 | Domestic felines are ravaging the highly specialized ecosystem of New Zealand, causing some people to actually call for a ban on the new ownership of the animals and for castration of currently owned pets. While the specialized endemic wildlife of that nation are of special concern, the birds, reptiles, and small mammals of the United States are also jeopardized. Leer más. |
A frog that can fit comfortably on a dime has been bred in captivity for the first time, researchers from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) announced. Leer más.
New research supports the hypothesis that environmental stressors increase salamanders’ susceptibility to infection, based on chronic exposure to corticosterone, a stress hormone. Leer más.
Many chameleons have the remarkable ability to exhibit complex and rapid color changes during social interactions. Biologists have now unveiled the mechanisms that regulate this phenomenon. Leer más.
A fun new study showed that the western shovel-nosed snake (Chionactis occipitalis) moves through sand more efficiently than the sandfish lizard (Scincus scincus). Both species are found in sandy habitats; the snake is found throughout the desert regions of southwest U.S. and the lizard is found in the desert regions of north Africa and southwestern Asia. Leer más.
