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Snow Worm?: |
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Wolfgang Wuster Senior Member Joined: 23 Apr 2003 No. of posts: 326  View other posts by Wolfgang Wuster |
Posted: 02 Aug 2005 Here is something you don't see every day: 
Yup, it's an albino Slow Worm. The animal was found in a very small, totally enclosed garden in "downtown" (yeah, right...) Colwyn Bay, North Wales, and taken to the Welsh Mtn. Zoo, where it currently resides. Any thoughts what should be done with it? Putting it back into the tiny garden in a cat and kid-infested neighbourhood is probably not an option... Cheers, Wolfgang Wolfgang Wüster School of Biological Sciences, University of Wales, Bangor http://sbsweb.bangor.ac.uk/~bss166/ |
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Alan Hyde Senior Member Joined: 17 Apr 2003 No. of posts: 1416 View other posts by Alan Hyde |
Posted: 02 Aug 2005 Very Interesting :D, and nice to see you back Wolfgang . Did you have a good time in Africa ? Any pics? Maybe that snow-worm should remain in captivity , they can pass it my way if it's not wanted 
O-> O+> |
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-LAF Senior Member Joined: 03 Apr 2003 No. of posts: 317 View other posts by -LAF |
Posted: 02 Aug 2005 Wow, what a beautiful animal. Closest slow worm population I can think of to you is probably Mariandrys. Looks to have done okay so far, but perhaps being in a cat infested garden spared it from avian predators. I too wouldn't be overly confident of it's chances long term, but it's done remarkably well to get this big. Probably some breeder out there who would pay a fortune for it... Lee Fairclough |
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Wolfgang Wuster Senior Member Joined: 23 Apr 2003 No. of posts: 326 View other posts by Wolfgang Wuster |
Posted: 04 Aug 2005 Hi all! Alan, I will post the photos somewhre accessible soon, when I get a chance... Lee, on this occasion, I won't report you to the authorities for encouraging the illegal commercialisation of native reptiles
More seriously, if anyone is breeding slow worms and wants to try an albino, it may be possible to arrange something. As far as local populations go, there are a lot of slow worms around Tregarth and various other places as well, quite near to Bangor. Central Bangor had a good population, but this is now buried under Matalan and JJB sports - pity, the old hospital site used to be a dead cert for Anguis. Q is, shoudl an albino be released back into the wild away from its founder population...? Cheers, Wolfgang Wolfgang Wüster School of Biological Sciences, University of Wales, Bangor http://sbsweb.bangor.ac.uk/~bss166/ |
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Alan Hyde Senior Member Joined: 17 Apr 2003 No. of posts: 1416 View other posts by Alan Hyde |
Posted: 04 Aug 2005 Great! I look forward to those pics . My dream herping destination Africa  O-> O+> |
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Tony Phelps Forum Specialist Joined: 09 Mar 2003 No. of posts: 575 View other posts by Tony Phelps |
Posted: 04 Aug 2005 Wolfgang, that specimen is amazing, never seen anything like that in all me years! My most amazing slow worms were those on Steep Holm, monsters, that Imentioned a while back. Alan - Africa is indeed wonderful, but boy do you have to work to find reptiles, particularly the snakes. Not much is being done regarding field research - but I like the surprises. Will post some pics of habitat and aboreal behaviour of the snake I am studying in W.Cape Bitis armata. That habitat is hard work, bashing though that and host to a million ticks - but worth it. T |
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GemmaJF Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 No. of posts: 2090  View other posts by GemmaJF |
Posted: 04 Aug 2005 Some Piccies from Tony to illustrate his points:
Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant |
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Alan Hyde Senior Member Joined: 17 Apr 2003 No. of posts: 1416 View other posts by Alan Hyde |
Posted: 04 Aug 2005 Thank you Tony
b.armata, what a beauty ! Well , If I just saw one of those i'd call it a successfull trip
What's the most common species Puffys? O-> O+> |
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Tony Phelps Forum Specialist Joined: 09 Mar 2003 No. of posts: 575 View other posts by Tony Phelps |
Posted: 04 Aug 2005 At DeHoop Most common venomous are - puff adder, cape cobra and boomslang. Other back fanged - Skaapstekker,(Psammophylax rhombeatus) and cross marked sand snake (Psammophis crucifer). Non-venomous - Mole snake - (Pseudaspis cana) + thousands of angualate tortoises. T |
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ssthisto Member Joined: 15 Nov 2005 No. of posts: 15 View other posts by ssthisto |
Posted: 15 Nov 2005 Absolutely gorgeous amelanistic... wonder how many of them are out there that carry the gene without showing it? Ssthisto Currently keeping: 3.6 Eublepharis macularius 0.1.3 Anguis fragilis ssp 1.0 Pantherophis guttattus |
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herpetologic2 Senior Member Joined: 15 Jun 2004 No. of posts: 1369  View other posts by herpetologic2 |
Posted: 15 Nov 2005
Surely a note in the Herpetological Bulletin would be an ideal way of sharing this will the herp community - it is quite rare isnt it? JC Vice Chair of ARG UK - self employed consultant - visit ARG UK & Alresford Wildlife |
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Mick Member Joined: 10 Jun 2005 No. of posts: 184 View other posts by Mick |
Posted: 15 Nov 2005 'Till now i'd somehow completely overlooked that albino Slow-worm, so, a lovely surprise to see. It really does look an absolute gem of a thing!,..beautiful. Hope it gets to live a good, full life....all 50 or so POSSIBLE years of it! |
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Alex2 Senior Member Joined: 16 Dec 2006 No. of posts: 266 View other posts by Alex2 |
Posted: 06 Sep 2007 [QUOTE=Wolfgang Wuster]Here is something you don't see every day: Hi Wolfgang, Does the Anguis still reside at the zoo? |
- Snow Worm? |
