/

10 Cl-IURCH STREET S. , MINNESOTA 55455-0104

VOLUME IV

FEBRUARY MRS N~'W SLETTER

F~iday, March 2 1984 7 00 PI"! Room 225 Smith Hall

Universi ty of IVIinnesota

NUMBER 2

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'llhe March meeting will be our Annual Meeting .. There will be no formal program! Elections will be held (see the list of nominees below) and the "Critter of the Month" will be liMy Favorite Critter" This will be a special meeting as several of the MRS Board members will be stepping dovJn after having served 2 years on the Board These are some of the people who made ~nls go (especially President Del Jones) and this is your chance to come out and say thanks to them .. So pick your favorite critter and mak:e a point of attending!

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Here again is the slate of nominees@ Please note that Bruce Cutler has removed his name from it" Remember!) nominations "'Jill be accepted from the floor at the meeting!

President Vice-President Secretary Treasurer Newsletter Editor Member-at-Large (vote for four)

Bruce s Fran Frisch Ann Forwoll Sally Brewer .Jim Gerholdt Bill Allen Liz Bosman Del Jones Larry Probst Brint Spencer

Thanks again to the Nominating Committee of Fred Bosman, Daren Carlson, and Bruce Haig! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx:x:xxxxxxxXJCxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,xXXJ(xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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This i<':. my final letter as Pr side n t of MHS. I r v d for 10 months as the interim presi dent when the society was first formed and an add it i ona 1 tvJO years as your first pre ident. The time has arrived when some­one else should taKe on the responsibil ity of 1 ading MHS (Besides, made sur in the beginning that there was two ye ar 1 i mit on the t rm of office.)

feel that Fred Bosman and his nominating committee have don an outstanding job of 1 ining up a slate of candidates for the elections in Marcha Your atten­dance at the meeting is impor­tant so we can have a truly representative election.

Your newly elected officers will need your continued support to insure that MHS will continue to grow and serve its membership and the herp tological community i n ge n r a 1 D I an t <,:. i y t hat th many things accompl ish d to date by MHS were th fforts of many people and not Just th elected officers.

In less than three years MHS has grown from an organizing group of 16 people to a paid member ship of 140. We have a

1 i brary tho. t seems to be we 11 used: at 1 east ther is very 1 itt 1 e se 1 c t i on t h t· i me I ge t the r e • Th II He 1 p Hap 1 ss HerplB progr'am has been most successful in placing xc ss animals with people who are I).,lj 11 i ng to care for themu The food animal sal s have been a major factor in allowing MHS to finance the purchase of booKs for' the 1 i bra r y • The N e v,1 S 1 e t t e r has grown from a sad two sheet announcement that I managed to get out that first month to what you are reading now. In addi­tion, some new programs are in the worKs th t should maKe mem­bership in MHS even more reward­ing in the future.

All in all I have very much enjoyed my tenure as your presi­dent. I have been pr i v i 1 eged to meet and worK with some very talented people in the society. I plan to do some things now that th duties of president 1 ft no time for. (Yes, Jim, 1/11 have an article for the NeV-,I s 1 e t t e r' " rea 1 soon n ow" . ) I invite all of you to come to th March meeting, elect your new officers and participate in what should be the begining of an xciting new year.

Delvin Jones

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Did you read the DNR Nongame Wildlife Program Request for Proposals in the last Newsletter? MHS, through the efforts of ~John IVIoriarty, is subm.itting a proposal

'to DNR! The proposal is to do field work, probably in the Southwest corner of the state We should have more information on this at the IVIarch meeting .. JVlHS ex­tends a special thanks to .John for his \vork on this!

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The February meeting was both informative and entertaining" Dr Daryl Karns of the Bell IVIuseum staff gave us one of his usual excellent presentations .. The new theories about the "hot blooded" dinosaurs began in 1964 and have progressed from there .. Many of the slides that Daryl showed certainly gave us a diffepent impression of what some of our "old favorites" now look like Please note that the book, The Hot-Blooded Dinosaurs by Adrian Desmond is now in the MES Library!

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Attendance at the February meeting was 60 plus two ~'s Our memberships now are at 139 ..

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We hope to have the identification badger::; for the March meeting" This will make things much easier for all of us trying to keep track of who is a member and who isn't"

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Please note! For the April meeting we have rescheduled Bob Duerr and his movie, II Snakes and }'lowers" The "Cri tter of the IVIonth" will again be snakes of Minne­sota r:ehe date will be April 6, so keep it open"

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The IVIay meeting will be a rerun of the excellent DNR slide/tape presentation on the frogs and toads of MinnesotaO We had this last spring and it was enjoyed by all who saw it" The Ii Cri tter of the Month" "Jill be frogs and toads of Minnesota. How's that for a surprise?

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The raffle at the February meeting was a copy of uSnakes of the Southeastern U" Sell by Jeffrey J .. Jackson, and an }ViliS T-shi.rt. The book was won by Jane Rain, and the T-shirt by John Jesmer" Proceeds of the raffle were $17 .. 00 ..

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Did. all of you send in your entry for the coloring contest? 'rhe prize for this contest is an MRS T-shi.rt .. Don't miss out!

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Please see- the financial statement for 1983 .. It says a lot about our progress!

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INC01VJE: Memberships Library Fines Rodent Sales Refreshment Donations T-Shirt Sales Raffle Tickets IVliscellaneous

rpOTAL INCOME

EXP:&;NSES: postage Li brary Book s Office Supplies Mileage Program Expenses Hefreshments T-Shirts Hefunds Miscellaneous

TOTAL EXPENSES

NET INC01"lE

MINNESOTA HERp.r~IrOLOGICAL SOCIETY INCOME srrATEMENT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBEH 31,1983

$10271170 39@00

1155@74 411196

529 00 260@91

492 .. 78 470 .. 84 124 33 215 .. 47 292 .. 50

54@21 828 .. 70

10 .. 49 204 .. 98

MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN :F'INANCIAL POSITION

FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1983

Cash, January 1, 1983 $470@24 Gross Income for the Year $3105 .. 16 Total Expenses for the Year 3029.62 Net Income for the Year 75@54 Cash, December 31 , 1983

Check Book Balance, December 31, 1983 530 .. 78 Cash on Hand, December 31, 1983 1 00 TOTAL CASH, December 31, 1983

$3105 .. 16

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$545@78

$545,,78

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Included in this issue of the MHS Newsletter is a checklist of Minnesota herps that was compiled by Endangered Species Advisory Committee for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The list includes the status determinations for all species@ The 1 Endangered and the 2 Threatened species are now totally protected! Read the list over and be aware of this protection ..

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This cartoon is in appreciation of the JVlHS Ne\'l/sletter Editor Thanks Fran

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~he latest on the legislative vironment (FATE) is that no not mean than there will be no FA~lE on this prior to the 1985

from ]lriends of Animal s and The ir En­be submitted this year! This does

j.on rrhe IVHIS Board wi.ll be working with session We 11 you posted!

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Hints

At the February meeting Karen s}:lovJed a Plo:rida Kingsnake (Lampropel tis getulus ssp) that had sustained a massive to its head .. One eye was gone (blind) and the other "'laS cl up She "vas curious as to what to do .. The problem likely is being caused by retaj_ned eyecaps As for the snake possibly becoming blind, the feeling was that it \LJOuld fare okay in captivity .. Jim Ger­holdt mentioned a blind American All tor that had mated and produced viable eggs, while Del Jones mentioned a California that was 2/3 paralyzed that IIdouble clutched" viable eggs lViatt Cutler related that the pair of Boas a t the Science Museum of JVlinnesota had lJred and one of them had gotten qui te large Unfortuna.tely, nothing came of it Reabsorption was mentioned as a possibility Bruce Delles added that one of his Goas that had produced young had gotten huge before she her young"

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Something for all of you out there to be thinking about is an upcoming ~{S Journalism Contest This could be your chance to break into the ranks of the published! There would be s of school/junior high and high school and above., This would be divided into "teclmical and personal categories .. Keep this in mind and watch the next Newsletter for further details!

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lflran }ilrisch is working on an offical MIlS poster for distribution to nature cen­ters, schools, etc Watch for this and if you have any thoughts on it, please let Pran know

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"Critter of the Month"

The "Critter of the IVJonth" for the February meeting was turtles and tortoises .. We had a good turn out this month .. We had at the meeting:

Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra s serpenti.na) Western painted rr-urtle (Chrysemys picta belli) Yellow Marginated Box Turtle (Cuora flavomarginata) Red Footed Tortoise (Geochelone carbonaria) Yellow Footed Tortoise (Geochelone denticulata) Leopard Tortoise (Geochelone pardalis) Striped Mud Turtle (Kinosternon bauri) Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macroclemys temminckii) South American Wood Turtle (Rhinoclemys sp ) lVlusk Turtle (Sternotherus sp ) Eastern x Three-Toed Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina x triunguis) Three-Toed Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina triung~is) Ornate Box Turtle (Terrapene 0", ornata)

These were brought by: Fred and Liz Bosman IVJatt Cutler Bruce Delles }llran ]'risch John Meltzer David Norman Ann Patterson Valerie Patterson Ann Porwoll

Thanks to all from ]viliS!

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The refreshments at the February meeting were supplied by Del J"ones and a Myst­ery Person Thar~s to both from MRS!

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Library

The MRS Library continues to grow! Recently purchased with MRS funds were: Turtles of the United states by Carl H .. Ernst and Roger W® Barbour The Hot-Blooded Dinosaurs by Adrian J Desmond Reptiles of North America by Raymond L .. Ditmars Poisonous Snakes of the World by the Department of the Navy Giant Snakes by Clifford H", Pope

Be sure to look for these at the March Annual Meeting!

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U Help A Hapless Herp"

It finally happened! We did not have a "Hapless Herp" for adoption at the Feb­I~ary meeting! This ended a string of 21 straight meetings that began with the May 1982 meetingc. During this 21 month period, MRS found homes for no less than 56 homeless reptiles and amphibians Hopefully we can start again next month!

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7

PROBLEMS WITH INTERGRADES & HYBRIDS BECOMING SERIOUS

by

G" S.. Casper

Genetic impurity in captive populations of reptiles is becoming a serious prob­lem in the United States Hybridizing and intergrading poses a genetic threat to wildlife and severely hampers much scientific study .. Such crossbreeding is com­pletely unnecessary, and those who knowingly engage in it are a threat to the herpetological community, as well as to many taxa of rare reptiles It appears that many persons are unaware of the consequences of crossing taxa", The purpose of this article is to illustrate the folly of crossing species and subspecies"

.An understanding of terminology is necessary to understand the problem", A hybrid is the result of a breeding between two different species A species is usually defined as a reproductively isolated population" Members of a species will mate successfully with each other but not with members of other species", Hybridizing is prevented in nature by reproductive isolating mechanisms, or RIMs", RIMs in­clude physical barriers (SUCh as deserts or mountains), Pflysical incompatibility (SUCh as in the size or structure of reproductive organs), behavior (SUCh as courting rituals, frog songs or pheromone release), and more .. These RIMs us­ually prevent hybridizing in nature@ Even if two species mate there are post­copulatory RIMs as well, such as chromosomal incompatibility or hybrid steril­ity", A species can thus be thought of as a group of organisms which freely in­terbreed, sharing their genetic make1-up .. A species has a "genotype", which is the particular combination of genes which produces the species .. This gene combri­nation is unique, thus a species maintains a unique genetic identity. Genes are no more than regions of the DNA molecule which produces particular proteins, and these proteins make up the organism" A species "phenotype" is its outward app­earance ". This is usually distinct in each species (a Flox. Snake looks different than a Bullsnake), but the phenotypes of different species can appear identical to human observers, with two or more species looking the same but still repro­ductively isolated by one or more RIMs" In Minnesota, the Alder and Willow Fly­catchers (Empidonax alnorum and E .. trailii) are a good ex.ample of two different species which seem identical, but are separated by at least two RIMs - song and habitat" There can, however, be much variation in the phenotype of a species, such as the variety of phenotypes found in the common pigeon"

Often a species will contain distinct populations which differ slightly from each other but are not repil10ductively isolated except by geography. This is us­ually the result of a species occupying slightly different habitats in different parts of its range and consequent adaption to the environment" TI)ese distinct' populations are called subspecies Different subspecies differ slightly in appearance, behavior, and gene frequencies but are able to breed successfully with members of other subspecies within the species The Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) is a good example of a species with several distinct subspecies .. Now we can define intergrades

im intergrade is the result of a breeding between two subspecies of the same species Intergrades occur naturally where the ranges of two subspecies meet. In these areas the wild popUlation exhibits a gradual change in characters as one moves from the range of one subspecies to the range of the adjacent sub­speciest!l This situation is called a "cline", and at .the midpoint of the cline the animals will exhibit characters of both subspecies more or less equally

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An eXc;tmple of this is the Black Rat Snake to "Greenish" Rat Snake to Yellow Rat Snalce cline on the Atlantic seaboard

\I}i th this background we can nov' examine why hybrids and intergrades are undesir­able and threaten scientific prog:r-ess .. The basic problem is that most crossbreeds are arti.ficial The gene combinations of crossbreeds are not adapted to natural habitats Moreover they can be passed on to offspring" Ar'tificial genotypes Hpollute" natural gene pools by introducing new combinations of genes which have not been favored by natural selection These aberrant genotypes threaten a sub­species or species unique genetic identity .. They produce a new animal which may look a little different behave a little different be a little more or less tol­erant of environmental parameters such as temperature, food sources, disease org­anisms, etc

Some intergrades do occur naturally, but there is usually a very narrow zone of intergradation, with a natural procession from one set of gene frequencies to an­other set of gene frequencies" The zone of intergradation is often a "hodge­podge" of genes, with the intergrades being adapted to a transition zone rather than to a particular vegetative type These intergrades are the result of natural selection in areas of changing environmental conditions, which may favor new or rare genes By contrast, most of the intergrades found 'on the market today are decidedly unnatural e Subspecies are being crossed in captivity which would never meet in the-wild (for example, Mexican and Columbian Boa Constrictors)e These animals represent completely artificial and usually maladaptive, genotypes" similarly, hybrids are completely unnatural, though usually infertile ..

Many captive populations of various taxa (species or subspecies) are maintained for conservation purposes, and maintaining genetic purity is essential in these cases TIle goal of most captive propogation programs is eventual reintroduction to the wild" If unnatural crossing occurs gene frequencies in the captive popu­lation can become substantially different from the wild genotype, and the cap­tive population can no longer be considered representative of the original wild animals This may ruin hopes of reintroduction to the wild as the animals can no longer be adapted to the environment and will not survive, or they may occupy a different niche in the habitat (possibly, at the expense of other species) and may evolve into an entirely different creature" Fortunately, genotypes are fair­ly "plastic" in nature, that is, gene frequencies are in a continuous state of flux around an optimum, or 9inorm", for the environment .. There are always indi­viduals outside the norm ready to contribute their slightly different gene frequencies to the population '1'his plasticity allo'\l>/s for adaption and evolut­ion in response to environmental change It also makes reintroduction programs feasible, because if the reintroduced animals have a slightly different geno­type than the originalwl1d one~ natural selection will swing gene frequencies back to the optimum for the environment 0 As long as reasonable care is taken to maintain genetically pure stock reintriduction is possible because repro­duction in the wild will "fine tune" gene frequencies back to the optimum for the environment, which may have changed somewhat since the wild animals were extirpated@ But if gene frequencies are pushed far outside the natural fluct­uations for a taxa, as happens when artificial hybridizing and intergrading occurs, a new genotype may emerge which is a subatantially different animal than the original e For 'this reason!i close attention must be paid to the gen­etics of captive wildlifee

Another problem with crossbreeding is that it can render scientific studies invalid For esample, behavioral and physiological studies using genetically

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aberrant stock may not be applicable to wild populations 1he sciences of taxon­omy (classifying animals) and phylogeny (tracing the interrelations and origins of taxa) are especially vulnerable in crossbreeding .. Scientists rely on characters such as scale counts bone structure, color, and pattern when classifying ani­mals These characters are abnormal in crossbred animals@ Worse, if crossbreeds escape or are released into the wild they can breed with native animals and change gene frequencies A taxonomist stu.dying the wild population then has no way of b10wing that his study animals are suffering from gene pollution and may have aberrant characteristics Artificial relocation of animals from one area to another creates similar problems, infusing maladaptive genes into wild populat­ions and potentially causing population declines or permanent changes in gene frequencies@ Such man-caused interference in natural selection severely hampers the pursuit of scientific Imowledge and poses a threat to wildlife and conser­vation programs

Crossbreeds being marketed today include many Kingsnakes (Lampropeltis) and Rat Snakes (Elaphe) as well as various Boas and Pythons (Boa, Constrictor, Epicrates, python) Kingsnake crosses in particular are very widespread and pose a tremend­ous problem as the taxonomy and phylogeny of this group is poorly known Arti­ficial relocation of animals and intentional or inadvertant crossbreeding has also caused much confusion over the taxonomic status of Florida Rat Snakes (Ela­phe obsoleta)", Captive populations of the endangered Indian Python (Python IDe> molurus) are also frequently genetically impure because of crossbreeding to the Burmese Python (Python m@bivittatus)e> To make matters even worse, Burmese by Ceylonese Python (p@ mm bivittatus X pimbura) crosses are now being offered for sale .. The various subspecies of the Boa Constrictor (Constrictor constrictor) are being crossed in alarming numbers, especially by foreign dealers who sell to the United States pet trade These specimens are a nightmare for researchers trying to unravel the taxonomy of this group, as they confuse the issue and render all boas suspect@ Many herpetologists are becoming enraged at the num­bers of crossbreeds (or nIDuttsil) being produced and traded@ Keeping these mutts out of important captive populations of various taxa is an infuriating task m

ReportedlYt Some breeders are knowingly and intentionally crossing various taxa try and produce one~of-a-kind novelties which they attempt to sell for large

sruns For example, a recent price list offered for sale an animal composed of 5 Lampropeltis taxa of 3 different species for $275@OO! Such specimens are abso­lutely worthless for conservat~on and research purposes, yet some collectors pay hundreds of dollars for these ridiculous crosses Such specimens are actually worse than \vorthless because they pose a threat to the geneti.c integrity of captive and wild populations if they are inadvertantly or knowingly allowed to breed@ Such irresponsible crossbreeding must be curtailed

Occassionally research such as tracing genetic dominance or relatedness requires crossing taxa@ Jmy resultant ,offspring from such experiments are properly euth­anized or donated to individuals or educational groups who agree never to breed the animals Some readers may note that crossbreeding is common practioe among breeders of domestic animals for example with livestock or pets .. These animals, however, are produced solely for human use and should be restricted to domestic environments@ They are not wild animals and releasing them into the wild may have grave consequences® By contrast, the vast majority of live herptile main­tenance i.s intended to perpetuate wild-type animals, and crossbreeding has no place in such a situation. Moreover, much reptile breeding involves native species ,.;hich can and do escape into the wild and interact with their wild counterparts, and crossbreeding adds to this hazard

Ropefully, this article has illustrated the folly of crossbreeding e Anyone breeding any type of wildlife is responsible for maintaining the genetic pur-

of their stock ~1e nation0s zoos keep breeding records and family trees for this purpose, not only to prevent crossbreeding but also to avoid inbreed-· ing, which involves the mating of closely related animals and results in infer­tility, mutations, and other problemse Irresponsible breeding practices also re­flect badly on the herpetological community, which suffers from enough unjusti­fiable and prejudicial criticism as it is., Recently, legislation which would prohibit or severely restrict private possession of herptiles has been proposed in many areas .. Those few individuals who let venomous snakes escape into the neighborhood or who engage in harmful crossbreeding give seeming credence to the ar~lllients of those who would legislate away our right to maintain animals@ It is hoped that herp breeders in this country will behave responsibly i.n the future and stop the mindless production of artificial animals for purposes of llOvelty and avarice ..

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12

AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES OF MINNESOTA: a checklist with status determinations

Reptiles (29)

TURTLES (9)

se Snapping Turtle (.,9helydra serpen tina)

Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta)

TH Wood Turtle (Clemm~ insculpta)

TH Blanding's Turtle (Emydoidea blandingi)

JvIap Turtle (graptemys geop;raphica)

Ouachita Map Turtle (Gr~ptemys ouachitensis)

False 1"la1' Turtle (Graptemys pseudo!Seop:aphica)

Smooth Softshell (Trionyx ml.lticlls)

Spiny Softshell (~ionyx spiniferus)

LIZAB.I2S. (J)

SLx-lined RacerUlmer (Cnemidophorus sexlineatus)

EN Five-lined Skink (Eumeces fasciatus)

Prairie Skink (Eumeces septentrionalis)

SNAKES (17)

Racer (Coluber constrictor)

SC Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus)

Ringneck Snake (Diadophis punctatus)

SC Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta)

SC Fox Snake (Elaphe vulpina)

SC Western Hognose Snake (Heterodon nasicus)

SC Eastern HO@lose Snake (Heterodon ~tyrhinos)

SC Milk Snake (Lampropeltis tria~)

Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon)

Smooth Green Snake (Opheodrys vernalis)

se Gopher Snake (Pituophis melanoleucu~)

se Massasauga (Sistrurus caienatus)

Brol-m Snake (Storeria dekayl)

Redbelly Snake (Storeria .2.cci -oi tomacula ta)

Plains Garter Snake (Thanmophis ~)

Common Garter Snake (Thamn 0 phis s irtal is)

se Lined Snake (Tropidoclonion lineatun)

EN = Endangered . TH = 'I'hreatened SC =: Special Concern

13

Amphl bians (19)

SALMIAJIDERS (5 )

Bl ue-s pot ted Salamander (Am bys toma 103, teral_~.:)

Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tlgrinum)

Mud1'uppy (Necturus maculosus)

Eastern Newt (Notophthu.lmus viridescens)

Redback Salamander (~lethodon cinerells)

TOADS & FROGS (14)

SC Northern Cricket Brog (Acris Ci'cpitans)

American Toad (Bufo americanus)

Great Plains Toad (Buf.9, cognatus)

Canadian Toad (Buf 0 hem iophr,ys )

Cope's Gray Treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis)

Spring Peeper (Hyla crucifer)

G~ay Treefrog (Hyla versicolor)

Striped Chorus Frog (Pseudacris triseriata)

SC Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana)

Green Frog CRana clami tans)

se Pickerel Frog (Rana palustris)

Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens)

Mink Frog (~ septentrionalis)

Wood Frog (Bana sy). va tica)

POSSIBLE BORDER ENTRANTS

Slender Glass Lizard (Ophisaurus attenuatus)

Spotted S~lamander (Ambystoma maculatt~)

Tremblay's Salamander (Ambystoma trem"tlla:ri)

Woodhouse's Toad (BuIo woodhousei)

Four-toed Salamander (Hemidactylium scuta tum)

Plains Spadefoot (Scaphiopus bombifrons)

Amphibian and Reptile Group, Endangered Species Tecnical Advisory Committee to the Conunissioner. Minnesota DNR

Jeffrey W. Lang, Chairman

BREEDING NOTES

.Fran l'r i sch 1 Brook's Gecko .. 2 eggs laid '11-11-83 .. Set 11-13 at 78 to 80 degrees F .. 1 hatched 1-14-84 .. Incubation of 64 days .. Eggs provided by Bruce Delles. }i'ruit fli.es provided by Bruce Cutler (Fran did not plan ahead to feed the hatchling as Bruce Cutler had said to)Q

Breedings from February AAZPA Newsletter

Zurich Zoological Garden (S'wi tzerland) 1 Siebenrockts Turtle 2 Prehensile Tailed Skink .3 Red 'l:ailed Chicken Snake

NevI York Zoological Park 9 Brazilian Rainbow Boa

Dickerson Park Zoo (Springfield) 2 Arizona Ridgenose Rattlesnake

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14

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MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY

DELICATESSEN

REJVJEMBER-After each meeting we will have available our featured take-out items"

FRESH FROZEN MICE-$3"OO per dozen

FRESH FROZEN RAT8-Jill\lliO SIZE-$1"50,,

FRESH FROZEN RAT PUPS-$3 .. 00 per dozen"

Remember, if you want rats or mice, they are available by reservation only .. You MUST place your order with Bruce or Connie at 938-0680 no later than 7:00 PM on 'Ilhursday the day before the meeting (!) Logistics dictate this policy, so please cooperate with us .. If you do try and order after the deadline, you will have to wait lmtil the following month" Don't miss out!

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WANTED: One healthy, active male Ornate Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata) is seeking one egg laying female in May and/or June" If you are interested in breeding your female Ornate Box Turtle call Jesse at 612-870-7539"

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WANTED: Refreshments for the monthly meetings If you would like to help, contact Sally Brewer at 647-0661

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FOR SALE or TRADE: 10' female Burmese Python (Python molurus bivittatus)" Call Karl Hermann at 612-222-6106"

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Remember, the deadline for submitting ads, etc", is the 15th of the month@ Late arrivals will be held over for the next issue of the News1etter 0 Please send any items to Jim C~rholdt, P .. O .. BoX 86, Webster MN 55088. You may also bring them to the meeting and give them to Jim or any Board member.

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WANTED: Adult male Big Bend Milk Snake (Lamprope1tis t .. celaenops)@ Will consider purchase, trade, or breeding loan Contact Verle Castle, 1309 Cadwell Drive, Bloomington, Illinois 61701 .. 309-663-4673 ..

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DO YOU HAVE YOUR IVIHS T-SHIRT? WE NOW HAVE THEM IN GREEN, GREY, YELLOW, AND BLUE!

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15

C:LASSIFIEDS

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If you \A,ould like a lecture or demonstration with plenty of Live reptiles for your school, scout group, etc@ gi¥8 Jim Gerholdt a call at 507-652-2996.

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Largest Selection of Reptiles &. Amphibians in Minnesota High Quality - Reasonable Prices· Personal Service

Cages, Books, Feed &. Supplies

511 Excelsior Ave, E, hopkins, MN 55343

PET SHOP

Owners: Bruce & Connie Delles (612) 938-0680

Open 7 Days a Week

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FOR 1'.1HS STICKERS" ~::1 .. 00 each or 12 for ~~10.00. l;lor all mail orders please send a self addressed stamped envelope. See sample on next page.

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~"le need raffle items I Can you help us? Cages 1I curios, books" etc@

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PALMISTRY / ASTROLOGY / SPIRITUAL MEDiTATIONS

JESSE LEE EHLERT (1312.) 870-7339

TAPE RECORDINGS AVAILAt£;lE

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CLASSIFIEDS

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WANTEJ) Books and journals in the field of Herpetology .. Help build your MHS Li­brary. Jf there is a particular book (or subject) you would like to see in the Library please let us know! We are also looking for good used out of print vol­umes to buy

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ACTUAL SIZE!

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President Vice-President Secretary 'ITeasurer Newsletter Editor ~'lember--a t-Lar ge JVlember-at-Large Mernber-at-Large Member-at-Large

MRS Officers

Del Jones Bruce Delles Connie Delles Diane Hanson Jim Gerholdt Fred Bosman Fran Frisch Kip Hanson Ann Porwoll

938-8555 374-5422 374-5422 448-7526 507-652-2996 476-0306 488-7619 448-7526 489-7853

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17

INNESOTA

BELL MUSEUM OF NATUHAL H/STUHY

10 CHURCI-' STREET S E It MINNEAPOLIS . .\tlNNf:SO fA 55~55 OJ()4

BELL MUSEUM OF NATIJRAL HISTORY 10 CHURCH ~TREET S.E .• MINNEAPOIlS. MINNESOTA 55455-0104

___________________________________ STATE _________ ZIE ______________________________ __

TYPE OF MEMBERSHIP

o }~ILY ............................. $10.00

Admits all members of a family to monthly meetings.

o INDMDUAL ......................... $7.50

o CORRESPONDING .................... $5.00 For out-or-state members·

OFFICIAL MRS T-SHIRT

Yellow shirt with blue screening.

S 0 MOL 0 XL 0

$7.00 each, $1.00 postage/handling.

PLEASE ENCLOSE PAYMENT WITH APPLICAnON. MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO MINNESOTA HERPETOWGICAL SOCIETY. MEMBERSHIP IS FOR Ii MONTHS FROM THE DATE OF]OINING. YOU WILL RECEIVE YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARD BY RETURN MAIL. A RECEIPfWILL BE SENT ONLY UPON REQUEST.