Vol. 26 (2006), No. 3

minnesota minnesota herpetological herpetological societysociety

MMARCHARCH 2006 V2006 VOLUMEOLUME 26 N26 NUMBERUMBER 33

the newsletter of the

• March Meeting: White Snake Sale!• New MHS Occasional Paper• Do you know your MHS History?

Kids: Check outthis month’s JuveHerper Page!page 12WEB VERSIONInformation edited/removed to respect privacy concerns.

BELL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, 10 CHURCH STREET SOUTHEAST, MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA 55455-0104

T h e M i n n e s o t a

H e r p e t o l o g i c a l

S o c i e t y

VOICE MAIL: 612.624.7065 • MHS WEBPAGE: HTTP://WWW.MNHERPSOC.ORG

MHS GROUP EMAIL : HTTP : / /WWW.GROUPS .YAHOO.COM/GROUP/MNHERPSOC

March 2006 Volume 26 Number 3

Board of DirectorsPresidentBruce Haig

Vice PresidentTim Banovitz

Recording SecretaryEllen Heck

Membership SecretaryGeorge Richard

TreasurerNancy Haig

Newsletter EditorAsra Halvorson

Members at LargeFred Bosman

Sarah Richard

David Dewitt

Carmelita Knudson

CommitteesAdoptionSarah Richard

EducationJan Larson

LibraryTim Banovitz

WebmasterAnke Reinders

[email protected]

The Purpose of the Minnesota Herpetological Society is to:

• Further the education of the membership and the general public in care and captive propagationof reptiles and amphibians;• Educate the members and the general public in the ecological role of reptiles and amphibians;• Promote the study and conservation of reptiles and amphibians.

The Minnesota Herpetological Society is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization. Membership is opento all individuals with an interest in amphibians and reptiles. The Minnesota Herpetological SocietyNewsletter is published monthly to provide its members with information concerning the society’sactivities and a media for exchanging information, opinions and resources.

General Meetings are held at Borlaug Hall, Room 335 on the St. Paul Campus of the University ofMinnesota, on the first Friday of each month (unless there is a holiday conflict). The meeting startsat 7:00pm and lasts about three hours. Please check the MHS Voice mail for changes in schedulesor cancellations.

Submissions to the NewsletterAds or Notices must be submitted no later than the night of the General Meeting to be included inthe next issue. Longer articles will be printed as time and space allows and should be in electronicfile format if possible. See inside back cover for ad rates.Submissions may be sent to:

The Minnesota Herpetological SocietyAttn: Newsletter EditorBell Museum of Natural History10 Church St. SE.Minneapolis, MN 55455.0104

Copyright 2006, Minnesota Herpetological Society. Except where noted, contents may be reproduced for non-profit, non-commercial use only. All material must be reproduced without change. Proper credit will be given including the author/pho-

tographer and the MHS Newsletter citing: volume, number and date.

Page 3

The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society March 2006 Volume 26 Number 3

Note from the President

The February 2006 meeting was more than alittle different; instead of a prepared lecturefrom a single speaker, several people came tothe front of the room to share experiences andstories with the rest of the members. Manycommented afterwards on how much theyenjoyed the relaxed and comradely atmos-phere. For those that were “just about to raisetheir hands”; please do so in the future and addto everyone’s enjoyment of getting together.

The February meeting showed that a couple ofmeeting traditions should be resurrected. “HerpHints” will be re-introduced to the agenda at theApril meeting. Anyone with a question, com-ments about new products they like or dislike,available veterinary services, etc. is stronglyencouraged to share their concerns and ideaswith the rest of the members. Also, although“Critter of the Month” participation always dropsoff during the winter; this drop-off has not beenhelped by the lack of advance notice of themeeting speaker and topic. Please bringhealthy animals that you want to share (but notto the March White Snake Sale meeting); theyare a focus of after-meeting socializing whenthey are there.

New ideas on how to make the club better arewelcome. The “Juve Herper Page” in thenewsletter initiated by Dan Monson (and asso-ciates) is a good example. If you make the clubwork for you, it works better for everyone; sodon’t just watch, join in.

Bruce Haig

MinnesotaHerpetologicalSociety OccasionalPaper Number 7

MHS has completedthe newest in itsseries of papers byproducing a mono-graph written by long-time member andTimber Rattlesnakebiologist Dr. DanKeyler entitled:Venomous Snakebites: Minnesota & the UpperMississippi River Valley 1982 – 2002.

This paper presents historical detail on theoccurrence of snakebite, reviews selected indi-vidual accounts and provides an overview of thisphenomenon in Minnesota. As Dr. Keyler is aToxicologist with the Hennepin County MedicalCenter in Minneapolis, his career has led tomany unique encounters related to venomoussnakebite. He has consulted with a number ofhospitals regarding venomous snakebite casesacross the nation and internationally, participatedin many symposiums on venomous snakes andsnakebite as well as performed field biologicaland molecular studies of Timber Rattlesnakes inthe upper Midwest.

This publication will be mailed to all who have acurrent membership in MHS and is one of thebenefits of joining the society. In addition, copiesof this paper will be available for sale at themonthly general meetings.

Institutions or other people interested in obtain-ing a copy can contact the society at: MinnesotaHerpetological Society, Bell Museum, 10 ChurchStreet South East, Minneapolis, MN 55455.Price per issue is $2.00 shipping is an additional$1.00.

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News, Notes & Announcements

From the Education Chair

I would like to thank the 40 volun-teers who clocked 526.5 hours in2005. Without you our educationprogram would not be successful.Hopefully 2006 will bring outeven more volunteers. Pleaseremember this is your society. Itssuccess depends on you. Wehad 10 hands-on activities andvisited 29 schools. Hopefullythese numbers will grow thisyear.

Thank you,Jan Larson, Education Chair

Cover Photo: Solomon Islandor Monkey-tail skink mother and baby

Corucia zebrata © Sarah Richard

How well do YOU know MHS History?

Last October we celebrated the 21st Anniversary of theMidwest Herpetological Symposium. Created by ourown society, it now has a life of its own.

In 2006 we celebrate another landmark anniversary.

DO YOU KNOW:

When was the first MHS meeting?

Where was the meeting held?

Who was the first MHS president?

What is the purpose of the MHS?

What was the first animal adopted?

Find the answers on page 11.

February Adoption ReportBy Sarah Richard, Adoption Chair

Pretty quiet around here…no major excitement. We prettymuch had a routine month. We had an Iguana, 3 water turtles,a Water Dragon, 2 Boas and a Ball python come in. All wereplaced.

Thanks to the people that came up to claim the hard to placeguys. You know who you are. I got a call from someone todaywho wanted to know why we didn’t have Egyptian tortoises foradoption. Oops, I did laugh. Then I told them how to get to ourweb site, and invited them to the meeting. Hope they come.

Next month will be light as well as it is the White Snake Saleand I will try to push as much as possible to April.

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NOTICE OF MEMBERSHIP DUES INCREASE

At the meeting held February 4, 2006 the board unanimously voted to propose an increase inthe membership fees as follows:

Basic: increase from $15 to $20Contributing: increase from $30 to $40Sustaining and Commercial will remain the same at $60 and $25, respectively.

The board can only propose the increase. It is up to the general membership to vote on it. The

voting will take place at the May general meeting, which is scheduled for the 5th of that month

at 7pm. The change would go into effect June 1st, 2006.

In order to vote, you must1. be a member in good standing.2. attend the general meeting. No provision will be made for absentee voting.

The change was deemed necessary because the current base membership no longer coversthe cost of producing and mailing the newsletter, speakers for the meetings and other operatingexpenses. The membership fee has remained unchanged for so long that people can literallynot remember the last increase, but it was in the mid 1980’s when the fee went from $12 to thecurrent $15. MHS is currently operating on a deficit budget, as posted in the February 2006newsletter, page 11.

Frog Killer

What do an old pregnancy test for women and amysterious fungus that is killing frogs have incommon?

Plenty, according to researchers at North-WestUniversity in South Africa, who believe they havetraced the spread of the killer fungus to trade inthe African clawed frog, used for decades in abizarre but effective way of determining pregnan-cy.

“We think we have traced the origin of thespread of the amphibian chytrid fungus to the“frog” pregnancy test for women, which waswidely used from the 1930s to the 1960s,” saidChe Weldon, a zoologist at North-West

University who has been researching the phe-nomenon.

That test involved taking the urine of a womanand injecting it into an African clawed frog. If thewoman was pregnant the hormones in her urinewould stimulate ovulation in the frog and it wouldspawn within a matter of hours.

The species was exported to labs around theworld in huge quantities from South Africa fromthe 1930 – the decade in which Weldon hastraced the first recorded case of the fungus byexamining preserved frogs in museum collec-tions.

Frog, continued on page 8


Page 6

February Meeting Reviewby Ellen Heck, Recording Secretary

There was no formal speaker this month, so vari-ous members filled in with stories and a little Q &A. Most of the stories underlines the rather …off-center(?) nature of the lives of herpers, bothprofessional and hobbyist. You know— likewarning people to NEVER look into your freezer,head-bobbing at the drivers that annoy you, hav-ing a house that sounds like late summer allyear round because of the 1 or 2 happy littlecrickets that escape and chirp their joy all nightlong.

Bruce led off the stories with a tale of a scorpionfrom Jamaica. Apparently the people at Nancy’soffice discovered a scorpion in the building andshut it into a room. But then it disappeared andwhen Bruce and Nancy arrived, everyone wasout in the parking lot, refusing to enter the build-ing. Bruce, having some experience with, or atleast working knowledge of, scorpion behavior,went into the building and inspected the room.Realizing that the scorpion would be in the onlydark corner, Bruce had a man who trusted himgo in with him, a cup and broom. They knockedthe scorpion into the cup and thus was born thelegend of Bruce.

This tale was followed by a brief Q & A onchameleons, their color changes and the causesthereof. Their colors tend to be brighter at night,as they are nocturnal animals. Also, colorchanges in bearded dragons tend to be heatrelated. Animals trying to absorb more heat tendto be darker.

Jake, generally known for tortoise tales, told astory of the Badlands. Apparently, he, Donna,and the couple they were with were gazing into amud puddle. Soon others came by and alsogazed into the puddle. Eventually someoneasked what it was they were all looking at. They

were disappointed to discover it was a toad. Butwhat do they know?

Heather told a tale of a small alligator disappear-ing into the wall for several days (and I thought Ihad trouble with mice). Sara had a 5’ Nile moni-tor disappear in a 5’x7’ bathroom. Having a mini-mum sized bathroom myself, I can understandthe bewilderment at having an animal that largedisappear in a space that small. Apparently themonitor got into the space under the vanity bysqueezing through a crack several inches wide.

Dan Keyler regaled the group with two tales ofvenomous snake bites, both from the Show Mestate of Missouri. The first involved a blacknecked spitting cobra and, not surprisingly, a sig-nificant amount of tequila. The man in questionwent into respiratory arrest on the way in to thehospital and was treated with 11 vials of anti-venom. Eventually he recovered consciousnessand removed the breathing tube himself. Twoweeks later there was an article in the paperabout the incident entitled “AmateurHerpetologist Saves Life by Immunizing Self”.Apparently the man had allowed the snake tobite him before in the belief that he couldachieve resistance, and it was this that he attrib-uted his survival to and not anti-venom or traumateams.

His second story involves a rhino viper bite. Theman in question had been brought in to the St.Louis hospital and was doing well with 8 vialsanti-venom for a bite in his thumb. His wifewalked in and said basically “Honey, I didn’tknow you had venomous snakes”, or snakes ofany kind, for that matter. The mystery, however,was solved about 10 minutes later when his girl-friend walked in. Apparently, all the snakes wereat her house. And apparently neither womanknew about the other. When realization dawned,a fistfight á la Jerry Springfield broke out in themiddle of the ICU that was broken up by the

Page 7


sheriff, who hauled them off to jail. The manchecked himself out of the hospital AMA (againstmedical advice) because he wanted to get clearbefore one or the other of the women showed upand shot him. He did surface eventually a coupleof months later, minus a digit.

Dav Kaufman, exhibiting a certain amount ofclairvoyance, had brought slides of variousspecies of rattlesnake (Crotalus) taken over anumber of years and at various locations.Several interesting facts came up, such as thedispelling of the myth that you can tell the age ofa rattler by the number of rings in the rattle.Apparently, they get a new one each shed, butthe rattle itself is fragile and breaks off regularly.The Mojave green rattler is definitely one of theprettiest, but has another claim to fame. Some(and it is determined by region) have a neurotox-in like a cobra, rather than a hemotoxin like mostrattlers, and in fact some other green rattlers.Things like crotalus volleyball and cobra roulette,however, are best left for another occasion.

Sara talked briefly about a wet lab she had donefor the U of M vet students, but more extensivelyon the subject of animal control seizures of ani-mals and the necessity of having an evacuationplan ready in case you suddenly need it. Shestated that everyone should be aware of the lawsin their city and be aware that someone cancome knocking at any time. One seizure was theresult of a fire in the house. Another near seizurewas because the person on question was onpublic assistance and an inspector camethrough. Another was because someone wasangry at the person in question and phoned in acomplaint to animal welfare/control. The point isto be aware that this can happen and be pre-pared to deal with it. §

At the March meeting...At the March meeting...

THETHE ANNUALANNUAL

WW HITEHITE SS NAKENAKE

SS ALEALE !!

If you’ve never been to our White Snake Sale,you don’t know what you’re missing! Hundredsof great herp-related items, including cages, t-shirts, herp food, knick-knacks, jewelry, toys,lighting, food dishes,... you will find all this andmore!

The White Snake Sale is the herpetologicalversion of a White Elephant Auction. It’s agreat way to shop for items at significantlylower than market value and you never knowwhat treasure you may find!

Please give generously! We use the proceedsto buy library books, bring in speakers, makegrants, and plan society functions. Have fun!

Page 8


Some of the exported frogs were released orescaped into the wild where it is believed theyspread the fungus, which can move quicklythrough a water system and can jump from onefrog species to another.

The first case of the fungus recorded outsideSouth Africa was in 1961 in Quebec, Canada.

Adding weight to the case for an African origin isthe fact that the fungus is widespread in south-ern Africa but frogs in the region appear to havedeveloped a resistance to it. However, it remainsunclear if its roots are in southern Africa or else-where on the continent.

“Frogs here for the most part are resistant to it.Some do succumb to it but we have not wit-nessed the mass die-offs experienced else-where,” said Weldon.

The African clawed frog itself shows no clinicalsymptoms of the disease, which means it is theperfect vector: a carrier which does not die fromthe fungus.

However, other species in southern Africa arenot resistant, although there are none of the die-offs recorded in other parts of the world. Theclinical signs are obvious to experts: crazy frogs.

“The symptoms are neurological and seem toaffect their behaviour,” said Weldon.

River frogs, for example, are found far above thewater level in plants and even high up in trees.Nocturnal species come out in daylight. Frogsinfected with the fungus also display an exces-sive shedding of their skin.

The fungus is having a devastating impact onfrog populations around the world, lending asense of urgency to the research being done

here.

A team of researchers said in early January thatthe fungus had been aggravated by globalwarming and has killed entire frog populations inCentral and South America.

North-West University zoologist Louis du Preezsaid it had been detected in the Americas, Africa,Australia and Europe but, so far, not Asia but thismight be simply because scientists have notmade a concerted effort to find it there.

About a third of the 5,743 known species offrogs, toads and other amphibians are classifiedas threatened, according to the GlobalAmphibian Assessment. Up to 167 species mayalready be extinct and another 113 species havenot been seen in recent years. Habitat loss is amajor threat but species have also died off inpristine environments, pointing to other causessuch as the fungus.

The team is off this month to the Indian Oceanisland of Madagascar to see if the fungus ispresent there. Madagascar, famed for its weirdand wonderful wildlife, is home to about 250 frogspecies, all but one of which are found nowhereelse, according to du Preez.

The ecological stakes are high.

“Amphibians are right in the centre of the foodchain. They keep insect numbers down andserve as food themselves for many species,including wading birds, reptiles and even fish,”said Weldon.

“If you remove that link you remove an enor-mous flow of energy from the ecosystem,” hesaid.

-Ed Stoddard, Reuters. Accessed from thestar.com

Frog, continued from page 5

Page 9


Proposed Regulations in PA: Bad News forRattlesnake Roundups, Good News for Herps

No two states handle wildlife management thesame way, especially when it comes to herps. InPennsylvania, centuries went by before anyagency took responsibility for reptiles andamphibians. Even after the PA Fish and BoatCommission reluctantly took charge of stateherps in 1980, the state’s seventy-six reptile andamphibian species and sub-species remained an unwantedburden and were continuallytossed back and forth betweenPFBC and the PA GameCommission. While most fishand wildlife create millions ofdollars of state revenue throughhunting and fishing licenses,reptiles and amphibians are notso lucrative to manage. Neitheragency has ever wanted todeal with herps, so they haveremained largely unregulated inPA—until recently.

With this history in mind, itshould come as no surprisethat PA is one of the sevenstates where rattlesnakeroundups are still legal. Among the states whereroundups are legal (TX, OK, NM, KS, AL, GA,and PA), Pennsylvania has always been one ofthe notorious. PA is home to no less than nine orten roundups per year, despite the fact that PA’srattlesnakes are a candidate-threatened species(Crotalus horridus) and an endangered species(Sistrurus c. catenatus).

Unlike the relatively resilient Western diamond-back collected for most southwestern roundups,the candidate-threatened Timber rattlesnake col-lected in PA is quite vulnerable. Adults onlyreach sexual maturity after 8-10 years, and

reproduce only once every 3-5 years. Researchshows Timbers may abandon den sites thathave been molested. Survival rates are wellunder 25% for snakes released outside of theirsmall 1-2 mile home range. During roundups,dens are commonly disturbed or destroyed andsnakes that aren’t killed or kept are oftenreleased outside their home range. Afterdecades of roundups, these actions have takentheir toll. A several year study by state biologists

has shown 71% ofPennsylvania’s SouthMountain Timber rattlesnakepopulation has gone the wayof the buffalo.

Under current regulations, a$5 permit allows roundup par-ticipants to take up to twoTimber rattlesnakes per year,regardless of sex or age. Infact, “heaviest rattlesnake”prizes are awarded atroundups, encouraging partic-ipants to seek out and cap-ture gravid females from thewild. Under the proposed reg-ulations, Timbers will receivemuch more protection.Hunting permits will cost $50

instead of $5, and participants will only beallowed one snake instead of two. Females willbe completely off-limits, and males must be aminimum of 42 inches to be taken (the averageadult length of a male Timber is 41 inches).Although roundups will still be legal, they will befar less harmful to populations under the pro-posed regulations.

Pennsylvania also leads the union with moreroads per square mile than any other state.Consequently, PA herps have really felt the sting

Pennsylvania is home to no less

than nine or ten rattlesnake

roundups per year, despite the

fact that PA’s rattlesnakes are a

candidate-threatened species

(Crotalus horridus) and an

endangered species (Sistrurus c.

catenatus).

Rattlesnake, continued on page 11

Page 10


2005 Year End Treasurer’s Reportprepared by Nancy Haig

Income:Membership 3,760.00 Ads 110.00 Library Fines 10.00 Raffle 947.50 Adoption 1,303.00 Donation-Misc 225.00 Donation-Hands On 549.92 Donation-Renfest 3,048.17 Clothing Sales 132.00 Small Item Sales 154.00 Rodent Sales 4,924.80 Book Sales 40.00 White Snake Sale 944.50 Holiday Banquet 553.00 Renfest Income 2,500.00 Midwest Income 15,166.00 Recovery of Returned Checks 110.00 Refund of Speaker Cost 50.00

Total Income 34,527.89

Expenses:Newsletter Printing 4,996.23 Newsletter Postage 370.22 Bulk Mail Permit 150.00 White Page Printing 345.77 Occasional Papers & Postage 1,346.67 Promotional Items Printing 361.83 Other Printing & Postage 803.12 Supplies 89.14 Refreshment 50.21 Insurance 1,020.00 Voicemail Phone 1,222.16 Student Org Resignation Fee 15.00 Program 900.00 Library Books 286.47 Adoption/Vet Costs 809.95 Conservation/Donation 1,550.00 Rodent Costs 1,293.50 Small Item Cost 432.20 Renfest 383.10 Hands-On Supplies 890.73 Holiday Banquet Expenses 179.21 Midwest Expense 10,343.27 Volunteer Award Cost 315.59 Returned Checks 175.00 Service Charges 10.00 Misc Expenses 78.58

Total Expense: 28,417.95

Net Gain/(Loss): 6,109.94

2005 was an interesting year. It started out ratherslow with registrations barely trickling in for theMidwest Herpetological Symposium. So slow therewere some doubts we could pull it off. As you cansee, although the expenses were high, we man-gaged to host another successful Midwest andincrease the bankbook. Many, many thanks to allwho attended the event, volunteered their time andexperience and kept our baby alive.

Happy Herpin , Nancy Haig

Beginning Checkbook Balance 3,296.49 Transfer into Checking 8,946.39 Transfer out of Checking - Change to Cash on Hand (5.00)Net Gain / (Loss) 6,109.94 Ending Checkbook Balance 18,347.82

Cash Balance:Checking Account 18,347.82 Saving Balance - Interest in Savings 9.63 CD - Cash on Hand 155.00 Total Placement of Cash: 18,512.45

Page 11


How Well Do You Know MHS History? Answers from page 4Did you know?

The first meeting of the Minnesota Herpetological Society wasMay 1, 1981. 75 people attended and 36 were members. (mem-bership was $5.00). The constitution and by-laws were approvedand the first Board of Directors was elected.

The meeting was held in Room 225 Smith Hall on the Univ. of MNCampus.

Delvin Jones was instrumental in creating the MHS, drafting theconstitution and served as the first president. He held the officefrom 1981-1983. For all his contributions to the MHS he wasgiven a lifetime membership.

The original purpose of the MHS still stands today: to further theeducation of the membership and the general public in the careand captive propagation of reptiles and amphibians; to educatethe membership and the general public in the ecological role ofreptiles and amphibians; to promote the study and conservationof reptiles and amphibians.

The adoption program was discussed in 1981 although the firstadoptions took place in May 1982. Jim Gerholdt presented 1green anaconda, 1 common boa, 1 burmese python and 2 alliga-tor lizards from a referral via the Minnesota Zoological Gardensfor animals they could not accept at the zoo. §

of fragmentation and habitatloss. Other changes proposedin the new regulation aim tosustain many other decliningherp populations. NorthernCopperheads will be given aclosed season and collectionpermit for the first time. A newpermit system for Snapping tur-tles will monitor their collectionmuch more closely. Snappingturtle regulation changes comeafter a single Philadelphia meatvendor reportedly sold 12,000pounds of Snapper meat peryear. Additionally, every otherherp in the state is given extraprotection with possession lim-its being dropped from two toone. Several species whichhave been impacted by collec-tion from the wild, like theEastern Box turtle, will nolonger be legal to collect at all.This comes after wildlife groupslike the Sierra Club have urgedPFBC to ban collection of theEastern Box turtle and otherturtles from the wild.

-Reprinted from the January 2006issue of The Michigan Herpetologist,the newsletter of the MichiganSociety of Herpetologists. Originallyedited from Notes from Noah,December 2005.

Rattlesnake, continued from page 9


Page 12

Got a good tip or idea for the Juve Herper Page? Email or call Dan Monson. See you at the meeting! -Dan FishMan

March Herp-Help Tip:Learn as much as you can about your reptiles youkeep.You can do this by purchasing a good book,

going to the library, getting on the internet-- lots ofgood stuff there (just make sure it’s a reputable

site).

Make your own book on your herp. Keep a recordof the date you got it (maybe take a photo), size of

setup, the heating device, the temperature youkeep at, favorite things it likes to do, what it likes to

eat, what kind of lighting, etc.There are lots ofthings to put in your book!

Juve Interview

Name: Anthonie DraaijerAge: 10.7Lives with: My mother,Elizabeth

How long have youbeen going to MHSmeetings? I have beengoing to MHS meetings for6 years.

What’s best about MHS? The best things aboutMHS are the speakers and adoptions!

What’s your favorite herp? My favorite herp is mymom’s legless lizard. I also like tree frogs and geckos.We used to have chuckwallas and I really like thosetoo!

Next herp you would like to get? The next herp Iwould like to get is a pair of sand boas. I think theyare really interesting. I would like to keep them inmy room.

What are your pets’ names?Dogs: Leo, Sunnee, and EmmaLegless lizard: HoudiniBlue tongued skink: LucasBox turtle: ShellieHedgehog: Grumpy

Birthday wishes

go out to

Jessmine March 25

J

uve Herper Page

Drum Roll Please!

The winner of the February 2006 MHS Juve

Herper Survey is the TREE FROG !(7 votes of 19)

2nd place: Aquatic Turtle (6 votes of 19)It was a close one!3rd place: Box Turtle (4 votes of 19)4th place: PacMan Frog (2 votes of 19)

We had 19 voters for February.

Some of the comments on why they voted forthe tree frog:

Josh: Because it’s a tree frogWil M.:They’re all coolKayla: Cuz they are really cool and green andslimyOlivia:They’re little and they have suction cupsJoclyn: I can say frog and ribbitTamer: I like how they stick to stuff.

Minnesota Herpetological Society Membership Application

Active Memberships: Sustaining ($60/year) Contributing ($30/year) Basic ($15/year)

Corresponding Memberships: Commercial ($25/year, 2 business card ads/year)

Required check info. Drivers Lic # State DOB

Please enclose the proper payment with your application. Make Checks Payable To: Minnesota Herpetological Society. Membership is for 12months from the date of approval, a receipt will be sent only upon request. Mail to: Minnesota Herpetological Society, Bell Museum of NaturalHistory, 10 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455. Please allow 6-8 weeks for processing.

New

Renewal

Membership#

Type

Check #

Name

Address

City, State, Zip,

Phone Email List in MHS Directory? Yes No

Herp related interests

GGGGEEEE TTTT YYYYOOOOUUUU RRRR MMMMEEEE SSSS SSSSAAAAGGGGEEEE TTTTOOOO YYYYOOOO UUUURRRR TTTTAAAARRRRGGGGEEEETTTT AAAA UUUUDDDDIIII EEEE NNNNCCCC EEEE WWWWIIII TTTTHHHH AAAA 1111 ////4444

PPPPAAAAGGGGEEEE AAAADDDD....

$$$$1111 0000 PPPPEEEERRRR MMMM OOOONNNNTTTT HHHH$$$$1111 11110000 PPPPEEEE RRRR YYYY EEEEAAAA RRRR ****

Advertising Policies

MHS Ad Policy: The MHS assumes NO RESPONSIBILITY regarding the health or legality ofany animal, or the quality or legality of any product or service advertised in the MHSNewsletter. Any ad may be rejected at the discretion of the Newsletter Editor. Due to spacelimitations, unpaid and complimentary advertisements are subject to occasional omission.

Classified Ads: All active members are allowed a classified ad, run free of charge as spacepermits. Ads may be run three consecutive months, after which time they may be resub-mitted. Corresponding members are allowed a complimentary business card advertisementmonthly as space permits. Due to federal restrictions on non-profit mailing permits, we arenot allowed to run ads for travel, credit, or insurance agencies.

Submissions: All advertisements should be submitted to the MHS Editor, Bell Museum ofNatural History, 10 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455. Deadline is the night of theGeneral Meeting for inclusion in the next newsletter. Make checks payable to: MinnesotaHerpetological Society.

MHS AD RATES

Business card $5/Month $55/Year*1/4 Page $10/Month $110/Year*1/2 Page $20/Month $220/Year*Full Page $40/Month $440/Year*

* Note: 12th month is free on a one year commitment

*12th month is free on a one year commitment

Next Meeting:Friday, March 3, 2006 7:00PMRoom 335 Borlaug Hall, U of M St. PaulCampus

MHS Voice Mail:612.624.7065

MHS Web Page:www.mnherpsoc.org

MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETYBELL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY10 CHURCH STREET SEMINNEAPOLIS, MN 55455-0104

Non-Profit RateU.S. Postage

PAIDMpls, MN

Permit No. 2275

POSTMASTER:PLEASE DELIVER BY FEBRUARY 28

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Documents

Vol. 26 (2006), No. 3