Storing sperm helps female sea turtles remain monogamous
Many female loggerhead sea turtles stay monogamous during mating seasons, likely by storing sperm, research reveals. Female loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) ...
reptiles
Northern snakes face increasingly unstable winters
A threatened population of massasauga rattlesnakes in Canada is facing increasingly unstable conditions at the northern end of their range. Massasaugas (Sistrurus ...
JWM: Reptiles may benefit under grouse conservation umbrella
Conservation measures aimed at improving sagebrush environments for sage-grouse are also benefitting native reptile species. “There’s convincing evidence that ...
Prescribed fires burn turtles but may help egg-laying females
Prescribed fires may kill individual box turtles, but the aftermath produces favorable plots for egg-laying females. “The fire does create this challenging ...
Fungal disease drains energy and dries snakes out
A pair of new studies illuminate one of the ways that a fungal disease may be killing snakes as well as what methods may not work for protecting infected serpents. ...
JWM: Sumatran blood pythons shrinking in body size, numbers
Sumatran blood pythons are declining in body size and reproduction — possibly due to overharvesting on the Indonesian island. “This paper is the first one that ...
Humans not directly responsible for North American reptile deaths
Humans aren’t directly to blame for most North American reptile deaths, according to a large new meta-study that examines a host of research in the United States ...
For amphibians and reptiles, wetlands restoration takes time
Restored cranberry farm environments don’t immediately attract large numbers of native amphibians and reptiles or initially promote species diversity of native ...
California officials confirm snake fungal disease in state
A deadly snake fungal disease has officially spread into California — the farthest west of any detection yet, according to a recent bulletin from the state ...
Copperheads don’t reproduce after severe drought
Female copperhead snakes stop reproducing after severe drought. According to a study published in Scientific Reports none of the dozens of monitored female ...