Author: John Virata
Brown Tree Snake’s Lasso Locomotion Helps It Climb Trees To Eat Birds On Guam
Lasso locomotion expands the climbing repertoire of snakes [...]
Higher Body Temps In Island Lizards Help Them Escape Snake Predation
A four decade study of Japan’s Okada's five-lined skink (Plestiodon latiscutatus) and its main predator, the Japanese four-lined rat snake (Elaphe qua [...]
Female Yangtze Giant Soft-Shell Turtle Discovered In Vietnamese Lake
Sixteen months after the last known female Yangtze giant soft-shell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) died at the Suzhou Zoo in China, a female of this critic [...]
Police In Peabody, MA Seek Ball Python Thieves
Two thieves entered a Peabody, MA Petco and ran off with an albino cinnamon ball python (Python regius) that they falsely told the sales clerk that th [...]
Philippine Burrowing Snake Species Discovered In University Collection
A subterranean snake that was collected in the Philippines in 2006 and 2007 was misidentified in the field and spent more than 10 years in the Univers [...]
Australian Monitor Lizards Are Ecosystem Engineers, Researchers Say
A 10 year University of Florida study on Australia’s yellow-spotted monitor lizard (Varanus panoptes horni) have concluded that these reptiles should [...]
Florida FWC’s Python Dogs Bag First Invasive Burmese Python
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced that its latest efforts to “sniff” out Burmese pythons on public lands in south Florid [...]
Introduced Peter’s Rock Agama Most Well Established Agamid Species In Florida
The Peter’s rock agama (Agama picticauda), which was first introduced to the state of Florida in 1976 is the latest introduced species that the Sunshi [...]
Tesla Factory Paused In Berlin Amid Concerns For Sand Lizards And Smooth Snakes
Construction of Tesla’s Gigfactory and car manufacturing plant near the city of Berlin in Germany was halted for the second time this week after a cou [...]
Gulf Snapping Turtle Elseya lavarackorum Renamed Elseya oneiros
The Gulf snapping turtle, Elseya lavarackorum, so named in 1997, is actually a new species of turtle, and Elseya lavarackorum is probably extinct, sci [...]
Public Comment Period Scheduled On Reintroduction Of Saint Croix Ground Lizard
The Saint Croix ground lizard (Pholidoscelis polops) was listed as endangered by the IUCN, and the government of St. Croix has been working on a reint [...]
New Species Of Odd-Scaled Snake Discovered In Vietnam
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History researchers announced today that they have discovered and described a new species of burrowing snake fr [...]
Monk In Myanmar Takes In Pythons, Other Snakes Rescued From Black Market
Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus), vipers and cobras that were previously destined for the black market animal trade have found a refuge in the mona [...]
Baby Alligators Can Regrow Severed Tails, Study Says
A study published in Scientific Reports says that baby American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) can regenerate up to 18 inches of their tails [...]
Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors Save Eggs From Road-Killed Carpet Python
A carpet python (Morelia spilotes) that got hit by a car and died in Australia was gravid with 12 eggs, and Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors were able [...]
New Philippine False Gecko Species Discovered In Bicol Region On Luzon Island
Researchers in the Philippines have discovered and described a new species of Philippine false gecko whose genus cannot be found anywhere else in the [...]
Toads Introduced On Mauritius and Réunion Islands Smaller Than Native African Populations
A study of the guttural toad (Sclerophrys gutturalis), an amphibian native to large swaths of the African continent, and introduced on the Mauritius a [...]
8 Southwestern Pond Turtles Rescued From Fire Devastated California Mountains
Biologists with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), University of Califo [...]
Vets Save Cottonmouth. She Throws Up Two Garter Snakes And A Leopard Frog
Veterinarians at Hatteras Island Wildlife Rehabilitation in Frisco, NC were in for a big surprise, well three actually, when the cottonmouth snake (Ag [...]
50 of 400 Endangered Pickersgill’s Reed Frogs Released In South Africa
Approximately 50 of 400 Pickersgill’s reed frogs were released into South Africa’s Buffeldraai, KwaZulu-Natal earlier this week. The release, which wa [...]
Panther Chameleon Lost In Daly City, CA Since June Found Alive On Powerline
The panther chameleon (Furcifer pardalis) that was found stuck on a powerline in Daly City, CA was rescued after three days perched on the line. [...]
New Limits In Effect On Native Herp Possession In South Carolina
The state of South Carolina has announced new limits on the possession, collection and transfer of the state's native reptiles and amphibians.
The la [...]
Researchers Rediscover Malagasy Chameleon After 100 Years
Researchers from Madagascar and Germany announced that they rediscovered the Malagasy chameleon (Furcifer voeltzkowi) after the species virtually disa [...]
Invasive Lizards Adapting To Florida’s Cold Weather
When extreme cold snaps hit south Florida in the winter, the sight of cold-stunned lizards is a common occurrence. Every year the temperatur [...]
