Glossary of Common Terms

• Accies: Ridge Tailed Monitor (Varanus acanthurus)
• AHG: Asian House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus)
• AHS: Australian Herpetological Society
• Amelanistic: a complete absence of melanin
• Anerythristic: complete absence of red pigment
• APS: Aussie Pythons and Snakes
• Arboreal: tree dwelling
• ARP: Australian Reptile Park
• Axanthic: complete absence of xanthins (ie no yellow pigment)
• barbata: Eastern Bearded Dragon (Pogona barbata)
• BC: Breeders Choice - paper kitty litter used as substrate
• Beardie: Bearded Dragon (also Beardy)
• Bells: Bells phase Lace Monitor (Varanus varius)
• BHP: Black Headed Python (Aspidites melanocephalus)
• Blotchie: Blotched Bluetongue (Tiliqua nigrolutea)
• Blueys: Bluetongue Lizard (Tiliqua spp., usually scincoides)
• BT: Bluetongue Lizard (Tiliqua spp.)
• BTS: Brown Tree Snake (Boiga irregularis)
• Bump: a word used to 'bump' a thread back to the top of the forum where more people will see it. Most often used in For Sale threads.
• Burm: Burmese Python (Python molurus bivittatus)
• BTW: by the way
• Candling: A process where you shine a torch into reptile eggs to determine if it is fertile
• CB: Captive Bred
• CCL: curved carapace length
• Chondro: abbreviation of Chondropython (Green Tree Python)
• CITES : Convention on International Trade in endangered Species, international legislation that regulates and monitors trade in wildlife. Created by the IUCN.
• Cloaca: the single urogenital opening possessed by reptiles, amphibians, and many other animals. Also called a vent.
• Coastal: Coastal Carpet (Morelia spilota ssp.)
• Corn: Corn Snake (Elaphe guttata)
• Crepuscular: active mainly at dawn and dusk
• Crix: crickets
• DEC: Dept. of Environment and Conservation
• DEH: Dept. of Environment and Heritage. Formerly Environment Australia.
• Diamond: Diamond Python (Morelia spilota spilota)
• Diurnal: active during the day
• Dragon: lizard of the family Agamidae
• ELN: Eastern Longneck Turtle (Chelodina longicollis)
• Endemic: found in this area and nowhere else
• EPBC Act: The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. A piece of Federal legislation that prohibits the keeping of exotic reptiles.
• ES: Edison Screw referring to screw type light bulb fitting
• EWD: Eastern Water Dragon (Physignathus lesueurii)
• Exotic: not from that area. Usually refers to any species not native to Australia
• Femoral pore: pores on inside of thigh, more prominent in males
• Feral: domestic species that has returned to the wild (eg cats, dogs, horses)
• Fossorial: lives in the soil or sand
• Freshie, Freshy: Freshwater Crocodile (Crocodylus johnstoni)
• FS: For Sale
• Fuzzy: Refers to a baby mouse/rat just starting to get fur.
• Gex : Geckos
• Gravid: a reptile full of eggs
• GTF: Green Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea)
• GTP - Green Tree Python (Morelia [Chondropython] viridis)
• GTS: Green Tree Snake (Dendrelaphis punctulata)
• Hatchy: Hatchling
• Hemipenes: the bifurcated reproductive organ of male snakes
• Herp: abbreviation of ‘herptile’ - a reptile or amphibian
• Herper: a reptile or amphibian enthusiast
• Herpetoculturist: someone who keeps and breeds reptiles or amphibians in captivity
• Herpetologist: professional zoologists specialising in reptiles and/or amphibians
• Herping: looking for wild reptiles or amphibians
• Het: heterozygous – an individual who has two different alleles at the same locus on paired chromosomes. Homozygous is the condition where the alleles are the same.
• Hots: American term for venomous snakes
• Hybrid: Offspring of two different species (Note: definition subject of much discussion)
• Hygrometer: device to measure humidity
• Hyper: Short for hypermelanistic (usually) - an increase in melanin i.e. more black than normal.
• Hypo: Short for hypomelanistic (usually) – a reduction in melanin
• IBD: Inclusion Body Disease
• IMO: in my opinion
• Indigenous: naturally occuring. Same as native
• Intergrade: offspring of two different subspecies i.e. Diamond Pythons and Coastal Carpet Pythons (Note: definition is the subject of much debate)
• Introduced: an exotic species that has become established in the wild
• IR: Infrared, referring to light bulbs
• IUCN : International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. A conservation NGO with it's headquarters in Switzerland.
• Juvie: Juvenile
• Lacie: Lace Monitor (Varanus varius)
• LOL: laugh out loud
• Mac or Maccy: Spotted Python (Antaresia maculosa)
• MBD: Metabolic Bone Disease
• MD: Murray Darling Python (Morelia spilota metcalfei)
• Melanin: a black pigment
• Melanistic: overabundance of melanin resulting in a completely black animal
• Moloch: Thorny Devil (Moloch horridus)
• Native: naturally occurring. Same as Indigenous.
• Nocturnal: active during night time
• NPWS: National Parks and Wildlife
• ONO: 'or near offer', seen in the ads for sale
• OPMV: Ophidian Paramyxovirus, a contagious and deadly snake virus
• Parthenogenesis: the ability of the females of certain species to reproduce without fertilization eg. Bynoe's Gecko, Komodo Dragon
• PBT : Preferred body temperature
• Pinkie: a baby mouse/rat before it gets fur
• Pit: an outdoor enclosure with walls 1m+ and often no roof
• Pit: a heat sensitive depression on the head found in most pythons and many vipers
• PMSL: LOL + a wet patch.
• Popping: method of sexing snakes whereby the hemipenes are 'popped' out of the vent. Not for the inexperienced.
• Preanal pore: same as femoral pore but situated in front of vent
• Probing: method of sexing snakes by inserting purpose built probes into the vent. Experienced people only, as it can damage the reproductive organs if done incorrectly.
• Rainbow Python: synonym for Water Python (Liasis fuscus), refers to the rainbow sheen exhibited by this species
• RBBS: Red-bellied Black Snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus)
• Retic: Reticulated Python (Python reticulatus)
• RI: Respiratory Infection
• RSP: Rough Scaled Python (Morelia carinata)
• Salty: Saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) also known as the Estuarine Crocodile
• SCL: straight carapace length
• SFR: Speckled Feeder Roaches, a species of cockroach bred in large numbers as live food for insectivorous herps
• Temperature Gradient, Thermal Gradient: a change in temperatures from a heat source to a cooler area
• SVL: snout to vent length
• TDSD: temperature dependent sex determination
• Terrestrial: ground dwelling
• Thermoregulation: the ability to regulate ones own temperature
• Thermostat: a device that regulates the temperature
• TOD: Top Of Descent - reptile-safe insecticide
• URS: Ultimate Reptile Suppliers Pty Ltd
• Ven/Veno: venomous snake
• Venomoid: a venomous snake that has had its venom glands surgically removed or the venom duct severed.
• VHS : Victorian Herpetological Society
• Vitticeps, vitti, vitty : Central Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps)
• Viv: Vivarium or reptile enclosure
• WC: Wild Caught
• Woody, woodies: Speckled Feeder Roaches
• WTB: Want To Buy