March, 2008

‘DEDICATED TO EDUCATION ABOUT AND CONSERVATION OF REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS’

NEWSLETTER OF THE MICHIGAN SOCIETY OF HERPETOLOGISTS

THE MICHIGAN HERPETOLOGIST

CHECK THIS OUT:

• If you know of an event you’d like to have publi-cized in this newsletter, please contact the editor using the information found on page 10. E-mail, call or send a notice via snail mail. We’d like to hear from you!

• And please, if you change your snail mail or e-mail address contact Barbara Wheeler at bjwheeler38@yahoo.com or at 517.321.5060 so we can stay in contact with you!

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Coming Events 2

news briefs 4,5

amphibian monitoring

6

Reptile Vet Med 7

Classified ads 10

MSH officers -2008

11

CRIKEY! HOW CROCS DIGEST ANIMALS WHOLE BY CLARA MOSKOWITZ

Crocodiles are ferocious creatures that will eat snakes, buffalo, cattle and even peo-ple. New research explains crocodiles’ spectacular method of digesting large meals that lets them eat 23 percent of their body weight at once, bones and all. If peo-ple could gorge like croco-diles, a 130-pound woman could down a 30-pound ham-burger in one sitting. The secret behind this champion eating is a heart valve that crocs control neu-

rologically, which lets blood bypass the lungs and flow through a special aorta straight to the stomach, ena-bling them to secrete gastric acid at rates 10 times faster than those measured in any other animal. Crocodiles, alligators and other crocodilians all share this ability, said biologist C. G. Farmer at the University of Utah, who discovered the connection between the heart valve and digestion in re-search that will be detailed in

the March-April issue of the journal Physiological and Bio-chemical Zoology. “It’s been known for many years that reptiles can shunt blood past the lungs, but the function has not been under-s t o o d , ” F a r m e r t o l d LiveScience. Many possible explanations for the purpose of the heart valve have been proposed, including the sug-gestion that the process is important for diving under-

(see crocs on page 3)

AMPHIBIAN SKIN AGENT MAY BATTLE MULTI-DRUG RESISTANT BACTERIA Researchers from Italy found that a naturally occur-ring agent in frog skin may inhibit multi-drug resistant bacterial strains associated with hospital-acquired infec-tions. Resistance to current anti-biotic therapies is on the rise in both hospital and commu-nity settings. With some bac-terial strains now resistant to every available drug, a return to the preantibiotic era in re-gard to such infections is cause for great concern. Research-ers have identified antimicro-bial peptides (AMPs) as one of

the most promising candidates for future therapeutic use and they have found amphibian skin to be one of the richest sources of such AMPs. Nosocomial infections are linked to various drug-resistant bacterial strains and are commonly acquired in a hospital setting as a secondary illness. In the study research-ers tested five AMPs (temporins A, B, and G, escu-lentin 1b, and bombinin H2) from three different frog and toad species (Rana temporaria, Rana esculenta, and Bombina variegata) for antibacterial

activity against multi-drug resistant strains often associ-ated with human nosocomial infections. Initial results showed that all the peptides acted as antibacterial agents against the species tested. Further studies found that the temporins were more active against gram-positive bacteria; esculentin 1b produced an antibacterial response within 2 to 20 minutes of exposure, and bombinin H2 displayed similar activity toward all bac-terial isolates.

(See bacteria on page 3)

March, 2008

WELCOME NEW . . .

Janna Willoughby

AND RENEWING MEMBERS . . .

Matt Igleski Dan Boyle

Taylor Johnson

James Kelly

James Harding

Janette Mow

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 of Directors meets at 6:00 PM, members are welcome at 7 PM, and the program begins at 7:30 PM. Members are always welcome to observe MSH Board meetings.

THE MICHIGAN HERPETOLOGIST

March 15 MSH MONTHLY MEETING. At this month’s meeting MSH member and grant recipient Matt Cross will be speaking about his experiences in controlled burning as a means of Massasauga rattlesnake conser-vation. Scott Center, Lansing.

March 29 VET-A-VISIT. Put on by the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, this annual event attracts thousands of visi-tors from around the state. Aimed primarily at young people interested in animal care in general and vet medicine in particular, it’s become a tradition and great exposure for the Society. If you’d like to volunteer/exhibit, contact Barbara Wheeler at 517.321.6105 or bjwheeler38@yahoo.com.

April 5,6 WEST MICHIGAN PET EXPO. A produc-tion of Clear Channel Radio, this is the big-gest all pet expo events of the year in west Michigan. It’s held in the Delta Plex Center in Grand Rapids, and we’ll need lots of you GR area members to exhibit/volunteer. For more information contact your editor at 5 1 7 . 2 0 2 . 4 8 0 0 o r a t d o g -fish1951@yahoo.com

April 12, 13 REPTIFEST 2008. Billed as the “nation’s largest educational reptiles and amphibians show”, this is the Chicago Herpetological Society’s biggest annual event. It’s held at University of Illinois at Chicago P.E. Build-ing, 901 W. Roosevelt Road. And once again, MSH has been invited to participate. For more information log onto www.chigacagoherp.org/fest. If you’d like to volunteer, contact Eric Tobin at orio-net@aol.com.

May 2,3 KENTUCKY HERP WEEKEND. Held at the Natural Bridge State Park near Slade, KY (about 55 miles east of Lexington). This is a great event designed to kick start your spring herping adventures with the family. Cost to register is only $5 for adults and $2 for the kids, and includes admission to the

Kentucky Reptile Zoo (which is worth more than the $5 by itself). For more details and driving directions, log onto the Greater Cin-cinnati Herpetological Society’s website at www.cincyherps.com/event.php?id=33. This is a beautiful area where you truly will feel like you’ve stepped back in time.

May 17 MSH MONTHLY MEETING. “Bring your favorite herp” night. Be prepared to tell the rest of the membership a little bit about your favorite critter (biology, captive care, it’s name etc). Always a good time, this month’s meeting will be held at the John Ball Zoo, Grand Rapids.

March, 2008

water for long periods of time, although no data has yet been found to support this hypothesis. “Some people in the field are pretty sure this is explained by diving, so I think they're going to be surprised,” Farmer said. Farmer and her colleagues surgically altered some crocodiles so that they could not use the valve to send blood past the lungs. The biologists then measured how quickly the crocs could secrete stomach acid and found that those with the valve intact produced acid at a much higher rate. When blood bypasses the lungs, it holds on to the carbon dioxide that would have

normally been released into the gases in the lungs. Carbon dioxide is a chemical ingredient of gastric acid, so the more CO2 in the blood when it reaches the stomach, the more acid can be produced. This is essential for digesting large amounts of food. “If any animal eats a meal that size, they can’t process it immediately,” Farmer said. “As the meal is being broken down, the stomach holds on to the bulk of the food and sends little bits on to the intes-tine. If they weren’t able to secrete a lot of acid in their stomachs, the food there would putrefy due to the overgrowth of bacteria. Eating big meals infrequently has selected for this ability.” The excess of stomach acid is also helpful in dissolving

the bones of prey crocodiles swallow whole. While the neurologically-controlled valve is found only in crocodilians, all reptiles have some kind of shunting system for moving blood past the lungs. Farmer said it would be interesting to see if Burmese pythons also use the system for digestion, because they can eat meals that weigh more than 100 percent of their body mass. “They do have a shunt system, and I’ll bet you they’re using it,” she said. “It’s just hard to study for technical reasons. But I bet you money this is going to apply to all reptiles.” -- Reprinted from LiveScience, February 4, 2008.

(Crocs from page 1)

“This peptide is an attractive molecule for use in the development of new com-pounds for the treatment of infectious diseases,” say the researchers.

Reference: M.L. Mangoni, G. Maisetta, M.D. Luca, L.M.H. Gaddi, S. Esin, W. Florio, F.L. Brancatisano, D. Barra, M. Campa, G. Batoni. 2008. Comparative analysis of the bactericidal activities of amphibian peptide analogues against

multi-drug-resistant nosocomial bacterial strains. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemo-therapy, 52. 1: 85-91. -- Reprinted from Science Daily, January 23, 2008

(bacteria from page 1)

NEWSLETTER OF THE MICHIGAN SOCIETY OF HERPETOLOGISTS PAGE 3

ROSY BOAS BIFURCATED DUSTIN A. WOOD, ROBERT N. FISHER AND TOD W. REEDER REPORTING IN MOLECULAR PHYLOGE-NETICS AND EVOLUTION

Abstract: Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence variation was exam-ined in 131 individuals of the Rosy Boa (Lichanura trivirgata) from across the spe-cies range in southwestern North Amer-ica. Bayesian inference and nested clade phylogeographic analyses (NCPA) were used to estimate relationships and infer evolutionary processes. These patterns were evaluated as they relate to previ-ously hypothesized vicariant events and new insights are provided into the bio-geographic and evolutionary processes important in Baja California and sur-rounding North American deserts. Three major lineages (Lineages A, B, and C) are revealed with very little over-lap. Lineage A and B are predominately separated along the Colorado River and are found primarily within California and

Arizona (respectively), while Lineage C consists of disjunct groups distributed along the Baja California peninsula as well as south-central Arizona, southward along the coastal regions of Sonora, Mexico. Estimated divergence time points (using a Bayesian relaxed molecular clock) and geographic congruence with postu-lated vicariant events suggest early exten-sions of the Gulf of California and subse-quent development of the Colorado River during the Late Miocene-Pliocene led to the formation of these mtDNA lineages. Our results also suggest that vicariance hypotheses alone do not fully explain pat-terns of genetic variation. Therefore, we highlight the importance of dispersal to explain these patterns and current distri-bution of populations. We also compare the mtDNA lineages with those based on

morphological variation and evaluate their implications for taxonomy. CNAH Note: Lichanura trivirgata (Cope, 1861) retains the standard com-mon name Mexican Rosy Boa (most of its range is in Mexico); the newly resur-rected Lichanura orcutti (Stejneger, 1889), found in both the Sonoran Desert and Mojave Desert of the southwestern United States, becomes the Desert Rosy Boa. Recognition of the taxa gracia, roseo-fusca, myriolepis, and saslowi (all formerly recognized as subspecies of L. trivirgata in Mexico and/or the United States) is not supported and they are relegated to the synonymy of Lichanura trivirgata. -- News release by the Center for North American Her-petology, March 3, 2008. Submitted by Theresa Moran.

March, 2008

MICH-HERP NEWS BRIEFS . . . FROG SKIN DIABETES TREATMENT HOPE

Skin secretions from a South American “shrinking” frog could be used to treat type 2 diabetes, researchers say. A com-pound isolated from the frog, which grows to 27cm as a tadpole before shrinking to 4cm in adulthood, stimulates insulin re-lease. A synthetic version of the compound - pseudin-2 - could be used to produce new drugs, delegates at the Diabetes UK annual conference heard.

Scientists from the University of Ulster and United Arab Emirates University have tested a synthetic version of pseudin-2, a compound which protects the paradoxical frog from infection. They found it stimulated the secretion of insulin in pancreatic cells in the laboratory. And importantly, there were no toxic effects on the cells.

The synthetic version was better at stimulating insulin than the natural compound, opening the way for it’s potential devel-opment as a drug for treating diabetes. -- Edited from BBC News online, March 3, 2008.

THE WORLD'S MOST EXPLOSIVE TONGUE

The giant palm salamander of Central America shoots out its tongue with more instantaneous power than any known mus-cle in the animal kingdom, a new study finds. The salamander, Bolitoglossa dofleini, can shoot out its tongue with 18,000 watts of power per kilogram of muscle. This is nearly double the power output of the previous champ, the Colorado River toad Bufo alvarius. Bolitoglossa can extend its tongue more than half its body length in about 7 milliseconds, or about 50 times faster than an average eye blink.

Stephen Deban of the University of South Florida and his colleagues used high-speed video cameras and electrodes im-planted in the salamanders’ tongue muscles to monitor the animals as they launched at live crickets. The findings revealed the tongues were propelled outward much faster than could be achieved by muscle contraction alone. The researchers think that still unidentified elastic tissue attached to the salamander’s tongue stores up energy in preparation for an explosive action.

Deban likens the process to stretching and shooting a rubber band: the recoil occurs faster than the act of releasing a rubber band pulled taut. “The amount of energy doesn’t change; it’s just released faster,” Deban told LiveScience.

How the salamander achieves its record power output is still unclear. Tongue-launching systems in other animals require three components: a motor to generate energy, a spring to store the energy and a latch to control the timing of unloading of the spring. Scientists have so far identified only the motor in the salamander system. “What remains to be discovered are the anatomical structures that make up the spring and the latch,” the researchers write in the Feb. 15 issue of the Journal of Ex-perimental Biology. -- Reprinted from Live Science, March 6, 2008.

U.VA. RESEARCH: SNAKE PHOBIA HARDWIRED

Charlottesville, VA -- Two University of Virginia researchers believe that humans are genetically predisposed to be deathly afraid of snakes. Judy S. DeLoache, a U.Va. professor of developmental psychology, said she has a snake phobia, but wonders why. “The question was, where did that fear come from?” She believes it’s because snakes would have posed a significant threat to our ancestors, so a fear of snakes remains hardwired into human brains today.

DeLoache said an experiment she conducted with graduate student Vanessa LoBue proved that adults and preschool chil-dren have an extraordinary ability to quickly pinpoint snakes amid harmless distractions. They conducted three experiments with 24 adults and 24 3-year-olds. Both groups were shown a large touch-screen computer monitor that displayed nine color photographs. They asked half of the people to find the single image of a snake among non-threatening pictures of caterpillars, flowers or frogs. The second group was told to find the single photo of a single non-threatening item among eight images of snakes.

The researchers found that adults and children were much faster at discovering snakes than they were at locating non-threatening flora or fauna. The finding that children saw the snakes as rapidly as adults is particularly fascinating, LoBue said,

THE MICHIGAN HERPETOLOGIST PAGE 4

March, 2008

NEWSLETTER OF THE MICHIGAN SOCIETY OF HERPETOLOGISTS PAGE 5

because preschool children tend to be fearless and are less likely to have had a negative experience with snakes. DeLoache’s and LoBue’s findings will be published in the March issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psycho-logical Science.

Julia Dixon, spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, thinks snakes have a bad rap, and said her agency spends time defending snakes. “The general public out there thinks that the only good snake is a dead snake,” Dixon said. But she notes that snakes are a key piece of the food chain because they eat mice, rats and other snakes. -- Edited from a story on Yahoo! News, February 29, 2008. Submitted by Dudley Smith.

SNAKE VENOMS SHARE SIMILAR INGREDIENTS

Venoms from different snake families may have many deadly ingredients in common, more than was previously thought. A study published in the online open access journal BMC Molecular Biology has unexpectedly discovered three-finger toxins in a subspecies of the Massasauga rattlesnake, as well as evidence for a novel toxin genes resulting from gene fusion.

Susanta Pahari from National University of Singapore, Singapore (currently working at Sri Bhagawan Mahaveer Jain Col-lege, Bangalore, India) used venom glands from a rare rattlesnake that lives in arid and desert grasslands. Known as Desert Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus edwardsii), this pitviper is a subspecies of the North American Massasauga rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus).

Together with Stephen Mackessy from the University of Northern Colorado, USA and R. Manjunatha Kini from National University of Singapore, Singapore, Pahari constructed a cDNA library of the snake’s venom gland and created 576 tagged sequences. A cocktail of recognized venom toxin sequences was detected in the library, but the venom also contained three-finger toxin-like transcripts, a family of poisons thought only to occur in another family of snakes (Elapidae). The team also spotted a novel toxin-like transcript generated by the fusion of two individual toxin genes, a mechanism not previously ob-served in toxin evolution. Toxin diversity is usually the result of gene duplication and subsequently neofunctionalization is achieved through several point mutations (called accelerated evolution) on the surface of the protein. Pahari says “In addition to gene duplication, exon shuffling or transcriptional splicing may also contribute to generating the diversity of toxins and toxin isoforms observed among snake venoms.”

Previously, researchers identified venom compounds using protein chemistry or individual gene cloning methods. How-ever, less abundant toxins were often missed. The library method has now revealed new toxin genes and even new families of toxins. Taking low abundance toxins into consideration shows advanced snakes’ venoms actually have a greater similarity than previously recognized.

Snake venoms are complex mixtures of pharmacologically active proteins and peptides. Treating snake venom victims can be complicated because of the variation between venoms even within snake families. Kini says “such a diversity of toxins pro-vides a gold mine of bioactive polypeptides, which could aid the development of novel therapeutic agents.” -- Reprinted from Science Daily, December 25, 2007.

GECKO 'BEGS' INSECT FOR HONEYDEW

A bizarre relationship between a gecko and a sap-sucking insect has been caught on camera for the first time. The day gecko, which lives in the forests of Madagascar, has been recorded begging a bug for its dinner. The lizard repeatedly nods its head at the insect, called a plant hopper, until it flicks over small balls of honeydew for the gecko to dine upon. It is not yet understood why the insect so willingly offers up honeydew at the lizard’s behest. Some believe that the presence of the hun-gry geckos may keep other predators away from the insect.

The footage was recorded for the BBC One series Life In Cold Blood. It took the crew several attempts to capture this strange behavior on camera as plant hoppers are very well camouflaged. -- Reprinted from BBC News online, February 16, 2008. Editor’s note: if you have a good internet connection and would like to see the video of this amazing relationship, e-mail me at dog-fish1951@yahoo.com and I’ll send you the link to it.

March, 2008

THE MICHIGAN HERPETOLOGIST PAGE 6

Amphibian and Marsh Bird Monitoring with the Marsh Monitoring Program

The Marsh Monitoring Program (MMP) is a long-term, bi-national Canada-United States program of Bird Studies Canada that relies on the skills and dedication of hundreds of volunteer Citizen Scientists across the Great Lakes basin to annually monitor amphibian and marsh bird populations in local wetlands. For over a decade, the MMP has worked with local stake-holders within Great Lakes environmental “hot spots”, called Areas of Concern (AOCs), including the 13 Michigan AOCs, to provide monitoring data in support of efforts to track wildlife and habitat recovery. To improve its capacity to inform Reme-dial Action Plans, the MMP is seeking to engage enthusiastic and motivated individuals to monitor and/or become volunteer regional coordinators for the MMP. MMP regional coordinators will help to recruit new volunteer participants by promoting the program locally, and help existing volunteers by providing training and survey support prior to and during the MMP monitoring season. We are currently seeking coordinators for the following areas in Michigan:

• Oakland and Macomb Counties (Clinton River AOC)

• Detroit and surrounding area (Detroit River and Rouge River AOCs)

• Kalamazoo and Allegan Counties (Kalamazoo River AOC)

• Manistique and surrounding area (Manistique River AOC)

• Menominee and surrounding areas (Menominee River AOC)

• Monroe and surrounding area (River Raisin AOC)

• Bay/Huron/Saginaw Counties (Saginaw River/Bay AOC)

• St. Clair County, including Port Huron and Algonac (St. Clair River AOC)

• Sault Ste. Marie and surrounding area (St. Mary’s River AOC)

• Keweenaw and northern Houghton Counties (Torch Lake AOC)

• Muskegon County and surrounding areas (White Lake and Muskegon Lake AOCs)

For more information about this rewarding opportunity, please view the online brochure with application form at www.bsc-eoc.org/download/MMPvolcoordbrochure.pdf and a position description at www.bsc-eoc.org/download/MMPvolcoordescription2007.pdf. We ask that those interested please submit their application form ASAP. Also note that coordinator tasks are flexible to accommodate individuals’ strengths and time commitments. Bursaries will be available to help reimburse coordinator-related costs. For more information about the Marsh Monitoring Program or to become a volunteer, please visit www.bsc-eoc.org/mmpmain.html. For any questions, please contact Ryan Archer, MMP Assistant Coordinator, at rarcher@bsc-eoc.org, or toll-free at 1-888-448-2473 ext. 235.

March, 2008

PAGE 7 NEWSLETTER OF THE MICHIGAN SOCIETY OF HERPETOLOGISTS

GOLF BALLS REMOVED FROM SNAKE BY NEIL HICKEY

New South Wales, Australia -- Here’s one snake that may never go for chicken eggs ever again after having had four golf balls removed from its stomach. The reptile, which has been named Augusta, has had four golf balls removed from its stomach after devouring them believing they were

something much more digestible. The

carpet python snuck into a henhouse at Nobbys Creek in northern New South Wales and devoured the golf balls which had been placed there by an owner to help a brood hen who had had trouble laying.

The snake, no doubt enduring one of the worst cases of stomach ache in reptile history, was taken to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary to have the golf balls removed. The sanctuary’s senior vet, Michael Pyne, said: “Because the intestines were so stretched, you could actually make out the logo on the golf balls through the in-testines. They were pretty old rugged ones. You don’t put your good ones un-der the chickens.” He said he had seen a similar problem once before where a lar-ger python had eaten a clutch of plastic fake eggs but had managed to pass them.

“Golf balls are pretty hard things and this was a relatively small python. There was no way it was going to pass them,” Dr Pyne said. Augusta is expected to make a full recovery. -- Reprinted from the (Queensland) Courier Mail, January 2, 2008. Submitted by Jen Periat.

A keeper holds a carpet python that swal-lowed four golf balls after mistaking them

for eggs

Delicate procedure. . . Erina Young operates to remove the golf balls.

FAKE FLIPPER SOUGHT FOR SEA TURTLE BY MICHELLE ROBERTS

South Padre Island, TX -- When tourists found a 5-inch green sea turtle bloody and missing three of her flippers, the people who run a hospital for the endangered animals here gave her little chance of sur-vival. But the turtle persevered, thanks to injections of antibiotics and a forced diet of squid. Somehow, she swam with just one flipper, even though she can only move in counterclockwise circles and has to push her now 10-pound body off the bottom with her head to breathe.

“The wounds have healed very nicely. The problem is she doesn't swim very well,” said Jeff George, curator at the nonprofit Sea Turtle Inc., a 31-year-old turtle conservation facility that treats and returns injured sea turtles to the wild. Now, her caregivers hope to make her what's believed to be the first sea turtle fitted with a prosthetic flipper. Three-flipper turtles can return to the sea and two-flipper turtles can survive in captiv-

ity. But those left with only one after predator attacks or run-ins with boat pro-pellers are usually killed.

Allison, named for the daughter of one of the tourists who found her, was spared because an intern begged for a chance to nurse her back to health the summer she was found. Since then, Allison has adapted and grown to normal size for her age. “With Allison, from the day she arrived, she was a fighter,” said Lucia Guillen, the nonprofit’s resident biologist and educa-tor. But because an Atlantic green sea turtle like Allison can grow to 450 pounds and live a century or so, her long-term prognosis with only one flipper is not promising. “She would be destined to shallow water for the rest of her life and that becomes a quality-of-life issue,” George said.

That’s when they got the idea for a kind of bionic turtle. A group of veterinary and medical professionals — including an

assistant professor at the world-renowned University of Texas M.D. Anderson Can-cer Center and the UT Dental Branch in Houston — have volunteered to help fit a prosthetic flipper to her left rear side.

University of Texas’ Dr. Sudarat Kiat-amnuay plans to develop a prosthetic us-ing the same kind of silicon she uses to create facial prosthetics for humans. Her dental expertise helps because the kind of tiny hardware used in dental implants are probably the best size match for Allison’s bones. Kiat-amnuay plans to use the same technique she would to create a prosthetic nose or ears for a human patient.

It may seem silly going to so much trouble for a turtle, but Allison would not be the first animal to get a prosthetic re-placement. At least two dolphins, one in Japan and one in Florida, have successfully been fitted for prosthetic body parts. -- Edited from Yahoo! News, February 28, 2008. Submitted by Jen Periat.

March, 2008

PAGE 8 THE MICHIGAN HERPETOLOGIST

March, 2008

PAGE 9 NEWSLETTER OF THE MICHIGAN SOCIETY OF HERPETOLOGISTS

bufo appears to be closely related to a group of frogs that live today in South America, the scientists said. They are nicknamed “Pac-Man” frogs due to their huge mouths. Some have little horns on their heads, and the scientists think Beelze-bufo also may have had horns -- a fitting touch for the “devil frog.”

Beelzebufo was bigger than any of its South American kin or any other living frog -- “as if it was on steroids,” Krause said. The largest one today is the goliath frog of West Africa, up to 12.5 inches long and 7.2 pounds (3.3 kg).

The presence of Beelzebufo in Madagas-car and its modern relatives in South America is the latest sign a long-lost land bridge once may have linked Madagascar to Antarctica -- much warmer then -- and South America, the scientists said. That would have let animals move overland among those land masses. Fossils have been found of other animals in Madagas-

car from Beelzebufo’s time similar to South American ones.

The first frogs appeared about 180 mil-lion years ago, and their basic body plan has remained unchanged. Beelzebufo lived during the Cretaceous Period at the end of the age of dinosaurs, which went ex-tinct along with many other types of ani-mals 65 million years ago when a huge space rock clobbered Earth.

Beelzebufo did not live an aquatic life-style, hopping among lily pads, the scien-tists said. Instead, it lived in a semi-arid environment and may have hunted like its modern-day relatives, which camouflage themselves and jump out at prey.

Its first fragmentary fossils were found in 1993, and the scientists have since as-sembled enough fragments to piece its remains together like a jigsaw puzzle, Krause said.

While it was the king of frogs, Beelze-bufo is not the largest amphibian ever to have lived. Many reached truly astounding dimensions, such as the crocodile-like

Prionosuchus that grew to an estimated 30 feet during the Permian Period, which ended about 250 million years ago. -- Reprinted from Yahoo! News, February 18, 2008.

(Devil frog from page 12)

Modern Ceratophrys ornate or “pac-man” frog. Photo courtesy Brocketts Film Fauna.

March, 2008

PAGE 10 THE MICHIGAN HERPETOLOGIST

Classified Ads For Sale: Snake hooks, curved (cage style) or straight (field style). $15 each or 2 for $25. Also, frozen mice; pinkies 4/$1.00, fuzzies 3/$1.00, adults 50 cents each. Can bring to MSH meetings, or MSH educational exhibits if you call ahead. Contact Paul Suplinskas, 231.834.7803.

For Sale: One adult breeding pair of Snow corn snakes. These were purchased as juveniles from Kathy Love in 2003 and have produced two clutches of eggs so far. They’re healthy and I have complete feed and shed records for them. $100 firm, serious inquires only please. Contact Randy Worden at 517.202.4800 or e-mail at dogfish1951@yahoo.com.

Wanted: water cobra and/or Eastern diamondback rattle-snake. If you have any information on where and how to obtain one of these animals, contact David House at 517.663.0012.

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 Herpetolo-gist is to inform the membership of Society events, to report on those events when-ever possible, to provide interesting infor-mation about the herpetological commu-nity, and to provide members a platform to express their interests and views.”

Editorial Team

Stephanie Beiser, Dan Boyle, Dr. Jen Periat, Dudley Smith, Barbara Wheeler

Editor Randy Worden

1525 Sand Point Dr Lansing MI 48917 Phone: 517.202.4800 E-mail: dogfish1951@yahoo.com

Classified ads are free to MSH members. Articles by members and interested individuals are always welcome in almost any format. Please contact the editor.

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

© 2008 by Michigan Society of Herpetologists. All rights reserved. You may reprint any original article from The Michigan Herpetologist provided you credit “The Michigan Herpetologist, newsletter of the Michigan Society of Herpetologists.”

Hong Kong -- Inspired by the toe pads of tree frogs and crick-ets, researchers in India have created a form of sticky coating that is both strong and reusable. When conventional adhesive tape is pulled off a surface, cracks form on the tape, which also picks up dust and other particles, quickly losing its stickiness.

Writing in the journal Science, the researchers described how the toe pads of tree frogs contain “microscopic channel patterns” that stop cracks from forming. “Toe pads have patterns on the surface, it’s not a smooth layer. Underneath these patterns, there are fluid vessels, glands and blood vessels,” said Ani-mangsu Ghatak, an assistant professor at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur. “Sticky tape gets contaminated with dust and you only use it once or twice. But lizards and toads use their toes all the time. They don’t get contaminated and they create very strong adhesion. We are trying to mimic that by creating this material.”

Ghatak and his colleagues added tiny fluid vessels in their model adhesive and found they increased adhesion by 30 times. “These fluid vessels, because of the capillary pressure, the adhe-sion stress increased by 30 times,” Ghatak said by telephone. The team hopes to use their technology on stickers for utensils and food so that they may be peeled off cleanly, and on other adhesive devices that are meant to be reused. “One application is for stickers on utensils, fruit, where you want to remove them cleanly, you don’t want the adhesive to remain on them, which is annoying,” he said. -- Reprinted from a Reuters story found on Yahoo! News, October 11, 2007.

Tree-frog inspires new super glue

March, 2008

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 Administration Building, also known as the old Circle Theater 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.

Live animals are now allowed at the John Ball Zoo Administration Building for MSH meetings.

TODAY’S DATE___________ 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)

PO Box 4201., Battle Creek, MI 49016 ____ 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

Would you like to receive this newsletter in full color electronically? (Requires an e-mail address) Yes No

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 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/Event Coordinator:

Stephanie Beiser 989.493.2429 stephanie@michiganreptilerescue.org

Secretary:Jen Periat, DVM 810.241.8998 periatje@msu.edu

Treasurer:David Critchlow 269.962.0532 gatordad0812@yahoo.com

Members-at-Large:

Jane Billette 989.684.7938 jane@michiganreptilerescue.org

Paul Suplinskas 231.834.7803 msuplins@msn.com

Randy Worden 517.202.4800 dogfish1951@yahoo.com

Membership and Circulation:

Barbara Wheeler 517.321.6105 wheelerba@aol.com

March, 2008

FIRST CLASS MAIL

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

If this box is checked, your membership expires with this issue. When renewing, PLEASE fill out the mem-bership form on the other side of this page. This will insure your newsletter delivery continues unin-terrupted.

ANCIENT "DEVIL FROG" MAY HAVE EATEN BABY DINOSAURS BY WILL DUNHAM

Washington, D.C. -- Scientists on Monday announced the discovery in northwestern Madagascar of a bulky amphibian dubbed the “devil frog” that lived 65 million to 70 million years ago and was so nasty it may have eaten newborn dinosaurs. This brute was larger than any frog living today and may be the biggest frog ever to have existed, according to paleontologist David Krause of Stony Brook Univer-sity in Stony Brook, New York, one of the scientists who found the remains.

Its name, Beelzebufo ampinga, came from Beelzebub, the Greek for devil, and bufo -- Latin for toad. Ampinga means “shield,” named for an armor-like part of its anatomy. Beelzebufo (pronounced bee-el-zeh-BOOF-oh)

was 16 inches long and weighed an estimated 10 pounds (4.5 kg). It was powerfully built and possessed a very wide mouth and powerful jaws. It probably didn’t dine daintily.

“It’s not outside the realm of possi-bility that Beelzebufo took down liz-ards and mammals and smaller frogs, and even -- considering its size -- possi-bly hatchling dinosaurs,” Krause said in a telephone interview. “It would have been quite mean,” added paleontologist Susan Evans of University College Lon-don, another of the scientists. Their findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Even though it lived far away, Beelze-(See Devil frog on page 9)

This undated handout artist rendering shows a Beelze-bufo ampinga facing off against the largest known living

Malagasy frog, Mantydactylus ampinga. A full -length pencil provide size perspective. A frog the size of a

bowling ball, with heavy armor and teeth, lived among dinosaurs millions of years ago — intimidating enough

that scientists who unearthed its fossils dubbed the beast Beelzebufo, or Devil Toad. AP Illustration by Luci

Betti-Nash, Dan Klores Communications.