BEHIND BAARS

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE BAY AREA AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE SOCIETY February 2015

Snakes of Bali: King Cobra (Osiophagus hannah) ⓒ Wolfgang Keil

Friday, February 27 @ 7:30 p.m. Doors open 7:00 p.m.

Cubberley Community Center, Room M-2, 4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto

BAARS is an educational and conservational group of amateur and professional herpetologists who want to share their

knowledge, enthusiasm, and friendship with others interested in these fascinating creatures.

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CONTENTS President’s Report Australian Herp and Animal Encounters Calender: Events & Shows & Meetings Mark Your Calendars General Meetings for Rest of 2015 Facebook - A Herpotological Battleground Treasurer’s Report BAARS Social Connections 2015 Board Members Adoptions Support BAARS

ONLINE RESOURCES OLDER NEWSLETTERS MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNTS East Bay Vivarium Berkeley - 10% Dr. R. Singh Veterinarian Sunnyvale - 10%

President’s Report

Greetings BAARS Members and Supporters.

Our last meeting was real fun and we had a great speakers. Paul Haskins told us about the

recent species differentiation between Northern and Southern California pond turtles and

brought turtles of each type to show us. Paul is a virtual walking encyclopedia of all things

herps it seems. If I could do a Vulcan Mind Meld with him it would happen in a heartbeat.

Our main featured speaker, Wildlife Biologist Mike Cardwell,

did a spectacular talk and slideshow on “The Private Lives of

Rattlesnakes”. I was tempted to introduce him via imitating

“Chef” from Southpark. One of the fascinating aspects to me

was that the venom of the Mojave Rattlesnake is more

neurotoxic where their range overlaps that of the Kangaroo

Rat. If a rattlesnake bites that prey, it can hop far, and is

therefore hard for the snake to track. So it must stop it fast, as

each post-bite hop makes tracking so much harder. The prey

selects the venom, it seems. If you missed the talk, here is a

YouTube video of his work studying rattlesnakes at Effie Yeaw Nature Center in Carmichael, CA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrjaBYks4gg

Our next meeting is Friday Feb. 27. Wolfgang Keil along with Peter Moravcsik went to Bali. Wolfgang Keil will give a

talk about his trip to Bali.

Hope to see you all there!

Jeff Whitnack, BAARS President, 2015

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Australian Herp and Animal Encounters Photos and text by Aleks Haecky

MORE ARTICLE PICTURES AND VIDEOS

So, I had this increbile opportunity to go to Australia on business.

Don’t laugh, I worked hard while I was there. But, throwing sleep out

the window, I found plenty of time for exploring, walking probably

100 miles in two weeks. You wouldn’t expect it from a City, but

Pyrmont and Sydney (Sydney is really made up of many smaller

towns) are full of small roads, parks, ocean-front trails, and, yeah,

beaches too.

I didn’t see a kangoroo. In fact, even when out in the rainy forest of the Blue Mountains, I hardly saw any animals. But

some animals found me, and here are their stories.

These are cockadoos. Walking around in Hyde Park (an enormous

number of places are named after their British counter-parts). There

were other parrots too, replacing pigeons, though I saw a few pigeons

in the city (and a couple of rats). One of the eery things is that all the

bird sounds were “wrong”. Even the cicadas sound different. One bird

sounded like a crying child. It left me with this sense of askew, and

reminded me just how far away from home I was (and then my feet

got that floaty feeling from hanging up-side down on the planet).

At the Chinese Friendship Gardens

I finally found herptiles. Water

dragons, a skink, snake-neck

turtles, and … a red-eared slider.

Here are some pictures.

I had to go to the zoo to see a

saltwater crocodile, echidnas, and

frolicking platypusses.

Check out the photo album for

pictures and videos.

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But the best, the very best treat was this awesome, four-foot-ish water dragon. The locals said it was a “goanna” and

gets “much bigger”. It came from the nearby creek, walked up to our picnic area, and gorged itself on leftovers

(video). Later, I saw it eat fruit, which definitely dispelled my notion that they were carnivores. “They’ll eat anything,”

I was told.

Viral Outbreak Threatens Amphibians in Spain

Amphibians in Spain’s Picos the Europa National Park have been dying for almost a decade, and a team of scientists has finally identified the cause: two types of ranavirus. Read the article or the full paper.

A diseased common midwife toad tadpole in Picos de Europa National Park. Image: Jaime Bosch

Link to article: http://goo.gl/L1N5QM

The Snakes that Ate Florida

Comic story by Andy Warner

Link to comic pages: http://goo.gl/aQw0B2 There are so many different truths about this. What are the facts?

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Calender: Events & Shows & Meetings by Joanne Hiratsuka Petersen

Details are on our BAARS.org website under Shows.

Contact Joanne Petersen, joanne.hiratsuka@gmail.com.

BAARS Merchandise: http://www.cafepress.com/baars Wear a club t-shirt to an event to support and promote your club!

February 2015

February 26 Thursday 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Read Across America at Oscar Loya Elementary School 1505 Cougar Drive Salinas Read Across America is a literary event to encourage young people to read, and to introduce herps into their lives! This event will be held at Oscar Loya Elementary School, Mrs. Rais' Room 19. Set up can be as early as 5 pm. Contact: Rhonda Velez, (831) 540-8119, if you're able to attend and bring your herps. 

February 27 Friday 7:30 p.m.

BAARS General Club Meeting - Room M-2 Speaker: Wolfgang Keil START TIME: 7:30 p.m. (Doors open 7 p.m.)

March 2015

March 5 Thursday 6 – 8 p.m.

Read Across America at New Republic Elementary School 636 Arcadia Way, Salinas, CA 93906 Read Across America is a literary event to encourage young people to read, and to introduce herps into their lives! Contact: Rhonda Velez, (831) 540-8119, if you're able to attend and bring your herps.

March 6 Friday 7:30 p.m.

BAARS Board Meeting - 7:30 p.m. TBD For details, contact behindBAARS@gmail.com.

March 27 Friday 7:30 p.m.

BAARS General Club Meeting - Room H-6 Speaker: TBD START TIME: 7:30 p.m. (Doors open 7 p.m.)

April 2015

April 3 Friday 7:30 p.m.

BAARS Board Meeting - 7:30 p.m. TBD For details, contact behindBAARS@gmail.com.

April 24 Friday 7:30 p.m.

BAARS General Club Meeting - Room H-6 Speaker: TBD START TIME: 7:30 p.m. (Doors open 7 p.m.)

April 25 Saturday 10:30 am ­ 1:30 pm

Summit for the Planet 491 Summit Road, Watsonville, CA 95076 9th Annual Summit for the Planet Earth Day Celebration April 25, 2014. Be a part of a

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community-wide event celebrating Earth Day and giving inspiration to today’s youth and their families on how they can take meaningful action on important environmental issues. (Walk-a-thon precedes the Earth Day festivities at 10 am; BAARS is not participating in that.) Contact: Joanne Petersen, joanne.hiratsuka@gmail.com -- if you are able to attend and bring herps. Mt. Madonna contact: Prema.Gammons@MountMadonna.org or call 408-846-4035.

April 25 Saturday

Westwind Barn

May 2015

May 1 Friday 7:30 p.m.

BAARS Board Meeting - 7:30 p.m. TBD For details, contact behindBAARS@gmail.com.

May 2 Saturday 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Hartnell College Family Sciecne Day

1752 Alisal St., Salinas - room AC-C109 Ninth annual Family Science Day! This event is FREE and open to the public. So many young people haven't had any kind of animal experience outside of what they might have at their schools. It will be a great opportunity to educate them about the wonderful world of herps. The Family Science, Health, and Literacy Day will offer a wide range of activities and demonstrations, including: - Hands-On computer workshops in the state-of-the-art Tech Mobile - Math magic and math games - Free Books for all ages and reading activities - Farm Stand for Kids - Astronomy, biology, nutrition, and healthy living activities - Many Hands-On Science and Family Fun Activities! - Free Food!! Contact: Joanne Petersen, joanne.hiratsuka@gmail.com if you are able to bring herps. Please arrive by 10:30 am (Room AC-C109, available for set up after 8:00 am). Campus map: http://www.hartnell.edu/location/2-hartnell-college-alisal-campus Joni Black is the Hartnell contact: jblack@hartnell.edu Attendees: Tony Velez, Scott & Joanne Petersen

May 16-17 Saturday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sunday May 2 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

NorCal Reptile Expo Alameda County Fairgrounds, 4501 Pleasanton Ave., Pleasanton 94566 Formerly Bay Area Reptile Expo. BAARS may have a table there if I can get enough volunteers to man the booth. Otherwise, this information is provided for anyone who wants to attend. ($10 adults, $5 kids under 12, kids under 5 free last year.) Contact: Joanne Petersen, joanne.hiratsuka@gmail.com -- if you are able to attend even for just part of a day, let me know which date and time you can be there. I'll confirm BAARS table when I have volunteers!

May 22 Friday 7:30 p.m.

BAARS General Club Meeting - Room H-6 Speaker: TBD START TIME: 7:30 p.m. (Doors open 7 p.m.)

Mark Your Calendars

July 30 - August 2 Santa Clara County Fair. Take some time off--we need all the help we can get for these 4 days of intense fun!

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General Meetings for Rest of 2015

June 26 July 24 August 28 September 25 October 23 December ??

BAARS General Club Meeting - Room M2 BAARS General Club Meeting - Room M2 BAARS General Club Meeting - Room M2 BAARS General Club Meeting BAARS General Club Meeting HOLIDAY PARTY & ELECTIONS

Facebook - A Herpotological Battleground text and photos by Jeff Whittnack

I was out of the herp world as Facebook arose and the internet assumed ever greater prominence in our lives.

Since returning, it is amazing that almost every type of herp seems to have a Facebook Page devoted to it. From Ball

Pythons to Mussurana’s to Crocodilians.

In one sense this is very good as people can link and share information and pictures.

But it didn’t take me very long to discover a consistent and pesky “evil” side to all of this. When not in personal

contact, it’s much easier to be downright rude, abrasive, condescending… what have you. One of my kids’

elementary teachers years ago described how email has really hurt parent-teacher relations in a similar fashion.

People who are mild-mannered and almost sickeningly polite can turn into monsters of keyboard diatribe.

Someone will acquire a new herp and then go find the FB page associated with it. They will then ask questions and

the inevitable “you should research a herp before purchasing it!” will inevitably arise. This happened to me. I found a

herp I had always wanted and actually researched years ago. I did a quick brush up on my cell phone. I ordered some

expensive books on the herp, and also, per my “due diligence” nature, posted to the FB site a video and some general

questions. In the video, a hotrock seemd to be used for temperature regulation, and that elicited a “how’s the hot

rock working for you” snide remark as well as both helpful and obnoxious comments.

There are many herp controversies out there…

Hybrids: Some hate hybrids with almost religious fanaticism, others love

them with “mad scientist” glee. In between, there are solid concerns

that hybrids will later downstream enter the herp trade as

purebreds—as has happened as some hybrids were sold as purebreds

knowingly or unwittingly.

Co-habitation of herps: Some, with it seems religious fervor, are

opposed to any and all co-habitation. Others claim, with some seeming

justification, that their co-habitating herps seem to benefit. I see both

sides at times.

Soaking herps: Some view it as cruelty and needlessly stressful. They say that “if your humidity level is good you don’t

need to”. Others point out that we’ve created an artificial and limited environment for our herps, as opposed to what

they experience in nature, and that optimizing humidity creates an infection risk.

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Live feeding: Some seem ready to report a person for animal cruelty for live feeding a snake a mouse. Others seem

to get glee out of taunting such persons by posting live feeding video’s. I consider it an act of desperation and not

inspiration.

Free-handling of venomous herps: It is amazing to me how many free-handling videos there are out there!

Sometimes people do get bitten and die, but usually not. It always elicits rancor and gnashing of teeth.

Self-envenomation: There is a whole FB page devoted to this with both fervent supporters and fervent detractors.

Racks: Some people are strident that keeping snakes in racks is a form of animal

cruelty and insist on large naturalistic vivariums. Others point out that they've

raised and bred generations of stellar healthy animals in rack systems. My take

is that neither is OK unless you provide the snake with some exercise and sun

periodically. They're predators and probably like to "go for a walk".

And meanwhile, at some herp shows, where the law allows, 12-year-old boys are

walking out with purchased alligators and baby Burmese Pythons.

In my non-herp life I work as a Respiratory Therapist. There is a sophisticated device to measure fluid status called

PICCO. I have read about it and found it fascinating. At a national conference I talked to a doctor who uses it

routinely. He told me, “the secret to using it is to not be too much in love with it”. Perhaps that is the background

stance we should take on any of our positions on the controversial disputes listed above. Have your opinions ut be

ready for nuance and new input.

Meantime you can always get out of the FB diatribe by attending a live BAARS Meeting and meet real people in the

flesh. Such people are way more pre-disposed not to be rude.

Treasurer’s Report Scott Petersen

This report covers the month of January 2015.

Expenses for the month exceeded income by ~20%. While a seemingly large percentage, given the club’s relatively

low monthly expenses in dollars, the actual amount was not overly large. As such, there isn’t a need for concern at

this time. Expenses for the month included the monthly room rental and a speakers stipend. Income came from

memberships and donations during the general meeting.

As of February 7th Board meeting, a 2015 budget was passed. A link to the budget will be made available to

members in good standing.

[Editor’s Note: Because our newsletter is more accessible to the public through electronic media, the board has

decided to publish an abbreviated treasurer’s report in the newsletter from now on. If you would like details, please,

contact scottpetersen@gmail.com]

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BAARS Social Connections by Aleks Haecky

All our newsletters are published on ISSUU! Check out the latest issue, and all issues since November 2012. You can also access the newsletter from baars.org ISSUU has a Mobile App for Android and iOS. Search in the respective stores for “ISSUU”.

BAARS website: www.baars.org Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/BAARSociety Lists events and activities. Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/239964525544/ Yahoo Group/Email Group: http://www.yahoogroups.com/neo/groups/BAARS/info Newsletter Exchanges: Minnesota Herpetological Society Newsletter Page BAARS exchanges Newsletters with other clubs. Contact the Newsletter Editor for information.

Contributions and Advertisements To advertise or publish in our newsletter or on our website, contact behindBAARS@gmail.com.

We love herp-related original articles, trip and show reports, stories about your animals, and original photographs and drawings.

You retain all rights but grant us permission to use, edit, and publish in the newsletter and on our website with attribution. Only

submit materials for which you own the copyright or have written permission from copyright owners

 

2015 Board Members President: Jeff Whitnack, jeffwhitnack@yahoo.com Vice President: Scott Alexander, 408-823-3675, alexander_scott@yahoo.com Membership Secretary: Kyna Hendra, 408-204-5131, Membership.baars@gmail.com Treasurer: Scott Petersen, scottepetersen@gmail.com Recording Secretary: Vacant Publicity Director: Vacant Newsletter Editor & Webmaster: Aleks Haecky, behindbaars@gmail.com Show Coordinator: Joanne Petersen, joanne.hiratsuka@gmail.com Adoptions Coordinator: Austin Pleban and team, baars.adoptions@gmail.com Social Media MAL: vacant Members at Large: Gilbert & Dorothy Castro, 408-582-4247, Tortoise.whisperer@yahoo.com Members at Large: Tania Tengan & Michael Pleban & Aria Pleban, 408-499-5867, tmtengan@att.net Members at Large: Rhonda Velez & Tony Velez, 831-540-8119, avelstude@sbcglobal.net

Adoptions If you are a BAARS member and have herp to sell or adopt out and can bring the herp to our General Meeting, please

do the following. 1) Email me (whitnack@pacbell.net) a picture of the herp 2) State theadoption fee to BAARS 3)

Include specific information about the herp such as species, age, and needs. I will then post it to various FB sites and

say it’ll be available at our meeting. This could generate more BAARS attendance as well as sales/adoptions. I think

most people would like to see the herp in question in person not just online.

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Sand Boas Hello everyone! An old friend of mine is moving out of the country for 3 years. He has two Kenyan Sand Boas complete with cages etc and is looking for someone who can keep them until he moves back to the bay area. He is willing to pay for the rodents they eat. They eat live small mice. Can anyone help? Contact Caroline Alexander (cello33dolly@yahoo.com)

Support BAARS Join from our website www.baars.org.

Name (required):

Email (this is how we contact members and send newsletter):

Address, City, State, Zip:

Herp interests:

Membership type: __1 Year ($25) __2 Years ($50) __Sustaining ($35) __Contributing ($50) __Patron ($100) __Institutional ($20)

Snail mail:

BAARS Membership Secretary

c/o Palo Alto Junior Museum

1451 Middlefield Road

Palo Alto CA 94301-3351

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