A hidden wave of fungal disease and lung parasites is putting wild rattlesnakes and other native snakes at risk. Snake populations around the world are under increasing pressure from habitat loss, disease, and other environmental challenges. Among the diseases drawing the most concern is ophidiomycosis, commonly known as snake fungal disease, which is caused by [...]
In the far-eastern Indian state of Nagaland, locals are protecting mainland Asia’s largest tortoise species, an animal they used to hunt. Governments around the world struggle to effectively govern or manage their frontier borderlands, and few borderlands feel as frontier as Nagaland, being more than two-day’s drive from New Delhi on the border with Myanmar […]
The post Passionate ‘Tortoise…
Huge snakes, tiny snakes, poisonous snakes and constrictor snakes, snakes that slither, burrow or swim: New fossils and modern technology are tracing serpent origins
A tiny ancient reptile just revealed the moment breathing as we know it began — and it changed life on Earth forever. Every breath you take traces back to a deep evolutionary past. The steady rise of your chest, the muscles between your ribs expanding outward, and the flow of air into your lungs feel [...]
Every breath you take is part of a very ancient story, a remarkably preserved reptile that died in an Oklahoma cave about 289 million years ago has revealed. The steady movement of your chest, the muscles between your ribs pulling outward, and the air filling your lungs may feel completely routine, yet this familiar process […]
The post Fossil From 289M Years Ago Reveals ‘Mummified’ Skin,…
A museum in Georgia is now home to the world’s first complete and scientifically accurate mounted skeleton of Deinosuchus schwimmeri, one of the largest and most dangerous reptiles to ever live. Deinosuchus schwimmeri, which walked the eastern United States 83 million to 76 million years ago, was a dinosaur-eating, school-bus-sized relative of modern alligators. Measuring up to […]
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A breathtaking expedition high among limestone escarpments and deep in the cave systems they contain has revealed several new reptile species, including a dazzling pit viper you have to see to believe. Exploring over 60 caves across 10 hills in the Battambang province, western Cambodia, the survey uncovered a treasure trove of extraordinary creatures besides, […]
The post Spectacular New Species…
These days, when scientists announce they’ve discovered a new species of animal, it’s usually some miniature frog or deep sea isopod. But check out this Varanus umbra, a never-before-described species of rock monitor, and he’s a real lookah’ Dr. Stephen Zozaya, a research fellow at the Australian National University, described the shock he and his colleagues experienced […]
The post 3 New Lizard…
For the first time in over 180 years, a giant tortoise population is once again walking the landscapes of Floreana Island—launching the largest restoration effort ever undertaken on the Galápagos islands. 158 juvenile giant tortoises of Floreana lineage were released his week into their ancestral habitat, marking a historic milestone for the archipelago. Driven to […]
The post 158 Giant…
A review of over 500 reports of cannibalistic behavior in snakes finds it's appeared multiple times in different evolutionary lineages, leading researchers to hypothesize it's beneficial for snakes under certain circumstances.
On 9 January, large parts of Europe were brought to a standstill as Storm Goretti, a powerful winter cyclone with 110 mph winds, swept into the region from the south. Soon after, a beachcomber found a young loggerhead turtle washed up on the Island of Jersey near the coast of France after being blown hundreds […]
The post Airline Welcomes VIP Endangered Turtle Who Needed Hospital After it was…
DNA study reveals crocs that lived in the Seychelles represented the westernmost population of saltwater crocodiles, having swam at least 1,800 miles to reach the island.