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We pleased to announce the launch of the 'Atlas of the Amphibians & Reptiles of Warwickshire - Vice County 38 Records up to 2018'. WART is a voluntary group that works in partnership with the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust (WWT) and is affiliated to the Amphibian and Reptile…

Read more: Atlas of the Amphibians & Reptiles of Warwickshire (Vice County 38 Records) up to 2018

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The good news is the UK’s wild newt populations seem to be free from a flesh-eating lethal fungus known to be prevalent in privately-owned amphibians across Western Europe, a nationwide investigation has found.   pdf The full paper can be  downloaded here (1003 KB)…

Read more: Wildlife conservation charity urges private amphibian traders to prevent Bsal fungus from infecting wild populations

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The adder could all but disappear from the UK countryside by 2032, according to new research conducted with the help of citizen scientists.   pdf Download the full press release here (193 KB) The findings, published in The Herpetological Journal, are the culmination of…

Read more: Press Release: First study of national adder population trends reveals adders are facing near extinction in Britain

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A legacy of a joy for nature - In Memorium to Madeleine Parnwell

In 2018 Steve Parnwell of Cambridge and Peterborough ARG, brought us the sad news of the tragic loss of his wife in a road accident, one night a few weeks before Christmas of…

Read more: Madeleine's Patch - 100% support from ARG UK

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by Andrew Heaton, County Recorder for Amphibians and Reptiles, LARN The LARN (Leicestershire & Rutland, Amphibian and Reptile Network) network have been working in partnership with those with an interest and enthusiasm for the amphibians and reptiles of the two counties to produce a review…

Read more: Amphibians and Reptiles in Leicestershire and Rutland: A Review (2018)

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On Saturday 22 September we joined with our wider wildlife community in Hyde Park to hear more about Chris Packham’s new ‘A People’s Manifesto for Wildlife’, and march to Downing Street to deliver it to the seat of Government. Chris has mobilised the biggest peaceful…

Read more: Chris Packham's - A People's Manifesto for Wildlife

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  Chytridiomycosis (Chytrid) has been responsible for mass mortalities of amphibians with declines and extinctions on six continents, including Europe. Until recently, most pathogenic outbreaks of Chytrid were associated with the fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). However, since 2013 a newly described species B. salamandrivorans ( =…

Read more: Bsal - a deadly new newt disease on our doorstep!

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by Steve Allain, Cambridge & Peterborough ARG (CPARG) On Saturday 9thJune, herpetologists from all over the UK gathered in Glasgow for a very special occasion. The Glasgow Natural History Society, in conjunction with Clyde ARG, had organised a fantastic line-up of herpetologically themed talks for…

Read more: Two herp conferences in 10 days - Christmas has come early!

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Welcome to our adder resource page! Lots of fun facts and top tips about our iconic native adder and more about a very special outreach project 'Adders are Amazing!'

The adder (Vipera berus) - fun facts!

  • Adders are quite small snakes and only grow to…

Read more: Adders are (even more) Amazing - Fun facts and top tips!!

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Once again, the annual HWM, held at the Hilton Hotel, Northampton (3-4 February 2018), and jointly organised by Amphibian and Reptile Conservation and Amphibian and Reptile Groups of UK, proved to be a lively and informative event. The centre point of our annual calendar, it…

Read more: An ARG view of the 2018 Herpetofauna Workers Meeting - In our own words

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A small group from ARG UK along with colleagues from ARC, Bangor University and DICE, were delighted to attend the International Adder Symposium, in Velp in the Netherlands on 9thDecember 2017, which was organised by our friends and colleagues from the Workinggroup Adderresearch Netherlands (WAN)…

Read more: Networking at the RAVON International Adder Symposium, December 2017

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On a rainy night in early March 2015, Warwickshire Amphibian and Reptile Team (WART) members went to check out roads in Balsall Common, Solihull for amphibians and found approximately 20 common frog and around 10 smooth newts on the roads, many of which had been…

Read more: 100% success saving amphibians from drains in Warwickshire

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With thanks to Rob Ward, University of Kent.  Following on from the recent publication of the scientific paper by Kindler et al., (2017), there have been some misunderstandings about the classification of our native UK grass snake. To clarify:

Then:

Until recently, two species…

Read more: What does the re-classification of European grass snakes mean for our native grass snakes?

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Throughout 2016 and 2017 the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Amphibian and Reptile Group (CPARG) has been monitoring a population of the non-native midwife toad (Alytes obstetricans). As a part of this programme, the animals encountered were swabbed for the amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) which has…

Read more: 100% fund news - Swabbing midwife toads for chytrid in Cambridgeshire

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  Europe’s wild snakes could face a growing threat from a fungal skin disease that has contributed to wild snake deaths in North America, according to an international collaborative study, led by conservation charity ZSL (Zoological Society of London) alongside partners including the U.S. Geological…

Read more: Snake fungal disease identified in wild British snakes for first time

More Articles ...

  1. Review of the 2017 Herpetofauna Workers Meeting, Nottingham, 11-12 February
  2. Revised Advice note 4 - Amphibian Disease Precautions, A Guide for UK Fieldworkers
  3. Latest Updates on GCN licensing reforms
  4. ARG UK 100% fund successes in 2016
  5. Vanishing Viper Presentations Available for Download
  6. The Vanishing Viper: Priorities for Adder Conservation
  7. Herping for the Future - Volunteer with Indigo Expeditions
  8. Kids' stickers and fun fact sheets
  9. Volunteer dates now available for Merseyside Sand Lizard work parties
  10. Volunteer dates now available for Merseyside Sand Lizard work parties (2)
  11. Amphibians and SUDS Conference 2016
  12. The first national adder meeting to take place 8-9 Oct 2016
  13. Updated Amphibian and Reptile Atlases for North East England Released
  14. New for 2016 - the Revised Reptile ID Guide
  15. The 2016 Herpetofauna Workers' Meeting
  16. Report on the South West Region Amphibian and Reptile Groups Conference 2015
  17. Highlights of the First Joint Herpetological Scientific Meeting in Dublin
  18. Finding out more about diseases in our native reptiles and amphibians
  19. ARC Snake Publications
  20. Kent Reptile and Amphibian Group
  21. There's a snake in the garden...
  22. Early Success for the Sefton Coast Sand Lizard Task Force
  23. Round up of the West Midlands Regional Meeting 'Captive breeding & re-introduction of UK reptiles & amphibians'
  24. Amphibians in Drains - Scotland
  25. Make the Adder Count in 2025

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