Innehållsförteckning för March 2023 från Practical Reptile Keeping

What have been the past impacts of climate change and alterations in sea level, in terms of the development of today’s crocodile populations? Determined to find answers to these questions, researchers from Montreal’s McGill University discovered that while changing temperatures and rainfall had little impact on the crocodiles’ gene flow over the past three million years, changes to sea levels during the Ice Age had a very significant and lasting effect. Creation of a barrier “The American crocodile tolerates huge variations in temperature and rainfall. But about 20,000 years ago - when much of the world’s water was frozen, forming the vast ice sheets of the last glacial maximum sea levels dropped by more than 100m (328ft). This created a geographical barrier that separated the gene flow of crocodiles in…

Feasting at a Cocoa Beach pizza parlour grease bin gave one northern curly-tailed lizard (Leiocephalus carinatus) a recordbreaking case of constipation. Mouthfuls of insects, an anole and greasy sand congealed into an unpassable glob of poop accounting for nearly 80% of the animal’s total body mass – the largest known faeces-to-body-mass ratio recorded in a living animal, let alone a reptile. “When we caught this lizard, we just assumed the animal was ready to lay eggs,” explains Natalie Claunch, from the University of Florida School of Natural Resources and Environment. “But when we went to feel for eggs, it just felt like it was full of putty.” Establishing the cause Once Claunch and Edward Stanley, director of the Florida Museum’s Digital Discovery and Dissemination Laboratory, CT-scanned the lizard, they found…

Given their restricted island ranges, you might think that all day gecko species have been known to science for many years, but in fact, seven new species have been discovered since the turn of the century, and others may yet still await discovery. There are around 70 species and subspecies currently recognised, with the most northerly example being the Andaman Islands day gecko (P. andamanensis), whose homeland lies closer to India rather than Africa. One of the recent species to be reported was discovered in 2004 on the Exo Terra expedition to Madagascar. It was found in the bamboo forests on the Ampasindava peninsula in north-west of the island by herpetologist and European Exo Terra brand manager Emmanuel Van Heygen, and it also named after him, as Phelsuma vanheygeni. This…

DO YOU NEED A HELPING HAND OR ADVICE? Email your queries to practicalreptilekeeping@gmail.com. A selection of submitted questions will appear here every month. Regrettably, replies can only be given through this column, and if you are worried about the health of your animal, seek veterinary advice without delay. Q&A While the benefits of providing the correct lighting for reptiles are widely accepted, should the quarters of invertebrates be illuminated too? Many invertebrates do of course hide away in dark areas, even if they are not actually found in woodland, so as to avoid becoming prey for a passing predator. But could they benefit in a similar way to reptiles for example, from exposure to artificial lighting within a terrarium? Most invertebrate keepers presently do not light their enclosures at all.…

Fire-bellied toads of the genus Bombina are popular with many amphibian enthusiasts around the globe, with the most widely-kept species being the very colourful Oriental fire-bellied toad (Bombina orientalis). But the genus consists of other species too, including some that are only rarely seen or indeed, are still totally unrecorded in collections. Certain members of the group are very easy to keep, like the Greek yellow-bellied toad (Bombina v. scabra) whereas others, such as the small-webbed toad (Bombina microdeladigitora) are much more demanding. There is thus plenty of scope both for those keen to gain experience and more knowledgeable enthusiasts as well. Systematics and general information Fire-bellied toads typically measure 4-9cm (1.5-3.5in) long, and their way of life is semi-aquatic, meaning that they live in and around water. A striking…

REGULAR | HERPETOLOGICAL MYSTERIES Herpetological Mysteries On 22 April 2010, I finally fulfilled a lifelong ambition, by visiting a veritable Lost World of dinosaurs and other monstrous members of our planet's prehistoric fauna. Yet this particular encounter did not take place on top of some lofty South American mesa, or in the midst of some remote African rainforest. Instead, it was cosily ensconced within a leafy, tranquil setting not very far from the frantic hustle and bustle of central London. Here at Crystal Palace Park, you can see a spectacular array of life-sized (albeit far from life-like!) palaeontological reconstructions. These date back to the Victorian era of the 19th century, and feature the earliest representations of dinosaurs ever created, anywhere in the world. Today, they are considered by many to be…

Researchers have recently been examining near-perfect fossils of the world's first gliding reptile very closely, and untangled previously unrecognised aspects to discover it was a change in tree canopy which most likely facilitated the development of this form of flight in these creatures. Since the first fossils of Coelurosauravus elivensis were discovered back in 1907, there has been lively debate over how this species actually lived during the Late Permian Period - between 260 million to 252 million years ago - and how its unique body parts fit together. Shaped by the environment By piecing together enough fossils to create a near-perfect skeletal reconstruction, new research provides fresh insights into the tetrapod's morphology and its habits; and crucially establishes how it became the first-known reptile to glide. The answer to…

Apreviously-unknown thalattosuchian—an ancient relative of modern day crocodiles—has been added to the remarkable list of fossils unearthed on the so-called “Jurassic Coast” of Dorset in the UK. Much of the body, including part of the head, backbone, and limbs was discovered in the Charmouth Mudstone Formation. As a result, Turnersuchus hingleyae is the only complete enough thalattosuchian of its age, dating back to the Early Jurassic, Pliensbachian period, around 185 million years ago, to be named to date. More finds await The discovery of this new predator helps fill a gap in the fossil record and suggests that thalattosuchians, along with other crocodyliforms, should have originated around the end of the Triassic period—around 15 million years further back in time than when Turnersuchus itself lived. “We should now expect to…

FEATURE | GREEN RAT SNAKES When I began keeping reptiles, red-tailed rat snakes or racers (Gonyosoma oxycephalum) were very widely available, in virtually every reptile store, so it perhaps wasn't surprising that I acquired some for myself. I was rather lucky with the ones that I started out with, as the guy who was offering them for sale knew what he was doing, and I ended up with top quality specimens. While I spent a lot of time working with them, it was actually Ridley's cave racers (Othriophis taeniurus ridleyi) that I had much more success with at first, in terms of breeding. I found the red-tailed racers to be really great snakes to work with though, and it was a fantastic way of improving my hook skills, keeping me…

Out of Africa FEATURE | GORGE LIFE When most people think about the types of habitat where such creatures can be found, tropical rainforest or desert environments are often likely to be the first that are mentioned. But based on my experiences, living and travelling in various parts of Africa, one of the most interesting and exciting place to see such wildlife is in gorges. These are seriously underestimated places when it comes to finding members of all three groups. So what exactly is a gorge? It is essentially a valley carved out over the course of millions of years by water erosion. As rivers run through soft rock, over time, the continual erosion wears away that rock, to leave a deep cleft, creating a gorge in the landscape. The Grand…

Snakes bite 5.4 million people each year—and roughly half are injected with venom, according to the World Health Organisation. Between 81,000 and 138,000 people die, while around three times as many suffer amputations and other permanent disabilities. As a result of their size, children often suffer the most severe effects. For 128 years, our primary treatment against snakebite has been using mixtures of polyclonal antibodies derived from immunised animal blood. Although they are proven effective, these medicines may cause adverse reactions that can sometimes be severe. So, the search for new ways to treat cases of snake bite and overcome the effects of the venom is ongoing. Better treatment Recently, an international team of scientists led by DTU in Denmark achieved remarkable results, having developed a new modernised prototype treatment…

Akito Kawahara was snapping pictures at a scenic outlook in Hawaii when he spotted the moth equivalent of a dodo! As an entomologist, Kawahara recognised the squiggly patterns on nearby plants as trails carved by leaf-mining caterpillars and lowered his camera to take a closer look. To his astonishment, he saw a tiny moth that most experts had assumed was extinct. It belongs to a genus known as Philodoria, a type of moth found only in Hawaii and one that hadn’t been documented in the wild since 1976. “I thought “I thought: ‘I don’t believe it: there’s a Philodoria right here!’” says Kawahara, associate curator at the Florida Museum of Natural History’s McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity. “That was the beginning. It opened my eyes to the fact that…

These particular agamid lizards are found in the Western Ghats and the Shevaroy Hills of India, as well as on the island of Sri Lanka. They are primarily arboreal, living in forested areas, and can grow up to 65cm (26in) in length, with their body being relatively short in comparison with their long tail. The appearance of mature males varies through the year, and they will become much more colourful, particularly in the vicinity of the head, as the breeding season approaches. At this stage, males prove to be very territorial and they will fight with rivals. Their dewlap - the fold of skin under the throat - turns a vibrant red, which explains why they may be referred to as bloodsuckers. They actually feed on invertebrates however, and are…

Gently does it! FEATURE Minimise stress! Interacting with our animals by being able to pick them up provides a unique opportunity to admire them at close quarters. You can appreciate their physiological adaptations, reflecting their environment and lifestyle; feel the unique texture of their skin and admire their complex beauty. Handling provides a means to gain their trust and form a closer bond as well, and of course, it can also be important as an early warning, when it comes to detecting health problems. However, do not forget that the majority of reptiles are prey animals, and in their natural state, their instinctive reaction towards humans is to recognise us as a source of danger - a potential predator. As a result, untamed animals will typically respond to being held with…