Lancaster Herpetological Society

The Eastern ratsnake (Pantherophis alleghaniensis) is Pennsylvania's longest snake species, and arguably the best climber of all 21 of our native serpents. Recently our president, Jesse Rothacker, ran into a big one along a Lancaster County trail, as a crowd of onlookers were gawking at her. After bonding with Jesse over a few harmless bites and musk bombs, the snake gave an amazing climbing demonstration. This video illustrates how well the snakes climb, and also covers some basic concepts, suchas: snakes musking, what part of their bodies release the musk, and some other cool behaviors. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/nAN2ePvQ9A8

The Lancaster Herpetological Society (LHS) wants to thank everyone that attended the digital meeting on Friday evening. We were fortunate to have Jason Clark of Southeastern Reptile Rescue talk about turning his passion for reptiles into a career. Jason started the night by dazzling us with a few clips from his YouTube Channel, including a video of him rescuing a pair of Timber Rattlesnakes entangled in netting and another of him feeding some large alligators, demonstrating t...Continue reading

WOW! Check out this peak night of amphibian migration! Please drive carefully on warm, rainy nights in March and April. https://youtu.be/xcogG0z2GSI

Unfortunately, there will not be a meeting of the Lancaster Herpetological Society (LHS) this month. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the speaker had to cancel. Worry not, as we have an exciting meeting prepared for next month. Our very own treasurer, Roy Mellott, will be talking about the Herps of Spring! As it starts to get warmer, many of our favorite scaly and slippery friends with make appearances again! That will be Friday, April 16th at 7 pm.

The Lancaster Herpetological Society (LHS) hopes that you were able to bring in the new year with cheer and good health. Unfortunately, we will not be having a meeting this month, as we have had trouble procuring a speaker. Please be safe and stay tuned for more information about our meeting in February!

The Lancaster Herpetological Society (LHS) wants to thank everyone who attended November’s digital meeting on Friday! The Society was pleased to have Bob Ferguson return for another year to talk about some of his recent herping adventures, accompanied by his exquisite photography. This year he spoke about the snakes found in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, which is an ecosystem that consists of acidic, sandy soil that occupies around 1 million acres of land in the state. For sna...Continue reading

LHS won't have a December meeting, but several members of our club are hoping to join this virtual event hosted by New Mexico Herpetological Society. We are thankful for opportunities like this to experience herp societies from coast to coast!

If you'd like to attend this virtual event with us tonight, it will be livestreamed on the Lancaster Herpetological Society page, and we can interact with your comments there in real time. Event is FREE but there will be an opportunity to order wildlife calendars for a conservation fundraiser! Great way to get some Christmas shopping done while saving animals!

Here's more info about this month's LHS November Meeting - Snakes of the Pine Barrens with Bob Ferguson. In addition to giving an awesome talk about snakes of the Pine Barrens, Bob will share about his conservation fundraiser, where you can order his awesome 2021 wildlife calendars to help conserve critical reptile and amphibian habitat. Check it out!