Tabla de contenidos para December 2022 en Practical Reptile Keeping

An incredible fossil discovery from Scotland has provided new information on the early evolution of lizards, during the time of the dinosaurs. The research has been a joint project between researchers at the universities of Oxford, Warsaw, and UCL in London. The tiny skeleton discovered on the Isle of Skye, called Bellairsia gracilis, is only 6cm (2.4in) long and dates from the Middle Jurassic, dating back 166 million years. The exceptional new fossil comprises a near-complete skeleton in a life-like posture, missing only its snout and tail. This makes it the most complete fossil lizard of this age found anywhere in the world. Bellairsia has a mixture of ancestral and modern features evident in its skeleton, providing evidence of what the ancestor of today's lizards (which are part of the…

With wings spanning nearly 4.9m (16 ft) in diameter, a new species of pterosaur, which also forms a new genus, has been identified from remains found from Bentiaba on the Atlantic coast of Angola in southern Africa. An international team, including two vertebrate palaeontologists from the Southern Methodist University (SMU) named the new genus and species Epapatelo otyikokolo. The generic name Epapatelo chosen in this case is the translation of a word from the Angolan Nhaneca dialect meaning ‘wing’, and the specific epithet'otyikokolo’ means ‘lizard.'The Nhaneca or Nyaneka people are an Indigenous group from Angola's Namibe Province, the region where the fossils were found. A whole community This flying reptile of the dinosaur age was found in the same region of Angola as fossils from large marine animals currently on…

When we think of legless lizards, it usually only seems to be the slow worm (Anguis fragilis) that springs to mind for most people. Then when it comes to glass lizards, the species that is most widely-known is the European sheltopusik, otherwise known to science as Pseudopus apodus. Early experiences I started out gaining experience of keeping legless lizards with the common slow worm, I then moved on to the sheltopusiks and some of the other legless lizards such as the African skinks. These lizards really shook up the world of reptile keeping for me as a young enthusiast. They taught me just how weird and diverse the hobby could be, if you dared to look beyond the conventional. I managed to acquire other species of Ophisaurus, many of which…

Sally's problem had begun when her owners had fed her a mouse two days previously. As usual, she took the mouse readily, so there was no cause to suspect a problem at that stage. They left her alone overnight to digest her meal but when they checked the following morning, she appeared uncomfortable. Having taken Sally out of her quarters to inspect her more closely, they then noticed that she looked rather strange around the face, and was opening her mouth repeatedly-almost as if she was yawning. So they decided it would be best to pay a visit to us, in order to get her checked out, and find the cause of the problem. A system failure When I examined Sally, there was an evident swelling present at the back…

I have always admired cane toads. Their adaptability is inspiring and they are a pleasure to keep. It's unfortunate that they have such a bad reputation based on their invasive nature, when in reality, they are simply following their natural survival instincts. Their size and voracious appetite make cane toads appealing to keep, and when housed in a large naturalistic vivarium, they make a great display amphibian. There is not much in the way of positive information available on this species so I have written the following article in order to share what I have learnt and hopefully, encourage some other readers to decide to keep these amazing toads. Geographical range The natural range of this species extends from southern Mexico, through Belize, Nicaragua and Costa Rica; and then in…

Coralie, which is located on the west side of North Creek (Grand Turk) in the Caribbean is a remarkable place. It was first inhabited about 1,300 years ago and is the oldest known archaeological site in the Turks and Caicos Islands and all of the Bahamas. It provides a view of the islands when humans first arrived, before the animal resources of the archipelago had ever been exploited. Coralie was an outpost for short-term visitors from Hispaniola who came to the island to harvest its abundant resources. Where giants roamed Animal bones were exceptionally well-preserved in the site's dry, sandy soil. The most prominent were from sea turtles, whose upper shell or carapace was used as a cooking pot. Nowhere else in the Caribbean have the bones of sea turtles…

Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) are an endangered species, known to spend most of their lives foraging in a single area, but they will return to the beach where they hatched to lay eggs. A new study, by the University of Exeter and the North Cyprus Society for the Protection of Turtles (SPOT), tagged and tracked females laying eggs at key rookeries (breeding beaches) in Cyprus, and has have now revealed 74% of them forage at Lake Bardawil in Egypt. Growing numbers The study found that nest numbers have almost tripled since the early 1990s - but the dependence on a few feeding sites, especially Lake Bardawil, leaves turtle populations vulnerable if conditions there change. “Since about 2010, ourtracking of turtles from Cyprus has shown a large increase in the number…

As a former bonsai master in a previous life many years ago, I believe that there are strong similarities between this activity and what may seem to be the completely unrelated art of designing attractive terraria. The aim of both is actually to create an aesthetic and pleasing appearance, in a three-dimensional and sculptural form. Bonsai trees also have a definite front, from which they are best viewed, just as a beautifully-decorated terrarium. Interesting shapes and a feeling of harmony, which includes linking between textures and colour, also play significant roles in bonsai and terrarium design. Both these activities strive to replicate beauty on a miniature scale, compared with what we may see in the wild, and it is this depiction which is perhaps most difficult to achieve. I have…

A scorpion with two venoms Scorpions have been one of my main interests for many years now and, although Botswana may not be home to as many species as some other African countries, it does possess some fascinating members of this group of arthropods.The family Buthidae is well-represented here, with perhaps the most common member of this group being the Transvaal fat-tail (Parabuthus transvaalicus), sometimes called the black hairy scorpion for reasons that will become clear in a moment. I remember working with this species at a couple of zoological collections, and breeding them on several occasions back in the UK. Over the past 15 years or so, I have been lucky enough to study them in both Botswana and South Africa, and have got to know the species in…

Unlike humans, turtles, lizards and other reptiles - such as crocodiles - do not have sex chromosomes. Their gender is determined based on the environment, which makes them especially vulnerable to climate change. An increase in incubation temperatures could jeopardise the production of both sexes. Gauging primary sex ratios in these species is critical because it assesses their vulnerability under both current and future climate change constraints. While there has been great progress in sex ratio prediction, studies have been hampered due to a lack of accurate and representative regional and population sex ratio estimates. As a result, primary sex ratios calculations could be skewed. Long-standing research Researchers from Florida Atlantic University (FAU), in collaboration with the Université Paris-Saclay in France, have demonstrated that the timing of the key developmental…

With over a million known species, insects are by far the most diverse group of organisms on Earth, with conservative estimates indicating there are millions more waiting to be found. But extinction due to human pressures may be outpacing the rate of discovery, with species disappearing before researchers even knew they existed. A useful indicator In order to conserve these species, scientists must first know where they are. While the distributions of some plant and animal groups have been extensively mapped, comparatively little is known regarding the whereabouts of the world's insects. In a new study, researchers created the most detailed distribution map to date of butterflies in the American tropics, showing that areas of highest diversity coincide with regions most threatened by deforestation and development. The study specifically focused…

Mine is a familiar story. My first pet turtle was a Peninsular cooter, rather predictably named Murtle, and she was acquired as a planned gift for me in 2004 as a tiny, bright and colourful hatchling. She was bought with no knowledge of her adult size, as is all too often the case. Over the next few years as my own knowledge grew, so did she! Being lucky enough to have a very supportive partner, I was able to get a significant tank upgrade for my not-so-little darling, but within a few more years, this too became cramped. After researching garden shed conversions, as well as outdoor and indoor ponds, I decided that for the sake of simplicity and minimal expenditure (which was very important at that stage), I needed…

This unusual species is also sometimes called Stoddart's unicorn lizard, being named after Charles Stoddart, who served in the British army and as a diplomat. It is endemic to Sri Lanka, being found within the central mountainous forest region on the island. Rhino-horned lizards are mainly arboreal by nature, living in the lower levels of the forest, where they hunt invertebrate prey. When these agamids descend to the ground, they are able to modify their colouration, rather like chameleons, assuming a browner hue to merge in with leaf litter. Yet these slow-moving lizards also have a vivid orange interior to their mouths, which they can use to shock would-be predators at close quarters, giving the opportunity to escape from danger. The distinctive'horn'seen in this species is longer and more pronounced…

FEATURE | STEP-BY-STEP Having investigating the subject, I created my first ever planted habitat for some African reed frogs (Hyperlious argus), but then, having done so, I realised that with some minor adaptions, a similar type of set-up could be designed for some of the geckos and other lizards that I keep. I have since created planted habitats for a wide variety of species, originating from both arid and tropical environments. Personally, I try to develop these so that they are representative of the animal's natural habitat. Some people will try to recreate it down to every detail, using only plants that are from that area. It is entirely up to you how much accuracy you want to incorporate in the design. You should always consider the future occupants’ needs…

The hazelworm's history and mystery One of the most curious creatures to straddle the boundaries of mythology and reality must surely be the European hazelworm, and yet its remarkable history is all but forgotten today. It is high time, therefore, to resurrect this invertebrate from centuries of zoological neglect and present what is a very curious case to a modern-day audience. Back in the Middle Ages, the Germanic folklore of Central Europe's alpine regions contained many tales of a terrifying dragon of the huge, limbless, serpent-like variety known as the worm (also known as wurm or wyrm). But this particular worm was set apart from others by its sometimes hairy rather than scaly outer surface, and above all else by its proclivity for inhabiting areas where hazel bushes are numerous.…