• Posted 12/19/2024.
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    I am still waiting on my developer to finish up on the Classifieds Control Panel so I can use it to encourage members into becoming paying members. Google Adsense has become a real burden on the viewing of this site, but honestly it is the ONLY source of income now that keeps it afloat. I tried offering disabling the ads being viewed by paying members, but apparently that is not enough incentive. Quite frankly, Google Adsense has dropped down to where it barely brings in enough daily to match even a single paid member per day. But it still gets the bills paid. But at what cost?

    So even without the classifieds control panel being complete, I believe I am going to have to disable those Google ads completely and likely disable some options here that have been free since going to the new platform. Like classified ad bumping, member name changes, and anything else I can use to encourage this site to be supported by the members instead of the Google Adsense ads.

    But there is risk involved. I will not pay out of pocket for very long during this last ditch experimental effort. If I find that the membership does not want to support this site with memberships, then I cannot support your being able to post your classified ads here for free. No, I am not intending to start charging for your posting ads here. I will just shut the site down and that will be it. I will be done with FaunaClassifieds. I certainly don't need this, and can live the rest of my life just fine without it. If I see that no one else really wants it to survive neither, then so be it. It goes away and you all can just go elsewhere to advertise your animals and merchandise.

    Not sure when this will take place, and I don't intend to give any further warning concerning the disabling of the Google Adsense. Just as there probably won't be any warning if I decide to close down this site. You will just come here and there will be some sort of message that the site is gone, and you have a nice day.

    I have been trying to make a go of this site for a very long time. And quite frankly, I am just tired of trying. I had hoped that enough people would be willing to help me help you all have a free outlet to offer your stuff for sale. But every year I see less and less people coming to this site, much less supporting it financially. That is fine. I tried. I retired the SerpenCo business about 14 years ago, so retiring out of this business completely is not that big if a step for me, nor will it be especially painful to do. When I was in Thailand, I did not check in here for three weeks. I didn't miss it even a little bit. So if you all want it to remain, it will be in your hands. I really don't care either way.

    =====================
    Some people have indicated that finding the method to contribute is rather difficult. And I have to admit, that it is not all that obvious. So to help, here is a thread to help as a quide. How to become a contributing member of FaunaClassifieds.

    And for the record, I will be shutting down the Google Adsense ads on January 1, 2025.
  • Responding to email notices you receive.
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    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

Thorny Devils (Moloch horridus)

Helenthereef

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I have a friend desperate to photograph Thorny Devils (Moloch horridus) in the wild or captivity, USA or Australia no problem. Does anyone have any contacts?
Many thanks
 
Does America even have Molochs? I heard that most aussies don't even keep them because they only eat one type of ant and they eat thousands upon thousands of them a day. I guess he would need to go to the Outback in Australia to see some.

We might have them in some zoos but I don't know how they would survive unless that zoo bred the ants just for the thorny devil? This is a good question. Makes me think a lot.
 
My next step is to approach the zoos, it is hard to imagine an ant colony the size of the facility just to keep them fed though..... all ideas welcome!
 
shoot, they are on the opposite side of Australia from the area where my best friend lives (she's always sending snapshots of local fauna in her area). I can ask her if they have any at the Sydney zoo if you like? She was recently there and might remember... Actually, I just searched the website and it says they do have them!
http://www.taronga.org.au/animals/thorny-devil

I also know one of my local herp society guys has taken some field photos of the CA species (horny toads), but... I don't think that would help
 

Thanks April, that's really helpful and I'll pass it along. :)

I've also been able to turf up the fact that they have some at Melbourne Zoo and the Alice Springs Reptile Centre, whose website is worth a quick fly-by: http://www.reptilecentre.com.au/

For anyone interested in these animals I found a great general information website
http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~varanus/moloch.html

by a fascination guy whose "Obituary" (except I feel he is still alive) should be read to be believed! http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~varanus/obit.html

So, this wasn't really my cause but it's been fascinating! If John gets any great photos I'll share them on here. :thumbsup:
 
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