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Reptiles

All articles tagged with #reptiles

Amphibians and Reptiles Rely on Hidden Senses Beyond Human Perception
science-tech7 days ago

Amphibians and Reptiles Rely on Hidden Senses Beyond Human Perception

A new analysis highlights how amphibians and reptiles possess specialized sensory organs that detect stimuli humans cannot perceive, including infrared radiation, magnetic fields, and subtle water vibrations. These adaptations allow animals like the Surinam toad and pit vipers to hunt and navigate effectively in low-visibility environments. The findings emphasize that biological sensing extends far beyond the traditional five senses, with species evolving unique mechanisms to interact with their physical surroundings.

via The Conversation|
#amphibians#biology#evolution
Cambodian cave survey uncovers flying snake and neon turquoise pit viper
science6 months ago

Cambodian cave survey uncovers flying snake and neon turquoise pit viper

In a multi-year exploration of more than 60 limestone caves in Battambang, Cambodia, researchers uncovered rare and new species including a flying snake and a vivid, heat-sensing pit viper, along with camouflaged leaf-toed geckos and bright millipedes, highlighting how isolated karst ecosystems foster unique life and underscoring the need to protect these habitats, of which only about 1% is legally safeguarded.

via CBS News|
#biodiversity#cambodia#caves
Cambodia's hidden caves yield 11 new species, from turquoise pit viper to flying geckos
science6 months ago

Cambodia's hidden caves yield 11 new species, from turquoise pit viper to flying geckos

A survey of Cambodia’s karst limestone caves uncovered 11 species new to science, including a turquoise pit viper with a heat-detecting head organ, the ornate flying snake, several geckos (one named Gekko shiva), and other invertebrates, found across 64 caves on 10 karst hills between 2023 and 2025. Researchers warn that these isolated cave ecosystems are under threat from limestone quarrying, habitat loss, and overtourism, and call for protective status and continued conservation work.

via CNN|
#biodiversity#cambodia#caves
Ancient Reptile Skin Unearthed in Oklahoma Cave Rewrites Land-Life Timeline
science7 months ago

Ancient Reptile Skin Unearthed in Oklahoma Cave Rewrites Land-Life Timeline

Paleontologists have found the oldest known fossilized reptile skin, dating to about 289 million years ago in Oklahoma’s Richards Spur cave. The tiny skin fragment, preserved by oil-based substances and low-oxygen conditions, shows crocodile-like scales and suggests early reptiles had water-conserving skin long before dinosaurs; researchers think it likely belonged to Captorhinus aguti, with future work aiming to link the skin to a full skeleton to better understand early amniote life on land.

via Indian Defence Review|
#captorhinus-aguti#fossilized-skin#oklahoma
Ancient reptile buttprint rewrites early evolution story
science7 months ago

Ancient reptile buttprint rewrites early evolution story

Scientists describe a 298–299 million-year-old fossil imprint from a bolosaurian reptile in Germany, preserving belly scales and a cloaca—the oldest known soft-tissue imprint of its kind and the earliest reptile skin details—offering new insights into early reptile evolution. Named Cabarzichnus pulchrus, the 3.5-inch trace extends the fossil record of back-end anatomy by more than 150 million years and suggests anatomical similarities to modern turtles, lizards, and snakes.

via New York Post|
#cloaca#early-evolution#fossils
Oldest Mesosaur Embryos Hint at Early Live Birth in Reptiles
science7 months ago

Oldest Mesosaur Embryos Hint at Early Live Birth in Reptiles

Researchers report 280-million-year-old mesosaur embryos from Brazil and Uruguay, providing the oldest direct evidence that these ancient aquatic reptiles could give birth to live young, pushing the origin of viviparity back about 60 million years; findings also indicate potential parental care, with some fossils suggesting a mixed strategy where at least one egg was found at an advanced stage of development.

via The Daily Galaxy|
#embryos#mesosaurs#paleontology
"New Ancient Crocodile-Like Reptile Species Unearthed in Brazil"
science2 years ago

"New Ancient Crocodile-Like Reptile Species Unearthed in Brazil"

A new species of gracilisuchid reptile, Parvosuchus aurelioi, has been discovered in the Santa Maria Formation in Brazil. This small, crocodile-like reptile lived around 237 million years ago during the Triassic period and is the first gracilisuchid confirmed in Brazil. The discovery, which includes a complete skull and partial skeleton, highlights the diversity of pseudosuchians before the dominance of dinosaurs.

via Sci.News|
#brazil#fossils#paleontology