Famous Reptiles

Scientists are turning to the living world to find alternatives for concrete. Many different animals, such as tortoises, turtles and oysters, produce hardened structural materials of their own — but one of the most interesting sources of hard materials comes from certain bacteria that produce calcite, a form of calcium carbonate that makes up limestone. Concrete is the most widely consumed material on Earth, with about 25 billion tons produced every year. It lasts decades longer than other building materials and it doesn't burn, rust or rot. But the manufacturing of cement, the primary component of concrete, is the most energy intensive of all manufacturing industries; it's a major source of carbon dioxide emissions, amounting to 2.8 billion tons per year or roughly 8 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. As we stare down the catastrophic changes occurring to the Earth's climate, we must now reckon with the associated environmental costs of producing concrete. Living ...

Some of the world's deadliest snakes were caught in the act of mating in a home's drainpipe and had to be yanked out by their tails, according to news reports.  Two Eastern brown snakes ( Pseudonaja textilis ), which are native to Australia and New Guinea, had crawled into a drainpipe at a home in Nambour, Queensland, in Australia and were only halfway into their mating session when snake catchers interrupted their tryst.  The interruption threw the male of the pair into a venomous hissy fit, and the deadly snake was close to landing multiple bites on its captor before both snakes were bundled away safely in cloth bags. The nail-biting scene was captured on video and can be seen on the snake-catching company's Facebook page . Related: 7 shocking snake stories   "When we arrived, the snakes had their heads in the pipe so I was able to sneak up on them. I grabbed them both at the same time however one slipped out when I tried to pull ...

One in eight birds, one in four mammals, and one third of amphibians are at risk of extinction. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), there are 16,306 endangered species — including animals and plants. The IUCN's Red List is the premier source for the state of the world's biodiversity. Here are five animals that are currently endangered. Leatherback Turtle (Credit: ACEgan/Shutterstock) The largest turtles on Earth , leatherback turtles can reach 2,200 pounds. The only turtle without a hard shell, their name comes from the appearance of their leathery-looking skin. Incredibly, they've changed very little during the millions of years of their existence. These sea turtles can swim an impressive 10,000 miles each year to get to their nesting area. With notable diving skills, leatherbacks have been known to dive almost 4,000 feet, and can stay underwater for over an hour. They've become endangered due to a variety of issues , including...

"I guess he's like my great-grandfather," said 23-year-old Gloria Li, pointing to her plum-sized tortoise, who is about three years old. "Look how old he is. He's really slow. He has wrinkles. He was born like an old man." Tortoises are not the most common choice of pet. A list published in August, 2020, ranked reptiles, which includes tortoises, the fourth among all the animals owned as pets in the U.S. And the list recorded 136 times as many households with dogs as there were reptiles, not to mention tortoises. Put simply, "It's rare to see people walking their tortoise," said Li. In May, Li moved to the Mission with her boyfriend. After spending a few weeks researching the lives of tortoises in BBC documentaries, and on zoo websites and Reddit, on Nov. 3 she met the little creature in a pet shop in downtown San Francisco. "All the other tortoises were sleeping. But he was the only one awake. There...

They hiss, they slither and unfortunately for humans and unsuspecting prey, they bite. Snakes bite about 5.4 million people every year, resulting in between 81,000 and 138,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organization .  Venomous snakes kill their victims with toxic substances produced in a modified salivary gland that the animal then injects into prey using their fangs. Such venom has evolved over millions of years to cause severe reactions in the victim, from immobilization and hemorrhage to tissue death and inflammation, researchers reported in 2019 in the journal Frontiers of Ecology and Evolution . Here are 10 snakes whose venom not only packs a punch for small prey but that can take out humans. 10. Black mamba   Black mambas are Africa's deadliest snakes. (Image credit: suebg1 photography via Getty Images) Africa's deadliest snake, the black mamba ( Dendroaspis polylepis ) can kill a person with just two drops of venom, Live Science r...

Before we consider the issue that U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., phoned me to talk about last week — shipping fighting birds through the United States Postal Service — we need to wrap our heads around the general idea of animals being sent through the mail. It is a common practice. "They sent me a list of things you can legally mail," Quigley said. "Poultry, honeybees, scorpions, live adult birds, which is depressing. Baby alligators, frogs, chameleons, lizards, etc." Which makes sense. Animals need to get to farms and pet stores. It isn't like they can take a bus. Posting them doesn't strike me as particularly cruel. Given the amount of time a frog spends hibernating at the bottom of a frigid lake, four days in a dark container doesn't seem a crime against nature. But that isn't the problem Quigley is trying to address. "Today we're focused on buying, selling, possessing or receiving any animals for purposes of the animal parti...

It's pretty easy to see how the short-horned lizard got its name, but these spiky reptiles have more in their defence arsenal than a bit of body armour:  when threatened, they can shoot blood out of their eyes !  Also known as "horny toads" because of their flattened shape, short-horned lizards ( Phrynosoma douglassi ) employ the blood-shooting only as a last-ditch effort. The salvo comes from ducts located near the eyes, and it's blood with a bonus: in addition to the usual components,  research shows  the foul-tasting fluid also contains chemicals that cause gastric distress in some animals (and that's something members of the genus who don't shoot blood can't boast about). All that said, blood-squirting is a last resort, and the reptiles very rarely squirt humans. Horned lizards more commonly turn to a different tactic to scare off would-be predators like hawks, coyotes and snakes: looking large a...

Besides rescuing these reptiles, he raises awareness about them among his neighbours On November 12, Vijay Anandan M took a day off from work. The IT engineer was attending to a few snake rescue calls from Semmancheri and Sholinganallur. Following a heavy downpour, these snakes had entered houses. Vijay views his voluntary work as rescuing snakes from being killed. Ever since the onset of this monsoon, Vijay has rescued 12 snakes including two cobras. Amidst office work, he manages to find time for snake rescues. Vijay moved to Sholinganallur from Egmore four years ago as that would make his commute to Siruseri easy. "In Sholinganallur, I have seen people killing even non-venemous snakes — such as rat snakes, checkered keelback, olive keelback, kukuri, bronze-back tree snake, buff striped keelback, wolf snake, and sandboa — out of fear for their own safety. I wanted to do something about it. Hence, I requested these people to call me the next time they encountered a snake...

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) would like to remind hunters of a declaration of emergency reducing the number of either-sex deer hunting days for the 2021-22 season on Joyce, Maurepas Swamp and Salvador/Timken Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs).   The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (LWFC) passed the declaration of emergency during its October meeting due to the impact of Hurricane Ida. It is intended to mitigate the anticipated reduction in fawn survival and subsequent lack of recruitment into the deer herds. The act amends either-sex deer harvest on Joyce and Maurepas Swamp WMAs to bucks only during firearms season Nov. 26-28 and primitive firearm season Jan. 8-9 and Jan. 24-30. Either-sex deer hunting will be allowed for archery season, which runs through Feb. 15. On Salvador/Timken WMA, either-sex deer harvest is amended to bucks only during primitive firearm season Dec. 20-26. Either-sex deer hunting will be allowed during arch...

Posted by Gail Keirn, Legislative and Public Affairs in Animals Nov 16, 2021 When turkey vultures gather in large groups in urban areas, they can cause safety concerns due to their abundant fecal droppings and as hazards to air traffic. Wildlife Services (WS) biologists often manage vulture damage by modifying habitats to remove the things that attract them, such as perches or food sources. Vultures are also dispersed by pyrotechnics or effigies (PDF, 1.8 MB). Soon, a more high-tech solution may be available. "From previous research we know unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or drones can disperse birds," said Dr. Mo...

Brian Whipkey  |  Pennsylvania Outdoor Columnist Show Caption Hide Caption Game Commission talks about bear hunting Travis Anderson, land management officer with the Pennsylvania Game Commission, talks Nov. 21,2021, about the variety of bears being harvested this fall. Brian Whipkey, Erie Times-News Black bear season is underway across Pennsylvania, and some large bruins have been harvested. The Pennsylvania Game Commission reported Monday morning that 2,242 bears have been taken. This includes the 1,044 taken in the firearms season that started Saturday and runs through Tuesday. The agency said 1,198 bear tags were filled earlier during the archery, muzzleloader, special firearms and special regulation archery seasons. More: Black bear opportunities abound in Pennsylvania As of Monday morning, the largest bear was a 681...