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invasive species Islands Lampropeltis californae

The California Kingsnake: An Invasive Threat in the Canary Islands

November 26, 2023 JCM

Information on the biology and ecology of invasive predators can be crucial to developing control strategies and action plans. Still,…

amphibians Anura Apoda Caudata Climate Change

Amphibians on the Edge: Climate Change and Other Threats to Survival

October 5, 2023 JCM

In the world of biodiversity, Earth’s amphibians play a crucial role. From the magnificent Wallace’s Flying Frog to the Trinidad’s…

Arizona deserts niche

Diets and Niches for Four Sceloporus Species in the Chiricahua Sky Islands

September 27, 2023 JCM

Niche partitioning is a concept at the heart of understanding biodiversity. The concept refers to the process by which natural…

aquatic snakes Homalopsidae Museums

Natural History collections are more important now than they were 10 years ago.

September 19, 2023 JCM

Our knowledge of the biodiversity of Asia and Australasia continues to expand with more focused studies on the systematics of…

Gymnophthalmidae Sauria squamata

Discovering the lightbulb lizards of Ecuador

September 19, 2023 JCM

Alejandro Arteaga, a herpetologist in Ecuador sent out out the following email. If you have the resources for helping Alejandro…

Crotalus Serpentes Venom

Ontogenetic shift in the venom composition of the Mexican Black-tailed Rattlesnake

September 7, 2023 JCM

We detected clear ontogenetic venom variation in C. m. nigrescens. Venoms from younger snakes contained more crotamine-like myotoxins and snake…

Dipsadidae new species Serpentes

A new genus and species of snake from the Lost World (Guyana)

September 7, 2023 JCM

The Pantepui is a remote, biodiverse region made famous by Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel, The Lost World.  In a recent…

Anura evolution phylogeny

Frogs are younger than previously thought

September 1, 2023 JCM

In evolutionary and ecological research across various organisms, the utilization of large-scale, time-calibrated phylogenies derived from supermatrix studies has gained…

3- fingered toxins Colubridae Serpentes Venom

3FTx in four species of colubrid snakes

August 28, 2023 JCM

By conducting gene tree reconstructions of 3FTxs, the researchers uncovered intriguing evidence of potentially novel heterodimers within the genetic sequences…

Crotalus Serpentes social behavior Viperidae

Social Western Diamondbacks

August 28, 2023 JCM

Social behavior in snakes is under-studied and, as a result, poorly known. Using social network analysis, Tetzlaff et al. (2023)…

Serpentes Viperidae

Time to first shed

August 9, 2023 JCM

An intriguing example is the puff adder (Bitis arietans), which sheds its skin shortly after birth. These viper species use…

Natricidae

Cryptid Rhabdophis in the nuchalis group

August 9, 2023 JCM

Cryptic diversity has been underestimated, but many examples have been documented in the scientific literature in recent decades. Researchers often…

aquatic snakes Natricidae

Rediscovery of a rare, aquatic Philippine Snake

July 11, 2023 JCM

The single-occurrence records of O. alcalai demonstrate the significance of microhabitat-specific refugia for rare, secretive, and enigmatic natricid snakes that…

aquatic snakes Homalopsidae new species

An endemic, highly aquatic homalopsid snake from  Sulawesi

July 11, 2023 JCM

A recent paper (Hamidy et al  2023) describes a new homalopsid snake species, Hypsiscopus indonesiensis. The new snake is restricted…

genome squamata

Snake genome reveals burrowing past and re-adaptation to surface life

June 21, 2023 JCM

The Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, has led a study that achieved chromosome-level assembly for 14 snakes, creating a detailed…

Australia Fossil species Scincidae squamata

A Giant Armoured Skink from Australia’s Pleistocene

June 18, 2023 JCM

Tiliqua frangens is believed to be related to the living shingleback or sleepy lizard (Tiliqua rugosa), but is even larger…

Gekko northeast India Ptychozoon

A new parachuting gecko from northeast India

June 4, 2023 JCM

Lalremsanga and colleagues (2023) describes a newly discovered genus Gekko (subgenus Ptychozoon) species. Known as Gekko mizoramensis, this lizard exhibits…

Caudata China new species

A new species of Hynobius Salamander from China

June 2, 2023 JCM

There are currently six described species on the Chinese mainland and five on Taiwan island, all of which are terrestrial,…

Dipsadidae evolution Venom

Venom in the Blunt-headed Treesnakes

June 1, 2023 JCM

Biological specialization refers to the process by which organisms adapt to occupy specific ecological niches, reducing the available niche space…

Crotalus Lampropeltis predation Serpentes

The Kingsnake and the Rattlesnake – predator and prey

May 30, 2023 JCM

The feeding behavior of kingsnakes preying on rattlesnakes is a well-known example of a predator-prey relationship among snakes. Recently, my…

Climate Change extinction Geographical distribution

Modeling reptile distributions suggests climate change will exacerbate extinctions

May 6, 2023 JCM

The impact of future climate change on global reptile diversity and distributions is a topic of concern. The potential effects…

Brazil Hylidae pollination Treefrogs

A frog that feeds on flowers and nectar, and pollinates plants

May 5, 2023 JCM

On balmy evenings in the vicinity of Rio de Janeiro, a peculiar sight might greet you - milk fruit trees…

Chelonia

Largest Freshwater Turtle, nearly extinct

May 1, 2023 JCM

The Yangtze giant softshell turtle, known as Rafetus swinhoei, is a critically endangered species characterized by its unique physical features,…

Ecology Florida Serpentes

Florida Pine Snake, movement & ecology

May 1, 2023 JCM

Studying organism movement patterns can offer valuable insights into species ecology and evolution. Various methods, including radio telemetry, have revealed…

Florida invasive species politics

Funding for Invasive Species in Florida

April 26, 2023 JCM

Both chambers agreed on the number for python eradication, though, penciling in $1.35 million. Regarding python eradication, hunters removed around…

Arizona Chelonia Terrapene

The western edge of Ornate Box Turtle’s distribution in Arizona

April 13, 2023 JCM

The Ornate Box Turtle is at the western edge of its range in Pima County, Arizona

Cambodia harvest Homalopsidae

Dry season snake harvest at Tonle Sap

April 6, 2023 JCM

The following is an abstract and some lightly edited text from English et al. (2023) on the Tonle Sap aquatic…

booids

A new fossil species of Sand Boa from China

March 14, 2023 JCM

Sand boas of the Eryx (family Erycidae) are a group of stout terrestrial snakes with rather short, stubby tails and…

auditory Serpentes

Hearing in Snakes

March 14, 2023 JCM

Snakes are usually thought of as deaf. But they are not. While they lack external ears, they have sound receptors.

evolution squamata

Snake teeth show more diversity than previously thought

March 3, 2023 JCM

Their results showed that the hardness and shape of the prey, as well as the environment in which the snake…

evolution

Giant and Dwarf Body Sizes – a mechanism for evolution

February 25, 2023 JCM

We found that there was no relationship between growth rate and size,” said D’Emic. “Some gigantic dinosaurs grew very slowly,…

amphibians Anura Rain Frogs Treefrogs

New Frogs from Ecuador

February 23, 2023 JCM

 Hyloscirtus tolkieni  is a steream breeding hylid from from Río Negro-Sopladora National Park, province of Morona Santiago.

diet Neotropical Serpentes Viperidae

Terciopelo’s diet shift from juvenile to adult

February 11, 2023 JCM

The diet of Bothrops asper changes with age. Young individuals feed on amphibians, centipedes, reptiles, and mammals. Older individuals specialize…

autohemorrhaging Serpentes Trachyboa

Two more snake species that use autohemorrhaging

January 29, 2023 JCM

Autohemorrhaging means an animal breaks blood vessels and releases blood at will. Often it is associated with stressful situations It…

elapoids Micrelapidae Micrelaps

A new family of Elapoid snakes

January 24, 2023 JCM

A new family of elapoid snakes is discovered. The new family contains five species and occurs in eastern and northeast…

Australia Serpentes urban snakes

Snakes in urban habitats

January 23, 2023 JCM

Urbanization changes landscapes, often simplifying and homogenizing natural ecosystems while introducing novel environments. Although this transformation often adversely impacts native…

Urban lizards

Anoles adapt to cities

January 23, 2023 JCM

The Puerto Rico anole, Anolis cristatellus, is adapting to life in the city, Longer legs, larger toe pads are some…

invasive species squamata Teiidae

Argentine Black and White Tegus in Charlotte County, Florida

December 25, 2022 JCM

We set baited live traps during the Tegu active season from 2018-2020, resulting in the capture and removal of 170…

amphibians Anura Centrolenidae transparency

Glassfrogs hide their blood cells to become transparent

December 25, 2022 JCM

resting glassfrogs increase transparency two- to threefold by removing nearly 90 percent of their red blood cells from circulation

conservation Invasive Snakes Serpentes squamata

The invasive Green Whipsnake threatens vulnerable squamates in Switzerland

December 24, 2022 JCM

An invasive snake threatens vulnerable snakes and lizards in Switzerland

Sauria

Another new Bent-toed Gecko

December 16, 2022 JCM

The new species has only been found at the type locality in Ngopa town, one of the townships in Champhai…

amphibians Australia extinction Pelodryadinae

Mountain Mist Frog declared extinct

December 11, 2022 JCM

the frog Ranoidea nyakalensis (Liem, 1974) was endemic to tropical Australia has been declared extinct after not being seen since…

behavior Sauria Varanus

Monitor Lizard – Otter Interaction

December 7, 2022 JCM

Monitor lizards encounters with otters are cautious. The presence and number of otter pups are positively associated with otter aggression.…

amphibians Madagascar

Madagascar Biodiversity – an opportunity

December 5, 2022 JCM

Madagascar’s unique biota is heavily affected by human activity and is under intense threat.

evolution Fossil species Sauria squamata

A new lizard from the Triassic

December 4, 2022 JCM

The origins of mammals and birds are relatively well understood, while the roots of squamates have been obscure. In a…

amphibians Fossil species

Estimating the size of ancient amphibians

December 1, 2022 JCM

the temnospondyls used in this study, had heads that were more croc-like

Elapidae Emydocephalus Hydrophiini mimicry

Mimicry in Turtle-headed Sea Snakes

November 30, 2022 JCM

The authors recorded morph frequencies during 18 consecutive years of surveys, and found that the numbers of recruits (neonates plus…

environment evolution Lesser Antilles Sauria Sphaerodactylidae.

The Union Island Gecko population recovers

November 30, 2022 JCM

The population of Union Island geckos plummeted due to the illegal international pet trade, but conservationists working with local people…

Ecology environment seed dispersal

Animals are our greatest allies in reforestation

November 29, 2022 JCM

"Animals are our greatest allies in reforestation...

evolution Jurassic squamata

Squamates underwent rapid evolution in the Jurassic

November 29, 2022 JCM

The Squamata are key parts of modern terrestrial faunas, especially in warmer climates, with a diversity of more than 10,000…

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World Snake Day

World Snake Day is July 16. The day is important to the conservation of snakes. Snakes live on every continent except Antarctica and can vary from the longest species, the reticulated python, to the smallest Barbados Threadsnake. Snakes try to avoid human contact. They consider humans predators. Venomous snakes (and many) use their venom to obtain food and only use it for defense when forced to. World Snake Day can help remove people's fears and illusions about snakes, and help them gain recognition as a marvelous adaptable apex species. World Snake Day can be used to educate and inform people about how to deal with snakes. Let's not mis this opportunity.

World Lizard Day

August 14th is World Lizard Day. It's the perfect time to show some love for these remarkable creatures that have been sharing our planet since the time of the dinosaurs. With over 6,000 known species, lizards come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, colors, and patterns, and you can find them on every continent except Antarctica. But why should we celebrate lizards, you ask? Well, they're not just cool to observe in their natural habitats but also essential players in many ecosystems. Lizards help keep insect populations in check, which is vital to our ecosystems. So, let's give these amazing creatures the recognition they deserve on this special day! tems worldwide.

World Turtle Day

Turtles and tortoises have secured their enduring places as enduring symbols in folklore, fables, and popular culture, enchanting our imaginations with their representations of wisdom and resilience. Annually, on May 23, we gather with delight to observe World Turtle Day, a dedicated day that pays homage to these unwavering creatures. Turtles and tortoises, both esteemed members of the reptile family, inhabit an array of diverse environments worldwide, where they play pivotal roles within their ecosystems.

These extraordinary beings don’t merely excavate burrows that become abodes for various other species; they also provide a valuable service by assisting in maintaining the cleanliness of our beaches. Their diet includes the remains of deceased fish that wash ashore, making a substantial contribution to ecological equilibrium. This underscores the profound significance of safeguarding these gentle creatures.

World Turtle Day stands as an occasion specially designated to celebrate and protect both of these remarkable creatures. Its origins can be traced back to 2002 when American Tortoise Rescue introduced this meaningful event. It casts a spotlight on the myriad challenges that turtles and tortoises confront due to human intervention and environmental hazards. On this special day, educational institutions, rescue centers, and nature enthusiasts unite to deepen their understanding of these creatures and pledge unwavering commitments to their preservation.

Here are some impactful ways in which you can actively participate in the endeavor to safeguard these exceptional animals: Adopt a Turtle or Tortoise: Contemplate adopting a turtle or tortoise from a rescue shelter. These low-maintenance creatures make ideal companions, especially for families with young children.

Post List #4

California Kingsnake, banded morph sitting on a rock
invasive speciesIslandsLampropeltis californae

The California Kingsnake: An Invasive Threat in the Canary Islands

JCMNov 26, 202311 min read

Information on the biology and ecology of invasive predators can be crucial to developing control strategies and action plans. Still, particularly home range, activity patterns, or habitat use can facilitate more effective trapping. This strategic information becomes even more relevant…

Read More
A forest frog from the island of Borneo.

Amphibians on the Edge: Climate Change and Other Threats to Survival

JCMOct 5, 20233 min read

In the world of biodiversity, Earth’s amphibians play a crucial role. From the magnificent Wallace’s Flying Frog to the Trinidad’s Bromeliad dwelling tree frog and the huge Chinese Giant Salamander…

Four photos of Sceloporus from the sky islands. Labels on eachi photo identify it.

Diets and Niches for Four Sceloporus Species in the Chiricahua Sky Islands

JCMSep 27, 20239 min read

Niche partitioning is a concept at the heart of understanding biodiversity. The concept refers to the process by which natural selection drives competing species into different patterns of resource use…

Natural History collections are more important now than they were 10 years ago.

Natural History collections are more important now than they were 10 years ago.

JCMSep 19, 20235 min read

Our knowledge of the biodiversity of Asia and Australasia continues to expand with more focused studies on the systematics of various groups and their biogeography. Historically, fluctuating sea levels and…

Riama, a light bulb lizard from Ecuador

Discovering the lightbulb lizards of Ecuador

JCMSep 19, 20232 min read

Alejandro Arteaga, a herpetologist in Ecuador sent out out the following email. If you have the resources for helping Alejandro I encourage you to do so. Today, I want to…

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