USARK FL

10/15/2026

Yellow rat snakes (Pantherophis quadrivittatus) are found in the peninsula of Florida and coastal plain of Georgia and the Carolinas. Despite being one of the most common large snakes in the region, many people still struggle to identify the hatchlings and juveniles, which look much different than the adults.

Baby rat snakes hatch with dark gray blotches on a lighter gray background. Yellow rat snakes undergo what is called an "ontonogenetic" color change as they mature. The blotches are replaced by four dark stripes and the color turns from gray to some shade of yellow or orange. Gray rat snakes, which occur in the panhandle of Florida, retain the blotched pattern and gray color throughout life.

Rat snakes are some of the largest snakes in Florida and the USA, with the biggest adults known to top eight feet in length. As their name implies, they feed on rats as well as other rodents like squirrels and mice. They are excellent climbers that also include birds and their eggs in their diet. They often end up in chicken coops, which has led to them being called "chicken snakes" in many areas. Juveniles also feed on frogs and lizards.

10/09/2026

"Hurricane Isaias is a Category 3 storm currently headed toward the Gulf Coast, with landfall expected Friday evening along Florida's Panhandle.

The storm strengthened from a high-end Category 2 hurricane into a Category 3 hurricane Friday morning ahead of landfall, which is expected between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Rain reached the Florida Panhandle early Friday and is expected to spread across the central Gulf Coast as winds pick up and tropical-storm-force winds are expected to reach the Gulf Coast later Friday morning, followed by hurricane-force winds in the afternoon."
https://abcnews.com/amp/US/hurricane-isaias-takes-aim-florida-panhandle/story?id=137122880

As keepers, it is our responsibility to provide for the safety and security of our animals. Even areas not heavily impacted by wind may experience flooding days or weeks after the storm passes. Check to be sure that your caging is safe from wind and falling trees or objects, and also that it will stay above the water level in storm surge or flooding. Now is the time to start preparations.

Info at National Hurricane Center here:
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov

10/09/2026

Thank you to the National Reptile Breeders' Expo for the donation of $37,000 to support USARK FL's efforts to protect reptile keepers! Expo founder Wayne Hill has been a strong supporter of USARK - United States Association of Reptile Keepers and USARK FL since their inceptions. There is no doubt that the reptile industry would be very different today if not for Wayne's steadfast support.

10/07/2026

"Tropical Storm Isaias formed in the Gulf on Wednesday and is expected to become the first Atlantic hurricane of the season, forecasters say.

According to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, the storm will strengthen as it moves toward the U.S. Gulf Coast later this week, becoming a hurricane by Thursday. It could peak as a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph by Thursday night before weakening as it approaches the coast.

It's unclear exactly where Isaias might make landfall. Current models show the center of Isaias coming onshore anywhere from eastern Louisiana to the western Florida Panhandle. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 25 counties ahead of its arrival."

Read full story here:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-news/article/tropical-storm-isaias-tracker-first-atlantic-hurricane-of-the-season-expected-to-hit-us-gulf-coast-105030900.html

As keepers, it is our responsibility to provide for the safety and security of our animals. Even areas not heavily impacted by wind may experience flooding days or weeks after the storm passes. Check to be sure that your caging is safe from wind and falling trees or objects, and also that it will stay above the water level in storm surge or flooding. Now is the time to start preparations.

Info at National Hurricane Center here:
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov

10/03/2026

Understanding Reptile and Amphibian Color Morphs

Amelanism is a color mutation that removes melanin, which is the dark skin pigment found in most animals. In many reptiles, this reveals bright red, yellow, or even blue pigments which may be hidden or obscured by melanin in normal "wild type" examples.

Though they are often called "albinos," herps that are missing melanin are more specifically called amelanistic. Most amelanistic herps have red eyes, unless they display other traits that remove the red coloration.

Amelanism is usually the result of a simple recessive genetic mutation. Breeding amelanistic to normal specimens will produce all normal-looking offspring that carry the amelanistic gene. These genes carriers are called heterozygous, or just "hets" for short. Breeding amelanistic to het will produce half amelanistic and half het offspring. Breeding het to het will produce 25% amelanistic, 50% het, and 25% normal. The hets cannot be visually distinguished from the normals. If you see animals labeled as "66% het," these are most likely the normal-looking offspring resulting from a het to het breeding.

Though the Marbled salamander (Ambystoma opacum) is a relatively common species across much of the eastern US, including parts of North Florida, Amelanistic examples are rare. Normal Marbled salamanders are shades of black, gray, and white. Unlike with more colorful herps, removing the black reveals only ghostly pale pinks and whites.

Photos by Daniel Parker (amelanistic courtesy of Clive Longden)

09/30/2026

Understanding Common Reptile and Amphibian Color Morphs

Amelanism is a color mutation that removes melanin, which is the dark skin pigment found in most animals. In many reptiles, this reveals bright red, yellow, or even blue pigments which may be hidden or obscured by melanin in normal "wild type" examples.

Though they are often called "albinos," reptiles that are missing melanin are more specifically called amelanistic. They are usually not completely white. Most amelanistic reptiles have red eyes, unless they display other traits that remove the red coloration.

Amelanism is usually the result of a simple recessive genetic mutation. Breeding amelanistic to normal specimens will produce all normal-looking offspring that carry the amelanistic gene. These genes carriers are called heterozygous, or just "hets" for short. Breeding amelanistic to het will produce half amelanistic and half het offspring. Breeding het to het will produce 25% amelanistic, 50% het, and 25% normal. The hets cannot be visually distinguished from the normals. If you see animals labeled as "66% het," these are most likely the normal-looking offspring resulting from a het to het breeding.

The Corn snake (Pantherophis guttatus) was one of the first widely-bred reptiles offered in a variety of colors. Many of the same color morphs that popped up in Corn snakes later appeared in other species as those species became more commonly bred. Corn snakes display black, red, and yellow pigments. Amelanism removes the black, clearly revealing the red and yellow coloration.

Photos by Daniel Parker

09/30/2026

Full details, with email lists and more, at www.usark.org/26pr.

Puerto Rico introduced PC1453, titled the “Special Moratorium Law for Exotic Animals.” Per the bill, “exotic animal” means species that are not part of the native or migratory flora or fauna of Puerto Rico (or all animals and plants not native to Puerto Rico). It is sponsored by Representatives Gutiérrez Colón, Lebrón Robles, and Márquez Lebró.

This bill will:

1. Impose a 5-year moratorium (ban) on the importation, introduction, sale, reproduction, and transfer of exotic animals in Puerto Rico;
2. Create the Scientific & Animal Welfare Committee on Alien Species to develop a strategy before the moratorium ends;
3. Establish limited exceptions (for scientific, conservation, veterinary, educational, or public safety purposes) and a voluntary amnesty surrender program;
4. Allow current, legally held animals to be possessed through a Transitory Registry, requiring owners to register their animals within 180 days of the registry’s availability;
5. Create penalties for violations, including fines ranging from $500 to $25,000 per animal, depending on the infraction.

The bill was referred to Puerto Rico’s Commission of Natural Resources and Commission of Agriculture.

Full details, with email lists and more, at www.usark.org/26pr.

09/29/2026

Did you know that baby Black racers aren't black?

Despite being one of the most abundant and familiar snakes in Florida, Southern black racers (Coluber constrictor priapus) are frequently misidentified. Many people are confused, because baby Black racers are not black. They hatch with reddish brown blotches on a silver to gray background. Wild Racers are early spring breeders in Florida. Hatchlings start to appear in late June and July.

Racers undergo an ontonogenic color change as they mature and usually display the familiar solid black coloration with the white chin at two to three years of age.

Baby racers may pop up in unexpected places like swimming pools, garages, and even inside houses. Despite their distinctive pattern, they are sometimes confused with rat snakes, coachwhips, rattlesnakes, or copperheads (which have a small range in northern Florida).

Racers are nonvenomous and are harmless to humans and pets if left alone. Their wide diet includes rodents, insects, amphibians, lizards, and other snakes.

Two other subspecies of Racer have small ranges within Florida. These are the Everglades racer (C. c. paludicola), which occurs in extreme Southern Florida, and the Brownchin racer (C. c. helvigularis), which occurs in the Apalachicola Lowlands area of the panhandle. Hatchlings of both subspecies display similar juvenile patterns to typical Southern black racers.

Photos by Daniel Parker

09/16/2026

FACTS BEFORE AGENDAS!

Certain animal-rights groups continually portray the exotic-pet trade as the principal threat to species such as the tokay gecko. The available evidence tells a very different story.

Indonesia’s 2019 harvest quota allocated:

• 1,778,750 tokay geckos to the consumption and traditional-medicine trade — 98.8%
• 21,250 tokay geckos to the pet trade — just 1.2%

TRAFFIC also reported that approximately 15 million dried tokay geckos had been imported into Taiwan since 2004, primarily for traditional medicine.

These figures do not measure all illegal trafficking, and the Indonesian figures were official quotas. However, they clearly demonstrate the enormous difference in scale: the historical trade in dried tokay geckos for traditional medicine overwhelmingly dwarfed the live-pet trade.

This does not excuse illegal or unsustainable activity in any sector. Responsible reptile keepers support legal, traceable and sustainable trade—particularly captive breeding, which can reduce pressure on wild populations.

If organisations genuinely care about protecting wildlife, their policies and campaigns should follow the evidence—not simply target responsible reptile keepers because we are an easy headline.

09/09/2026

MyFWC Florida Fish and Wildlife is holding an online meeting today to discuss captive wildlife rules. We expect these discussions to mainly apply to sloths.

The meeting will be held online on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, from 5:30 p.m. EST until all speakers have been heard, ending no later than 7:00 p.m. EST.
6830c2b8-bf03-48e8-90f6-e9d9f56c0f9d@c4d6af73-d05b-4ade-9a39-ced76d3056c6" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/6830c2b8-bf03-48e8-90f6-e9d9f56c0f9d@c4d6af73-d05b-4ade-9a39-ced76d3056c6

View draft rule language here:
https://myfwc.com/license/captive-wildlife/public-comments/

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