Herpetological Highlights

Everyone thinks turtles are chill, but they aren't always. They can be competitive when they need to be. 

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Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

Schofield G, Papafitsoros K, Chapman C, Shah A, Westover L, Dickson LCD, Katselidis KA. 2022. More aggressive sea turtles win fights over foraging resources independent of body size and years of presence. Animal Behaviour 190:209–219. DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.05.006.

Other Links/Mentions:

Kuta S.Lizard Remains Found Inside 2,500-Year-Old Coffins from Ancient Egypt. Available at https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lizard-remains-found-inside-2500-year-old-coffins-from-ancient-egypt-180982032/ (accessed April 25, 2023).

Editing and Music:

Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10 

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy

Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com

New research on crocodiles sheds light on how these massive beasts interact with each other. 

Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights

Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop

Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

Barham KE, Baker CJ, Franklin CE, Campbell HA, Frére CH, Irwin TR, Dwyer RG. 2023. Conditional alternative movement tactics in male crocodiles. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 77:31. DOI: 10.1007/s00265-023-03303-z.

Species of the Bi-Week:

Richards SJ, Donnellan SC, Oliver PM. 2023. Five new species of the pelodryadid genus Litoria Tschudi from the southern versant of Papua New Guinea’s Central Cordillera, with observations on the diversification of reproductive strategies in Melanesian treefrogs. Zootaxa 5263:151–190. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5263.2.1.

Editing and Music:

Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10 

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy

Bushmasters are massive vipers that remain somewhat of a mystery. This episode we look at a paper investigating their spatial ecology and habitat preferences.

Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights

Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop

Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

Padrón DF, Mebert K, Pareja-Mejía D, Bauer A, Fernandes Vasconcelos LD, Correia D, Fernandez Giné GA, Solé M. 2022. Living in a mosaic of Brazilian Atlantic Forest and plantations: spatial ecology of five bushmaster Lachesis muta (Viperidae Crotalinae). Ethology Ecology & Evolution:1–21. DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2022.2123860.

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

Guedes P, Alves-Martins F, Arribas JM, Chatterjee S, Santos AMC, Lewin A, Bako L, Webala PW, Correia RA, Rocha R, Ladle RJ. 2023. Eponyms have no place in 21st-century biological nomenclature. Nature Ecology & Evolution. DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02022-y.

Quah ESH, Grismer LL, Anuar MSS. 2023. Observations and description of a rare escape mechanism in a snake: Cartwheeling in Pseudorabdion longiceps (Cantor, 1847) (Squamata, Colubridea). Biotropica n/a. DOI: 10.1111/btp.13213.

Other Links/Mentions:

Pipa parva call from - https://amphibiaweb.org/cgi/amphib_query?where-genus=Pipa&where-species=parva

Editing and Music:

Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10 

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy

Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com

Stress can come from many places, loud noises are one example. So how do lizards react when their home is constantly bombarded by loud noises? We also have a new gecko for Species of the Bi-week.

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Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop

Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

Kepas ME, Sermersheim LO, Hudson SB, Lehmicke AJJ, French SS, Aubry LM. 2023. Behavior, stress and metabolism of a parthenogenic lizard in response to flyover noise. Frontiers in Amphibian and Reptile Science 1:1129253. DOI: 10.3389/famrs.2023.1129253.

Species of the Bi-Week:

Chan KO, Grismer LL, Santana F, Pinto P, Loke FW, Conaboy N. 2023. Scratching the surface: a new species of Bent-toed gecko (Squamata, Gekkonidae, Cyrtodactylus) from Timor-Leste of the darmandvillei group marks the potential for future discoveries. ZooKeys 1139:107–126. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1139.96508.

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

Walker, JM, Taylor HL, Manning GJ, Cordes JE, Montgomery CE, Livo LJ., ... & Loeffler C. 2012. Michelle's lizard: identity, relationships, and ecological status of an array of parthenogenetic lizards (Genus Aspidoscelis: Squamata: Teiidae) in Colorado, USA. Herpetological Conservation and Biology, 7(2), 227-248.

Other Links/Mentions:

Kimbrough L. 2023.New gecko species from Timor-Leste hints at island’s unknown diversity. Available at https://news.mongabay.com/2023/02/new-gecko-species-from-timor-leste-hints-at-islands-unknown-diversity/ (accessed April 6, 2023).

Editing and Music:

Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10 

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy

Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com

It's a commonly held belief that snakes can't hear, or can't hear very well, because they have no external ear openings. Some clever new research puts that myth to bed.

Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights

Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop

Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

Zdenek CN, Staples T, Hay C, Bourke LN, Candusso D. 2023. Sound garden: How snakes respond to airborne and groundborne sounds. PLOS ONE 18:e0281285. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281285.

Other Links/Mentions:

Zdenek et al video of snakes reacting to noise - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnNzinwwItk 

Editing and Music:

Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10 

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy

Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com

Some animals can escape the attention of ants with special chemical cues. We discuss a nice example of this and follow up with a brand new frog species. 

Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights

Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop

Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

de Lima Barros A, López-Lozano JL, Lima AP. 2016. The frog Lithodytes lineatus (Anura: Leptodactylidae) uses chemical recognition to live in colonies of leaf-cutting ants of the genus Atta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 70:2195–2201. DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2223-y.

Species of the Bi-Week:

Griesbaum F, Jongsma GFM, Penner J, Kouamé NG, Doumbia J, Gonwouo NL, Hillers A, Glos J, Blackburn DC, Rödel M-O. 2023. The smallest of its kind: Description of a new cryptic Amnirana species (Amphibia, Anura, Ranidae) from West African rainforests. Zootaxa 5254:301–339. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5254.3.1.

Editing and Music:

Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10 

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy

Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com

Toads are wonderful creatures, and their exceptional adaptability makes them superb invaders when transported to new lands by humans. Unfortunately, this can be bad news for the creatures already present –see Cane Toads in Australia. We check in on the progress of Asian Common Toads in Madagascar this episode.

Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights

Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop

Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

Licata F, Ficetola GF, Falaschi M, Muller BJ, Andreone F, Harison RF, Freeman K, Monteiro AT, Rosa S, Crottini A. 2023. Spatial ecology of the invasive Asian common toad in Madagascar and its implications for invasion dynamics. Scientific Reports 13:3526. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29467-2.

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

Vences M, Brown JL, Lathrop A, Rosa GM, Cameron A, Crottini A, Dolch R, Edmonds D, Freeman KLM, Glaw F, Grismer LL, Litvinchuk S, Milne MG, Moore M, Solofo JF, Noël J, Nguyen TQ, Ohler A, Randrianantoandro C, Raselimanana AP, van Leeuwen P, Wogan GOU, Ziegler T, Andreone F, Murphy RW. 2017. Tracing a toad invasion: lack of mitochondrial DNA variation, haplotype origins, and potential distribution of introduced Duttaphrynus melanostictus in Madagascar. Amphibia-Reptilia 38:197–207. DOI: 10.1163/15685381-00003104.

Other Links/Mentions:

Indus Valley Bullfrog information from AmphiaWeb - https://amphibiaweb.org/cgi/amphib_query?where-scientific_name=Hoplobatrachus+Tigerinus&rel-scientific_name=contains&include_synonymies=Yes

Indus Valley Bullfrog call from Md Azijul Hakim - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAxF0MKBcUw

Editing and Music:

Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10 

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy

Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com

We have previously talked about pythons in Florida eating everything they can fit in their mouths; but are there any creatures that eat them? We follow up the chat of python predators with a new tiny Species of the Bi-week.

Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights

Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop

Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

Currylow A, Fitzgerald A, Goetz M, Draxler J, Anderson G, McCollister M, Romagosa C, Yackel Adams A. 2023. Natives bite back: depredation and mortality of invasive juvenile Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem. Management of Biological Invasions 14:107–122. DOI: 10.3391/mbi.2023.14.1.06.

Species of the Bi-Week:

Menegon M, Lyakurwa JV, Loader SP, Tolley KA. 2022. Cryptic diversity in pygmy chameleons (Chamaeleonidae: Rhampholeon) of the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania, with description of six new species. Acta Herpetologica 17:85–113. DOI: 10.36253/a_h-12978.

Editing and Music:

Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10 

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy

Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com

Some frogs can make themselves virtually invisible to would-be predators - we find out how.

Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights

Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop

Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

Taboada C, Delia J, Chen M, Ma C, Peng X, Zhu X, Jiang L, Vu T, Zhou Q, Yao J, O’Connell L, Johnsen S. 2022. Glassfrogs conceal blood in their liver to maintain transparency. Science 378:1315–1320. DOI: 10.1126/science.abl6620.

Other Links/Mentions:

Frog call: https://bit.ly/3xKrmRf 

Article about snake in the garden: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/gran-79-who-cant-see-28946676 

Editing and Music:

Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10 

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy

Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com

New techniques allow unprecedented insight into the underwater behaviour of Australia's flatback sea turtles. Then we chat about some newly described spiny lizards from Peru.

Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights

Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop

Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

Hounslow JL, Fossette S, Byrnes EE, Whiting SD, Lambourne RN, Armstrong NJ, Tucker AD, Richardson AR, Gleiss AC. 2022. Multivariate analysis of biologging data reveals the environmental determinants of diving behaviour in a marine reptile. Royal Society Open Science 9:211860. DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211860.

Species of the Bi-Week:

Venegas PJ, García-Ayachi LA, Chávez-Arribasplata JC, García-Bravo A. 2022. Four new species of polychromatic spiny-tailed iguanian lizards, genus Stenocercus (Iguania: Tropiduridae), from Peru. Zootaxa 5115:1–28. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5115.1.1.

Editing and Music:

Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10 

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy

Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com