Reptiles Definition

Reptile experts have been hired to catch a caiman, after reports emerged yesterday that a crocodile had been spotted in a field of water bamboo in Puli Township, Nantou County. When a post appeared on social media saying that a crocodile was seen in a zizania pond readers were incredulous. "My mother said that there are crocodiles in the bamboo shoots field," someone posted on the Facebook group "Puli People," with an accompanying photograph. "It's probably fake," one reader responded. "It looks like a fat gecko," wrote another. Even the agricultural department was skeptical: "It's almost harvest time, so the farmer probably put an inflatable crocodile in the pond to deter thieves," was the first response when they received a report. Ethereum However, Nantou County Agriculture Department confirmed the sighting after personnel were dispatched to the farm to check on the story. The "c...

Spring Toads on the Move By Wayne Bierbaum As I write this, the sound of spring peepers chirping is filling the warm spring air. They are singing loudly and don't seem to want to quiet down. This morning, I met another Maryland amphibian, an American toad. Spring is the time for the frogs and salamanders to escape their winter hiding places and pursue breeding. Spring peepers awaken from winter around the pond or lake where they live, but amphibians like salamanders and toads that frequently spend the winter away from their breeding areas have to travel over land to vernal pools or rivers and lakes for mating season. The toad that I saw was hopping through leaf litter near the Patuxent River. I wonder how far it had traveled to get there. The Virginia Herpetological Society reports that American toads will, on average, travel 250 yards for reproduction but some appear to travel up to 1,000 yards. The males, who are smaller than the fe...

So more of us than ever before will be marking National Puppy Day – founded in 2006 by author Colleen Paige to focus attention on puppies in need of adoption, the problems posed by puppy farms, and celebrating our favourite furry companions. Data analysis by natural pet food brand Barking Heads has established that the nation's most desirable puppies from the latest, official Kennel Club data So, here are the 10 most in-demand pups right now. For all the latest dog news, pictures, advice and information, join our Scotsdog Facebook group here A message from the Editor: Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers. If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription. It's perhaps no surprise that the loving Labrador Retriever leads this list of the most in-demand puppies - it's...

SAGINAW TWP, MI — Walk into Custom Creatures, Saginaw Township's new exotic pet store, and you'll be greeted by the shop's dome-shelled mascot Tara. That is, if the surprisingly swift sulcata tortoise isn't making her rounds, scuttling around the aisles, her lips stained pink. "She loves her raspberries and strawberries," said Kallan Hohman, Tara's owner and the proprietor of the business at 2750 Bay Road, Suite 4. Unlike the host of animals in Hohman's menagerie, though, Tara is not for sale, though younger and smaller members of her species and other tortoises are. Hohman opened Custom Creatures on Saturday, March 5, specializing in reptiles, amphibians, unusual mammals, and fish. American alligators, sugar gliders, snakes, hedgehogs, poison dart frogs — non-toxic to humans — axolotls, ferrets, chameleons, and crayfish are just some of the companions the business is offering, along with all other amenities and accessories necessary for comfortably ho...

The number of geckos in the genus Cnemaspis has grown rapidly as new species are described, with Sri Lanka the epicenter of new discoveries. The island is today home to 33 known species of day geckos, none of them occurring anywhere else on Earth, and it's possible there may be 44 by 2020, a leading herpetologist says. As new species continue to emerge, researchers are calling for urgent conservation efforts and ecological studies to ensure that the remaining microhabitats are not lost and that these unique species are not driven toward extinction. COLOMBO — "For a small island, there is amazing species diversity here," says Sameera Suranjan Karunarathna, a leading herpetologist in Sri Lanka. Diversity abounds among the island's reptiles, many of them found nowhere else on Earth, and in particular among a group of lizards. There are 153 known species in the genus Cnemaspis , a group known as day geckos because they're active during the daytime. Sri Lanka is h...

The South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center's Big Bloom plant sale is back. The garden center announced the return of the event in March and will hold it from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. The popular community event drew about 6,000 in 2019. Members can enter an hour early at no charge, but all other attendees only pay $2 for entry. We put together a guide on what to expect at the Big Bloom event. Plant sale There will be hundreds of different plant varieties in colorful blooms. Aside from the popular Orchid Sale, which includes coconut orchids and Schomburgkia, people will be able to add new plants to their homes. Wanting a plant to draw in hummingbirds, butterflies and bees? Be sure to pick up a Texas mountain laurel or lantana plant. Self-guided tours Head out to the Mary Hope Brennecke Nature Trail to see the wetlands habitat and try to spot owls, cranes, snakes or alligators. Spoiler alert: There are no alligators at th...

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Dear Readers: Every year I step away from my column briefly to work on other creative projects. (Anyone interested in my personal essays and photographs can subscribe to my free newsletter: amydickinson.substack.com.) Amy Dickinson  I'll be back next week. Today's "best of" topic from 10 years ago is: "Going to the dogs." Dear Amy: My sister recently lost her job. I let her and her 2½-year-old daughter, "Mariah," move in with me while she gets on her feet. I have a 9-year-old toy poodle, and he's gentle and great with children. The problems began when Mariah started biting the dog. My sister refuses to do anything about it. She says biting is a normal part of toddler-hood. I know she lets Mariah be rough with him when I'm not around to stop it. I thought I had a system worked out — I made sure he was always with me when I was at home, and I put him in his crate when I was at work. However, the last three days when...

Abstract Evolutionary theory suggests that polymorphic traits can be maintained within a single population only under specific conditions, such as negative frequency-dependent selection or heterozygote advantage. Non-venomous turtle-headed sea snakes ( Emydocephalus annulatus ) living in shallow bays near Noumea in New Caledonia exhibit three colour morphs: black, black-and-white banded, and an intermediate (grey-banded) morph that darkens with age. We recorded morph frequencies during 18 consecutive years of surveys, and found that the numbers of recruits (neonates plus immigrants) belonging to each morph increased in years when that morph was unusually rare in the population, and decreased when that morph was unusually common. Thus, morph frequencies are maintained by negative frequency-dependent selection. We interpret the situation as Batesian mimicry of highly venomous sea snakes ( Aipysurus, Hydrophis, Laticauda ) that occur in the same bays, and range in colour from black-and-wh...