Although recent findings have shed new light on the (so far) oldest-known fossil snakes, extending the fossil record of snakes back in time an incredible 70 million years, this article is about a more anthropocentric definition of “the first snakes”. It’s about the first snakes to be named and described using the modern system of classification: those described and classified by Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae, using consistently together for the first time a binomial naming system for genera and species and a hierarchical category system for higher taxa (i.e., families, orders, classes, phyla, and kingdoms). Leer más.

Earlier this month, an international team of scientists, veterinarians and zookeepers gathered at the Suzhou Zoo near Shanghai. Their desperate mission: to attempt the first artificial insemination ever of a softshell turtle, saving the species from oblivion. leer más.

A volcano perched atop one of Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands erupted in the early hours of Monday, the local authorities said, potentially threatening a unique species of pink iguanas. Leer más.

Every spring, red-sided garter snakes leave their hibernation burrows to engage in a frenzied jumble of mating. But a new study finds that doing the deed is no easy feat for males; in fact, they can spend up to a whopping 18 percent of their daily energy making special plugs that increase their chances of mating success. Leer más.

Like many pests, cane toads are killed in their thousands in Australia every year, especially by community-based ‘toad-busting’ groups. New research has now revealed the most humane way to do it. Leer más.