Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Whats up with the name change. Anyone know WHY? What it means?The other was so easy to spell! Vic

Raymond Hoser, the "pseudo-taxonomist" synonymous with revising an entire family of animals- BASED PURELY ON SUPERFICICIAL MORPHOLOGICAL nuances- has again botched another species.

When the government has used nothing but crap science all along the way, it is no surprise that Raymond Hoser's taxonomic revision of Python reticulatus was used. Here is a link and a quote to his article:

Taxonomy
For many years the Reticulated Python Broghammerus reticulatus was referred to the snake genus Python, with which it is superficially similar. The obvious link being over-large size. However in a 2003/2004 paper/publication and for the first time, Australian zoologist Raymond Hoser, known worldwide as The Snakeman, referred to many examined specimens and decided that on the basis of obvious morphological differences that the Reticulated Python should be moved to a new genus. As no name existed for this taxon, the genus name Broghammerus was erected by Hoser to accommodate the Reticulated Python.

The name Broghammerus is in tribute to a well-known German herpetologist named Stefan Broghammer.

Following the erection of the genus Broghammerus, a group of misfits including serial wildlife smuggler David John Williams, with serious convictions for smuggling and cruelty to reptiles and his associate in unethical activity, Wolfgang Wüster, best known for dishonest academic activity in the form of plagiarisation (fraudulently misrepresenting other people’s discoveries as his own), commenced a campaign of misinformation in terms of the name Broghammerus, to try to claim the name was not appropriate for the Reticulated Python.

These men had an axe to grind following the reporting of the Williams criminal activity in the best selling Hoser books Smuggled and Smuggled-2, published in 1993 and 1996, including the detailing of a very sordid case where Williams was fined $7500 in the Cairns Magistrate’s Court for serious animal cruelty to reptiles as well as illegally trafficking (smuggling) them for profit.

Returning to the Reticulated Pythons, there was besides Hoser’s conclusions, very strong evidence in support of Reticulated Pythons being placed in the genus Broghammerus from considerable earlier data by herpetologist Sam McDowell and others. In other words, it was somewhat unusual that it had taken so long for herpetologists to twig that something was wrong with the historical placement of these snakes in the genus Python.

On a personal note, this guy is a FRAUD.. He makes my stomach churn.

Sincerely,
Jordan Russell
page after page of crap science, pompous rants and lies..

I got an absolute kick out of the wikipedia page on good ol' ray ray..

Jordan
The Real Raymond Hoser

This is the same guy who tried to reclassify all the rattlesnakes last year. Fortunially he isn't taken seriously by anyone and as far as anyone who matters is conserned retics will remain Python reticulatus and rattlesnakes remain Crotalus.
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"We don't inherate the earth from our parents, we borrow it from our children"

Thanks for the intresting story.I had a feeling about it. I didnt know anything about him but thought to myself "who would change this name and why it is most likely BS." I've seen this alot in turtles in the last ten years and woundered who these people are to wast time and the cost of higher education doing it. They must have grants from the government along with the constant persuite to undermind others much grater than them. Thanks Vic

In many cases it seems taxonomic revision is completely merited; Yet reptile & amphibian systematics have not been consistently revised under the same level of scrutiny which other disciplines would have placed as the bench mark. It is sad when wanna be herpetologists like him can put out a completely UN-SCIENTIFIC document such as this, and our own government (Namely USFWS and USGS) adopt it as though it has merit... quite sad... Particularly when you consider that there are real people with real degrees, who have done real research (and fight for any grant they can to perpetuate their field, which we umbrella under) get trumped by clowns like this.

Take care Vic, and good luck with your shells.

Jordan