herpetology

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2024-03-08 @ 18.24.38 ∈ In English

Egg-laying caecilian amphibians produce milk for their young, find scientists
The research team observed that the young of the Brazilian caecilian Siphonops annulatus consumed milk for over two months, which appears to be secreted in response to tactile and acoustic stimulation from the mother's cloaca. The milk consists mainly of fats and carbohydrates and is produced in the glands of the female's oviduct.
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2024-02-19 @ 19.59.29 ∈ In English

Scientists shocked to discover new species of green anaconda, the world’s biggest snake
The two species […] look almost identical, and no obvious geographical barrier exists to separate them. But their level of genetic divergence—5.5%—is staggering. By comparison, the genetic difference between humans and apes is about 2%.
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2024-02-17 @ 6.57.18 ∈ In English

Frog sprouts mushroom, stumps the science world
While fungi invasions are fairly common in the small-animal world, this growth appeared to be very different to the zombie parasitic types that spell bad news for their hijacked hosts. […] The scientists noted that the frog appeared healthy and otherwise unbothered by its freeloading fungal companion, which looked to be taking full advantage of the nutrients found on moist amphibian skin.
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2024-02-16 @ 17.00.15 ∈ In English

Flea toad may be world’s smallest vertebrate
Measurements of 46 specimens revealed the average male body length to be slightly over 7 millimeters […] The researchers noted that the smallest specimen they found was just 6.45 millimeters long, which they note is approximately 30% smaller than the previous smallest frog observed.
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2023-07-07 @ 19.20.07 ∈ In English

Stressed rattlesnakes found to calm down in the company of a nearby ‘friend’
In highly social animals, such as mammals and birds, this phenomenon is well studied. Now, researchers have examined social buffering in rattlesnakes and found that the presence of a second snake significantly reduced rattlesnakes' change in heart rates after they experienced disturbance. It is the first evidence of social buffering in reptiles.
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2023-06-08 @ 12.15.34 ∈ In English

A documented case of a crocodile virgin birth
In their paper published in the journal Biology Letters, [a team of entomologists and reptile specialists] describes their surprise at the discovery of a clutch of eggs laid by an American crocodile who had been kept alone in an enclosure at Parque Reptilandia park in Costa Rica for 16 years prior to laying the eggs.