Reptiles
edyong | September 20, 2008
The decades that make up a typical human lifespan can seem like vast stretches of time to us. But to the forces of evolution, they are mere temporary blips. Common wisdom has it that evolution occurs over geological timescales - thousands and millions of years. As such, evolutionary biology takes a lot of criticism for being a 'descriptive science', being less open than other fields to that fundamental aspect of science - experimentation. Though there are exceptions, those who study evolution must mostly be content to observe snapshots of life, either present or entombed in rock, and make…
laelaps | September 4, 2008A Galapagos tortoise (Geochelone nigra), photographed at the Philadelphia Zoo.
laelaps | July 15, 2008Today my wife and I celebrated two years of marriage, which meant heading to the Philadelphia zoo in the morning, tubing on the Delaware River in the afternoon, and a nice dinner when we got home. I've got plenty of new shots to share, but I'll start things off with one of the most unique ones, a Galapagos tortoise on skates;
It seems that this individual has trouble walking so the zoo staff rigged it up with some wheels. It got around just as well as any of the other tortoises in the enclosure, although I had never seen such a technique used to help a tortoise before.
laelaps | July 3, 2008A five-lined skink (Eumeces fasciatus), photographed at the Delaware Water Gap in the summer of 2007.
edyong | July 1, 2008The mayfly is known for its incredibly short adult life. After spending months as larvae, the adults finally hatches only to fly, mate and die within the space of a day. Now, in the dry south-west corner of Madagascar, scientists have discovered the lizard equivalent of the mayfly - Labord's chameleon (Furcifer Labordi).
The lifespan of Labord's chameleon is hardly as compressed as that of a mayfly, but it is extraordinarily short for a tetrapod (an animal with four legs and a backbone). From laying of egg to kicking of bucket, the lizard's entire life is played out in a year and 7 months…
edyong | June 25, 2008If you listen to the egg of a crocodile, you can tell when it's going to hatch by the small squeaks coming out of it. The squeaks come from the unborn babies and sound like "umph! umph! umph!". These calls are common to all crocodilians and while zoologists have always suspected that they serve a specific purpose, until now, no one had ever tested this theory with an experiment.
Amelie Vergne and Nicoals Mathevon at the Universite Jean Monnet are the first to do so and they show that the youngsters call to tell their siblings that it's time to hatch. And given that Nile crocodiles bury…
grrlscientist | June 13, 2008tags: Greater Short-horned lizard, Phrynosoma hernandezi, reptiles, Image of the Day
My good friend, Dave Rintoul, has just returned from a much-deserved vacation camping in the Chiricahuas and Gila Wilderness area and sent a couple images to share with you.
Greater Short-horned lizard, Phrynosoma hernandezi, in Chaco Canyon.
According to the photographer, this animal was a very cooperative subject.
(NOTE: This species was recently split into the greater and lesser short-horned lizards).
Image: Dave Rintoul, June 2008 [larger view].
edyong | June 13, 2008Many groups of animals, from humans to dinosaurs to kangaroos, have evolved the ability to stand and walk on two legs. In all of these cases, the move from four legs to two has provided clear advantages. Kangaroos save energy because their hopping is so efficient, birds have freed their front pair of limbs for use as wings, and humans use ours for manipulating tools and objects.
But some species of lizards also rear up on their hind legs from time to time, particularly when running. The Australian frilled lizard does it so readily that it has earned the nickname of 'bicycle lizard'. And the…
grrlscientist | June 11, 2008tags: Mean and Lowly Things, herpetology, reptiles, venomous snakes, amphibians, field research, Congo Brazzaville, Kate Jackson, book review
Are you familiar with the aphorism, "Do what you love and the money will follow"? Well, the money part of that equation is probably questionable, but I think you will be convinced that a person who pursues her passions will never live a boring life, especially after you've finished reading Kate Jackson's book, Mean and Lowly Things: Snakes, Science, and Survival in the Congo (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press; 2008). This book tells the…
grrlscientist | May 27, 2008tags: turtles, turtle yoga, reptiles, Central Park, Image of the Day
Turtle Yoga Chaos!
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George [larger].
The photographer, Bob Levy, writes;
Ah, how satisfying it was to find that a Central Park turtle rose, or at least lifted its head, to the occasion. Just when they needed it the most a Turtle Yoga master rose from the ranks to bring order out of chaos. Here we see the group under the tutelage of a natural educator artfully performing a cat stretch.
Doesn't this satisfy your need for a moment of Zen?
grrlscientist | May 26, 2008tags: turtles, turtle yoga, reptiles, Central Park, Image of the Day
Turtle Yoga Chaos!
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George [larger].
The photographer, Bob Levy, writes;
This image captures a group of unfortunate Central Park turtles sorely in need of a yoga master. The chaos, as the Great Oz once said is," The result of disorganized thinking." Finding such a chaotic demonstration of yoga art shocked this observer who has grown used to watching turtles execute poses with precision and grace. Will a yoga master arise to lead the others and bring order to the class and the universe or at…
edyong | May 21, 2008 The era of genetic sequencing has revealed as much about the ties that bind us to other animals as the differences that set us apart. Often, comparing the genomes of different species shows that large changes in body size, shape and form are not mirrored by similar changes at a genetic level. New adaptations typically come about through small changes that redeploy existing genes to different ends, rather than raw innovation.
Snakes are an exception. A new study by Todd Castoe and Zhi Jiang at the University of Colorado has shown that the lifestyle of serpents is so unique that some of…
grrlscientist | May 18, 2008tags: Green Anole, Anolis carolinensis, reptiles, North Carolina, Image of the Day
"I am the Anole King, I can do anything."
Green Anole, Anolis carolinensis,
Carolina Beach, NC.
Image: Don Wirth [larger].
grrlscientist | April 23, 2008tags: researchblogging.org, evolution, speciation, Pod Mrcaru lizard, Podarcis sicula, reptiles
Pod Mrcaru lizard, Podarcis sicula.
Image: Anthony Herrel (University of Antwerp) [larger view]
Evolution has long been thought to occur slowly, due to small and gradual genetic changes that accumulate over millions of years until eventually, a new species arises. However, recent research has been calling this assumption into question. According to a study that was just published by an international team of scientists, dramatic physical changes can occur very rapidly -- on the order of just 30…
laelaps | April 21, 2008A five-lined skink (Eumeces fasciatus) photographed last year at the Delaware Water Gap.
grrlscientist | April 14, 2008tags: Life in Cold Blood, amphibians, reptiles, David Attenborough, book review
When asked why there are so few books about amphibians and reptiles -- collectively referred to as "herps" -- published for the general public, David Attenborough responds by pointing out that "reptiles and amphibians are sometimes thought of as slow, dim-witted and primitive. In fact they can be lethally fast, spectacularly beautiful, surprisingly affectionate and extremely sophisticated." Even though this is true for many herps, it takes a lot of dedication and skill to show those less-known qualities to a…
laelaps | April 10, 2008If you like weird herps, this is a good week for you.
Scientists working in Borneo have discovered that the frog Barbourula kalimantanensis has no lungs. Although the amphibian was discovered three decades ago, it is so rare that the only specimen that was collected was not dissected in order to preserve it. When researchers found another and opened it up, though, they found that Barbourula was missing lungs and that other organs filled the space they normally would have occupied. This allowed the frog to become flatter and increase the surface area of its body so that it could breathe…
edyong | March 17, 2008
Geckos are nature's champion climbers. With remarkable ease, they can scamper across ceilings and up smooth vertical surfaces, and they do so at speed. A vertically running gecko can cover 15 times the length of its body in a single second. So far, scientists have focused their attention on the gecko's amazingly adhesive feet but a new study demonstrates the importance of a neglected piece of their climbing gear - their tails. Geckos use their tails to stop themselves from falling, and to land safely if they do.
A gecko's foot is a marvel of biological engineering. Rather than relying on…
edyong | March 14, 2008Crocodiles and alligators are the epitome of stealth. They can wait motionlessly for prey on the surface of the water, dive to the bottom, or roll around the length of their bodies, all without creating a single ripple.
This sneaky manoeuvrability is all the more impressive for the fact that a crocodilian can pull it off without moving its legs or tail. It's particularly difficult because a waiting crocodilian has to move slowly and methodically, and must make do without the helpful forces of lift and drag that accompany faster movements.
Now, for the first time, we know how they do it. They…