Although they’re known for laying eggs, some snakes and lizards give birth to live young just like mammals do. They supposedly do this to protect their offspring from cold climates. But that hypothesis couldn’t explain why some tropical lizards and snakes bear live young. Now, a study of one family of lizards, presented here on Saturday at Evolution 2013, the annual meeting of the American Society of Naturalists, the Society for the Study of Evolution, and the Society of Systematic Biologists, shows that tropical live-bearers hail from high elevations—where it can get cold—and suggests that this reproductive strategy in reptiles may often originate on tropical mountainsides. Leer más.

One of the most remarkable anatomical differences among vertebrate bodies is the relative size of their neck, trunk and tail. This can be illustrated by comparing the bodies of a typical snake and of a long tailed lizard. They are both very long and superficially similar. However, most of the snake’s body is a trunk full with organs of the digestive, excretory and reproductive systems, whereas the largest part of the lizard’s body is a muscular tail. Leer más.

While studying timber rattlesnake movement patterns and habitat use in Vermont, researchers made a surprising discovery: snakes covered in lesions, particularly around their faces. Leer más.

Para el desarrollo de la Formacion en Sostenibilidad precisamos Formador/a con experiencia en implantación de Sistemas de Gestión, Eficiencia energética y conocimiento del sector Turístico. Nivel mínimo de estudios: Arquitecto, biólogo o ingeniero técnico industrial. Residencia en Las Palmas. Leer más.

ppalachia may be known for many things: its music, its industry, its culture, but what about its salamanders? It turns out, of the 550 known salamander species in the world, 77 can be found in this mountainous area, more than any other one region in the world. Leer más.