#reptile species

[critter-of-the-day]

10th of October 2024: Thai Forest Skink

Already a third of the way through October, damn. Anyway, here’s the Thai Forest Skink (Sphenomorphus tersus). While it wasn’t specified why they were given the name tersus, its latin translation may be referring to the “elegant” body shape of the skink [1].

For the first 85 years of their existence, they were only known to live in Thailand, however in 2001, their presence in peninsular Malaysia was thought to be confirmed based upon a single gal found among boulders next to a stream [2]. Later analyses then found a very similar skink species inhabiting this area, meaning that whether or not they are actually found there is still uncertain [3].

They can be found in many varieties of forest, such as primary and secondary dipterocarp forests [4] – dipterocarp here referring to the family of plants found there, in this case a type of often, if not always, large tropical tree [5] – as well as monsoonal evergreen forest. This combined with their habitat being rather unthreatened has meant they are considered of Least Concern in terms of conservation [4].

Sources: [1] [2, Vol. 33, pg. 149] [3] [4] [5] [Image] 

[memoriesofthepark]

Common five-lined skink 》 Plestiodon fasciatus

Spotted this guy on the camping trip and have been seeing them around my apartment every since I got home.

Caddo Lake State Park, Texas, 3 Aug. 2024

[wild-wow-facts]

Gharial: Nature's Fish-Eating Specialist

Discover the fascinating world of the Gharial, a unique crocodilian adapted for a life in water! Learn about its diet, behavior, and habitat.

Check out my other videos here: Animal Kingdom Animal Facts Animal Education

[rebeccathenaturalist]

So--long story short, a FedEx driver killed a rattlesnake that happened to be on someone's porch, not causing any immediate problems. This is an all too common practice here in the United States, where a significant portion of the population has the backwards idea that "the only good snake is a dead snake" and that the only way to deal with a venomous snake in the proximity of a house, or people in general, is to kill it. Never mind that snakes tend to move on if left alone, and that there are numerous entities that can be contacted to move the snake safely to another place if so desired, and that most bites occur when someone is harassing, handling, or trying to kill the snake.

Dr. Emily Taylor of California Polytechnic State University (@snakeymama on Twitter) has requested that people contact FedEx about their recent commercial glorifying the killing of the snake, which you can view here. I've included both her and my letters to the appropriate folks at FedEx. There are options for both email and snail mail correspondence, and the more people FedEx hears from about this appalling matter, the better.

It's 2024, almost 2025. We have tons of information on rattlesnake behavior and best practices in coexisting with them (to include training your dogs in snake avoidance). We know plenty about the importance they have in local ecosystems, and the devastation that has been done through people slaughtering them, sometimes in the thousands (I wrote about the ongoing problem of rattlesnake roundups and their inherent cruelty here.) There are multiple rattlesnake species that are endangered or otherwise threatened with extinction.

The vast majority of encounters with venomous snakes are benign, and the vast majority of bites come from someone (person, dog, etc.) confronting the snake that was just trying to defend itself. We've spent a lot of time in this country defaulting to killing anything that inconveniences us, but there are better ways to live safely in proximity to wildlife that don't involve violence. It just takes a little more effort and awareness, and most importantly a significant attitude change that no longer vilifies native wildlife simply trying to live their lives.

As Dr. Taylor mentioned, if you want to contact FedEx, here are your options:

"You can help by reposting this or by emailing to express your concern about the commercial: mediarelations@fedex.com and to the CEO at FWSmith@fedex.com. Or send letters to: Fred Smith, CEO Brie Carere, Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Officer Ryan Kelly, Vice President of Marketing FedEx Corporation 942 South Shady Grove Road Memphis, TN 38120 USA"

[barghest-land]

fieldbook (mostly this year): expedition sketches. different places and seasons

[serpentface]

Fuck it, Longisquama analogue. Attempting to show himself off on a painted Ganmache cult statue.

[puppyeared]

wanna see a magic trick? 🪄🎩

[reasonsforhope]

"In Cambodia, 60 eggs were found in the nest of one of the world’s most endangered large reptiles, which after hatching set a new record for an international conservation effort to save them.

It was believed the Siamese crocodile, with the distinctive bony crest running down its skull, was extinct in the wild until it was rediscovered in 2000. Almost all of the 400 animals remaining live in Cambodia.

A network of private-public partnerships have been organizing conservation measures to protect the species, including captive breeding and reintroduction programs, and village patrols to ensure their nests and habitat are not tampered with.

In May [2024], locals in the Cardamom Mountains found a nesting site in an area that crocodiles hadn’t been released, suggesting they are expanding and breeding under their own powers: a tremendous sign for the species’ recovery.

“The hatching of 60 new crocodiles is a tremendous boost,” said Pablo Sinovas, who leads the Cambodia programme of conservation group Fauna & Flora International, which has been running a captive breeding program since 2012.

They’ve successfully reintroduced 196 crocs back into the wild, and it was they who deployed a team of conservationists to the nest site found in May for round-the-clock care and observation until every last one of the 60 eggs hatched, bringing their precious cargo into the world.

Generally speaking for crocodile species, the mothers are very attentive beasts, and even the fathers will help raise young if the mother isn’t around. When hatching, the little crocs emerge from the creche of eggs chirping, calling the mother in who then excavates the nest and takes any unhatched eggs in her mouth, rolling them around to speed up the hatching process.

The young are carried to the water in the mother’s mouth, where she will watch over, feed, and care for them until the next mating season."

-via Good News Network, July 19, 2024

[typhlonectes]

Scientists develop groundbreaking method for detecting DNA of invasive snakes in Florida

Scientists at the University of Florida have developed a pioneering tool to bolster Florida's defenses against invasive species: a DNA-based environmental monitoring test that can pinpoint where they've been, aiding eradication efforts.

Once a nonnative species gets into an environment, it is often too late to get rid of it, and the focus shifts to containment or long-term management. Both approaches come with heavy costs concerning native wildlife and funding, explained Melissa Miller, lead author on the study and an invasion ecologist at the UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center (UF/IFAS FLREC). "We hope this novel eDNA sampling tool we have designed will help increase efficiency in invasive species management, allowing for early detection and rapid removal of nonnative species," she said...

Read more:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/11/241122130344.htm

[demitsorou]

My thrall Saros, he's a giant 14ft tall biopunk lizard demon that can shift form between the said giant lizard and a fucked up monster man with fat tits. Artworks from 2019/2020

Thralls and The Loyal Ones Fantasy Universe belong to @sixfootart

[thereweredragonshere]

Hi I was wondering what u think a female night fury be like ? Do you think like most birds they’re bigger than the males or have you got something else in mind ? Love to hear your thoughts ^^

Personally my take on the female night fury is that it is bigger than the male, with a few minor differences with ear nubs/leg spikes and stuff. I’m mainly basing that off reptiles where a lot of the time the female is bigger, but other than that there isn’t much in terms of sexual dimorphism. That being said there are a lot of examples of male reptiles being bigger than the female of the same species, but eh, it’s a fictional flying lizard, who cares.

[critter-of-the-day]

28th of October 2024: Alligator Snapping Turtle

Let’s just keep the ridiculously large critters rolling for our Halloween season; here’s the Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii). They are the largest freshwater turtle in the USA [1], at a length of 40-70 cm and weight of 18-70 kg [2].

They are found mostly in the Southern parts of the United States [1], where they will prefer to stay in the parts of the waterways that offer cover to them, such as submerged logs, overhanging shrubbery, or beaver dams. They don’t leave the water, except to lay eggs, and so they also don’t spend time basking in the sun. Instead it is suspected that they use different water depths to adjust their temperature as the seasons change [3].

They are opportunistic generalist predators, being open to eating most things that come swimming their way [4]. That’s not even a metaphor, as their hunting strategy involves opening their mouth to reveal a worm-like appendage that their prey mistakes for food when the Alligator Snapping Turtle lies still. Thus they come closer and the turtle will eat them [2]. This obviously leads to a lot of fish in their diet, as well as crawfish and freshwater mussels, however researchers have also found remains of other turtles, mammals such as nutria, snakes, or even birds within their stomachs [4].

While they’re native to the USA, they have also been introduced to and are now considered an invasive species in South Africa [2]. In the 1960s and 1970s they were also threatened by commercial hunting, and while it’s been banned since, there are still people who illegal hunt them. They are also affected by the killing of other non-human animals by humans, as they may swallow hooks or become entangled in fishing lines [1]. They are rated as Vulnerable by the IUCN, but that assessment was made in 1996 and has not been updated since [5].

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [Image] 

[memoriesofthepark]

Three-toed box turtle 》 Terrapene triunguis

Sometimes if I go early enough I can say good morning to some box turtles in the park.

Southeast Texas, 12 July 2024

[wbicepuppy]

In the river bed, acrylics on canvas

[critter-creature-or-beast]

Submitted for classification by @iamshmolphrog

"How bout this polite turtle"

[snototter]

The eye of an invasive green iguana (Iguana iguana) in Florida's Everglades National Park, USA

by Cath Dominguez