Fundraiser Started For Duluth Area Dog Critically Injured From Porcupine Encounter
A Herpetologist Reveals The 3 'Hottest' Pet Reptiles—And 4 That Have Fallen Out Of Fashion
Finding good data to determine trends in the exotic reptile pet trade is hard to do. Here's how one ... [+] researcher tapped Google's data to solve this problem.
gettyA recent article published in the academic journal Animals suggests that bearded dragons–a medium-sized Australian lizard known for their distinctive "beard" of spikes under their chin (pictured above)–are the most popular animal in the exotic pet reptile market, followed by ball pythons and leopard geckos.
On the other hand, four reptiles whose popularity has waned over the past decade are green iguanas, Burmese pythons, chameleons and red-eared sliders.
The ball python was rated as the second most popular pet reptile according to a recent study that ... [+] analyzed data from Google Trends. Their popularity is due to their small size, docile nature, ease of care, and the variety of designer morphs available, such as the "piebald" morph pictured here
getty"Reptiles are one of the most popular exotic pets in the world, resulting in a quickly growing billion-dollar pet industry," says Jose Valdez, the lead author of the research. "Their popularity as pets has made reptiles one of the most common animals in the wildlife trade, with evidence suggesting that over a third of all described reptile species are actively bought and sold around the world."
Despite the size of the market, tracking the buying and selling of exotic pet reptiles is notoriously hard to do.
"The most common pet reptiles are typically non-threatened, captive-bred, and are domestically obtained, which means they are largely unregulated and unmonitored, resulting in a large portion of the reptile pet trade remaining unknown," says Valdez.
To understand this largely hidden market, the researchers examined data from Google Trends–using Google search volumes to measure and understand the popularity of pet reptile species over time. They combined this information with survey data, in which they asked 91 reptile enthusiasts to rank the most popular reptiles in the reptile pet market–both now, in the past, and what they anticipated would happen in the future.
It's no surprise that the leopard gecko is ranked as the third most popular pet reptile; they are ... [+] both adorable and hardy in captivity.
gettyWhile there were some subtle differences between the results of the survey and the Google Trends analysis, both methods returned the same top three reptiles: bearded dragons, ball pythons and leopard geckos.
"This reptile [bearded dragon] has remained popular due to its appearance, personality, manageable size, and docile temperament," says Valdez. "They are also the most attractive reptile for family and kids as they are relatively easy to handle, omnivorous, eat similar foods as humans, and relatively active during the day."
Ball pythons, Valdez suggests, are the most popular pet snake due to their docile, low-maintenance disposition, small to medium size and easiness to handle. Leopard geckos are also especially popular due to their hardiness, small size and relative ease of care.
Here are the top ten most searched reptiles according to the Google Trends analysis:
Looking to the future, survey respondents thought that blue-tongued skinks, tegus, uromastyx lizards, crested geckos and ball pythons would show the greatest increases in popularity over the decade.
Valdez finds the crested gecko of particular interest, as its popularity has increased three-fold over the past two decades. The crested gecko has the interesting history of having been thought to be extinct for over a century until it was rediscovered in New Caledonia in 1994.
The New Caledonian crested gecko, pictured here, has gained significant popularity in the pet trade ... [+] due to its unique appearance, low maintenance requirements, and friendly temperament. This species was thought to be extinct until its rediscovery in 1994.
getty"Google Trends can be a useful tool for determining relative popularity among reptile pets, or other animal groups, with results closely mirroring those obtained through surveys," says Valdez. "However, unlike surveys, this analysis is quick, quantifiable, and can show what is popular and in-demand not only at the global level but at finer scales. Google Trends can also be a valuable technology for many other applications, especially research areas that may otherwise be difficult to monitor or quantify."
New York Man Bitten By Snake He Found In His Bathtub
If you thought you were having a bad day, at least you're not this guy.
A New York man was certainly surprised to find a snake in the bathtub in his apartment. But when he reached for the snake to dispose of it, the slithery reptile had its own ideas. The resulting bite lead the man to call the authorities for help.
New York state is home to seventeen species of snakes, though a majority are not venomous. According to SUNY ESF, the most common and widespread snakes in New York are the garter snake and the water snake.
See Also: New York State DEC Seizes Two Large Pythons [PICS]
However, the type of snake that was encountered by the man who was bitten is not native to the state.
New York City Man Bitten By Snake He Found in His BathtubABC NY reports that a Brooklyn man found a small corn snake resting in his bathtub Wednesday morning. But when the man went to pick up the snake to flush it down the toilet, the reptile, described as approximately 24 to 30 inches long, bit the man on his index finger.
Emergency units showed up to tend to the man, and then brought the animal to Animal Care and Control in Queens. Both the man and the scaly bathtub intruder are expected to be fine.
Is This Species of Snake Legal to Own As a Pet in New York?The fact that the species is not native indicates it was probably someone's pet, or the offspring of a pet snake. Luckily, this particular species of snake is not venomous.
See Also: Yikes! Do You Know What New York's Official State Reptile Is?
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation says that residents can own a snake as a pet as long as they are non-venomous and not native to New York.
Exotic pet laws are even more restrictive once you enter New York City. Though Thrillist says that while not all snakes are considered illegal in NYC, many of them are. Some illegal ones include; vipers, cobras, pythons, and anacondas.
However, species king snakes, corn snakes, and milk snakes are allowed.
Are Corn/Red Rat Snakes Found in New York State?The Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute says that corn snakes (or red rat snakes) are not native to New York state, though they can be found on other parts of the Eastern Seaboard.
The species is mainly found in the eastern United States from southern New Jersey to Florida, into Louisiana and parts of Kentucky. Corn snakes are usually found in "wooded groves, rocky hillsides, meadowlands, woodlots, rocky open areas, tropical hammocks, barns and abandoned buildings", according to The Smithsonian.
The 10 Most Invasive Animals & Insects in New York StateThere's nothing worse than an unwanted guest.
Gallery Credit: Will Phillips
Wildlife Specialist Called In To Capture Snake After It Gets Loose In Police Cruiser
A strange call to police in Connecticut on Tuesday night produced a brief moment of "hiss-teria" when officers found themselves making an interesting arrest: a four-foot snake.
The Groton Police Department took to Facebook on Wednesday afternoon to announce that a ball python had been found late Tuesday in Ledgewood Condominiums on Meridian Street.
"The snake … is currently in custody with Critter Cop," the post said. "Please contact the police department to bond the snake out of critter jail."
The "Critter Cop" in question is Jay Johnson, a nuisance wildlife removal specialist who said he was sleeping when he received a panicked phone call from Groton police around 12:30 a.M. Wednesday.
"They were freaking out," Johnson said. "They said they had a snake in the back of the cruiser."
The officers, Johnson said, had used a large plastic tub to take the snake into custody before placing it in the cruiser. But when the container's lid came loose in the backseat, the officers encountered a new problem: an escapee.
"They didn't want to touch it," Johnson said.
Johnson, who owns a 24-hour wildlife control firm fittingly called The Critter Cop, was on scene within the hour to take the python into custody.
The Salem resident said he receives calls about nuisance snakes "all the time." But even he admitted this was a first for him.
Typically, Johnson explained, he's called out to remove trapped pests that can be released back into the wild. But this snake, a ball python he estimated was about 2 years old, was the opposite: a "very docile" pet snake that either escaped or had been released.
For now, the rescued snake is safe at Johnson's home. Soon, however, a local nonprofit will give the python another chance to be someone's pet.
Amid the chaos on Tuesday evening, Groton police also reached out to Jarrod Ackles, who volunteers as a reptile rescuer, about the loose snake in an officer's cruiser.
The New London nonprofit he works with, A Shedding Chance Reptile Rescue, specializes in rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming abandoned reptiles.
"Reptiles are one of the most neglected animals in the pet industry," said Amanda Coler, owner of A Shedding Chance. "When we hear about a reptile being in trouble, it's pretty much life or death for that animal, and that's why we respond urgently."
But when Groton police messaged Ackles on Facebook, he was asleep.
"When I woke up and saw it, I was like, 'Wait, what?'" said Ackles, a ball python owner himself. "I thought I was having a dream."
By the time Ackles called the Groton Police Department on Wednesday morning, Johnson had already taken the python in.
So, Ackles made a second phone call – this one to Johnson.
"I was like, 'If you're not going to keep him, and you don't have a goal for where you want him to go, I will definitely take him in and find him a good home," Ackles said.
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