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Snakes, human brains and more evidence for an evolutionary relationship
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Was the evolution of high-quality vision in our ancestors driven by the threat of snakes? Work by neuroscientists in Japan and Brazil is supporting the theory originally put forward by Lynne Isbell, professor of anthropology at the University of California, Davis. In a paper published Oct. 28 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy…
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Three new herp species from Queensland
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A James Cook University-National Geographic expedition to Cape York Peninsula in north-east Australia has found three vertebrate species new to science and isolated for millions of years — a bizarre looking leaf-tail gecko, a golden-coloured skink and a boulder-dwelling frog. Saltuarius eximius Earlier this year Dr Conrad Hoskin from James Cook University and National Geographic…
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Atrazine, Bd, and frog survival
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Using the invasive Cuban treefrog, Osteopilius septentrionalisRohr et al. studied the effects of atrazine on frogs exposed to Bd. The combination of the herbicide atrazine and a fungal disease is particularly deadly to frogs. USF Biologist Jason Rohr said new findings show that early-life exposure to atrazine increases frog mortality but only when the frogs…
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Mechanism of the chytrid fungus
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A fungus that is killing frogs and other amphibians around the world releases a toxic factor that disables the amphibian immune response, Vanderbilt University investigators report Oct. 18 in the journal Science. The findings represent “a step forward in understanding a long-standing puzzle — why the amphibian immune system seems to be so inept at…
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Variability in the venom proteome of juvenile Bothrops jararaca
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Bothrops jacaraca juvenile. Photo credit: Fernando Tatagiba Snake venoms are complex mixtures but it is important that we understand them so that we can develop effective antivenoms. For snakes of the viper family, a number of studies have illustrated that the picture is complicated by the fact that the venom composition can vary between members…
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New study supports the idea that Cerberus schneiderii is an abundant coastal species
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Preliminary studies suggest that Schneider’s Bockadam (also known as the dog-faced water snake), Cerberus schneiderii, is one of the most abundant aquatic snakes in mangrove ecosystems across most of Southeast Asia, A new study of this snake at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve in Singapore supports these studies. The brackish man-made ponds at this site…
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Suizo Report — To Gus, With Love
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Howdy Herpers, 10/3/13 “And when I die, and when I’m gone, there will be one child born in a world to carry on, ……to carry on.” Blood, Sweat and Tears, Columbia Records, 1969 We’re going to go Hollywood with this report. At times, the snakes on our plot demonstrate drama on that sort of scale.…
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Amphibians, Reptiles, & Natural History
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