Transparency in animals is a complex form of camouflage involving mechanisms that reduce the scattering and absorption of light throughout the organism. Many species have evolved transparency, but it is particularly challenging for vertebrates because red blood cells attenuate light. In a new study, researchers from Duke University and elsewhere found that glassfrogs are able […]
Tag: amphibian
Study Finds That the Wildlife Trade Affects One-Fifth of Vertebrates on Land
All animals with a backbone are called vertebrates. These include mammals, bird, fish, reptiles, and amphibians. A recent study found that a devastation one-fifth of vertebrates that live on land are bought and sold in the wildlife trade. More than 30,000 species of mammal, bird, amphibian and reptile were surveyed. The study, published in Science […]
‘Death by a thousand holes’: Scientists race to avert a salamander crisis
Any day now. That’s when Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal), the “salamander-eating” fungus, is expected to arrive in the United States, home to more than a third of the world’s species of these slippery amphibians.It all began in 2008, when Bsal traveledsome through the pet trade from Asia to northern Europe. There, it escaped into the wild […]
Florida Is ‘Raining Iguanas.’ Will The Invasive Reptiles Adapt?
While much of the northern part of the U.S. copes with blizzard conditions, in Florida, it’s raining iguanas. Florida residents have been sharing pictures of the reptiles belly up in backyards and on the side of roads. The effect is brought on by the abnormally cold weather hitting the East Coast of the United States. […]
POLL: Should the keeping of reptiles and amphibians as pets be banned?
Over the past few decades, more and more households have decided to forego adopting a cat or dog and instead have opted to take in a reptile companion. However, vets are split on whether this is a good idea for both humans and the animals themselves. A group of editorials appearing online in the BMJ’s […]
For Species At Risk of Extinction, Size Matters
Scientists have been warning about a sixth mass extinction, and when it comes to species at risk of disappearing, size is going to matter a lot, according to a new study. For the study, which was just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, an international team of scientists from the U.S., […]
Will mining company drive mass extinction of Madagascar’s wildlife?
Madagascar’s unique wildlife may be in serious trouble. An invasive poisonous toad, called the Asian toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus), is rapidly spreading across the island country, threatening the survival of its rare and endemic species, scientists say. Currently, scientists estimate that there are about 4 million toads on the island. According to a recent report, the […]
Solar farms to create natural habitats for threatened species
Threatened wildlife including turtle doves and skylarks could benefit from a scheme which has been launched to create natural habitats at solar farm sites. The project by wildlife charity RSPB and clean tech company Anesco aims to boost wildlife at the firm’s solar farms across England and Wales. Wild flower meadow areas and seed-rich planting […]