IHS Special Event

I was wondering if any readers of the Herptile, may know of any instances of 'old' male Trinket snakes Coelognathus (syn. Elaphe) helena helena. It is possible that some of our older readers may have some progeny from some of the first bred in this country, seeing as they are a highly prolific species, one would expect that there must be some mature examples left somewhere.

I have received reports, from a few quarters, that male Trinket snakes may (generally?) have a comparatively shorter life span than females. The reports come from European breeders, a Director of a Snake Park in their native range (India) as well as from the UK. I was hoping that any 'veteran' keepers, could put finger to keyboard and relay their experiences of the longevity of males under their charge. The reports seem to indicate that death without obvious signs of illness range from 4-6yrs. The one thing they seem to have in common is being bred, which of course could be coincidental. Some with only a single introduction and others with multiple introductions.

This 'could' be signs of a genetic problem within certain captive lines, any feedback over time will hopefully bring this to light or conversely, suggest that males may indeed be shorter lived than females of the same species. It would also help if you could tell us, whether or not the male had bred during its lifetime. The more input we have, the more we may know in the future.

You can make contact via the Herptile (if this is acceptable by the IHS) or directly with me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , alternatively you can post on our forums or by snail mail to:-

Male Trinket Snake Longevity
The Ratsnake Foundation
P.O. Box 810
Taunton
TA1 9EA.   Kind regards and thanks in advance, Dave Royans.   (www.ratsnakefoundation.org )

It is the second time Flora has laid eggs without mating

A female komodo dragon at a zoo has become a parent for the second time, despite never having mated.

Chester Zoo's Flora became a parent to seven young last year and has now added another male to her brood - all without the help of an adult male.

This process, known as parthenogenesis, has only recently been recognised in komodo dragons, although it is known to happen in other reptiles.

However, plans are afoot to introduce a potential mate to Flora this year.