the University of Ne-braska-Lincoln, and Janovy, his advisor, discovered a 7.5 inch tadpole. The aver-age length of a tadpole of similar age is about 4.5 inches, Bolek said.

The monster was caught in Nevens Pond in Nebraska’s Keith County. Nevens Pond is a small cattle tank over-flow pond. They believe it is the biggest bullfrog tadpole ever reported. Their

July 31, 2002, discovery and years of research will be featured in Herpeto-logical Review, a research and news journal for the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles.

The scientists believe that bullfrogs are evolving into giant individuals - too large to be cannibalized by larger bull-frogs, thus increasing the chance of sur-vival. The tadpole died before it ma-tured, yet other large specimens found in the same area developed fully, giving credibility to their theory.--Omaha World Herald, July 25, 2004

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GIANT TADPOLE MAY BE LARGEST ON RECORD BY MARK DAVIS