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RAUK - Archived Forum - Snow Worm?

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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/
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+>
-LAF
Senior Member
Joined: 03 Apr 2003
No. of posts: 317


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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
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,

WolfgangWolfgang Wuster38568.2159953704
Wolfgang Wüster
School of Biological Sciences, University of Wales, Bangor
http://sbsweb.bangor.ac.uk/~bss166/
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+>
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
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
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+>
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
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
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
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!


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:









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[/QUOTE]

Hi Wolfgang,

Does the Anguis still reside at the zoo?  


- Snow Worm?

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