The 2021 Florida Python Challenge saw hunters remove 223 of the invasive Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) from south Florida during the 10-day competition, more than any other year. The challenge, which is held every year in an effort to…
The name is certainly peculiar, but the so-called penis snake is actually a caecilian and it was recorded living in Florida’s Miami-Date County in October 2019. The single, live amphibian was captured during a routine electroshock survey of a waterway,…
A man on Marco Island in Florida has acquired a vacant plot of land next to his home to ensure that the gopher tortoises that live on the plot are ensured a lifetime of free rent in the form of…
The Nature Conservancy announced today that it has released 12 Eastern indigo snakes (Drymarchon couperi) in northern Florida's Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve (ABRP) in Bristol, in an effort to return the native reptile to the region that it has…
Florida's non-native reptile pet rules go into effect April 29, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is hosting a series of Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tag (also known as a microchip) days to help reptile keepers who…
Someone stole Calypso, a yellow-footed tortoise (Geochelone denticulata) from the Riverland Nursery in Fort Myers, Florida, and the folks at the nursery would like her back. The tortoise has been at Riverland for many years and even has her own…
A Central American milksnake (Lampropeltis abnorma) was spotted in the Everglades National Park the week of February 25 and was safely captured by USGS biologist, Jillian Josimovich and biological science technician, Gretchen Anderson. The snake, which is popular amongst reptile…
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted today to ban the commercial breeding and keeping of several invasive species of reptiles in the state, including tegus, iguanas, and several python species. This is not good news for the industry.…
Taesoon Ty Park, a well known Florida reptile breeder whose license was not renewed after two monitor lizards apparently escaped and injured two dogs, got his license back after a judge ruled that the lizards escaped not because of Park,…
A 16-foot Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) was apparently sunning itself on private property when Aaron Brown and his mother spotted the reptile while driving on their property. "I drove past it and said, 'That's a big snake,'" Brown told…
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced that its latest efforts to “sniff” out Burmese pythons on public lands in south Florida has logged its first success with the FWC’s new Detector Dog Team, locating an 8-foot male python…
The Peter’s rock agama (Agama picticauda), which was first introduced to the state of Florida in 1976 is the latest introduced species that the Sunshine State is monitoring. The state, home to more invasive and introduced species than any other…
Wild Florida, an Orlando, FL area safari park, announced on Facebook that an electrical fire destroyed the safari park’s snake exhibit, killing all the reptiles in the exhibit. No people were reported injured in the fire. “Sad to report a…
When extreme cold snaps hit south Florida in the winter, the sight of cold-stunned lizards is a common occurrence. Every year the temperatures drop, so do the invasive reptiles. Right off their perches. Researchers have now concluded that six…
A Florida law signed June 29 by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that placed restrictions on the possession, breeding and sale of non-native tegu lizards (Salvator sp), reticulated pythons (Python reticulatus) and green iguanas (Iguana iguana), has been ruled unconstitutional by Leon County Circuit Judge…
Ryan Ausburn and Kevin Pavlidis last week captured the largest Burmese python (Python bivittatus) ever taken from the Everglades. The reptile measured 18.9 feet in length, beating the old record of 18.8 feet. The hunters, who are licensed by the…
In 2017, the Trump Administration denied Endangered Species Act protections for the Florida Keys mole skink, (Plestiodon e. gregius), a coastal subspecies of mole skink that the Center for Biological Diversity says is threatened by the rise in sea levels…
Biologists at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute were checking traps last week that were set for the Suwannee alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys suwanniensis), and were surprised with what they had captured, a 100-pound male and a 46-pound female.…
If you live in the state of Florida, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission wants you to know that it is turtle nesting season. The FWC urges those enjoying the outdoors to be on the lookout for turtle nests…
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, in conjunction with the South Florida Water Management District announced that 5,000 invasive Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) have been removed from the Florida Everglades ecosystem since the first Python Challenge was launched…
The United States Association of Reptile Keepers (USARK) is challenging a new law signed last month by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that places restrictions on the possession, breeding and sale of non-native tegu lizards (Salvator sp) and green iguanas (Iguana…
