Robert W Mendyk

• BS, MA
• Curator of Herpetology at Audubon Zoo

Venomous snakes are often perceived by zoo visitors and even some (non-herpetologist) zoo professionals as the most dangerous animals held in zoological collections. Because concerns over staff safety can impact how animal collections are viewed, structured, and managed in zoos, accurate assessments of just how common (or uncommon) serious cases of...

Herpetological husbandry has advanced considerably over the past century as new information on the biology and captive management of reptiles has come to light, leading to greater reproductive success, improved welfare, and increased captive lifespans for many species. Yet, much still remains unknown regarding the biological and husbandry needs for...

Captivity places various constraints on the lives of reptiles, and despite the best efforts by caretakers, captive environments will never offer the same degree of complexity or range of choices available to free-living individuals in nature. Efforts to improve the lives of reptiles in human care may focus on increasing environmental complexity and...

Record keeping is a fundamental component of reptile husbandry, yet it is often undervalued and underutilised by keepers and the types of records kept can vary widely in their scope and adherence to detail. Without detailed records, keepers may not have sufficient information to make informed decisions about the health and management of their capti...

This article reflects on the bygone era of oceanic reptile and amphibian transport, focusing on many of the challenges, perils and experiences associated with transporting reptiles and amphibians to zoological parks. Concluding the article is a discussion of some modern-day challenges associated with shipping live herpetofauna and potential avenues...

Many amateur and professional herpetologists can trace their interests in reptiles back to an early childhood infatuation with dinosaurs and other prehistoric taxa. By the age of four or five when most children are still developing the fundamentals of language, many of us that developed such paleontological inclinations had already (and unknowingly...

Popular in zoos and private collections, monitor lizards have been maintained in captivity for nearly two centuries. During this time, but especially over the past three decades, a voluminous body of publications has brought to light important details and perspectives that have helped advance their captive husbandry and reproductive management. Thi...

This article highlights two questionable zoo reptile keeping practices and spectacles of the early 20th Century - tortoise rides and alligator slides, and reflects on the evolution and progression of the zoo field over the past century.

Animal welfare has become a major driving force behind the operations and management of accredited zoos and aquariums, with institutions across the globe committed to structured approaches to assessing and managing the wellbeing of animals in their care (Mellor et al. 2015). Although much of the focus on animal welfare in zoological parks historica...

Amateur herpetologsts have undeniably played a crucial role in shaping and advancing the study of reptiles and amphibians over the last several centuries. But with few exceptions, it was not until the 20th Century that it became possible for someone to gain professional employment strictly as a herpetologist, and prior to this, most early contribut...

Tthis article examines the current state of zoo herpetology in light of the pandemic and discusses many of the challenges and impacts that the pandemic has thus far had on the field and its professionals, as well as its potential future impacts and implications for the field.

IUCN Crocodile Specialist Group Newsletter

We describe cranial biofluorescence in the Cuban false chameleon (Dactyloidae: Anolis barbatus) and its similarity to analogous structures in Old World chameleons (Chamaeleonidae), highlighting the first putative example of evolutionary convergence of biofluorescence in reptiles.

Tail biofluorescence is described across multiple genera of pitvipers (Crotalinae) including the rattles of rattlesnakes. Several possible explanations for the ecological relevance of the character are discussed.

Putative bone-based biofluorescence is described in the Sri Lankan House Gecko (Hemidactylus parvimaculatus).

This article describes the history, origins, captive management and cultural significance of leucistic alligators acquired and maintained by the Audubon Nature Institute between 1987 and the present day.

As one of their many core responsibilities, zoological parks are entrusted with safeguarding their animal collections from a broad range of hazards and threats. Many zoos and related facilities have experienced thefts of collection animals over the past century, with reptiles and amphibians ranking among the most targeted animal groups. This articl...

Popular in zoos and private collections, monitor lizards have been maintained in captivity for nearly two centuries. During this time, but especially over the past three decades, a voluminous body of publications has brought to light important details and perspectives that have helped advance their captive husbandry and reproductive management. Thi...

Popular in zoos and private collections, monitor lizards have been maintained in captivity for nearly two centuries. During this time, but especially over the past three decades, a voluminous body of publications has brought to light important details and perspectives that have helped advance their captive husbandry and reproductive management. Thi...

Many reptiles occur in landscapes that are prone to fire, yet limited information is available on the cues these species use to detect approaching fires or their immediate and preemptive behavioral responses to fire stimuli. Here, we describe the behavioral response of ten captive sleepy lizards (Tiliqua rugosa) that were inadvertently exposed to l...

Crocodile Specialist Group Newsletter

Reptile husbandry has advanced considerably over the past century as understanding of their biology and captive requirements have increased, and today, many species of reptile live long lives and regularly reproduce in zoological parks including many of conservation significance. Despite this progression, however, there remain various keeping pract...

Popular in zoos and private collections, monitor lizards have been maintained in captivity for nearly two centuries. During this time, but especially over the past three decades, a voluminous body of publications has brought to light important details and perspectives that have helped advance their captive husbandry and reproductive management. Thi...

Popular in zoos and private collections, monitor lizards have been maintained in captivity for nearly two centuries. During this time, but especially over the past three decades, a voluminous body of publications has brought to light important details and perspectives that have helped advance their captive husbandry and reproductive management. Thi...

This report summarizes work conducted in Year 7 (January 2017-August 2017) of the striped newt repatriation project within the Apalachicola National Forest (ANF).

Popular in zoos and private collections, monitor lizards have been maintained in captivity for nearly two centuries. During this time, but especially over the past three decades, a voluminous body of publications has brought to light important details and perspectives that have helped advance their captive husbandry and reproductive management. Thi...

This report summarizes work conducted in Year 6 (January 2016-September 2016) of the striped newt repatriation project within the Apalachicola National Forest (ANF).

Zoos and private herpetoculturists have both played crucial roles in advancing the keeping and breeding of varanid lizards (Genus: Varanus) in captivity. From a historical perspective, herpetological husbandry in zoos and private collections has often differed due to various factors including, but not limited to differences in their keeping philoso...

Until very recently, the Bornean earless monitor, Lanthanotus borneensis, has rarely been kept in captivity, and published accounts on the habits of captive individuals and their husbandry are scarce. In this account, we detail aspects of the husbandry and behavior of a single L. borneensis maintained in captivity by the Bronx Zoo from 1968 to 1976...

Members of the Varanus prasinus complex, commonly referred to as tree monitors, have been maintained in captivity since the 1960s. To date, seven of the nine recognized species comprising this group have been kept and reproduced in captivity. This bibliography provides an extensive compilation of published literature referencing this group in capti...

Executive Summary The Coastal Plains Institute (CPI) and US Forest Service (USFS) entered a 5-year cost-share agreement in October 2010 to address the severe decline of the western striped newt (Notophthalmus perstriatus) within the Munson Sandhills of the Apalachicola National Forest (ANF). At that time, CPI and cooperators initiated a multifacete...

While commonly employed by the agricultural and horticultural industries, biological control has rarely been utilized in herpetological husbandry to treat infectious or parasitic diseases. This case study describes the use of the predatory soil mite Stratiolaelaps scimitus to treat parasitic mite infestations in two adult inland bearded dragons (Po...

In zoos, life expectancy—the average lifespan of individuals within a population, and longevity—the maximum lifespan within a population, can be useful parameters for evaluating captive husbandry and animal welfare. Using life history and demographic data derived from regional studbooks, this study examined life expectancy and longevity in a total...

Although monitor lizards represent a rather small group of squamate reptiles, many of the 75 currently recognized species are affected by habitat destruction and are heavily exploited by the commercial skin and pet trades (e.g., Koch et al. 2013. Herp. Cons. Biol., 8, Monograph 3:1-62). Of particular concern are those species which possess restrict...

Varanid lizards have been maintained in zoological parks for more than a century, yet few studies to date have attempted to pinpoint significant health issues affecting their management or areas of captive husbandry that are in need of improvement. In an effort to identify and better understand some of the husbandry-related challenges and health is...

There are few published accounts which document predation of large adult monitor lizards. Here, we describe an observed case of predation on an adult Malaysian water monitor Varanus salvator macromaculatus by an estuarine crocodile Crocodylus porosus in Singapore. Estuarine crocodiles may represent the only significant predators of adult water moni...

Captivity provides many opportunities for studying the reproductive biology of varanid lizards (Family: Varanidae; genus: Varanus). This article presents reproductive data for 12 varanid species maintained in captivity at the Bronx Zoo between 1977 and 2010. Five species, V. prasinus, V. beccarii, V. melinus, V. mertensi, and V. ornatus have succes...

During field surveys in 2010 and 2011, Lepturophis albofuscus was found in four localities, in Narathiwat, Satun, Songkhla and Surat Thani provinces, the species had been previously recorded in Thailand only from Nakhon Si Thammarat and Yala provinces. Localities in Thailand, geographic distribution, natural history and implications of these new lo...

Aquatic foraging behavior and predation on freshwater mussels (Velesunio sp.) by Varanus panoptes panoptes in the Longreach District of central-western Queensland is reported. Mussel predation by V. p. panoptes was observed during periods of prolonged dry weather, when terrestrial prey availability was scarce. It is proposed that V. p. panoptes may...

A classic paradigm in evolutionary biology is that geographically isolated clades inhabiting similar selective regimes will diversify to create similar sets of phenotypes in different locations (e.g., similar stickleback species in different lakes, similar Anolis ecomorphs on different islands). Such parallel radiations are not generally expected t...