WatsonZoo

WatsonZoo Snake keepers and breeders. Specializing in Morelia pythons. Our passion to educate and inform for r

06/09/2024

I am often asked why locality colubrids? Why worry about keeping anything pure to their locality?

Well, breeding locality specific colubrids offers several advantages, especially when done through legitimate captive breeding programs. Let’s explore these benefits:

1)Conservation and Population Management:

-Preserving Genetic Diversity:
Captive breeding helps maintain genetic diversity by preventing inbreeding and preserving unique traits specific to certain localities.
-Insurance Against Population Decline:
When wild populations are small, fragmented, or declining rapidly, captive populations act as an insurance policy. They can be reintroduced into the wild once threats are mitigated.
-Species Recovery:
Breeding locality specific colubrids ensures that distinct populations are safeguarded, contributing to overall species recovery efforts.

2)Increased Reproductive Output:

-Beyond Wild Constraints:
In captivity, colubrids can produce more offspring than they would in the wild. This increased reproductive output is valuable for conservation purposes.
-Optimized Conditions:
Controlled environments allow for optimal conditions, such as consistent temperature, humidity, and nutrition, leading to successful breeding.

3)Research and Education:

-Study Opportunities:
Captive populations provide opportunities for scientific research, behavioral studies, and understanding reproductive biology.
-Educational Outreach:
Breeding programs can educate the public about the importance of conserving locality specific colubrids and their ecosystems. ❤️

Getting these.
05/04/2024

Getting these.

03/19/2024
10/13/2022

Gopher snakes of the genus Pituophis are charismatic, harmless colubrid snakes native to North America. In the wild, gopher snakes, including bull snakes, range from southern Canada into central Mexico. In the United States, they can be found from the Midwest, as far east as Indiana, and west to the Pacific coast. There are about six species in the genus (including two species of pine snakes), and around fifteen subspecies. Several species have become popular and engaging pets, bred and maintained under human care. These snakes are larger colubrids, often maturing around six feet in length. Gopher snakes typically prefer to feed on small rodents. They have been known to live longer than thirty years under human care.
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The photograph used in this post shows a bull snake (Pituophis catenifer sayi). The photo was taken by Andrew DuBois, and shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0) license. The image was not altered for use in this post. View license information here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/

10/08/2022

Researchers have sequenced the tuatara genome! Initial observations are telling us about the longevity and temperature tolerance of this relict species, and just how far back its lineage diverged from other reptiles.

To learn more, continue reading below, or at the link: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/tuataras-rare-reptiles-genes-longevity-cool-weather

How tuatara live so long and can withstand cool weather
Scientists have finally deciphered the rare reptile's genome, or genetic instruction book
by Jake Buehler

A tuatara may look like your average lizard, but it’s not. The reptiles are the last survivors of an ancient group of reptiles that flourished when dinosaurs roamed the world. Native to New Zealand, tuatara possess a range of remarkable abilities, including a century-long life span, relative imperviousness to many infectious diseases and peak physical activity at shockingly low temperatures for a reptile. Now, scientists are figuring out how, thanks to the first-ever deciphering, or sequencing, of the tuatara’s genetic instruction book.

The research reveals insights into not only the creature’s evolutionary relationship with other living reptiles but also into tuatara longevity and their ability to withstand cool weather, researchers report August 5 in Nature.

Technically, the tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) are rhynchocephalians, an order of reptiles that were once widespread during the Mesozoic Era, 66 million to 252 million years ago. But their diversity waned over millions of years, leaving the tuatara as the last of their line (SN: 10/13/03). The reptiles have long been of scientific interest because of their unclear evolutionary relationship with other reptiles, as they share traits with lizards and turtles as well as birds.

Tuatara were once found throughout New Zealand, but now survive in the wild mainly on offshore islands and are considered a vulnerable species. The reptiles have suffered from habitat loss and invasive species such as rats, and are especially imperiled by a warming climate (SN: 7/3/08).

This peril — combined with the tuatara’s cherished status as a taonga, or special treasure, to the Indigenous Maori people — led researchers to prioritize compiling the reptile’s genome, or genetic instruction book.

In 2012, Neil Gemmell, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, and an international team of researchers began to assemble the tuatara genome, in close partnership with the Indigenous Ngātiwai people. The Ngātiwai are considered kaitiaki, or guardians, of the tuatara and were intimately involved in decisions regarding the use of genetic data from the project.

The tuatara’s genome is huge, about 5 gigabases, or some 5 billion DNA base pairs in length, the researchers found. That’s about two-thirds bigger than humans’ and is “unusually large” for a reptile, says Giulia Pasques, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Colorado Boulder who was not involved with the research. Lizard and snake genomes are usually around 2 gigabases, she says. Bird genomes may be half that size.

Based on the genetic analyses, the researchers confirmed that the tuatara is more closely related to snakes and lizards than to crocodilians, birds or turtles. The researchers estimate that the tuatara and their ancestors diverged from snakes and lizards about 250 million years ago, meaning the group predates even the oldest dinosaurs.

The team identified genes possibly involved in the tuatara’s biological quirks including their long lives, which are the longest of any other reptiles besides tortoises. Tuatara have many genes involved in producing selenoproteins, which help protect against aging and cellular deterioration, and have more of these genes than humans do. Such insights may eventually have useful applications for human biology, says coauthor Matthieu Muffato, a comparative genomicist at the European Bioinformatics Institute in Hinxton, England.

Tuatara also appear to have an unusually high number of TRP genes, which are involved in making proteins tied to temperature sensitivity and regulation of body temperature. Those genes may be behind the reptiles’ tolerance of cool temperatures, the researchers say. Tuatara have the lowest known optimal body temperature of any reptile, from 16° to 21° Celsius.

Although the new research goes a long way to dispelling some of the mystery surrounding the tuatara, there is much to learn about these scaly enigmas. “Publishing the tuatara genome is like uncovering an ancient book,” Muffato says. “We have started analyzing it, and started decoding some of the genetic information, but we are still a long way off from understanding the complete genome.”
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Find the related scientific journal article here:
Gemmell, N.J., Rutherford, K., Prost, S. et al. The tuatara genome reveals ancient features of amniote evolution. Nature (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2561-9
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2561-9
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The photograph used with this post shows a tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) basking in the sun. This photograph was shared to the public domain accredited to Pseudopanax.

I went and did something. Gtp back in the house. New young male green tree python.
07/23/2022

I went and did something. Gtp back in the house. New young male green tree python.

He shed during weekend while at expo, so new pics. Beetlejuice2, male Blackhead Python.
07/18/2022

He shed during weekend while at expo, so new pics. Beetlejuice2, male Blackhead Python.

New male black head python I finally picked up last weekend at Hillsboro Expo.
04/27/2022

New male black head python I finally picked up last weekend at Hillsboro Expo.

04/03/2022

Welcome to USARK's Official Youtube Channel.Please support animal lovers everywhere by SUBSCRIBING to show the world just how many people care: https://www.y...

02/21/2022

An IAABC Foundation Publication

02/16/2022

The anthill python (Antaresia perthensis) or pygmy python is the smallest python species, with adults typically staying under 20” in length. They are frequently found in termite mounds, and inhabit western Australia.

All of the species in the Genus Antaresia are very small pythons. Recent taxonomic research (2020) is changing ideas about how many and what species should be recognized in this Genus. These pythons are native to Australia, with some also known to inhabit parts of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. These little pythons make very popular and engaging pets, with strong feeding responses and easy care requirements.
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The photograph used in this post shows a close up of a pygmy python (Antaresia perthensis) taken by Melissa Bruton. The photo was shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0) license. The image was not altered for use in this post. View license information here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/

Jean, female stonewashed Bredl python.
02/06/2022

Jean, female stonewashed Bredl python.

02/05/2022
01/25/2022
New Lydia pics while freshing up her home.
01/20/2022

New Lydia pics while freshing up her home.

01/14/2022

A couple adorable blue tongue skink babies at bluetonguelizard.com.au show off their slick scales and winning smiles for the camera. TRR is made possible by Dubia.com

FYI- the top snake is a hognose snake that has amazing playing dead natural defensive.
01/12/2022

FYI- the top snake is a hognose snake that has amazing playing dead natural defensive.

01/12/2022
01/05/2022

A (pre)historic event.

01/03/2022

The Marine File Snake (Acrochordus granulatus), as its name indicates, is a truly aquatic species that can be found in waters as deep as 60 feet. They inhabit brackish intertidal regions, estuaries, and even some salt water locations like the Taal Lake, Philippines. These two are kept by Myke Clarkson—also known as IHS’ official Videographer!

📸: Myke Clarkson

12/30/2021

In remembrance of a true American hero, visionary and great humanitarian, William Edward Haast, the legendary pioneer of venom production for venom research born on the 30th day of December, 1910. Your life lit a flame for others to follow in pursuit of the advancement of the use of venoms in science and medicine and for all the people you have helped and the lives you have saved, we are forever grateful.

12/22/2021

Pictured: a young corn snake "in blue" preparing to shed its skin.

All animals shed their skin as they live and grow. Mammals shed incrementally, in tiny flakes. Many reptiles however shed their entire skin all at once.

During this delicate time a snake's body pushes fluid between the outermost layer and the one they're going to keep, turning their colors a faded gray, their bellies pinkish, and their eyes a distinct blue. This phase of shedding is called "blue phase" or being "in blue".

After this phase the body retracts the fluid, and this is the trickiest phase as the snake can appear as if they're bright, clear-eyed, and have already shed, but this deceptive phase is called "clear phase".

During the shedding process it's important to maintain correct humidity, and to provide a quiet and stress free environment. Snakes feel the most vulnerable to predators when they are shedding.

When you see your snake changing into shedding colors, or eyes going blue, it's critical to not offer food to your snake. A full tummy can complicate the shedding process and add unnecessary stress to the situation.

If you have noticed the signs and they have since disappeared, but you still have not seen the snake's shed skin, wait until the shed skin is in your hands to offer its next meal. This ensures it has completed the process, as the clear phase is pre-shed and is very sneaky.

A good indicator of a healthy happy snake is a complete, whole shed skin. A tear here or here is no issue, but a badly pieced torn-up shed is an obvious red flag that the setup is not correct.

If your snake is experiencing chronic poor sheds, it's appetite may also be negatively affected. That can be a sign that something is amiss, most commonly as chronic dehydration from poor husbandry, and occasionally even a gut parasite load.

A snake shedding one's skin is a sign of life and growth and can tell us keepers a lot about it's health and happiness. With this valuable feedback we can become better reptile keepers for our beloved scaley friends.

12/21/2021
12/19/2021

Is a new pet on your Christmas list? Make sure to plan ahead! Many of the common reptile species have considerably long lifespans. These animals are wonderful pets but prospective keepers should anticipate the lifetime commitment when bringing any new reptile home.

12/14/2021
12/13/2021
12/06/2021
Due to back surgery next week, I will not be vending at Puyallup expo. So, posting some items I have available.  Male 20...
12/04/2021

Due to back surgery next week, I will not be vending at Puyallup expo. So, posting some items I have available. Male 2020 Zebra Jungle Carpet Python, produced here, parents produced by Nick Mutton of Inland Reptile with lineage. Books- Serpents in the Clouds, Ari Flagle, signed, many copies. The More Complete Boa Constrictor, Vincent Russo, many copies. Australia Zoo Creating a Conservation Legacy, Bindi Irwin, signed, three copies. Steve Irwin Python Funko, four boxes. Some other items. PM for details.

11/22/2021

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