Reptiles and Amphibians
New snake species named after assassinated forest campaigner
A deadly but beautiful new species of palm pit-viper snake has been named after the assassinated forest campaigner Mario Guifarro. The gorgeous new species was discovered by scientists during two expeditions in 2010 aimed at studying the fauna of Texiguat Wildlife Refuge, one of the most endemism-rich and diverse highland forests in Mesoamerica. The new [...]
109 King Cobras seized in one day in Vietnam
Authorities in Vietnam undertook 2 operations on Friday which resulted in the seizure of 109 King Cobras. 53 were found in a sack in a car being driven in Hanoi and 56 were seized in Hoang Mai District. The world’s most verminous snake which grows up to 18 feet in length is also sadly sought for [...]
55,000 people say no to rattlesnake slaughter
Over 55,000 people have signed a petition calling on the city authorities of Opp, Alabama to end the annual ‘rattlesnake rodeo’ which sees prizes being given to hunters of eastern diamondback rattlesnakes. The snakes are becoming increasingly rare across southeastern United States and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have launched a full review into [...]
Newts, Police and wildlife conservation gone mad
Has the time come to take a close look at the wildlife laws and organisations in the UK? There’s little doubt that something has gone wrong with either the law or the interpretation of the law by Natural England when you take a look at the case of the solitary newt and the new police [...]
Is Kidderminster a hub for illegal wildlife trading?
Concerns are being raised over the activities taking place in the Wyre Forest Glades Leisure Centre in Kidderminster this Sunday – 29th July 2012. A planned reptile and amphibian fair is to take place in direct contravention of legislation that prevents pets from being sold at market stalls. The trading of pets at market stalls was banned [...]
Endangered frogs saved from the cooking pot
In a series of raids by Indian forest officials 40 endangered bull frogs have been rescued from poachers and saved from the cooking pot. The Indian bull frog is a delicacy in the restaurants of Goa but they are becoming increasingly rare and are now protected in India. During the operation 6 poachers were captured and the forest [...]
Tadpoles change shape in presence of herbicides
A team of ecologists from the University of Pittsburg have just published a paper in Ecological Applications that demonstrate that tadpoles will change shape when the herbicide Roundup is present in the water. It’s not some Frankenstein monster though but the chemical induces the same changes that predators induce – much longer tails. When predators of tadpoles are found [...]
Videos reveal turtle eating habits
A team of marine biologists used video cameras attached to the backs of leatherback turtles to find out a little more about the eating habits of these fascinating creatures. Can it really be worthwhile turtles migrating thousands of miles to feed on jellyfish? The study looked into why leatherback turtles considered it beneficial to swim [...]
Leatherback migration routes reveal danger zones
The impressive leatherback turtle is the largest sea turtle in nature, growing to greater than 6 feet in length. It is, additionally, one of the most endangered of the marine turtles . A substantial new examination of migration patterns has confirmed high-use areas – and therefore possible danger zones – in the Pacific Ocean for [...]
Protected species found living at zoo
You would expect to find rare and endangered species living in a zoo being well looked after and cared for by the staff. But when ducklings started to go missing at a zoo in Coimbatore, India it led to the discovery of a population of rare carnivorous turtles living in the duck enclosure. The population of [...]
Life as a male when 19 in 20 turtles are female
Temperatures play an important part in turtle reproduction. When temperatures are high the eggs will produce more females than males. With rising global temperatures this could pose some problems for turtles. Too many females and not enough males could lead to inbreeding as the genetic diversity reduces. New research led by the University of Exeter though seems to show that nature [...]
Calls for tokay gecko to be brought under CITES treaty
We reported on the growing trade in geckos earlier in the year, in particular the trade revolving around the false claims of tokay geckos curing HIV and AIDS. Unfortunately things are no better – if anything it’s getting worse. This has lead to the TRAFFIC coalition of wildlife groups to call for CITES protection of [...]
Beetle’s deadly dance lures amphibians
We often think of amphibians such as toads hunting beetles for food, but there are exceptions to this when roles are reversed and the amphibians become the prey of beetles. Zoologists from Tel Aviv University have recently published a study on PLoS ONE about ground beetle larvae that does a dance to attract their prey. [...]
New hope in fight against frog fungus
Researchers at Oregon State University may have made a breakthrough in the current battle against a fungus that is devastating amphibians across the world. It appears that a species of daphnia will feed on the spores of the fungus offering hope of a realistic biological control in the wild. Fungus devastating amphibian populations. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis [...]
Thinking of winter in the height of summer
It’s July and the height of summer. As I look out the window and see the rain pouring down (this is Wales after all) my thoughts turn to the coming autumn and winter. This is a good time to start looking at providing overwintering sites for wildlife in the garden. It may seem a little early but we [...]
Possible breakthrough in fight against frog fungus
International researchers may have discovered a way in which to help frogs battle against a fungus that is sweeping across the world. The chytrid fungus has had a devastating impact on frog populations around the world for the last 30 years. Initially confined to Australia and South America the fungus is now global and found almost [...]
Where do all the sea turtles live?
If you ever wondered where the green sea turtles lived a new award winning online map will give you the answers. The State of the World’s Sea Turtles (SWOT) map of 1167 nesting sites has just won the International Conservation Mapping Competition 2011. The sea turtle map is based on Google maps and allows you to [...]
The wacky world of HIV and gecko spit
The poor old Tokay lizard has yet another problem to deal with. It would appear that the latest crazy wonder drug is an enzyme from it’s saliva that is reputed to be able to cure HIV. Such magical properties has seen the value of a Tokay gecko in the Asian countries go so high that [...]
25 Most endangered turtle species named
The Turtle Conservation Coalition and the Wildlife Conservation society have just named the most endangered turtle species on the planet at a workshop in Singapore. for some – such as ‘Lonesome George’ the future is not good. Poor George is the only remaining individual of Abdington Island giant tortoise.
Race to save Haiti’s wildlife
Researchers from Penn State University are racing to save the diversity of life on the island of Haiti. There are fears that the island is on the brink of a mass extinction of it’s wide diversity of wildlife. The university is taking a lead role in the trying to maintain the frog and reptile populations on [...]