Reptiles Magazine Community / Reptile Forums / Off-Topic Discussion

South park

mustang446 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:06:53 GMT

I like south park i find it addicting. But i normally don't watch it on TV I use the Computer to watch episodes. Theres a new one on 2 night, season finally! its been on the are since 1996 i think. I know its more of an adults show but i also watch family guy.

What do you think of south park?????

upcoming trip to West Virginia (2 weeks away.)

BigD47 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:54:30 GMT

Hey Reptilelovers! in 2 weeks im going on a 4 day trip to West Virginia with my mom, she has a business meeting (for 1 day and than half a day the next), and asked if i'd like to go ( I accepted of course). I'm extremely excited to be able to go with her and im really looking forward to being able to have some time to bond with my mom 1on1 (seeing as to how i have a father who is a huge prick and acts like he's two and gets jealous over what a great bond me n my mom have. i cant help it, im a mommasboy, lol.) but thats another story for another time. but back to the trip details, We're flying there. (extremely nervous about that, cause Ive never been on an airplane before, this will be my first time, lol.) My mom said that its supposed to be really chilly the 4 days we're going, and i was just wondering, (question for someone around that general area.) does it snow in west virginia? outta the 15 years ive been alive ive only seen snow once 5 years ago in the smokey mountains and the locals referred to it as a freak snow storm. (guess they just get an occassional snow flurry, but is usually just like the florida winter months, cold and damp.)

My stories

Raptor dude — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:37:22 GMT

Hi everybody, lately Ive been working on a couple of books about everybodys all time favourite prehistric reptiles: Dinosaurs.

I need some people to look over them. So far I have the introduction and two stories done for my book about Dromaeosaurs: raptor Chronicles, and the introduction for my book about Tyrannosaurs: Tyrant Chronicles.

Here they are.

Enjoy!

Raptor Chronicles

Travel back in time with me for a while, back to the Mesozoic, the world would seem very unfamiliar to you but it is where I call home. As often as I can I come here, through books, artwork and my imagination. It’s a serine place, a beautiful virgin world, untainted, humans have yet to evolve, mammals have yet to come to power. The earth is ruled by reptiles; land air and sea. The most iconic of them all the Dinosaurs.

Many tribes of the great reptiles have dominated these parts over the eons; Coelophysids in the Triassic, Allosaurs in the Jurassic, but the greatest of all are about to take center stage; the Tyrannosaurs.

But these stories belong to none of these tyrants, but to a small family of Dinosaurs called the Dromaeosaurids-the raptors.

These creatures may not seem like much, the largest only 7 meters long, but their story holds more importance than all of the giants that we admire for their size and ferocity. These small creatures and ones like them would one day help us unravel the true nature of the beasts, and the origins of the only Dinosaurs left alive, Birds.

This book will follow certain events in specific raptor species lives. We shall visit the early Cretaceous to meet the Utahraptor, Deinonychus, Sinornithosaurus and the minute Microraptor gui. We then shall travel forward to the late Cretaceous to visit the Dromaeosaurus, Bambiraptor and Velociraptor. As an addition, I shall include eight other stories about similar Dinosaurs; The Oviraptorosauria: Caudipteryx, Conchoraptor, Citipati and the Canadian Chirostenotes pergracilis. The Troodontidae: Troodon and Mei long. The Alvarezsauridae: little insect eating Shuvuuia, and lastly, the arboreal Epidendrosaurus.

The first story follows the events in the life of one particular raptor-she isn’t impressively large or strong, but she is the smartest Dinosaur around.

This story is about a gruesome death.

Damien Robinson

Part 1

Matriarch

Dawn, a cast of minute creatures have retired to their dens and the giant reptilian lords of the land have just awoken from a nights rest. This is the early Cretaceous period. The time of man, mammals even, has yet to come, but this planet has been ruled for millions of years by the giant reptiles we know as Dinosaurs.

The morning dew glistens over patches of ferns, the sun just beginning to rise over the newborn eastern mountains, the faint rays illuminating the tops of the trees with yellow light. As the faint rays of sunlight filter through the trees, they dance on the multicolored hides of the dinosaur Tenontosaurus. One ton giants with long, stiff tails; like billboards the more colorful the tail, the more desirable the mate. They are feeding on ferns, horsetails, and low lying cycads and cycadeoids. One other thing they are fond of dining upon are the primitive flowers that have just made their appearance in the early Cretaceous.

As the herd makes its way through the twilight scrub forest, they are unaware that they are being watched.

….

A pair of eyes, intensely beautiful, amber colored, not unlike a hawks eyes, peer from the dry ferns at the edge of the game trail.

A female Deinonychus antirrhopus, a medium sized raptor species has been watching the Tenontosaurus herd all night. Deinonychus have excellent vision; day and night. Like an optical cross between a cat and an eagle, most raptor species can hunt any time they wish, preferably at dawn or dusk when the low light conditions leave their prey vulnerable.

As the herd plods on through the forest, the female, who we shall call Firefly, gives a short, nearly inaudible caw.

Chaaawwk.

She looks up, the Tenontosaurs don’t notice the noise. She relaxes, and now scans the opposite side of the trail. She’s looking for her mate, the alpha male of the pack. He is the largest male of the group, which is scattered throughout the game trail, setting up an ambush.

There! She picks out the faint yellow, lavender and azure crest that adorns her mate. She has a similar crest, but it is only crimson flecked with black.

Her mate looks nervous, he responds with a high pitched quark, she reassures him, making soft cooing noises and he straightens up and nods, a sign that he trusts her decisions with his life, it could be loosely translated to: I’ll be with you to the death.

Firefly is larger than her mate, the matriarch of the group, which comprises of four subordinate females, all of them her daughters, their mates, and her grandchildren. She is the boss, and all members of the pack chip in for caring for her young. She has first pick of the packs kills, but she cares for everyone like they are her own children.

As the Tenontosaurus herd moves along, the trail thins until they have to walk in single file. This would be the perfect place to single out an individual Tenontosaurus to attack, but this had already been done. Their target is an adult male, about twenty five feet long, and two tons, over twenty times bigger than Firefly. But he’s special, he is deformed.

The middle toe of his right hind foot is twice the diameter of that of his left. This is a surprisingly common injury among Dinosaurs, but it is hardly ever this severe. He must have broken his toe, which would have healed, but had gotten infected and the bones fused together. Now whenever he moves, the two outer toes rub the middle one raw, causing him excruciating pain and making him walk with a limp.

This male was targeted almost instantaneously, predators have a simple rule: always go for the one who limps. Raptors are no exception. It would be almost pointless attacking a perfectly healthy animal, a Tenontosaurus bull would lash out violently if it was attacked. Deinonychus, with their light, hollow skeleton, are easily damaged, and an adult Tenontosaur could effortlessly crush a Deinonychus flat.

But the pack has three things on their side: slashing, speed and smarts.

Deinonychus are extraordinarily fast and maneuverable, not as fast as the Dinosaurian equivalents to the ostrich; the Ornithomimosaurs, but fleet of foot all the same. Raptors are like wolves, they aren’t the fastest Dinosaurs, but they have a great sense of smell, hearing and sight that allows them to pursue their quarry for days on end.

The pack realizes it is almost time. As the Tenontosaurus herd moves again into an area where they can spread out, this is where the assault shall begin.

Firefly waits until the male is far enough behind the herd before calling in the rest of the pack. Five feet, ten feet, twenty five feet. He is now at the point where backup is unavailable. Firefly jumps onto a large fallen log, directly above the Tenontosaur. Her mate does the same. She gives the signal.

SKKkwwaaaark!

A male raptor jumps in front of the Tenontosaur, screaming with all his might. The bull stands confused, then rears on his hind legs and whips around. The Tenontosaur’s heavy tail threatens to smash the Deinonychus ribs in, but he reacts by jumping nine feet straight up in the air.

As the bull smashes through the underbrush, stomping ferns and horsetails flat with every step, a young female Deinonychus leaps out of the bushes and latches onto the Tenontosaurs back, slashing at his flank with her hawk-like hand claws, dragging the huge talons three inches into his thick hide.

The Tenontosaurus roars in pain, he can smell his own blood on the Deinonychus’s hand claws, he goes berserk. He rears up on his hind legs, and slams his forepaws into the earth. That seems ineffective, as the female raptor is in a frenzy tearing at the bull.

As a last ditch effort, the Tenontosaur rolls over as an attempt to crush the Deinonychus flat. But the female has speed on her side, and manages to jump off the bulls flank to avoid being flattened.

The bull rights himself, and honks a distress call, no answer. No help will come. Tenontosaurus may live in herds, but all ties are broken when a member is under assault. Quite commonly the herd will try to turn the tables on the attackers, but this male is too far separated to receive backup.

Now he turns his attention to the raptor, where there used to be only one there is now thirteen raptors surrounding him. He tries to run away, but his leg gives out underneath him. He has run too long and hard, and his bad foot is unable to support his weight. He looks at his toe, it feels like he broke it again, and it is oozing blood.

Firefly notices, she walks over to the Tenontosaurus, taking long smooth strides in his direction. The bull rears up on his hind legs and roars. Firefly, unfazed raises he head as far as it will go and squawks.

Almost simultaneously, every Deinonychus leaps at the bull. Deinonychus means “terrible claw” and for good reason. One characteristic that all Dromaeosaurids share is the huge, sickle-shaped claw on the second toe of their hind foot. This claw is held off the ground while running, but when attacking or dismembering prey, the muscles in the foot contract, and the claw is drawn five inches deep into the flesh.

The Tenontosaur bellows in pain, there are nine raptors clinging to his back, dragging their killing claws deep in between his ribs, tearing at his vital organs. He can see his own blood pouring out of five foot gashes in his side, staining the earth red.

The final blow is delivered by Firefly, she effortlessly jumps onto the bull’s shoulders, grabs his throat in her jaws, and butchers his neck with her hand-talons. She drags her huge foot-claw, creating great crimson chasms in his skin.

The bull senses his impending death, he somewhat accepts it. He knows he will die, and his last moments are free of pain and fear.

….

The Deinonychus family gathers around the freshly killed Tenontosaur, and greets each other as a time honored ritual, congratulating each other for a job well done. Firefly’s mate has suffered the only injury, a broken outer finger. He will stay behind for the next few hunts while it heals, his family will take good care of him during that time.

Firefly trots over to her youngest daughter, this is her first hunt, and she did quite well. She whoops a congratulatory greeting, and nuzzles her with her muzzle. Two of her grandchildren run up to meet her, Firefly stoops over and makes soft cooing noises, preens the chicks downy feathers for a while, then saunters over to the carcass.

Firefly shoos away a couple of cheeky Pterosaurs, and then thrusts her featherless snout deep inside the Tenontosaurus’s ribcage. Her head is the only part of her body, besides her hands and feet, that is not covered with feathers. Surprisingly, many types of Dinosaurs have been found to have fathers (all of them Coelurosaurians “hollow lizards”, referring to their hollow bird-like skeletons). Even the Tyrant lizards, the Tyrannosaurs have feathers. The coelurosaurian Dinosaurs are the only Dinosaurs left alive, we know them as birds.

….

The group has eaten their fill, and bed down on a nest made of dried ferns for the night. Firefly is still awake, staring at the stars. She has no idea that in year 1964 BC, near Bridger, Montana, a Deinonychus pack much like hers will be freed from the earth for the first time in millennia, and change the way we think of the great reptiles forever.

Raptor Profile:

Deinonychus antirrhopus, is a medium sized raptor species; nine feet long and around 70 kilograms with a particularly large killing claw for its body size. Deinonychus probably lived in packs, in 1964 a pack of the raptors was discovered near the herbivorous Dinosaur Tenontosaurus. Deinonychus like other Dromaeosaurus, probably had feathers.

Deinonychus lived in Montana USA in the Early Cretaceous period.

Treetop Bird-lizard

The ancestry of raptors is somewhat confusing, the earliest specimens from the late Jurassic/early Cretaceous. But some of the most complete early Dromaeosaurids come from sites in Liaoning, China, where the volcanic ash preserves fossils in incredible detail. Here, in the early Cretaceous, live two of the most complete early Dromaeosaurids known. These two amazing raptor species will be the characters in our next stories. They are Microraptor gui and Sinornithosaurus milleni, the tree-climbing raptors.

….

Fvvvhhhbbit.

A large locust lands on a branch. It is ever aware of all that is going on around it. It needs to be; in these primeval Chinese forests almost every creature is out to get him. The locust feels the air change, he jumps, just in time.

Whhump! Two large sickle-shaped claws strike the exact spot where the locust was perched.

The claws belong to a male Sinornithosaurus milleni, he has been stalking the locust while concealed in the branches of another tree. Unfortunately, the locust flew away the very moment he jumped from his hiding place. Sinornithosaurus has the longest arms relative to its leg length of any Dinosaur, and adults have long flight feathers on their arms, and shorter ones on their legs. But although they have flight feathers, the closest they come to flying is awkwardly flapping their arms once or twice while they’re gliding. This flapping is only used when desperately needed, like when trying to escape the jaws of predators.

Like Dilong paradoxus, a primitive Tyrannosaur. Our Sinornithosaurus, or Sino for short, can see a pack of those prowling on the forest floor. These are far cry from the forty foot behemoths of the late Cretaceous. These six foot tyrants travel in large, unruly family groups, combing the forests for sustenance, Sinornithosaurs included.

Sino shudders, he knows what Dilong are capable of. He’s seen other Sinornithosaurus ripped to shreds, their ebony feathers torn from their body in a feeding frenzy. He leaps from his perch, extending his wings and folding his legs under his body. Contracting skin muscles in his legs, he flicks the flight feathers out to the sides to give him a greater surface area to enhance his gliding. Although great gliders, Sinornithosaurus are nothing compared to the Microraptor, gliders par-excellence.

Whhump! Sino lands on a tree trunk thirty feet away from his previous perch. The infamous killing-claw of Dromaeosaurids has more uses than just for butchering prey. In arboreal raptor species, the claws are used to anchor the Dinosaur once it lands on a tree trunk. Sino’s claws pierce the bark as he shinnies up the tree. Once he reaches the crown, he surveys the surrounding area. He spots something in the branches of ancient conifer. A male Confuciusornis sanctus, a primitive species of bird, is pecking at the bark, looking for a meal. The males differ from the females in having two long tail feathers that trail behind him like streamers.

A bird for brunch, not bad for a meter long carnivore. Sino leaps to a closer tree. Dromaeosaurids have binocular vision, it’s crucial for judging distance. He knows that he is close enough to the tree to glide with the accuracy needed when catching a flying bird.

He flings himself from the branch, the distance between the two trees is about six meters, Sino could easily glide twice that distance. The Confuciusornis hears the takeoff, but it reacts too late. Sino rips at the bird’s indigo, orange and white body, sending clumps of feathers floating to the ground. All is lost for the Confuciusornis, his back snapped like a pencil when Sino pounced on him. His delicate bones are broken by the erratic slashing of Sino’s killing claw. Everything is over in an instant.

The Confuciusornis is about the size of a crow, it is more than enough for Sino to eat at one sitting. He looks for a good spot to eat the bird. An abandoned nest looks promising. He drags his kill up to the platform-like nest, which he identifies to belong to a Microraptor species. Sino starts gnawing on the carcass, he is in a very good mood, he doesn’t make a kill of this size very often, it will feed him for days.

….

Sino wakes up after a nights rest. He slept well. The warm feeling of bird meat digesting inside of him soothed him to sleep. Dromaeosaurids like all Theropods, are warm-blooded, endothermic. Food brings them warmth.

He stands up and awkwardly hops onto an outstretched branch. The sun is just filtering down through the branches. All dinosaurs love to sunbathe, it warms up their internal fires. Sino is no exception, he spreads his arms so that the rays gently caress his feathers. He is in a joyful mood, he has enough meat at his kill to feed not only him, but maybe enough to attract a potential mate.

Sino is a young adult, he has yet to find a partner. Sinornithosaurus mate for life, a characteristic of Dromaeosaurids, Troodontids, and Oviraptorosaurs. These all share a high IQ, about as smart as an eagle, and have a wide range of interesting mating rituals. Sinornithosaurus milleni offer the females freshly killed meat, to show that the male can provide. Sino wants a mate, he wants to have his own offspring. To score a mate, he needs to clean up the nest.

….

There! The nest looks quite nice!

He removed some old feathers that the nest’s previous owner had placed along the sides and added some of his own fluffy down. Normally he would build his own, but he was lucky to make a kill in the same tree as an inactive Microraptor nest. He thinks it looks quite splendid. He just needs to attract a mate.

Hhhooook. Sino sends a mating call deep into the forest. Hhhooook, Hhhooook, HHhhohOooook.

HhhOOoook. A faint reply comes from a thick patch of conifers. Sino stands as tall as he can, he fills his lungs with air.

Ghrawwaak. This call has a different meaning than the others. The first could be loosely translated to; I’m an available bachelor, and I’m ready to make a commitment. The second; I’m here waiting for you, I’m young and healthy, I’m here waiting.

Sino soon sees what he has been waiting for, the shape of another Sinornithosaurus gliding from tree to tree. He stands on tiptoes, trying to get a better look at this female. She looks perfect. He strains to see her better, but succeeds in falling over in the nest. He rights himself; the female is fifteen feet from his post. He stands up and spreads his wings, using the muscles in his skin to fan the feathers into an impressive display. The female lands at the rim of his nest, she hops down into the elaborately decorated jumble of twigs that will serve as their dance floor.

Sino starts the first part of the mating dance, raising his head high in the air, arching his neck and puffing up the feathers on his breast. For this part, he hast to expose the most vulnerable area of his body: his underbelly. It’s a sign of trust, if the female is interested, she will do the same. He flexes and then contracts his skin muscles, fanning his feathers out as far as they will go, then snapping them back together. He does this while walking in a semicircle around the young female, keeping his claws out of view to eliminate any suggestion of a threat. Sino bends down, picks up the Confuciusornis in his mouth and walks over to her. He drops it at her feet.

She looks at the bird, eats her fill and then stares at Sino .The female has been courted by other males this season, the first year she tried for a mate all of her suitors were either too pushy, skinny or parasite infested. Sino however is none of these, his movements are graceful, he is well fed, and waits for her to contribute to the dance. 10 out of 10 by her standards.

She joins in the dance.

….

Two days have passed, and the pair is on to the last stage of the courtship. They have spent every waking moment together, the female evaluating Sino, and Sino being evaluated.

Their pair-bond is nearly cemented, but the last part of the courtship is lengthy but simple. They need to spend time together. Since Sinornithosaurus have shared duties, they have to prove that each can hunt to provide for the next generation.

It is the females turn to bring food to Sino. They spent the entire night curled up together in their nest, and the first part of their morning was spent grooming. Grooming each other serves multiple functions, it relives tension, strengthens the pair-bond and of course keeps their feathers clean.

Sino is elated. This female, his consort, he hopes to spend the rest of his life with. She has proven herself to him as he has to her, and he knows that she is the female he wants to have chicks with.

He has been sleeping for most of the time his female has been out, and suddenly awakes to a familiar, yet foreign smell.

On a branch four feet away from his nest, is a strange female Sinornithosaurus. She starts toward him. Sino is nervous, this female is older than his, bulkier and unattached. He stands up and charges the female, in a full blown threat display. He doesn’t want this female, he doesn’t want any other female but his consort. The female retreats, jumping from the branch and gliding away. Sino hisses, he is happy he has driven the female from their territory.

His mate returns, she has caught a small mammal and drops it at Sino’s feet. She jerks her head up and her pupils dilate. She trots over to the spot where the old female had perched, she sniffs the branch, rubs her scent glands on the branch and hisses.

Sino walks over to his female, they muzzle-nuzzle for a moment, return to the nest, and begin to groom each other.

….

A year has passed, and Sino and the female are now a mated pair, and proud parents.

His mate hops up to the nest, where Sino has been sitting. It has been her turn to hunt, but, she has brought back nothing, or so it appears. She squawks, and four little fuzzy heads peek out from underneath Sino. He raises his body and the fluffy, sparrow sized babies, beg for food from their mom. Sino’s mate opens her mouth, and the biggest chick thrusts its head down her throat.

She coughs up a thick liquid of half digested meat. The chick gobbles up the meat milkshake, the others begging for some. They all eventually get their share.

Sino and his mate sit in their nest, the chicks huddling underneath their parents. The soft down lining the nest keeps them warm, but they feel most comfortable curled up against their loving parents.

Sino and his mate lie down, darkness is falling and the chicks are tired.

The family curls up together in their nest, stuffed, warm, and happy.

Raptor Profile:

Sinornithosaurus milleni, is a small raptor, one meter long, with extremely long arms, longest relative to leg length of any Dinosaur. It was discovered in Liaoning, China, where the fine volcanic ash preserved may creatures in incredible detail. Sinornithosaurus was the first Dromaeosaurid to be found to have feathers. A detailed study of the skull shows that raptors have more in common with the earliest known bird, Archaeopteryx than previously thought.

Sinornithosaurus lived in Liaoning China in the Early Cretaceous period.

Feathers

Some Dinosaurs definitely were capable of complex behaviors. Dromaeosaurids, being one of the most bird-like of all Dinosaur families, would be as interesting a subject for a birdwatcher as any magpie or eagle. They built nests to raise their young, they traveled in groups, and they had feathers.

They are birds.

….

Look up into the canopy, there is something up there. A bird, no. Even though birds do live in this forest, this is not one of these. This is the gliding raptor- Microraptor gui.

Tyrant Chronicles

Tyrannosaurus rex; the king of all dinosaurs. Unmatched in ferocity, even by Theropods bigger and heavier. The Tyrant lizard king will forever be at least in my mind, number one.

But Tyrannosaurus wasn’t always like this; his first ancestor appeared in the Late Jurassic period, 150 million years ago. At this time the ancestors of these yet to be tyrants were just two meters long. Their world was ruled by the fearsome Allosaurs and Ceratosaurs. But their time would come.

The Tyrannosaurs wouldn’t take hold of the Mesozoic world until the Late Cretaceous. But until then they would remain small, thirty feet and a maximum of two tons. And these small tyrants had feathers. The earliest Tyrannosaurs, like Dilong paradoxus are found to have had a covering of feathers.

By the Late Cretaceous, the time of the Tyrannosaurs had come. They blossomed into huge shapes. They mushroomed into terrifying beasts. They gave to the world their finest creation.

Tyrannosaurus rex.

The ultimate predator. Nothing before or since

has terrified us like T. rex. It was gigantic, and fearsome, yet intelligent. It was a nurturing, fiercely protective parent, with a five tone bite.

The Tyrannosaurs were not like anything we have today. They would dethrone the lion, terrorize the grizzly bear, and make us fear for our safety.

They were the pinnacle of carnivore evolution.

This book is to honor their legacy.

Damien Robinson

Author of Raptor Chronicles

Nobel peace prize

anoleowner — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:01:03 GMT

I just heard President Obama won the nobel peace prize. He didn't do anything to deserve it. They even voted 2 months to his presidency.

Does anyone have any siblings?

mustang446 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:47:54 GMT

Do you have a brother or a sister im just curious. I've been waiting awhile to post this.

I have...

0 brother
0 sister
20 cousins

what about u?????

Chat

herpsrule13 — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 16:28:27 GMT

i have been chatting about herps and small things with Lord of the Frogs and Opal, so i thought that we could "chat" in here and everybody else feel free to drop in and make a topic in here!

reflecting

BigD47 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:01:31 GMT

hey R.C. im just wantin to chat about this and that. My 16th b-day is a few short weeks away, and i know my mom (more like great mom. yeah i know, cheesy thing to say. but i wouldnt be alive for 15 going on 16 years if it wasnt for her loving, caring, and supporting me with everything i do.) has somethin up her sleeve. (couldnt tell u what.) and honestly im lookin forward to it but i honestly couldnt care about presents or any of the birthday traditions (reason why: ive got everything i could ever want. Meaning my learners permit soon to be full fledge liscense come December, a car, the greatest pets in the world (REPTILES!) and a mom who loves me. Looking back at my past i cant describe it as anything more than a living hell. i underwent 5 life threatening/ life saving operations (had a brain tumor as a baby and my momma almost lost me.) and im now living a pretty stable life. i still have to deal with doctors and needles and operations (my most recent operation was 5 almost 6 years ago. and sadly ill probably have another one in the next couple years, i have a tube in the back of my head (spose u could say i have a hole in the head lol. just to clarify u can only see it faintly, its not outside the skin.) and that tube goes from my head to my stomach and it helps drain fluids from my head to my stomach and it tends to clog and this and that and requires an operation to fix. im one of the ONLY kids (i know of so far) who would choose to have a life threatening surgery over a boring school day (a major surgery means major at home recovery time!) although im homeschooled and 2 short years away from graduating and getting my G.E.D.. lol, Once thats done im lookin at a pretty bright future. (already certified for my new job. just waitin on the bossman/ my uncle to come down with me and my moms equipment (she's certified too). We're CTS Decon Technicians (simply put crime/trauma/suicide decontaminators.) and will be makin some big bucks. (once some money flows in im puttin it towards parts for my acura integra, herp supplies, more herps (of course! lol), and im going to put alot of it in my bank account and SAVE! SAVE! SAVE! (cause before i know it, its going to be time to start house huntin! lol (sorry this was sooo long just felt like talkin about life.)

Facebook

Grant — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:48:42 GMT

Who here has a Facebook? I'm just wondering.

I do.

Herpsrule13

Lord of the Frogs — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:21:45 GMT

I just wrote a super scientifical plan about my future PDFs (poison dart frogs). I'm going to convert my bedroom closet into frog room, with running water and everything! Soon I'm going to build my own custom dart tank with waterfall, pond, cave, plateau and anything else that I can through together. After I raise my first baby D. Azureus I am going to get a bunch of leucs and put them in a custom 50 gallon. Whoops! out of time cya l8r

Todays "reptile of the day"

Sinkarnate — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:55:14 GMT

Has anyone else noticed that the person who won reptile of the day today... most likely DOES NOT own most of these creatures? In fact unless he's a caretaker at the Shedd aquarium in Chicago that caiman lizard is definitely not his.
Not only that but he also has a Tuatara and a Komodo dragon (and other rare but not impossible to own animals) listed under his animals... Now all of these pictures look like they are from the same aquarium so it is possible perhaps the person works there, in that case cool...awesome job...but tell us that you work there please! Because to me it looks like some kid just took a bunch of pictures or possibly stole them from a search engine and posted them up here to make people think he's cool.
Let me know if this is not the case, then I wont be ticked that stole a perfectly good reptile of the day from someone who actually deserved it.

Rant over.

Where the wild things are: The movie

BigD47 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:28:02 GMT

hey everybody! i went and seen Where The Wild Things Are over the weekend and absolutely loved it! lol im gettin ready to turn sixteen and i can remember when i was 3 years old and diagnosed with a brain tumor and had my first couple surgeries, Where the wild things are was the only book i wanted my mom to read to me to help me sleep in the hospital. I have to say it was the only good book to movie transformation made that didnt dissappoint like all the others. What are your opinions on the movie?

Does anyone have any other hobbies or passions???

jsinhardcore — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:42:30 GMT

I know I sure do.

What about you guys/girls?

Full Metal Alchemist

sgtpepper0 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:56:43 GMT

I have a love for anime, and no one else in Southern Ohio even knows what Full Metal Alchemist is.... Anyone here watch it?

SKILLET

herpsrule13 — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:55:59 GMT

skillet's new album "Awake and Alive is out and thye are going on a 52 icty tour with 3 other bands: http://www.inorecords.com/awakeandalive/ listen to the band's music and see the other bands

tour dates: http://www.myspace.com/skilletmusic

Which one is better?????

mustang446 — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:21:36 GMT

I want your opinion on which one of these artists is better (music artists)

1. Joe perry or slash. my answer Joe perry

2. Steven Tyler or Axle Rose?. my answer Steven Tyler

3. Richie Sambora or Angus? my answer not sure.

4. Jon bon jovi or Steven Tyler. my answer not sure

What do you think?????

harris in wonderland exotics

Zoofew — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 07:12:18 GMT

so i was at the white plains reptile show looking for a giant pixie guess what i found a pixie trying to make sure they where gaint i asked the guy and he said ohh yes, yes they are giant i checked on a another furom no he was a dwarf so i sall the guy and hes says blah blah blah relabled blah blah see what i can do that was a month ago he didnt do any thing!!!!!!!! so now i am stuck with a dwarf pixie that i am sellign or trading for a gaint in the adoption place on this furom

Paintball

Bugman — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:11:23 GMT

Anyone else here play paintball? I currently have a Tippmann 98 Custom PS paintball gun.

Airsoft

herpsrule13 — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:14:14 GMT

Hey guys, I have really been getting inot airsoft, although i have had my smith and wesson 4506 for some years now my collection has never grown.

I am trying to find a team to join, no luck

i want to get a Crosman R34 spring gun this week/end

in the future an AEG Crosman pulse R72!!!

and maybe a crosman pulse M70 electric AEP

Vote for Buddy

damiens daddy ken — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:32:43 GMT

Buddy is my dumerils boa and i'm very very proud of him and i'd like to see him win rotd.Not just because he is mine but because i've been on here since aug and I have yet to see another dumerils so I don't think there is many here.Again please vote thank you.Buddy

Karma

fred60655 — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:52:40 GMT

So, Who believes in Karma? I was a jerk when i was younger so i've been having lotsa bad Karma!! How bout yall? (ya i'm a midwestern hick, even tho im born raised and live in chicago!!)

Fourth Kind

Steve 95 — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:14:27 GMT

I watched the trailer for the Fourth Kind and it looked pretty interesting.

Its supposed to be a move based on 'true events' of extra-tredestrial encounters. Although, in the movie tralier, they never metioned what the events were. It sounds like fluff to me, but I still wanna see it. What are your ideas on the movie?

Saints row

damiens daddy ken — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:06:11 GMT

I was just wondering if anyone here has played either saints row or saints row2.The first saints row was just for 360 which I did play my old roommate had a 360 and I played it on his system.But I have saints row2 for ps3 and I love it.I like it a whole lot better than the gta series.It just is alot more faster pace than gta,and alot more shall I say slap stick than gta.Plus i'm excited I just found out that they are coming out with a saints row 3 next year.

Why did you come here?

mustang446 — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:44:26 GMT

i was just reading over a post and it made me wander why did i come to RC?? Well i came here to learn and to talk, mingle with other reptile lovers.

so why did you come here to give info to receive info or just kinda like me.

Sorry if you think thats to personal.

Thoughts on Call of Duty

militaryusa23 — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:11:15 GMT

hey i was wondering what people think about the old call of duty(s) and what their hopes are for the new one ( call of duty: Modern Warfare 2)

Ghosts

mustang446 — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:22:39 GMT

Have you ever had any kind of experience with ghosts?????

The closest thing that hapend to me was when i was in my room and i had a rubber band, i flung the rubber band into my HUGE closet , then it came back and hit me. I freaked out and ran out of my room and went outside.

What about you?????

Favorite youtube video

Crested Man — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:57:00 GMT

Post your favorites.

Who likes the Yankees here?

militaryusa23 — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 05:49:45 GMT

Did anyone see last's nights game, man, that was incredible! I can't believe A-rod hit a bomb to tie it. Then, they go into extra innings, get out of a base-loaded no out jam, and then the single to win the game 4-3! what a game! Do you think they are going to go all the way? what is your prediction of the series?

Your top ten favorite herps

Lord of the Frogs — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:46:27 GMT

Hi I just want as many people as possible to insert a post with their top ten favorite reptiles with spiecies identification and pictures. They may be your favorite spiecies,or just your favorite reptile- like chubby the boa or such). You may post vids of them too.

Plz dont put stuff like this:

deep-sea fishing

opal — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:05:17 GMT

I am about to leave (in 9 minutes) for a Boy Scout camping trip. we will be biking and deep-sea fishing. Does anyone else deep sea fish? what have you caught. We will be in New Jersey.

Science at the fair

anoleowner — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:18:59 GMT

We went to the state fair and I saw the biggest the biggest piece of Pseudo-science ever. It was for a salt lamp that was supposed to reduce air pollution. I new it was fake because they said it did it by producing positive ions (if they weren't idiots they would know they're called cations). People don't think about science anymore, even though our lives are dominated by technology. If it sounds scientific they believe it. Oh, how I wish for more Archimedes and Galileos.

SLICK FOR Reptile OF THE MONTH!

militaryusa23 — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:32:54 GMT

vote for slick, an anol, for Reptile of the month. He is COUNTING on YOU to VOTE. Please vote for him each day. Vote for slick at http://www.reptilechannel.com/blog/viewbio.aspx?apid=154551

SLICK FOR Reptile OF THE MONTH!

militaryusa23 — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:42:45 GMT

Vote Slick, an anole, for REPTILE of the MONTH. HE is COUNTING on YOU to VOTE. please vote everyday. HE WANTS YOU TO VOTE FOR HIM. Vote for Slick at:http://www.reptilechannel.com/blog/viewbio.aspx?apid=154551

voting

militaryusa23 — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:37:22 GMT

come visit me Sandy, kermit, or jermiah at club reptile. please leave yours so i can vote for you
vote for Sandy and the rest of his family at:

http://www.reptilechannel.com/blog/viewbio.aspx?apid=153622

vote for Slick

herpsrule13 — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 15:05:06 GMT

vote for Slick an anole

http://www.reptilechannel.com/blog/viewbio.aspx?apid=154551 he has been waiting for ROTD and i am trying to start a voting chain. We'll vote fomsone ROTD one day and the next day someone else

new forum

HERP MASTER — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:45:05 GMT

i always felt that the channel needed this be cause people would always go off subject and get nagged at but know here we are the new forum

Rachels Challeenge

Steve 95 — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:18:43 GMT

Today in school there was a announcement saying all student body to report to the aditoruim during second period for a assembly, we were like 'oh brother...', little did we know we would be watching Rachels Challenge.

Man, that was probably the closest I have ever got to crying in a long time. This guy told us about the first person who got shot in Columbine, and how nice she was and how much she gave back to the community. It also showed videos of the Columbine gunman from survalence, like they were throwing pipe bombs in the cafeteria for entertaiment, that was sad. But the part that made me watery was when the speaker said 'close your eyes and imagine you had one more day with your loved ones, what would you say to them?' and all the sad music was playing too. Everyone was tearing up and some people were balling their eyes out. Im so lucky that I got to sit next to my friend Olivia, she was balling (sad friend thats a girl= sad girl that needs a hug )

No but seriously, it had a huge impact on everyone, its a really good program. You can be a fan on their facebook page and they have a website too.

http://www.rachelschallenge.org/

Has anyone seen rachels challenge before?

For Sucess choose the best! Its a Typhoon!

Lord of the Frogs — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:26:57 GMT

O man. We are so dead. This baddy is gonna destroy everything.

"This is anchorman Tom Deleveras live from CANADA.. And here I am at Halifax, Nova Scotia. We don't usually expect hurricanes up here but this time we are gonna get hit hard. Its the worst weather we've ever seen and it's probably gonna hit your area soon. We've already had brick buildings blown down and even a large tsunami strike. Not that we already aren't flooded.

ATTENTION!!! This is an Emegency Broadcast. All this warm weather has brought something. It's 10 times worse than Katrina. And the areas that should evacuate are...... EVERYWHERE!

Thats right, He's fast, he's blue, he's got winds of over 200 miles per hour, and he's countin on you. Thats right You! This bad boy is gonna rock reptile channel. All you gotta do is go to the signature and go to the link. Vote For Hurricane. HE wants You to pick him for the seat of LORD OF THE FROGS!

I'm Hurricane and I approve this message.

vote for Cricket

militaryusa23 — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:42:20 GMT

Vote for Cricket at http://www.reptilechannel.com/blog/viewbio.aspx?apid=117170&Breed=

he is a pretty cool fire belly toad

Vote For Sandy

militaryusa23 — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:10:29 GMT

vote For Sandy! she is pretty cool! Vote For her at: http://www.reptilechannel.com/blog/viewbio.aspx?apid=153622

daily herp riddles

Lord of the Frogs — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:10:51 GMT

Here people will make herp questions that are very challenging for others to answer. Keep track of your score.no double guessing.

First question: What is the worlds most endangered reptile?Where is it from?How many exist? Good luck!