On August 16th, 2012 a breeding program for the Golden Mantella frog Mantella aurantiaca was officially launched at the Mitsinjo amphibian captive breeding center. The Golden Mantella is a well-known icon of Madagascar’s diverse amphibian fauna. The IUCN considers it to be Critically Endangered, with a restricted distribution in Madagascar’s mid-altitude eastern rainforest adjacent to wetlands northwest and south of the town of Andasibe. Leer más.

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We’ve had a week now to let the proposed reclassification of Anolis sink it, so it’s time to start discussing it. A revolutionary new view of the scientific review process suggests that in the future, all papers will be published open access online (as this one is–thanks Nicholson et al.), the journal in which it appears (if any) will not matter, and peer review and evaluation will be conducted post-publication on internet discussion sites. Realistic? Who knows, but why not give it a try? Leer más.

Oceanic islands are famous for their high endemism. We all love Darwin’s finches, Hawaiian honeycreepers, Komodo Dragons, and all those weird things on Australia. These endemic wonders suggest that islands may be home to unique processes of diversification.  However, there are many mainland regions that rival islands in their level of endemicity, especially in mountainous regions that have strong dispersal barriers and environmental gradients. Thus, you could ask, are islands truly special? Leer más.

Thanks to ARC Trust I’ve been doing some research into whether smooth snakes can overwinter when gravid (like adders) and give birth the following season.  Also, if they can, is this a regular aspect of their biology. Leer más.