Reptiles - Blog Posts
“Them That Believe”. Rose Daniels photographed by Stef Mitchell for Revue Magazine
Hhhheeeere's a doodle dump! Say a warm hello to Xio Kinito and Gingi Tohr!! Xio is mine, but Gingi, the Manatees, & the realm of the Twighlight belong to @adriftinthev0id :]
I am literally violently sobbing over Howie the Crab at 4:33 in the morning, I'm glad Howie got to die comfortably and with dignity. I stand by that all animals should be treated with kindness, no matter what that animal is. And frankly it makes me mad how so many animals are treated, like Stingrays, Crabs and a majority of fish. They aren't as cuddly as your typical house pet but they are still living creatures and they deserve to be treated as such. I feel like this shouldn't even be a thing that needs to be said but the way so many people treat non-mammal animals is disgusting.
A snake story, based on an experience I had while I was in Florida.
Day 13 - Urban In 1935, it was claimed in East Harlem that an 8-foot Alligator inside of their sewer systems, which was publicized intensely and spawned the claim and urban legend that there's Alligators all across NYC's underbelly, along with spawning the same rumours in other cities aswell. According to old stories, they were flushed down to the sewers, and found each other, quickly bonding with one another soon after to thrive. Realistically, the sewers arent healthy enough to have any fully grown alligators roaming underneath, especially in Manhattan. But there's been reports of rescuing small babies, so perhaps this is one of the most believable?
Don’t know why I didn’t post this sooner, but whatever.
So maybe about two mouths or so ago, I got a Ball Python. His name is Ouraboros taken from Greek as a serpent eating its own tail.
Look at this idiot, the mouse is right there yet he’s paying it no mind.
And yes I know it would be best to feed him a rat instead of mice, however the people that owned him prior had fed him three live mice, I got him onto frozen/thawed and gave him some time to get used to it. The next meal will consist of a rat.
CLADISTICS ruined my life
While cute and small now, adult American Alligators can grow up to fifteen feet long! Their massive size is not only a deterrent to predators, but also helps them accomplish a very important role in the environment.
American Alligators are known as Keystone Species. That fun vocab term means they are a species capable of establishing a new ecosystem for a bunch of other animals in addition to themselves. They dig for water to create Gator Holes. These gator holes become homes for fish, amphibians, and water birds. Without gators, the Florida Everglades would be a much drier place.
The SNC received a grant to offer free educational programming to Title I Schools in South Florida. Here are some images from the virtual programming featuring Marsala the chicken and Big Red the Red Rat Snake. We still have plenty of funding, so if you know a Title I School that could use a virtual environmental education program, reach out at 954-752-9453!
Florida box turtles have a typical lifespan of 30-40 years, but some can live to 100 years old! Despite being called a turtle, these guys prefer to stay on land, similar to tortoises. But they can be found in damp, swampy areas. Our resident box turtle is a surrendered pet and because it is too domesticated, it wouldn't be able to survive out in the wild.
This Monday, the SNC was able to unclog our gator pond thanks to help from our resident Reptile Expert Will Nace and City of Coral Springs’ Parks and Rec Department. This joint effort was all for the good of Wally, our lovely gator.
Our resident Red Rat Snake, Cory, has this same genetic mutation!
seeing really common birds with the leucism mutation is really neat because sometimes they look like totally different birds ? so i got some pictures from macaulay
blue jay
mallard
blackbird
crow
house sparrow
american robin
black-capped chickadee
red-tailed hawk
Here’s Wally, our resident American Alligator. Alligators are reptiles, which means they are cold blooded. Cold blooded animals, or ectotherms, rely on the environment to control their internal body temperatures. Unlike humans, alligators don’t have bodily functions to warm themselves up when they are cold.
In order to get warm, reptiles like to sunbathe, just like Wally is doing in this photo. Any Floridian who has seen a gator outside of the water, has probably been witness to the gator trying to warm themselves up too.
Our resident adult gator, Wally, shows off her top row of teeth with a curvy smile. American Alligators are a common sight for Floridians. Whether they’re borrowing our pools, sharing our golf courses, or sunbathing at our favorite parks, alligators are just a normal part of Florida living. Remember the best thing to do when encountering a gator in the wild is to leave it alone and put a wide amount of space between you and it. If you encounter a large, threatening alligator, contact FWC’s gator hotline (866-392-4286).
Neat!
Crocodile or alligator? Neither! It’s the Yacaré caiman (Caiman yacare), a close relative of the alligator. This South American species can be found in wetland habitats in parts of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay where it feeds on fishes, including the fearsome piranha. However intimidating that may be, this up to 10-foot (3-meter)-long animal is still not at the top of the food chain. Powerful predators like jaguars and large snakes prey on the Yacaré caiman. Photo: Bernard DUPONT, CC BY-SA 2.0, flickr https://www.instagram.com/p/CGjL5FgARF9/?igshid=1ccrpr7grzr0v
New Species of Ancient Giant Alligator Identified
http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/deinosuchus-schwimmeri-08730.html
"Oh hell yeah finally some good information about Pythagoras and Goetia, this is really interes- what the fuck is snake-blasting."
REPTILES
Common Watersnake (Nerodia sipedon), juvenile, taken May 22, 2025, in Georgia, US
My first (and hopefully not last) snake of the year: a tiny watersnake! This guy couldn't have been very old. I would actually guess based on his size that he was very recently born! The little creek I found him in will provide a great place to begin life, full of small fish, salamander larvae, and invertebrates for this baby to eat until he's large enough to eat bigger prey and swim long distances.
Unlike most other snakes, N. sipedon is ovoviviparous, meaning eggs develop and hatch inside the mother before being laid, and the mother gives birth directly to baby snakes! Upon being born, these babies are immediately independent and soon leave the mother, who can give birth to—in extreme cases—up to 30 babies!
Common Five-lined Skink (Plestiodon fasciatus), taken April 25, 2025, in Georgia, US
A silly little skink! Me and this lizard spent a few minutes sitting next to each other, him catching ants and me watching. This guy was quite small, likely still young, and it was fun to watch him scuttle around, looking under leaves for little bug morsels!
Common Five-lined Skink (Plestiodon fasciatus), taken April 23, 2025, in Georgia, US
A vibrant skink running up a tree to escape me! I found so many skinks while out yesterday, this being one of them! Normally, I rarely find lizards, but they were popping out of the woodworks for whatever reason—possibly trying to feed before the evening's storm arrived? Whatever the reason, I love to see them!
Toothy Skink (Genus Plestiodon), taken April 18, 2025, in Georgia, US
A cute skink licking its lips after snacking on a tasty worm! I happened to look out the window while preparing to go outside just in time to see this lizard eating a big worm on the bank of my koi pond. After eating, it slowly slunk away into the grass. Despite there being lots of worms, this is a bit of a dangerous place to hunt, seeing as a watersnake is currently living at the pond!
I'm also in Georgia and my university has a herpetology club that does nature walks, I love seeing your renditions of the species we usually see!!
I'm glad you enjoy the little guys I find!! There are so many wonderful species here that don't get much attention because they're easy to miss. I'd love to include more herps in my selection, but I have horrible luck finding anything that isn't a toad!
Have an anole for the road, one of the few non-toad herps that I see somewhat regularly:
