Famous Reptiles

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University of Edinburgh Ph.D. student Natalia Jagielska poses for a photo with the world's largest Jurassic pterosaur unearthed on the Isle of Skye. Jagielska is the author of a new scientific paper describing the find. Stewart Attwood/National Museums Scotland via AP The fossil of a 170 million-year-old pterosaur, described as the world's best-preserved skeleton of the prehistoric winged reptile, has been found on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, scientists said Tuesday. The National Museum of Scotland said the fossil of the pterosaur, more popularly known as pterodactyls, is the largest of its kind ever discovered from the Jurassic period. The reptile had an estimated wingspan of more than 2.5 meters, similar to that of an albatross, the museum said. The fossil was discovered in 2017 by Ph.D. student Amelia Penny during a field trip on the Isle of Skye in remote northwestern Scotland, when she spotted the pterosaur's jaw protruding from rocks. It will now be added to the mus

Home Blogs Creatura Blog Australian lizard the world's smallest monitor The world's smallest monitor lizard was only recently found on the Dampier Peninsular in WA Contributor Bec Crew Contributor Bec Crew Bec Crew is a Sydney-based science communicator with a love for weird and wonderful animals. From strange behaviours and special adaptations to newly discovered species and the researchers who find them, her topics celebrate how alien yet relatable so many of the creatures that live amongst us can be. Dampier Peninsula monitor lizard. Image credit: R. Ellis/WA Museum LOOK CAREFULLY, BECAUSE you're probably not going to get the chance to see this little guy up close any time soon. This is the

Oddities shop Petunia & Loomis, a newcomer to Spokane's downtown retail scene, offers a bit of the bizarre and antique at its shop in the Paulsen Center, at 421 W. Riverside. Owner Samantha Fetters said the shop is a longtime dream come true. The Spokanite said she spent the past four years collecting items to sell while seeking a suitable location for Petunia & Loomis. "I'd known that I wanted to do it for so long that I had the collection, I'd put aside the money, I just needed a location," Fetters said. "I always wanted to have a place like this in Spokane. "A lot of people don't think I'm from here because of it. But there are weird people out here just like me." Fetters opened the shop Jan. 3, but closed it Jan. 21. Petunia & Loomis will remain closed until its grand opening on Feb. 14. The hiatus is due to the arrival of Fetters' third child and her subsequent return to work as a hairstylist at

Wildlife extinction is a global crisis. Poaching often makes the headlines, but habitat loss and environmental pollution are also major killers. Climate change will cause one in six of the planet's species to be lost forever if we fail to take action on the crisis, according to a study in 2015. There are currently 17 animals on the World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) critically endangered list, including three species of rhino, six primates, and two big cats. Five of the species on the list have approximately 100 animals or fewer left on the planet, including the Saola, of which there are only around 20 still roaming the mountains of the Vietnam-Laos border. On the other side of the globe, the Vaquita is also on the verge of extinction – a porpoise found only in the northern Gulf of California with numbers now as low as 10. While all of the species on the WWF's critically endangered list are at risk, some of them are on their way to becoming completely extinct. Ethical travel comp

(Gray News) - A new species of rain frog discovered by scientists in Panama was named after Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg. According to a study published in the scientific journal Zookeys, the pristimantis gretathunbergae has distinctive black eyes unique to Central American rain frogs. Scientists say the habitat of the new frog, Greta Thunberg, is threatened due to climate change and deforestation for plantations and cattle pastures. The scientists say that there are at least 13 pristimantis frogs known to occur in Panama. Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

It was a relatively peaceful Sunday morning at the Fortin household in Scottsdale, Ariz. Around noon, though, chaos struck. Michelle Fortin was folding laundry, when her 10-year-old son, Kenton, sprinted up the stairs and hollered: "Is Bruce up there?" Bruce is the Fortin family's beloved 1-year-old French bulldog, named after Bruce Wayne from "Batman." They also have a 15-year-old sulcata tortoise named Bianca — after the female protagonist in the 1977 Disney film "The Rescuers." Fortin, her husband, Jason, and their two children started searching around the house for Bruce, but he was nowhere to be found. Before long, the family of four began to panic. They assumed the worst: "We worried that maybe he was stolen from our backyard," Fortin said. The Fortins mobilized. Within an hour of Bruce's disappearance on Nov. 21, they started scattering "lost dog" posters around their neighborhood and went door-to-door, hoping maybe he wa

Lavander Albino KEEPING ball pythons as pets, especially for first-time snake owners, is actually easier than most people think.  Very recently, I visited my high school classmate to check out his unique serpentine collection.  Kiddo and a Butter Enchi Pastel (three-gene snake) "It's called a ball python (Python regius) because of its tendency to curl into a ball (especially when stressed or startled)," said Kiddo Yap, who began his ball python collection, 3K Exotics Ball Pythons, just last October 2020. 3K is derived from his name and his two kids, Kix and Kae.  From just 4 ball pythons, he now has a total of 80 ball pythons, including those he personally bred.  Chocolate Fire Orange Dream (three-gene snake) "I got amazed with the endless possibilities that you can produce by breeding them," he said.    Ball pythons are perfect as pets as they don't grow too big or too long. From snout to v

Andrea Stetson  |  Special to The News-Press There is a common myth is that the Eastern coachwhip will attack people and whip them with its tail, but these snakes don't do that at all. Instead when they are disturbed they will rapidly slither away. It got the name coachwhip because its large scales slowly taper toward the tail making it look a bit like a braided bullwhip. The Eastern coachwhip is one of the largest snakes in North American and grows 4-6 feet in length. Its slender body usually has a black head and neck and the color fads to tan as it goes down its body. The belly color matches the color on its back. The snake has a large angular head with round pupils. While they look a bit like a black racer, the racers are bluish black from head to tail. These snakes are found everywhere in Florida except in the Keys. They live in flatwoods, sandhills, scrub, palmetto flatwoods, longleaf pine turkey oak and beach dune areas. They are also seen in Texas, Oklaho

LOCAL NEWS 2021-05-20 "Here Be Dragons" – No Longer a Warning. An Invitation from The Museum of Discovery and Science In medieval times unexplored areas were labeled on maps with the words "hic sunt dracones" – "Here be dragons". This was meant to deter people from daring to move past the known to the unknown. Danger lurked there. People needed to stay away. The very words those mapmakers used as a warning, the Museum of Science and Discovery proudly proclaims to draw people in. "Here Be Dragons" is the latest offering in the Museum's series of traveling exhibits and is sponsored by Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital., The exhibit runs from May 22 to September 6 with a Members Only Preview on May 22 from 9 am to 10 am. All members receive a free gift. There will be a w

China may be best known as the homeland of the world-famous giant panda, but this storied Asian nation has a lot more to see than just bamboo-eating bears. From the dolphins of Hainan to the massive tigers that prowl the remote reaches of Heilongjiang, there's no shortage of fascinating creatures to be found all throughout the country. Whether you're in search of native birds, endangered primates, or even the world's largest amphibian, these iconic provinces are certain to impress. Heilongjiang The capital of Heilongjiang is Harbin, a city renowned for its winter tourism opportunities. getty Located in the remote northeasternmost reaches of China, Heilongjiang is an absolute must-visit for those in search of the nation's most famous feline species. Both Amur leopards and Siberian tigers reside within the province's mountains, and while both species are incredibly elusive, visitors may have better luck spotting

If you're blessed enough to have a Chameleon for a pet - congratulations! You now belong to the Reptile Fan Club, and we applaud you for having one of the most uncommon choices for a pet. However, a chameleon will need just as much love and care as any other animal. In fact, looking after a chameleon is a lot of hard work, and there are many factors you need to keep track of. From feeding and handling to ensuring the right temperature and humidity, pet chameleons are a handful. To make things easier for you, here's an essential guide on how to care for your color-changing lizard - What to Feed a Chameleon?  Chameleons primarily feed on insects like crickets, locusts, giant mealworms, flies, grasshoppers, moths, dubia roaches, and waxworms. However, waxworms should be an occasional delicacy as they're high in fat, and yes, even chameleons have to worry about this. Feeding should take place daily but only give your chameleon as much as it can eat. Also, m

A video shows "the world's largest snake" wrapped around a van. Context We haven't found the exact origins of this video, but this footage appears to show an art installation at a zoo. Origin A video purporting to show an enormous snake wrapped around a van was viewed more than 90 million times after it was shared on TikTok on Feb. 2, 2022, by "The Gems Family": @thegemsfamily #fyp ♬ original sound – The GEMs Family This video does not feature a real snake. The "snake" was created as an art installation for either a zoo or an amusement park.  We haven't been able to pinpoint exactl

Country: Donate now Support nonprofit science journalism If we've learned anything from the COVID-19 pandemic, it's that we cannot wait for a crisis to respond. Science and AAAS are working tirelessly to provide credible, evidence-based information on the latest scientific research and policy, with extensive free coverage of the pandemic. Your tax-deductible contribution plays

[unable to retrieve full-text content] How different generations treat their pets | Slideshows | gwinnettdailypost.com    Gwinnettdailypost.com

Every now and then, there will be reports of bobcat sightings here on the SouthCoast, or perhaps on Cape Cod. Some scoff and say, "There are no bobcats in this part of Massachusetts!" but those who had a sighting know what they saw. In 2016, a large bobcat was struck and killed in Dartmouth on Interstate 195. In 2013, one was confirmed in Falmouth, marking the first time a bobcat had been spotted on Cape Cod since the colonial era. February through March is bobcat mating season, though, and if ever there was going to be a time to encounter one, it would be now – and wildlife officials say that while it is rare to experience one here, it's not impossible. "The bobcat is the only wild cat now found in Massachusetts. Bobcats are common in the central and western parts of the state, present in the northeast, and expanding into the southeast," wrote MassWildlife. How can you tell the difference between a bobcat and a regular house cat? According to MassWildlife, bobc

Photo collage image credits, clockwise from top-center: Hawaiian duck by Brenda Zaun, USFWS, Flickr; red wolf by Valerie Abbott, Flickr; pariette cactus by Tony Frates, Flickr; spotted turtle by Patrick Randall, Flickr; Palmer's chipmunk by VJ Anderson, Wikimedia Commons; background- Hōʻawa by David Eickhoff, Wikimedia Commons Humans are causing the extinction crisis Species go extinct all the time. But not at this rate... It's not enough to save species—individual populations matter, too Extinction causes chain reactions...including to people Protecting lands and waters is a key tactic for stemming the extinction crisis   If you're like most people, the word "extinction" evokes images of dinosaurs meeting their bitter, mysterious end some 65 million years ago.    You may also think of it as a one-of-a-kind event. But whatever killed the dinosaurs and other species at the end of the Cretaceous w

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[unable to retrieve full-text content] Exotic lizards returned home after grand theft in Jupiter Farms    WPEC

SALINAS — You've seen them, soaring over the open valley fields or through the woods, and often perched on roadside poles. The most common and familiar large hawk throughout North America, the red-tailed hawk is both bold and majestic, with its trademark reddish-brown tail feathers and broad wings, designed for effortless flying. Until they can't. Since December, the SPCA Monterey County Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center has rescued 45 emaciated red-tailed hawks, some of them too sick to survive. "Almost every single hawk was starving, and each had a smattering of superficial issues, wounds indicating that maybe another hawk or other animal had attacked it," said Wildlife Center Manager Ciera Duits-Cavanaugh. "Since nearly all of them have been first-year birds, we assume they either are not finding enough prey or are not very successful with hunting." If multiple species of hawks were being rescued, Duits-Cavanaugh might presume a widespread dis

ZEELAND — A manufacturer of pet products and distributor of small reptiles is expanding its existing Zeeland Charter Township location.  Pangea Reptile LLC expects to invest $1.3 million into the expansion project. The company started in 2001 outside of Grand Rapids with the breeding of geckos and small-scale sales of dry goods.  The company grew through online sales of reptile food, products and lizards. Pangea Reptile, which currently employs around 20 people, bought an existing 35,000 square-foot facility on Pentatech Drive in Zeeland in 2019, according to a statement from Lakeshore Advantage, the economic development organization for Ottawa and Allegan counties.  "Pangea Reptile is a great example of how quickly a young, energetic company can make a positive impact here on the lakeshore," Jennifer Owens, president of Lakeshore Advantage, said in a statement. "Pangea just moved to Zeeland Charter Township this past year and is already

[unable to retrieve full-text content] 'Lizard Lick Towing' star says his 21-year-old son was found dead at Sheetz in Garner    Raleigh News & Observer

The shape-shifting clouds of starling birds, the organization of neural networks or the structure of an anthill: nature is full of complex systems whose behaviors can be modeled using mathematical tools. The same is true for the labyrinthine patterns formed by the green or black scales of the ocellated lizard. A multidisciplinary team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) explains, thanks to a very simple mathematical equation, the complexity of the system that generates these patterns. This discovery contributes to a better understanding of the evolution of skin color patterns: the process allows for many different locations of green and black scales but always leads to an optimal pattern for the animal survival. These results are published in the journal Physical Review Letters . A complex system is composed of several elements (sometimes only two) whose local interactions lead to global properties that are difficult to predict. The result of a complex system will not be the sum of