November 2011 PNHS Newsletter

November 2011 volume 26, issue 11

Nick Mutton, of Inland Reptile, will be speaking about

his newly released book with Dr. Justin Julander:

“Complete Carpet Python, A Comprehensive Guide to

the Natural History, Care, and Breeding of the ‘Morelia

spilota’ Complex.”

Next Meeting: November 13, 2011

Annual Auction & Potluck Upcoming Events…… 2

General information 3

Letter from the

President………………..

4

Python Study

Could Benefit hu-

man heart disease….

7

Classifieds…………….. 10

Contacts…………………... 11

Suggested Vets…………….. 11

Membership

Application………………..

12

Inside this issue:

November PNHS

Newsletter Deadline:

Nov. 30, 2011

Pacific Northwest

Herpetological Society

Meeting Location:

Highline Community College Board Meeting 4 p.m.

2400 S. 240th St., Des Moines, WA Potluck/Auction: 5 p.m.

Special Speaker Presentation:

Come for food

and fun while

supporting

PNHS!

There is no “Herp of the Month”

for November due to the Potluck.

Pa g e 2

Upcoming PNHS Events

November 13, 2011: PNHS ’ Annual Auction & Potluck ( in place of a regular meeting )

Come enjoy food and fun with a special presentation by guest speaker

Nick Mutton on the release of his new book, along with Dr. Justin Ju

lander: “ Complete Carpet Python, A Comprehensive Guide to the Natu

ral History, Care and Breeding of the “ Morelia spilota ” Complex. ”

December 2011: PNHS Elections: Current members receive ballots and cast votes via

Snail Mail.

December 11, 2011: PNHS Regular Meeting

Herp-of-the-Month: Herps of North America

Speaker: Doug Taylor, topic TBA

January 15, 2012: PNHS Regular Meeting

Herp-of-the-Month: “ L arge Lizards ”

Speaker: Dr. Robert Sprackland, topic TBA

February 13, 2012: PNHS Regular Meeting

Herp-of-the-Month: Calling all Chelonians!

( T urtles, Tortoises & Terrapins )

Speaker: Jerry Novak of Pacific Northwest Turtleworks, topic TBA

Plan Ahead:

June 2nd—3rd, 2012: Emerald City Reptile Expo

Seattle Center Exhibition Hall

General Information

The Pacific Northwest Herpetological Society (PNHS) is a non-profit organi-

zation registered with the State of Washington. PNHS is dedicated to the

education of its members and the public, as well as the conservation, ecol-

ogy, and captive care and breeding of reptiles and amphibians. The society

also takes an active role in legislative and environmental issues affecting

these animals and their habitats.

Meeting Information

PNHS holds its general meeting on the third Sunday of every month (with

exceptions for holidays) at 6:00pm at Highline Community College in Des

Moines, Building 12 Room 101. The Board meeting begins at 4:00pm.

Doors open at 5:30. Other business and socialization occurs between 5:30

and 6; then the General Meeting starts. Meetings are open to the public,

and the society encourages anyone with an interest in herpetology to at-

tend. Please purchase a membership to show your support for the society.

Animal Donations

Looking to adopt, release an animal or donate cages and equipment?

Please contact the Adoptions Committee by email at adop-

[email protected], or by voicemail at 206- 583-0686. We will contact you

and make arrangements.

Other Donations

The Adoption Committee receives minimal financial support from the Soci-

ety, so donations of money, food, cages, and equipment are always needed

and appreciated. Please contact the Adoption Chair to make a donation.

Adoptions

To adopt an animal that is in the care of the Committee, you must be pre-

sent at the meeting, be a current member (of at least one month), and be

over 18 years of age or have parental consent. For more details see the

web site or contact the Adoption Chair.

Newsletter Information

A monthly newsletter absorbs the lion’s share of the price of a PNHS mem-

bership. In order to keep it interesting, we encourage contribution of origi-

nal articles, book reviews, letters, ads, and cartoons for publication.

Items for incorporation into articles are also welcome, though with no guar-

antee of their use. Submissions may be sent to the Newsletter Committee

or to the Society through the contacts listed on the following page.

Editorial Policy

The views expressed in this publication are solely the views of the authors

and not necessarily the views of the Society, its members, or the Newsletter

Committee. The Newsletter Committee reserves the right to edit all submis-

sions including advertisements.

General information &

guidelines

re PNHS’ Monthly Meetings

are a great place to learn

something new, purchase

feeders at a discount, and

meet new people

V o l . 2 6 N o . 1 1 Pa g e 3

Above: Both Green Tree Python

Photos courtesy of the Adams’

Family.

Letter from the President By Aimee Kenoyer

Continued...

So let’s talk about the dirty word on everyone’s lips these days:

economy (groan). It’s everywhere, on all our minds, and

jammed into our faces from every possible media source all

day long. While we would all like to escape this for at least as

long as it takes to read one of my silly LFTPs, we as herpers have our own particular

challenges when the economy is this awful.

Let’s talk about our Adoptions program. We’re loaded. We have all the fosters we can

squeeze in, and are still turning animals away. A few years ago, the most common rea-

son I heard was, “little Timmy just isn’t interested anymore / is going to college / is too

busy chasing girls / fiancée doesn’t like herps”. Basically, all these excuses add up to: “I

bought a cute little herp and now it bores me”. Today, by far the most common reason

for people to release animals to PNHS is an inability to afford vet care and basic sup-

plies. In particular, we’ve taken several animals in the past handful of months in critical

need of veterinary care. In a few cases, the reason for surrendering the pet was because

they lost their home and/or had to move to a much smaller place.

Is there a way to keep herps “on the cheap”? I have a varied collection, but not a terri-

bly large one. I also have an uninsulated home built around 1920 with electric base-

board heat – believe me, I feel the burn when I get my power bills in the winter. There

are a few things I have learned over the past several years that have helped me keep my

herping affordable, and I’m going to share them here:

First: don’t turn all your heat down low and compensate with larger / higher wattage

bulbs. This doesn’t work. The primary result is a more variable range of temperature for

your herps, accompanied by higher power bills. As far as heating is concerned, I’ve tried

this a few ways and in my home, with my setups, I find that keeping the overall ure in

the house a bit warmer and using less supplemental heat is actually more efficient. I’ve

also found that I can achieve this more efficiently with two oil-filled radiators, as op-

posed to turning on five baseboard heaters. This has the added benefits of not drying the

air quite so much, and being more pleasant on cold mornings.

Second, think about where you get your feeders. Even if your collection is very small,

this can make a huge difference. For example, a small rat (45-50g) at a box-chain pet

store goes for about $6 a pop. This is insane. There are few PNHS’ers who come to

meetings that sell rats of the same size for less than $2 each. If your python eats one rat

per week this size, that’s an exceptional cost difference - $24/month vs $8/month on a

single animal.

Third, consider caging. We all lust after the custom, built-in herp wall with mood-

lighting and matching wooden-framed glass-fronted caging, but until we are able to re-

model our homes to accommodate our herps there are other options. Homemade custom

caging can be quite beautiful and less expensive than some of what you can buy; it

takes time and a small initial outlay. Aquarium-style caging can accommodate a small

collection quite well and tanks can be found free or very cheap, if you’re willing to put

a little time and effort into craigslist. Cage furniture and substrate can be as simple as

newspaper with a cereal-box hide, and water dish from a piece of glassware purchased

at goodwill or fake plants picked up at the dollar-store or a garage sale. Please, if you

partake of used caging, thoroughly disinfect before putting into use!

Fourth, DON’T stint on heat and light requirements. Your herp can be perfectly happy

in an aquarium on newspaper with a few sticks and fake vines, but if you try to save

money on necessities like bulbs – particularly when it comes to UV – your animals will

not thrive. Time and again we’ve seen the effects of this sort of cost-cutting some limp-

ing into our Adoptions program.

As far as PNHS itself is concerned we’re not rich but we are maintaining our steady

rate of growth, thanks in large part to you, our Loyal Membership. Fortunately, PNHS’

ability to pay for vet care has grown along with our membership numbers and our fund-

raising activity (most notably the ECRE). This is one reason why it is so important for

Vol. 26, No. 11

Letter From The President, Continued...

Continued...

V o l . 2 6 , N o . 1 1 Pa g e 6

us all to be involved in PNHS’ fundraising efforts! Those of us who can’t donate money but

would like to contribute to our rescue can foster, do Outreach, volunteer at the

ECRE…there are many ways to give to the group. One way right around the corner is the

PNHS Auction on November 13th. Don’t have money to spend? Fine – auction a gift cer-

tificate for your time. I’ve donated ½ day of yard work the last three years running. It has

been a popular item and a way that I can personally support PNHS without spending money

I need to feed all my hungry herps.

As far as a grass-roots, community-based approach, I’d encourage each and every one of

you to support our local, independent businesses – like the Beanfarm

(http://www.beanfarm.com/) and Winters Reptiles ([email protected]), along with

the local businesses advertising in our PNHS Classifieds section, when buying your sup-

plies and feeders, and also as good places for advice, caresheets, and contacts.

Support growth in our local economy as well by researching area sources for captive-bred

animals when you want to add to your collection (and think Adoption!). Unless you’re

looking for something very unusual – and in some cases, even then – you’ll be able to find

almost anything you want close to home. If you have to spend your dollars, spend them

here.

Aimee Kenoyer

PNHS President

Letter From The President Continued….

Vol. 26, No. 11

Boulder professor Leslie Leinwand and her team have discovered that huge amounts of

fatty acids circulating through the bloodstreams of feeding pythons promote healthy heart

growth in the constricting snake, a study with implications for human heart heath.

A surprising new University of Colorado Boulder study shows that huge amounts of fatty

acids circulating in the bloodstreams of feeding pythons promote healthy heart growth, re-

sults that may have implications for treating human heart disease.

CU-Boulder Professor Leslie Leinwand and her research team found the amount of triglyc-

erides -- the main constituent of natural fats and oils -- in the blood of Burmese pythons

one day after eating increased by more than fifty-fold. Despite the massive amount of fatty

acids in the python bloodstream there was no evidence of fat deposition in the heart, and

the researchers also saw an increase in the activity of a key enzyme known to protect the

heart from damage.

After identifying the chemical make-up of blood plasma in fed pythons, the CU-Boulder

researchers injected fasting pythons with either "fed python" blood plasma or a reconsti-

tuted fatty acid mixture they developed to mimic such plasma. In both cases, the pythons

showed increased heart growth and indicators of cardiac health. The team took the experi-

ments a step further by injecting mice with either fed python plasma or the fatty acid mix-

ture, with the same results.

"We found that a combination of fatty acids can induce beneficial heart growth in living or-

ganisms," said CU-Boulder postdoctoral researcher Cecilia Riquelme, first author on the

Science paper. "Now we are trying to understand the molecular mechanisms behind the

process in hopes that the results might lead to new therapies to improve heart disease con-

ditions in humans."

The paper is being published in the Oct. 28 issue of the journal Science. In addition to

Leinwand and Riquelme, the authors include CU postdoctoral researcher Brooke Harrison,

CU graduate student Jason Magida, CU undergraduate Christopher Wall, Hiberna Corp. re-

searcher Thomas Marr and University of Alabama Tuscaloosa Professor Stephen Secor.

Continued…..

Python Circulating Fatty Acids Study

Could Benefit Diseased Human Heart

Provided By The University of Colorado at Boulder

Reprinted with permission: HerpDigest, Vol. 11, Issue 45, Dated 10/28/11; www.HerpDigest.org

Pa g e 8

“Python Study” Continued...

Previous studies have shown that the hearts of Burmese pythons can grow in mass by 40

percent within 24 to 72 hours after a large meal, and that metabolism immediately after

swallowing prey can shoot up by forty-fold. As big around as telephone poles, adult Bur-

mese pythons can swallow prey as large as deer, have been known to reach a length of 27

feet and are able to fast for up to a year with few ill effects.

There are good and bad types of heart growth, said Leinwand, who is an expert in genetic

heart diseases including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the leading cause of sudden death in

young athletes. While cardiac diseases can cause human heart muscle to thicken and de-

crease the size of heart chambers and heart function because the organ is working harder

to pump blood, heart enlargement from exercise is beneficial.

"Well-conditioned athletes like Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and cyclist Lance Arm-

strong have huge hearts," said Leinwand, a professor in the molecular, cellular and develop-

mental biology department and chief scientific officer of CU's Biofrontiers Institute. "But

there are many people who are unable to exercise because of existing heart disease, so it

would be nice to develop some kind of a treatment to promote the beneficial growth of

heart cells."

Riquelme said once the CU team confirmed that something in the blood plasma of pythons

was inducing positive cardiac growth, they began looking for the right "signal" by analyzing

proteins, lipids, nucleic acids and peptides present in the fed plasma. The team used a tech-

nique known as gas chromatography to analyze both fasted and fed python plasma blood,

eventually identifying a highly complex composition of circulating fatty acids with distinct

patterns of abundance over the course of the digestive process.

In the mouse experiments led by Harrison, the animals were hooked up to "mini-pumps"

that delivered low doses of the fatty acid mixture over a period of a week. Not only did the

mouse hearts show significant growth in the major part of the heart that pumps blood, the

heart muscle cell size increased, there was no increase in heart fibrosis -- which makes the

heart muscle more stiff and can be a sign of disease -- and there were no alterations in the

liver or in the skeletal muscles, he said.

"It was remarkable that the fatty acids identified in the plasma-fed pythons could actually

stimulate healthy heart growth in mice," said Harrison. The team also tested the fed python

plasma and the fatty acid mixture on cultured rat heart cells, with the same positive results,

Harrison said.

Continued….

Vol. 26, No. 11

V o l . 2 6 , N o . 1 1

The CU-led team also identified the activation of signaling pathways in the cells of fed py-

thon plasma, which serve as traffic lights of sorts, said Leinwand. "We are trying to under-

stand how to make those signals tell individual heart cells whether they are going down a

road that has pathological consequences, like disease, or beneficial consequences, like exer-

cise," she said.

The prey of Burmese pythons can be up to 100 percent of the constricting snake's body

mass, said Leinwand, who holds a Marsico Endowed Chair of Excellence at CU-Boulder.

"When a python eats, something extraordinary happens. Its metabolism increases by more

than forty-fold and the size of its organs increase significantly in mass by building new tissue,

which is broken back down during the digestion process."

The three key fatty acids in the fed python plasma turned out to be myristic acid, palmitic

acid and palmitoleic acid. The enzyme that showed increased activity in the python hearts

during feeding episodes, known as superoxide dismutase, is a well-known "cardio-protective"

enzyme in many organisms, including humans, said Leinwand.

The new Science study grew out of a project Leinwand began in 2006 when she was named a

Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor and awarded a four-year, $1 million undergradu-

ate education grant from the Chevy Chase, Md.-based institute. As part of the award Lein-

wand initiated the Python Project, an undergraduate laboratory research program designed to

focus on the heart biology of constricting snakes like pythons thought to have relevance to

human disease.

Undergraduates contributed substantially to the underpinnings of the new python study both

by their genetic studies and by caring for the lab pythons, said Leinwand. While scientists

know a great deal about the genomes of standard lab animal models like fruit flies, worms

and mice, relatively little was known about pythons. "We have had to do a lot of difficult

groundwork using molecular genetics tools in order to undertake this research," said Lein-

wand.

CU-Boulder already had a laboratory snake facility in place, which contributed to the success

of the project, she said. "The fact that the python study involved faculty, postdoctoral re-

searchers, a graduate student and an undergraduate, Christopher Wall, shows the project was

a team effort," said Leinwand. "Chris is a good example of how the University of Colorado

provides an incredible educational research environment for undergraduates." Wall is now a

graduate student at the University of California, San Diego.

“Python Study” Continued...

Classifieds

Join the Global Gecko Association Today!

The GGA is a six year old international organization dedicated to the needs of all people interested in geckos.

Members receive the twice-yearly, full-color journal, “Gekko”, plus “Chit-Chat”, our quarterly newsletter.

Annual Membership is $32 US, $34 Canada/Mexico, $36 Overseas.

Email: [email protected] (503)-436-1064 or www.gekkota.com

Pa g e 1 0

Advertise in the PNHS Newsletter!

Business Card .............................$5

Quarter Page................................$10

Half Page ....................................$15

Full Page .....................................$25

If you would like to place an ad

in the PNHS newsletter, please contact:

[email protected]

GET PUBLICITY FOR YOUR BUSINESS

& SUPPORTING PNHS!

Feeder Insects & Rodents

I have superworms, giant mealworms, and lots more!Plus, I now carry frozen rodents.

Order in advance: special pricing for PNHS

members,,as well as quantity discounts!

For pick up and PNHS meeting delivery.

Jennifer Sronce (425) 750-0477

[email protected]

Bean Farm’s Creative Habitats

Slide-Top Aquariums

Various sizes available.

We can deliver the cages to the meetings, as well as any other item from the Bean Farm catalogue.

Please contact us by the Friday before the meeting in order for items to be delivered. Thank you!

Paula & Giovani Fagioli (877) 708-5882

Email: [email protected]

www.beanfarm.com

PNHS would like to thank “Animal Talk Pet Shop” & “Animal Talk

Rescue” for their generous donations of feeders for our foster animals!

Are you a Fluffy Foster? Kitten season is upon us &

Animal Talk Rescue is urgently looking for foster homes

for kitten(s).

Animal Talk Pet Shop 6514 Roosevelt Way NE

Seattle, WA 98115

(206) 526-1558 Find us on Facebook!

A full-line pet

store...and so

much more!

Contact Information

PNHS

P.O. Box 66147 adoptions:206-583-0686

Burien, WA 98166 email: [email protected]

www.pnwhs.org general information: 206-628-4740

Area Representatives

Greater Seattle Aimee Kenoyer 206-200-1240 [email protected]

N King & Snohomish Brenda Huber 206-334-7168 [email protected]

S King & Pierce Dale Drexler 253-606-4328 [email protected]

Oregon Elizabeth Freer 503-436-1064 [email protected]

Peninsula, Skagit, Whatcom & Island, Thurston, Lewis, Spokane—need volunteers!

Officers for 2011

President Aimee Kenoyer [email protected]

Vice President Dave Alverson [email protected]

President-Elect Brenda Huber [email protected]

Treasurer Dale Drexler [email protected]

Secretary Mel Kreachbaum [email protected]

Membership Secretary Vivian Eleven [email protected]

Members-At-Large Rachel Shirk [email protected]

Julie Sharkey [email protected]

Geoff Sweet [email protected]

Heather Shipway [email protected]

Amanda Perez [email protected]

Adoptions Coordinator Rachel Shirk [email protected]

Newsletter Editor Marian Huber [email protected]

Webmaster Geoff Sweet [email protected]

Find us on

FACEBOOK!

V o l . 2 6 , N o . 1 1 Pa g e 1 1

SUGGESTED EXOTIC VETS

Dr. Tracy Bennett

Dr. Daniel Lejnieks

Bird & Exotic Clinic of Seattle

4019 Aurora Ave. N.

Seattle, WA 98107

(206) 783-4538

www.birdandexotic.com

Dr. Elizabeth Kamaka

Kamaka Exotic Animal Vet-

erinary Services

23914—56th Ave. W. #3

Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043

(425) 361-2183

www.kamakaexoticvet.com

Dr. Adolf Maas

The Center For Bird & Exotic

Animal Medicine

11401 NE 195th St.

Bothell, WA 98011

(425) 486-9000

www.avianandexoticanimalhospit

al..com

To join PNHS, please print & complete the following application,

enclose your yearly or multi-yearly membership fee and return to:

PNHS Membership Secretary

P.O. Box 66147

Burien, WA 98166

Membership applications and fees may also be received at the monthly meetings by the Membership Secretary. With your yearly or multi-year membership fee you will receive the monthly PNHS E-Newsletter, access to membership pricing for adoption ani-mals, and the opportunity to participate in the many outreaches and special “Members Only” events held throughout the year.

Please select one of the options below:

Please select your preferred membership category:

Individual Membership Family Membership

(One person) (2 parents + Children)

Institutional Membership Correspondence Membership

(Institutions/Organizations) (E-Newsletter Only)

Please select the format in which you would like to receive your newsletter:

Name(s) (please print clearly): ______________________________________________

Parent or Guardian (if member is a minor): ___________________________________

Address: ______________________________________________________________

City: ____________________________________ State: _____ Zip: ______________

Email Address: ________________________________________________________

Phone: _______________________________________________________________

Above: Kids are

intent on every-

thing Board Mem-

ber Geoff Sweet

has to say at an

outreach in Duvall,

2005.

November 2011 PNHS Newsletter

Documents

Transcript of November 2011 PNHS Newsletter