WWW.IRCF.ORG TABLE OF CONTENTS IRCF REPTILES &IRCF AMPHIBIANS REPTILES • VOL &15, AMPHIBIANS NO 4 • DEC 2008 • 189 27(2):297–299 • AUG 2020
IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS CONSERVATION AND NATURAL HISTORY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FEATURE ARTICLES An Elongated. Chasing Bullsnakes (Pituophis catenifer Tortoise sayi) in Wisconsin: (Indotestudo elongata) On the Road to Understanding the Ecology and Conservation of the Midwest’s Giant Serpent ...... Joshua M. Kapfer 190 Attempting. The Shared History ofto Treeboas Prey(Corallus grenadensis )on and Humans a on Grenada:Buff-striped Keelback A Hypothetical Excursion ...... Robert W. Henderson 198 (AmphiesmaRESEARCH ARTICLES stolatum) at the Turtle Rescue and . The Texas Horned Lizard in Central and Western Texas ...... Emily Henry, Jason Brewer, Krista Mougey, and Gad Perry 204 . The Knight Anole (Anolis equestris) in Florida Conservation ...... Brian J. Camposano, Centre Kenneth L. Krysko, Kevin in M. Enge, EasternEllen M. Donlan, and Michael Granatosky Nepal 212
CONSERVATION ALERT Tapil Prakash Rai . World’s Mammals in Crisis ...... 220 . MoreTurtle Than RescueMammals and ...... Conservation Centre, Arjundhara Municipality-9, Jhapa, Nepal ...... ([email protected]) 223 Department. The of “Dow Environmental Jones Index” ofScience, Biodiversity Mechi ...... Multiple Campus, Bhadrapur Municipality-8, Jhapa, Nepal ([email protected])...... 225
HUSBANDRY . Captive Care of the Central Netted Dragon ...... Shannon Plummer 226
he Elongated TortoisePROFILE (Indotestudo elongata) is distributed thorn scrub (Sharma 1998; Schleich and Kästle 2002; Bonin Tacross southeastern. Kraig Asia, Adler: including A Lifetime Promoting northern Herpetology India, ...... south- et al. 2006; Ihlow et al. 2016). Michael L. TregliaIn Nepal, 234 Indotestudo elongata ern Nepal, Bhutan,COMMENTARY and Bangladesh (Sharma 1998; Schleich is typically associated with forests dominated by Sal (Shorea and Kästle 2002; Bonin. The et Turtles al. 2006; Have Been Kästle Watching et Meal...... 2013; Ihlow et robusta) (Schleich and Kästle Eric Gangloff2002; 238Kästle et al. 2013; Kiesl al. 2016; Uetz et al. 2019). In Nepal, it is well documented in and Schleich 2016), usually in areas with high humidity and BOOK REVIEW the Terai with some records. Threatened from Amphibians the midlands of the World edited(Schleich by S.N. Stuart,and M. Hoffmann,often near J.S. Chanson, bodies N.A. of waterCox, (pers. obs.). Kästle 2002; Kästle et al.R. 2013; Berridge, P.Kiesl Ramani, and and B.E.Schleich Young ...... 2016; Rai Elongated Tortoises are Robertomnivorous Powell 243 generalists and the diet 2019). Recently, the globally threatened Elongated Tortoise varies according to availability by habitat and season (Ihlow et has been upgraded fromCONSERVATION Endangered RESEARCH to Critically REPORTS: Endangered Summaries of Publishedal. 2012, Conservation 2016). Research It Reports feeds ...... on fruits, herbaceous 245 leaves, flowers, NATURAL HISTORY RESEARCH REPORTS: Summaries of Published Reports on Natural History ...... 247 on the IUCN Red ListNEWBRIEFS (Rahman ...... et al. 2019). It is listed mushrooms, grasses,...... vegetables, earthworms, 248 slugs, thin-shelled in CITES Appendix EDITORIAL II (https://www.cites.org/eng/app/ INFORMATION ...... terrestrial snails, worms, insects,...... crabs, 251 egg shells, carrion, detri- FOCUS ON CONSERVATION: A Project You Can Support ...... 252 appendices.php). tus, and the excrement of other animals (Sharma 1998; Schleich Elongated Tortoises inhabit a variety of forest types, and Kästle 2002; Bonin et al. 2006; Ihlow et al. 2012, 2016; including open deciduous dipterocarp, mountainous and Kästle et al. 2013; Kiesl and Schleich 2016). The majority of hilly evergreen, mixed semi-evergreen,Front Cover. bamboo, Shannon pine,Plummer. and theseBack food Cover. items Michael also Kern are consumed by Elongated Tortoises (Fig. secondary forests, as well as savannahTotat et grasslandsvelleseque audant and mo dry 1) Totatin captivity et velleseque (pers. audant obs.). mo estibus inveliquo velique rerchil estibus inveliquo velique rerchil erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum fugiatis maionsequat eumque fugiatis maionsequat eumque moditia erere nonsedis ma sectiatur moditia erere nonsedis ma sectia- ma derrovitae voluptam, as quos tur ma derrovitae voluptam, as accullabo.
Fig. 1. Elongated Tortoises (Indotestudo elongata) at the Turtle Rescue and Conservation Centre in eastern Nepal feeding on a cracked land snail (Achatina sp.) (left) and on Taro (Colocasia sp.) (right). Photographs by Tapil Prakash Rai.
Copyright © 2020. Tapil Prakash Rai. All rights reserved. 297 IRCF Reptiles & Amphibians ISSN 1098-6324 RAI IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 27(2):297–299 • AUG 2020
The Turtle Rescue and Conservation Centre (TRCC) At 1322 h on 26 June 2019, an injured adult Buff-striped in eastern Nepal, the only community-based turtle conserva- Keelback (Amphiesma stolatum) was discovered in the enclo- tion centre in Nepal, was established as a joint venture by sure along with the male Elongated Tortoise (Fig. 2). Buff- the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Society of Nepal striped Keelbacks are small (<80 cm), non-venomous natricid (ARCO-Nepal) and Sukhani Martyrs Memorial Foundation snakes that are encountered frequently in southern Nepal (SUMMEF) in 2012 (Rai 2017). (Schleich and Kästle 2002; Kästle et al. 2013). This diurnal Indotestudo elongata is primarily crepuscular and its activ- and nonaggressive snake is harmless, and when alarmed, it ity is mainly restricted to dusk and dawn. Elongated Tortoises will quickly seek to escape. This individual must have fallen are most active during the rainy season when courtship and into the enclosure, where it was bitten by the tortoise more mating take place (Schleich and Kästle 2002; Kästle et al. than five time, at least three of which caused considerable 2013; Ihlow et al. 2016). In captivity at the TRCC, court- damage and exposed internal organs. Although Elongated ship has been observed from May to July (pers. obs.). Males Tortoises usually consume plant material or prey on inver- are very aggressive during the breeding season and will fight tebrates, Ihlow et al. (2016) reported feeding the carcass violently with each other. During courtship, a male will per- of a Light-barred Kukri Snake (Oligodon albocinctus) to an sistently harass a female by biting her head and limbs and Elongated Tortoise in central Laos. thunderously ramming her with his thick anterior plastron. After the injured snake was removed from the enclosure, This could lead to casualties, especially if the ratio of males to it was disinfected with locally available povidone-iodine and females is imbalanced. If a female is receptive to a male, she released into nearby habitat. An Elongated Tortoise preying remains still with her tail averted to expose her cloaca. Mating on a live snake is herein documented for the first time. typically lasts 5–7 min (pers. obs.). After mating, five male Elongated Tortoises at the TRCC were isolated. One robust Acknowledgements young male was kept temporarily in one of the concrete pools I thank the Turtle Rescue and Conservation Centre that had been converted into a terrestrial enclosure by drain- (TRCC), Arjundhara Municipality-9, Jhapa, and Martyrs ing the water and lining it with leaf litter. Memorial Park (SUMMEF), Jhapa, for their help in con-
Fig. 2. A Buff-striped Keelback (Amphiesma stolatum) injured by an Elongated Tortoise (Indotestudo elongata) that had attempted to consume it at the Turtle Rescue and Conservation Centre in eastern Nepal. Note the exposed internal organs of the snake. Photograph by Sabin Adhikari.
298 RAI IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 27(2):297–299 • AUG 2020 ducting this research. I also thank the Amphibian and Reptile SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. Chelonian Research Conservation Society of Nepal (ARCO-Nepal) for providing Monographs 5(9): 096.1–14. Kästle, W., K.R. Rai, and H.H. Schleich. 2013. Field Guide to Amphibians and technical support. Furthermore, I am thankful to Dr. Kalu Reptiles of Nepal. ARCO-Nepal e.V., München, Germany. Ram Rai, Professor of Zoology, for suggestions that improved Kiesl, L. and H. Schleich. 2016. Amphibians and Reptiles of Nepal. Turtles. A this manuscript. Finally, I acknowledge Sabin Adhikari, Nilu Children’s Book. Third edition. ARCO-Nepal e.V., München, Germany. Phuyel, and Bhuwan Pradhan for assistance in the field. Rahman, S., K. Platt, I. Das, B.C. Choudhury, M.F. Ahmed, M. Cota, T. McCormack, R.J. Timmins, and S. Singh. 2019. Indotestudo elongata (errata version published in 2019). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T10824A152051190. Literature Cited
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