Remembering Mark Bayless

This was a nice remembrance of our good friend Mark Bayless who passed away a few months ago, written by friends of the store Ben Adler and Michaela Manago. It was published in Reptile Magazine and is currently on their front page. I cannot find a direct link to it so I will reprint it here.

Mark Bayless Remembered
Mark Bayless, a renowned varanid researcher and author, died Nov. 1, 2006, due to complications from diabetes.

Mark was a long-time and dedicated contributor to the reptile community. He collected every known account of monitor lizards and maintained the largest known compilation of articles, photographs and history of the Varanus genus. He generously shared his collection with anyone who showed the slightest bit of interest. Mark had a unique ability to make people feel they could do anything.

Mark was captivated by practically all subject matter, which led to impressive collections of B-movies, books and articles on cryptozoology, the giant octopus and many other oddities. His fascination with folklore and the unknown came out in the humorous fictional tales he told as if they were true.

Mark will be remembered as a brother and uncle, an amazing teacher and researcher, an obsessed collector, a prankster, and most of all, a dear friend to all those who crossed his path.

Thank you, Mark, for all your hard work and enthusiasm. We'll never forget the 150-foot snake that ate the whole village!
- Ben Aller and Michaela Manago

Gas Prices

Gas prices effect shipping prices because UPS and FedEx have to use gas to fly airplanes and drive trucks and they pass that cost onto their customers. I noticed gas prices climbing above $3.00/gallon again. This is a graph of the last 365 days of gas prices in San Francisco.

And yes that major dip was in the beginning of November. Then prices began climbing back up. Wonder what made them drop in November and then climb back up. Could it have been this? And some wonder why are so skeptical of the Administration here on the left coast. We are on pace to have higher gas prices this summer than we did last summer. Hope no one is planning a road-trip vacation.

Click on the graph to see a larger view.

Gloabl Warming Tips

Heat pads! Yeah! So heat pads can reduce the amount of energy you use by decreasing the wattage necessary to heat your herp. Now heat pads cannot be the sole source of heat for basking animals but for most snakes and geckos, especially during the non-winter months a heat pad is all you need.

Heat pads work much like the defroster on your rear car window, using electrical resistance to produce heat. Instead of using 100 watts you may be able to use as little as 24 watts and get your reptile the same temperature hot spot it needs.

Evolution of Hunting

This is a crazy study reported by the BBC. Chimps in Senegal have been found to make and use spears into order to hunt smaller primates. This is an organized effort by multiple animals.

Researchers documented 22 cases of chimps fashioning tools to jab at smaller primates sheltering in cavities of hollow branches or tree trunks.

The report's authors, Jill Pruetz and Paco Bertolani, said the finding could have implications for human evolution.

Chimps had not been previously observed hunting other animals with tools.

...

Chimpanzees were observed jabbing the spears into hollow trunks or branches, over and over again. After the chimp removed the tool, it would frequently smell or lick it.

In the vast majority of cases, the chimps used the tools in the manner of a spear, not as probes. The researchers say they were using enough force to injure an animal that may have been hiding inside.

h/t rgarrett
creative commons photo credit: deadeyebart...