Spring 2023 Children's Announcements: Publishers F-L
UF Researchers Work To Control Caiman Population In The Everglades
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Lizard Vs Newt: What's The Difference?
Mistaking a lizard for a newt - or vice-versa - is a common mistake. They both have similar bodies, comprising four legs and a long tail and both sport a similar brown or black coloration.
The general confusion between amphibians and reptiles doesn't help. This quick guide will help you to identify the small, brown four-legged creature you've spotted.
What's the difference between newts and lizards? What are newts?Newts are amphibians. This means that they live both on land and in freshwater at certain times of their lives.
Newts breed and spawn in ponds or other bodies of water during the spring and early summer. So, in the UK, if you find an animal resembling a lizard swimming in your garden pond, then it is likely a newt.
There are three native species of newt in the UK: the smooth, palmate and great crested. Great crested newts look very different to the other two and are a lot rarer. All newts spend a fair amount of the year on land, which is when they tend to get confused with lizards. In this terrestrial phase, they lose their characteristic crests and breeding season coloration.
What are lizards?Lizards are reptiles. There are three species in the UK - the common lizard, the sand lizard and the slow-worm. The slow-worm has no legs and is often mistaken for a snake, and the sand lizard is a rare species confined to scattered heathland sites in southern areas of England and Wales.
So, the common lizard is really the only lizard that could be misconstrued as a newt.
There are at least 7,000 different lizard species across the world, from the largest, the Komodo dragon to the smallest, a chameleon called Brookesia nana.
How to tell the difference between lizards and newtsWhen it comes to distinguishing lizards from newts, there are a few key features to spot in their appearances and behaviour that can help to confirm your identification.
The best way to tell lizards and newts apart is by the appearance of their skin. Lizards have dry, tough scales, while newts have a moist or slimy look to them, and do not have scales. Their skin is very similar to that of a frog or toad. In the terrestrial phase of their lives, newts can look velvety when they spend long periods out of water.
Another quick identification tool is the number of toes on the front legs, if you are able to manage a closer look. Newts have four toes, lizards generally have five.
In terms of colour, the UK's three native newt species can be very variable, as can common lizards. Despite this, there are some patterns to keep an eye out for.
Common lizards often have two pale lines running from head to tail either side of the spine, whereas smooth and palmate newts can sometimes have just one line down their backs that is an orange colour.
Great crested newts are easiest to identify, being quite large and black on top with a vibrant orange underbelly. Great crested newts are a highly protected species, so don't pick them up or disturb them, and ensure that any sightings are reported to the local environmental records centre.
Newt vs lizard: behaviourIn the UK, lizards rarely enter water, whereas newts spend a lot of their lives in water. However, this isn't the case worldwide, as there are some lizards who enjoy a dip. The Caiman lizard, for example, is an excellent swimmer, and the marine iguana, a species of lizard endemic to the Galapagos Islands, famously forages underwater.
Movement is another diagnostic factor. On land a lizard is more likely to scurry away when disturbed, while newts make slow movements.
Lizards are also more likely to be seen basking in hot, warm weather on surfaces that can warm up, such as rocks, logs, paving slabs and south-facing slopes, Newts, on the other hand, tend not to bask out in the open where they are at risk of drying out, and are more often found when the weather is wet or if they're moving from a pond to a hiding spot underneath a log or a rock.
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Main image: great crested newt, left, common lizard, right. © Getty Images
Main image: Great crested newts left, common lizard right. © Getty Images
Wildlife Advocates Bust Illegal Exotic Animal Photoshoots On Coney Island
Exotic animal busts on Coney IslandAs you're walking along the boardwalk in Coney Island, you might see someone carrying a python, alligator or any other wild animals, it might seem like a cool idea to pay to have your picture taken with them, but animal advocates are reminding us wild animals are illegal in New York City and the treatment of the animals is considered inhumane and cruel.
As you're walking along the boardwalk in Coney Island, you might see someone carrying a python, alligator or any other wild animals, it might seem like a cool idea to pay to have your picture taken with them, but animal advocates are reminding us wild animals are illegal in New York City and the treatment of the animals is considered inhumane and cruel.
Last Friday, a wallaby was confiscated from a man who was walking along the boardwalk with the adorable marsupial. Now, it is in the care of a wildlife rescue center in Suffolk County, Long Island.
"It should have a very large outdoor enclosure at the very least. It's supposed to be in the wild," said Lori Ketchum, Director of the Save The Animal Rescue Foundation.
The man who owned the wild animal had been getting money from people on the Coney Island boardwalk who wanted pictures with it until he got busted by police.
"This is illegal exploitation of these animals," said John Di Leonardo, Executive Director of Humane Long Island. "They don't belong in a cramped bag in Coney Island. They belong in Australia. Some of these animals belong in South America."
Di Leonardo's organization patrols tourist areas and reports illegal activity to the police. A member of his group spotted the man with the wallaby.
Recently, the NYPD also seized a python and a caiman lizard.
"The issue for the businesses is the safety of their customers," said Daniel Murphy, Executive Director of the Alliance for Coney Island. "These animals are not domesticated pets. They are wild animals."
Wild exotic animals are illegal in the city but are not illegal in the rest of the state.
"The New York State Legislature needs to ban both the exhibition and the pet ownership of all exotic animals," Di Leonardo said.
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