Minnesota Herpetological Society

Pythons’ extreme biology may hold clues for treating human disease

Dan Snorek — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 15:11:13 +0000

When Skip Maas first adopted Agrapina, a mottled ball python, she hadn’t eaten in 14 months.

But as he soon observed, she was still a taut coil of spring-loaded muscle. Presented with a rat, she struck quickly, constricted it and then gorged on her meal.

And then her body performed another feat pythons are known for: It accelerated its metabolism dramatically to deal with the sudden influx of protein and fats, says Maas, “to help break down that meal and extract all of its nutrients.”

Gharial Hatchings: Fort Worth Zoo

Dan Snorek — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 14:54:29 +0000

A Monumental Moment in Conservation

The Fort Worth Zoo is celebrating a record-breaking fourth consecutive year of gharial crocodile hatchings, with eight gharials hatching this summer. This massive conservation achievement brings the Zoo’s juvenile gharial population from 5 to 13 in one season. The milestone further solidifies the Zoo’s leadership in gharial conservation: Fort Worth Zoo remains the only institution in North America to have produced multiple offspring of this critically endangered species and the only institution to have successfully repeated the achievement in consecutive years.

MN Renaissance Festival!

Dan Snorek — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 18:01:40 +0000

Its that time again! MHS will be hosting reptile meet and greets all day at Como Cottage at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival every weekend from August 22nd through October 4th and festival Friday Oct 2nd. There will be a variety of reptiles from snakes and lizards to tortoises, turtles and frogs on display. You will even get the opportunity to touch and interact with some! So come no by, say hi, and meet a reptile. HUZZAH!

Members in good standing are welcome to volunteer reach you to cottage@mnherpsoc.org for details.

Join the Discord Server!

Dan Snorek — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 19:58:43 +0000

Join the server

The MHS Discord server is back and we are planning some fun events! Join now to hang out with fellow MHS members, Chat about herps and stay in the know about upcoming virtual events.

We hope to build and maintain an active forum for members on the server as well!

We are also looking for moderators and people to help panning and running events. Message @Galli1911 or @Tryedge if you are interested in helping out.

Cannibal Snakes

Dan Snorek — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 20:29:43 +0000

207 Snake Species Are Cannibalistic, Study Says

Cannibalism is a widely distributed behavior both in terms of species and geography and has been recorded on all continents where snakes occur

The researchers split the cannibalism events into wild or natural events, when the observation occurred in a natural, wild setting; in captivity, when the event took place in captivity; and unknown, when an animal is dissected and the circumstance in which the cannibalistic event occurred was unknown. They determined that most of the cannibalistic events were opportunistic with the majority of the events occurring in captivity. Read More at reptilesmagazine

Newsletter Archives!

Dan Snorek — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:27:27 +0000

The archives of all past newsletters are now available to view on the webpage starting with: Volume 1 June 1981!

The archives can be found under the Members menu Newsletter Archive

Welcome! 2026 Board of Directors

Dan Snorek — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 17:28:53 +0000

We would like to thank all those that have stepped up to take positions on the Board of Directors.

Photo caption: Left to right: April Homich (Vice President), Laura Christopher (Newsletter Editor), Daniel Snorek (Membership Secretary), Lavania Beguhl (President), Sammy Knoup (MAL), Billy Sveen (MAL), Tryn Heart (Recording Secretary), Loki Carlson (Treasurer). Missing from photo: Stefanie Foreman (MAL) and Ellyn Thompson (MAL).

Also a huge THANK YOU to all the pervious members at specially those that have reached their term limits.

Order Feeders!

Dan Snorek — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 15:54:53 +0000

Links to order crickets, frozen rats and frozen mice have been added to the SHOP menu. You can place orders directly with our partners and have them delivered at the next monthly general meeting.

Huge thanks to our partners

LotaBalls

Twincities Crickets

AAARodent

Annual Membership Meeting, Nov 7th

Dan Snorek — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 15:47:24 +0000

November 7th is the Annual Membership Meeting and elections for the Board of Directors.

Several seats on the Board of Directors will be open this year due to term limits being reached. If you are at all interested in making decisions that will shape the future of MHS now is the time! Please reach out to President@mnhepsoc.org if you are interested in any of the positions on the board.

Tortoises have human-like feelings

Dan Snorek — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 13:19:14 +0000

Tortoises can feel human emotions, like optimism and positivity, a University of Lincoln study has found.

Tests have shown red-footed tortoises experience long-term moods, similar to those of mammals and birds.

The new findings could help shape how animals are cared for in captivity, according to a university spokesperson.

Prof Oliver Burnman, who studies animal behaviour and welfare, said the results “represent a significant shift in our understanding of what reptiles experience”. Read more at BBC