Books by Robert Sprackland
Guide to Lizards is an essential directory to more than 300 lizard species, including readily ava... more Guide to Lizards is an essential directory to more than 300 lizard species, including readily available terrarium choices plus dozens of seldom seen and rare species that are of great interest to hobbyists and travelers alike. Written by an acknowledged expert on lizards, each profile contains information on size, range, habitat, natural history, care, and suitability as a pet. Profiles are color-coded and organized by native region and feature discussion of how to find lizards in their habitat, making this an excellent book for outdoor-loving hobbyists and ecotourists. Full-color photos of species, subspecies, and color variants are complimented by informative sidebars.
"Originally published in 1992, Giant Lizards is a bestselling reference held in high regard withi... more "Originally published in 1992, Giant Lizards is a bestselling reference held in high regard within every level of the herpetological community for its authoritative and thorough coverage of lizard biology.
Now in a completely revised and expanded volume, Giant Lizards features all newly written information by an expert on monitors and other large lizards (defined as those reaching over 3 feet in length) and it covers over 90 species. Lizard profiles range from the relatively affordable to the extremely expensive, and from those commonly kept as pets to those critically endangered and unobtainable. Species include iguanas (including green iguanas), rock iguanas, Galapagos Island iguanas, tegus, sail-fin lizards, Gila monsters, beaded lizards, water dragons, monitors (including savannah, water, and Nile monitors plus Komodo dragons), and more."
Papers by Robert Sprackland
Reptiles 18(7): 32-41., 2010
The comments by Kaiser (BZN 71: 30-35), Schleip (BZN 71: 35-36), Wüster et al. (BZN 71: 37-38) an... more The comments by Kaiser (BZN 71: 30-35), Schleip (BZN 71: 35-36), Wüster et al. (BZN 71: 37-38) and Thomson (BZN 71: 133-135) provide no hard evidence to rebut any element of Case 3601 as originally published in BZN. Correspondents on Taxacom and the ICZN list online have correctly dismissed the claims of these authors as 'bluster'. Thorpe (in litt.) added that the comments submitted by Hoser's enemies on Case 3601 were absolutely laughable in terms of the Code, and this view was repeated in similar words by Dubois, Wellington and others (in litt. 2014). Furthermore all claims raised by Kaiser, Schleip, Wüster et al. and Thomson, merely repeated earlier discredited claims of Kaiser (2013) and Kaiser et al. (2013). These were rebutted in detail by Hoser (2012a) (regarding the Spracklandus matter), Hoser (2012b) and Dubois (in litt.) in relation to other issues alleged by the group. However I here deal briefly with some of the points for purpose of further rebuttal and for discussion in BZN. Claims by Kaiser (BZN 71: 133-135) that the Hoser works have been criticized by others have no bearing on the nomenclature and the case for ICZN confirmation of the nomenclatural availability within the Code of the name Spracklandus Hoser, 2009. In any event, the criticism of scientific papers is normal scientific discourse, even if labelled by critics as 'unscientific'. Kaiser has not in fact produced any evidence to suggest that Australasian Journal of Herpetology (AJH) Issue 7 did not comply with Article 8.1.3 of the Code. The distributed issue of AJH Issue 7 is no different from other acknowledged Code-compliant papers published daily. It was published in print with ink on paper in numerous durable copies. An alleged printing defect in terms of printing quality control as suggested by Kaiser (2014) does not in any way make AJH Issue 7 invalid under the Code or Article 8 of the Code. Kaiser's statement that 'I have seen no proof that there were ever more than a handful of copies produced' is meaningless. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Furthermore at no stage have Kaiser, Wallach, Wüster, Broadley or Schleip asked the logical question of me as to where and by whom original copies were distributed. Hoser (2012a) stated that 'All issues of AJH were published in hard copy (over 100 originals of each) and later online, being posted online on average 10 days after the print copies were first received and distributed, by which stage receipts from recipients had been received and archived.' Kaiser, Schleip or Wüster et al. have never produced any evidence to contradict this obvious fact or properly sought contradictory evidence. Kaiser (2014b) used four arguments to allege that AJH was in violation of Article 8.1.3 of the Code. These arguments are refuted in detail below. (1) It was published in an edition, in the usual meaning and understanding of this word, and even cited as such by his close colleagues (Wallach et al., 2009, p. 34). 61 Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 72(1) March 2015 brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk provided by Archivio della ricerca-Università di Roma La Sapienza (2) There is uncontradicted evidence that numerous copies were made (e.g. Hoser, 2012a). The only evidence provided by Kaiser, Wallach, Wüster, Broadley or Schleip is a statement that they did not make proper or reasonable enquiries as to where copies were distributed. This included failing to check the most likely repositories, such as Zoological Record, as specified in the Code (Recommendation 8A) or persons named in the relevant papers. (3) The original copies were all identical in words, fonts, pagination, margins and all other relevant details. (4) The copies were 'durable' in the commonly accepted meaning of the word, including being printed on high quality white gloss paper (superior to that used by most other published journals) and printed in black ink. Furthermore, all Kaiser's claims against the method of printing of AJH in terms of potential Code-compliance (repeated in part by Wüster et al., 2014) are in fact rejected by Schleip (BZN 71: 35-36) in his point 5. Schleip's claim 'The existence of this outlet [AJH] was primarily proclaimed in herpetoculture internet forums, and zoologists unlikely to participate in such forums were widely unaware of its existence (see the Code, Appendix B.8, General Recommendations).' is clearly false. In the pre-checking of Case 3601, the Commission Secretariat independently established that AJH was sent to numerous places including Zoological Record as the most important part of the Code's 'wide dissemination' recommendation (Recommendation 8A). Significantly, Schleip's claim is also refuted by Wüster (in litt. 2009), who wrote 'You have been accused of many things. Lack of dissemination of your articles has not been one of them'. Schleip's claim 'However, on the date [Issue 7 of AJH] was distributed, it was not obtainable by the public' is patently false. AJH was available at all relevant times. Schleip (BZN 71: 35-36) stated 'In the absence of evidence to the contrary, it is not possible to determine whether or not the copies were printed in accordance with Article 8.1.3 or 'printed on demand'. Kaiser (BZN 71: 30-35) asserted 'I believe this shows that there really was no print run of numerous identical and durable copies'. These and similar statements about the availability of AJH and the relevant website are incorrect. Printed issues have always been offered for sale, the price of each being determined by size. I have often chosen to waive fees to persons requesting issues or photocopies of papers, as was the case with Wallach in 2009. As each issue of the journal was published, the relevant details were added to the relevant parts of the website in accordance with similar practices by publishers of other scientific literature. Kaiser's (BZN 71: 30-35) prediction of mass disobedience against the Code in the event of a judgement in favour of Spracklandus was repeated by Wüster et al. (BZN 71: 37-38), Thomson (BZN 71: 133-135) and Schleip (BZN 71: 31-36), who said 'If the Commission, however, were to vote in favor of Case 3601 and declare the name Spracklandus Hoser, 2009 available. .. I predict that the majority of herpetologists will follow the recommendations of Kaiser et al. (2013) and continue to ignore AJH as a reliable source for nomenclatural and taxonomic information'. This is the same prediction made in BZN in relation to the Wells & Wellington papers and names proposed within them made by Stone and others. Stone (1988) wrote: 'If the Commission takes no action with respect to the nomenclature proposed in these publications other scientists may of course choose to ignore that obligation'. King 65 Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 72(1) March 2015
Herpetological Review, 2004
Monitors are among the most popular lizards kept in captivity, and this colorful guide provides i... more Monitors are among the most popular lizards kept in captivity, and this colorful guide provides information on the two most commonly seen species, savannah monitors and grassland monitors. Due to the intelligence and relative easy care needs of these lizards, they are favored by beginning herpetoculturists, though great emphasis must be placed on responsible ownership of these beautiful, but delicate animals. Savannah & Grassland Monitors, written by lizard expert Robert George Sprackland, PhD, provides guidelines for keepers who wish to add a monitor to their vivarium. The chapter called "Taxonomy" gives an excellent summary of monitor species, including the African species, of which the savannah (or Bosc's) monitor and white-throat monitor are examples, and the Asian species,including the Komodo dragon and the Argus, Bengal, Indian, and gold monitors. This Advanced Vivarium Systems title includes information about selecting a healthy example of the selected species, ...
Education Digest Essential Readings Condensed For Quick Review, 2006
EJ740991 - A Scientist Tells Why "Intelligent Design" Is NOT Sc... more EJ740991 - A Scientist Tells Why "Intelligent Design" Is NOT Science.
Rhodin, A.G.J., H. Kaiser, P.P. van Dijk, W. Wüster, M. O’Shea, M. Archer, M. Auliya, L. Boitani,... more Rhodin, A.G.J., H. Kaiser, P.P. van Dijk, W. Wüster, M. O’Shea, M. Archer, M. Auliya, L. Boitani, R. Bour, V. Clausnitzer, T. Contreras-MacBeath, B.I. Crother, J.M. Daza, C.A. Driscoll, O. Flores-Villela, J. Frazier, U. Fritz, A. Gardner, C. Gascon, A. Georges, F. Glaw, F.G. Grazziotin, C.P. Groves, G. Haszprunar, P. Havaš, J.M. Hero, M. Hoffmann, M.S. Hoogmoed, B.D. Horne, J.B. Iverson, M. Jäch, C.L. Jenkins, R.K.B. Jenkins, A.R. Kiester, J.S. Keogh, T.E. Lacher Jr., J.E. Lovich, L. Luiselli, D.L. Mahler, D. Mallon, R. Mast, R.W. Mcdiarmid, J. Measey, R.A. Mittermeier, S. Molur, V. Mossbrugger, R. Murphy, D. Naish, M. Niekisch, H. Ota, J.F. Parham, M.J. Parr, N.J. Pilcher, R.H. Pine, A.B. Rylands, J.G. Sanderson, J. Savage, W. Schleip, G.J. Scrocchi, H.B. Shaffer, E.N. Smith, R. Sprackland, S.N. Stuart, H. Vetter, L.J. Vitt, T. Waller, G. Webb, E.O. Wilson, H. Zaher, and S. Thomson (Corresponding Author). 2015. Comment on Spracklandus Hoser, 2009 (Reptilia, Serpentes, ELAPIDAE): re...
General audience account of herpetological exploration of Papua New Guinea including report of fi... more General audience account of herpetological exploration of Papua New Guinea including report of first record for the genus Antaresia (Reptilia: Squamata: Pythonidae) outside Australia.
SCALES & TAILS magazine, Australia, Jul 2013
An overview of current hypothesis of the origin and geographic distribution of monitor lizards (R... more An overview of current hypothesis of the origin and geographic distribution of monitor lizards (Reptilia: Squamata: Varanidae)
QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF MILITARY HISTORY/Military History Quarterly, 2011
How Sir Arthur Wellesley was almost court martialed in the aftermath of his first victory against... more How Sir Arthur Wellesley was almost court martialed in the aftermath of his first victory against the French at Vimiero in Portugal.
Uploads
Books by Robert Sprackland
Now in a completely revised and expanded volume, Giant Lizards features all newly written information by an expert on monitors and other large lizards (defined as those reaching over 3 feet in length) and it covers over 90 species. Lizard profiles range from the relatively affordable to the extremely expensive, and from those commonly kept as pets to those critically endangered and unobtainable. Species include iguanas (including green iguanas), rock iguanas, Galapagos Island iguanas, tegus, sail-fin lizards, Gila monsters, beaded lizards, water dragons, monitors (including savannah, water, and Nile monitors plus Komodo dragons), and more."
Papers by Robert Sprackland
Now in a completely revised and expanded volume, Giant Lizards features all newly written information by an expert on monitors and other large lizards (defined as those reaching over 3 feet in length) and it covers over 90 species. Lizard profiles range from the relatively affordable to the extremely expensive, and from those commonly kept as pets to those critically endangered and unobtainable. Species include iguanas (including green iguanas), rock iguanas, Galapagos Island iguanas, tegus, sail-fin lizards, Gila monsters, beaded lizards, water dragons, monitors (including savannah, water, and Nile monitors plus Komodo dragons), and more."
As a personal journey, this book is not rigorous, not meant to be an exhaustive view into the state of animal intelligence research, though I've cited many formal studies throughout the text. Think of this as a set of questions, asking mainly if these are as valid as I've come to believe. Consequently, I am seeking input and guidance. Does this make a contribution of any worth? Are any of my questions better researched than I am aware? And in what ways could the net of King's behavior NOT be called intelligence?