#herpetology

[herpsandbirds]

Out of curiosity, what’s your favorite frog?

Favorite Frog...

Okay, so I cannot possibly answer this. I love frogs so much, that I cannot pick just one favorite.

Here, let's engage the RANDOM FAVORITE FROG GENERATOR, and see what pops up...

Turtle Frog (Myobtrachus gouldii), family Myobatrachidae, Western Australia

These burrowing frogs dig forward, like a turtle, and not backwards into the soil, like most burrowing frogs.

After pairing up, a couple descends into a burrow, where they later mate, and lay eggs. The offspring go through the larval stage in the eggs (not having a free swimming tadpole stage).

They feed on termites.

photographs by Andrea Ruggeri

photograph by Steve Wilson

photograph by Thomas Mesaglio

photograph by Jacob Loyacano

photograph by Akash Samuel

photograph by M. Anstis

photograph by Greg Harold

[dactyloa]

HAPPY WORLD LIZARD DAY!! 🦎💚

I spend all year posting anoles on this blog so I thought I'd spend this world lizard day instead discussing the groups that are most closely related to anoles.

The squamate suborder "Iguania" is divided into two clades: Pleurodonta and Acrodonta. These clades are differentiated by the teeth position on their jaws. Today, I'll be looking at the families within the clade Pleurodonta (which includes anoles!)

Starting with Polychrotids, (more commonly known as bush-anoles or monkey lizards) which are a family of lizards that are native to South and Central America. Anoles were once thought to be a part of this family, but some genetic analysis finds that these lizards might not be closely related to anoles at all. Despite this, they share many features with anoles such as the flap of skin on their necks called a dewlap, which is used for display. They are arboreal and live in the canopy or in shrublands and are described as acting similar to chameleons.

Phrynosomatid lizards might be one you recognize as they are the spiny/fence lizards! Their range extends from Panama all the way up to the southern parts of Canada. Horned lizards/horny toads/thorny devils might be the most well known example of this family with their ability to shoot blood out of their eyes as a defense mechanism. Fence lizards also display bright blue coloration on their underside. These lizards thrive in rocky deserts, forest edges, and sagebrush environments.

Hoplocercidae are a family of lizards more commonly known as Dwarf Iguanas. They live in Central and South America primarily in forests and rainforests. The Spiny Weapontail is known for digging and living in burrows, orienting its tail at the entrance to detect disturbances. Once disturbed, they can "inflate" their bodies to block off the entrance of their burrows. They can also fend off predators by whipping their tails.

Iguanids (Iguanas) are probably the most well known Pleurodont lizards. This family used to encompass many of the other families in this clade before they were determined to be separate. Iguanas are native to North, Central, and South America as well as the Caribbean. They have also become invasive in places like Southeast Asia. Most species are arboreal while some live in burrows. The Marine Iguana of the Galapagos Islands are unique in their underwater, algae-eating lifestyle among lizards.

Leiocephalids are the curly-tailed lizards. Despite their invasive status in Florida, many curly-tail lizards are at risk of extinction due to the introduction of rodents to their habitats. Their native range extends throughout the Caribbean, but every species that inhabited the Lesser Antilles are now extinct. Curly-tail lizards also hold the record for worst recorded case of constipation in the animal kingdom. These lizards are the most basal group of Pleurodonts and help us understand the evolution of these lizards.

Corytophanids (helmeted lizards) includes the Basilisk lizards which are known for their ability to run across water. Their range is mostly in Central America but extends into the northern parts of South America, they are also invasive in Florida. They live in rainforest trees and are found near bodies of water. Their ability to run across water is due to a combination of quick stepping speed and the creation of air bubble pockets beneath their feet. Not every helmeted lizard has the ability to run on water, but they all have unique head crests which gives them their name.

I might make a part 2 post where I go over the rest of the Pleurodont families as there are 5 more (not including anoles)! Happy world lizard day 🦎💚

[herpsandbirds]

Western Lesser Siren (Siren intermedia nettingi), family Sirenidae, found int he South-central U.S.

This eel-like aquatic salamander retains its gills.

They have only 2 tiny front limbs.

They grow to a length of up to 69 cm (27 in).

photograph by Yinan Li

[herpsandbirds]

Wonder if you've got any pictures of the wild versions of herps, birds, fish, etc. that are also well-known pets

on that note: I'm not sure why I was shocked when I learned that wild ball pythons live in Africa but I was lol

Here are some common pet herps, photographed in the wild!

Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius), family Eublepharidae, Iran

photograph by Daniel Castillo

Green Iguana (Iguana iguana), family Iguanidae, Curaçao

The Green Iguana is invasive in other parts of the Caribbean, but is native on the more southern islands, like Curucao.

photograph by Ralf Pütz

Inland Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps), family Agamidae, found in eastern-central Australia

photographs: Chris Lindorff, Max Tibby, & Lewis

Ball Python (Python regius), family Pythonidae, Togo (West Africa)

photograph by Living Zoology

Corn Snake aka Red Rat Snake (Pantherophis guttatus), small/young adult, family Colubridae, Florida, USA

photograph by Armin Meier

Reticulated Python (Malayopython reticulatus), 12.5 ft long, family Pythonidae, western Thailand

photograph by Mike Pingleton

Red-footed Tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonarius), male, family Testudinidae, Brazil

photographs by Maël Dewynter

Russian Tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii), family Testudinidae, Kazakhstan

Vulnerable.

photograph by Yuriy75

[amnhnyc]

Meet one of the world’s smallest reptiles: the Nosy Hara leaf chameleon (Brookesia micra)! It's named after the islet off the northwest coast of Madagascar in which it's found. An adult grows to be just over 1 in (2.5 cm) long, and a juvenile can fit on the head of a match. Scientists think that its miniature size may be an extreme form of island dwarfism—a process by which species decrease in size over generations in response to an island’s limited resources. This species was described as recently as 2012. 

Photo: Frank Glaw, Jörn Köhler, Ted M. Townsend, Miguel Vences. PLoS ONE, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons

[bad-scientific-illustrations]

Source: McKnight, D.T., Bower, D.S., Ventura, C., Streeting, L.M. and Nordberg, E.J. (2026), Social clustering behavior in hatchling western saw-shelled turtles (Myuchelys bellii). J Zool, 329: 156-167. https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.70117

Very delightful that the moral of this paper is that western saw-shelled turtles (Myuchelys bellii) like to cuddle

[herpsandbirds]

Pehuenche Spiny-chest Frog (Alsodes pehuenche), family Alsodidae, endemic to Pehuenche Valley in the Andes of southern Mendoza Province, Argentina, and the adjacent Chile

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED.

Less than 1,000 frogs are left in the wild.

Known from six streams (five in Argentina and one in Chile).

This frog has a very slow development time, and metamorphosis from tadpole to adult frog takes about 3 years (including 4 winters).

photographs by Vicente Valdés