Reptiles Definition

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Natural England scheme aims to conserve great crested newts in ...    The Mail

Abstract Amphibians and non-avian reptiles represent a significant proportion of terrestrial vertebrates, however knowledge of their viruses is not proportional to their abundance. Many amphibians and reptiles have strict habitual environments and localised populations and are vulnerable to viral outbreaks and potential elimination as a result. We sought to identify viruses that were hidden in amphibian and reptile metatranscriptomic data by screening 235 RNA-sequencing datasets from a 122 species covering 25 countries. We identified 26 novel viruses and eight previously characterised viruses from fifteen different viral families. Twenty-five viruses had RNA genomes with identity to Arteriviridae , Tobaniviridae, Hantaviridae, Rhabdoviridae, Astroviridae, Arenaviridae, Hepeviridae, Picornaviridae, Orthomyxoviridae, Reoviridae, Flaviviridae and Caliciviridae . In addition to RNA viruses, we also screened datasets for DNA viral transcripts, which are commonly excluded from transcriptomi...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] La Sierra University, Cologne Zoo Partner for Conservation    Adventist Review

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Woman finds out she is her daughter's mother - and uncle    The Jerusalem Post

[unable to retrieve full-text content] It wasn't a Burmese python. Check out what these two snake wranglers found in Florida    Miami Herald

Local authorities and nonprofits created hundreds of new ponds on farms and in forests in a Swiss state. Two decades of monitoring 12 amphibian species showed that 10 of them expanded into more ponds, likely increasing their population numbers. The strategy is promising in similar settings, but may not be applicable everywhere. In a rare triumph in amphibian conservation, researchers found that creating hundreds of new ponds in the midst of a bustling Switzerland landscape strengthened amphibian populations there. The effort, in which citizen scientists built and monitored ponds for 20 years, helped nearly three-quarters of the region's populations of frogs, toads, newts and salamanders rebound or stabilize by occupying more ponds, a team reported recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Nearly 40% of the world's amphibian species are threatened with extinction, according to the IUCN Red List. The culprits vary from fungal diseases and climate change t...

How many times have you driven by or floated on the Hudson River and thought, "at least I don't have to swim in it".  Well, this little guy swam across the whole thing all by himself.  Why?  He wanted to be in Jersey really, really bad. Michael Phelps has nothing on this sweet fur baby. He got away from his owner and jumped into the ice cold Hudson River to take a dip.  Except once he saw Jersey on the other side, he just kept going...and going...and going until he was in the diner capital of world.  Yes, this puppy swam across the Hudson, alone in the winter and is alive and well. Photo courtesy of Edgewater Fire Company #1/Facebook Photo courtesy of Edgewater Fire Company #1/Facebook loading... Meet Bear.  He is training to be a seizure service dog but apparently he has a wild streak he has to work out. Bear's owner was walking him on the Upper West Side of Manhattan when he wiggled out of his collar and ran into...

The word 'rare' is often associated with something limited, unique, and distinctive, such as rare gems, jewels, antique items, and various collectibles. However, being rare also means that once something is gone, it's gone forever. In the animal world, rare also stands for endangered, which is exactly what the rarest animals are. According to WWF's recent report, since 1970, wildlife populations worldwide have decreased by an average of 69%. Pollution, global warming, deforestation, and other outcomes of globalization, as well as poaching, are some of the leading causes putting rare animal species on the verge of extinction. And unfortunately, destruction is often easier than recovery. Thus the list of rarest species and endangered animals is unlikely to decrease any time soon. According to the IUCN Red List, more than 42,100 species are threatened with extinction. Most of those threatened belong to the animal kingdom, making them some of the rarest animals in the world...

Today's marine giants—such as blue and humpback whales—routinely make massive migrations across the ocean to breed and give birth in waters where predators are scarce, with many congregating year after year along the same stretches of coastline. Now, new research from a team of scientists—including researchers with the Smithsonian Institution, Vanderbilt University, the Natural History Museum of Utah, the University of Utah, University of Nevada, Reno, University of Edinburgh, University of Texas at Austin, Vrije Universiteit Brussels and University of Oxford—suggests that nearly 200 million years before giant whales evolved, school bus-sized marine reptiles called ichthyosaurs may have been making similar migrations to breed and give birth together in relative safety. The findings, published today in the journal Current Biology, examine a rich fossil bed in the renowned Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park (BISP) in Nevada's Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, where many 50-foot-lo...

Think You Know Snakes? More Great Content: Anyone who enjoys the great outdoors and has an affinity for wildlife can point to a moment when they stood in awe at something magnificent. Some moments are more awe-inspiring than others and in the case of two men in Georgia, they were not just lucky enough to have those thrilling moments, but they also managed to document them to share with the world. The first is the Georgia snake catcher who happened upon the rarest snake in Georgia. He had almost given up his search for the day when he spotted it. Immediately, his energy went through the roof as he beheld a sight he had been yearning for throughout his entire life. The second Georgia man came across another type of rarity. It wasn't so much the type of snake but how big it had grown. It's not often these types of snakes grow to that impressive size and the second man managed to get a photo of himself holding the marvel. Luckily, in both these instances, the snakes played nice, ...

" " Thought to have originated in Mexico, though some origin theories place them first in Malta or China, the Chihuahua is the smallest breed of dog in the world. SmileonBow/Shutterstock Some of the world's smallest dog breeds play the largest role in our lives. With their expressive faces and adorable antics — not to mention the extensive wardrobe possibilities — it is hard for many people to imagine life without a tiny dog. Small dogs live 12 to 14 years on average, which is longer than many larger dogs. In general, tiny dog breeds require less food, which can make them less expensive (although grooming fees may balance out potential meal savings). It's important to note, however, that bringing home a tiny dog breed isn't only a matter of dollars ...

02 December 2022 By BES Press Office The glowing golden eyes of a Helena's Treefrog piercing through the darkness; the blissful calm of a bird floating on water; and the thrilling chase of a hungry mother leopard are among the winners of the British Ecological Society's annual photography competition, 'Capturing Ecology'. Overall Winner: A Light in the Shadows , Roberto García Roa. Every year the British Ecological Society hosts 'Capturing Ecology' – an annual photography competition focused on showcasing the beauty of ecology. This year's winners tell a powerful story about the intricacies of nature, and our relationship with the natural world. From predator-prey dynamics on the earth, skies, and seas, to connections between people, wildlife, and the environments we share. Captured by international ecologists and students, this year's winning images and additional seven highly commended images celebrate the ...