Episodes
4 days ago
190 Snake Food Fights
4 days ago
4 days ago
This episode is all about questioning the assumption that snake male-male combat is driven by competition for mates. We look at a paper that presents evidence showing that food might be behind the combat. Species of the Bi-week returns for a variable and vibrant viper.
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Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com
Main Paper References:
Farrell TM, Gull HC, Boyce FS, Richter SC. 2024. Ritualized male–male combat resulting from intraspecific food competition in three Agkistrodon species. Journal of Ethology 42:83–88. DOI: 10.1007/s10164-024-00806-8.
Species of the Bi-Week:
Arteaga A, Pyron RA, Batista A, Vieira J, Meneses Pelayo E, Smith EN, Barrio Amorós CL, Koch C, Agne S, Valencia JH, Bustamante L, Harris KJ. 2024. Systematic revision of the Eyelash Palm-Pitviper Bothriechis schlegelii (Serpentes, Viperidae), with the description of five new species and revalidation of three. Evolutionary Systematics 8:15–64. DOI: 10.3897/evolsyst.8.114527.
Editing and Music:
Podcast edited by Alex – https://www.fiverr.com/alexanderroses
Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson
Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy
Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com
Friday May 10, 2024
189 What can Brown Snakes do for you?
Friday May 10, 2024
Friday May 10, 2024
Killing snakes is bad karma, but it might also be bad for business.
Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights
Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop
Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com
Main Paper References:
Shine R, Dunstan N, Abraham J, Mirtschin P. 2023. Why Australian farmers should not kill venomous snakes. Animal Conservation:acv.12925. DOI: 10.1111/acv.12925.
Other Links/Mentions:
Pseudothecadactylus australis Gecko call courtesy of Jari Cornelis
Editing and Music:
Podcast edited by Alex – https://www.fiverr.com/alexanderroses
Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson
Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy
Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com
Friday May 03, 2024
188 Big Wetlands for Big Snakes
Friday May 03, 2024
Friday May 03, 2024
Giant garter snakes are big beasts that like wetland areas - we chat about how they get on when faced with the challenge of moving to a new wetland. Then, a brand new species of banded venomous snake has been discovered in Thailand.
Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights
Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop
Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com
Main Paper References:
Nguyen AM, Halstead BJ, Todd BD. 2024. Effect of translocation on home range and movements of giant gartersnakes. Global Ecology and Conservation 49:e02789. DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02789.
Species of the Bi-Week:
Aksornneam A, Rujirawan A, Yodthong S, Sung Y-H, Aowphol A. 2024. A new species of krait of the genus Bungarus (Squamata, Elapidae) from Ratchaburi Province, western Thailand. Zoosystematics and Evolution 100:141–154. DOI: 10.3897/zse.100.116601
Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:
Booth, C. L. (1990). Evolutionary significance of ontogenetic colour change in animals. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 40(2), 125-163.
Editing and Music:
Podcast edited by Alex – https://www.fiverr.com/alexanderroses
Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson
Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy
Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com
Tuesday Apr 02, 2024
187 Anoles on the Night-shift
Tuesday Apr 02, 2024
Tuesday Apr 02, 2024
Anoles are adaptable creatures, but can they make the most of artificial light?
Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights
Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop
Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com
Main Paper References:
Taylor LA, Thawley CJ, Pertuit OR, Dennis AJ, Carson IR, Tang C, Johnson MA. 2022. Artificial light at night alters diurnal and nocturnal behavior and physiology in green anole lizards. Physiology & Behavior 257:113992. DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2022.113992.
Editing and Music:
Podcast edited by Alex – https://www.fiverr.com/alexanderroses
Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson
Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy
Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com
Monday Mar 25, 2024
186 Sleeping Dragons
Monday Mar 25, 2024
Monday Mar 25, 2024
Hibernation is a pretty extreme biological process that shouldn’t be undertaken lightly. Bearded dragons are one of many beasts that have it perfected, and in this episode we look at how. Species of the Bi-week is back with a new strange skinned snake.
Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights
Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop
Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com
Main Paper References:
Capraro A, O’Meally D, Waters SA, Patel HR, Georges A, Waters PD. 2019. Waking the sleeping dragon: gene expression profiling reveals adaptive strategies of the hibernating reptile Pogona vitticeps. BMC Genomics 20:460. DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-5750-x.
Species of the Bi-Week:
Li H, Zhu L-Q, Xiao B, Huang J, Wu S-W, Yang L-X, Zhang Z-Q, Mo X-Y. 2024. A new species of the genus Achalinus (Squamata, Xenodermatidae) from southwest Hunan Province, China. ZooKeys 1189:257–273. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1189.112784.
Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:
Natusch D, Lyons J, Mears L, Shine R. 2021. Biting off more than you can chew: Attempted predation on a human by a giant snake (Simalia amethistina). Austral Ecology 46:159–162. DOI: 10.1111/aec.12956.
Editing and Music:
Podcast edited by Alex – https://www.fiverr.com/alexanderroses
Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson
Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy
Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com
Tuesday Mar 12, 2024
185 The tortoises are back in town
Tuesday Mar 12, 2024
Tuesday Mar 12, 2024
Tortoises return to an island in the Galapagos and prove themselves to be solid ecosystem engineers.
Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights
Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop
Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com
Main Paper References:
Tapia Aguilera W, Gibbs JP. 2023. Rewilding giant tortoises engineers plant communities at local to landscape scales. Conservation Letters 16:e12968. DOI: 10.1111/conl.12968.
Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:
Loconsole M, Stancher G, Versace E. 2023. Crossmodal association between visual and acoustic cues in a tortoise (Testudo hermanni). Biology Letters 19:20230265. DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0265.
Starck, J. M., Schrenk, F., Schröder, S., & Pees, M. (2022). Malformations of the sacculus and the semicircular canals in spider morph pythons. Plos one, 17(8), e0262788.
Other Links/Mentions:
Scinax crospedospilus by Mario Sacramento from https://amphibiaweb.org/cgi/amphib_query?where-genus=Scinax&where-species=crospedospilus
Charles Darwin Foundation. Studying the ecology and distribution of the invasive treefrog Scinax quinquefasciatus https://www.darwinfoundation.org/en/research/projects/invasive-treefrog
Editing and Music:
Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10
Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson
Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy
Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com
Friday Mar 08, 2024
184 Skin-eating Caecilians
Friday Mar 08, 2024
Friday Mar 08, 2024
Caecilians, the strange underground amphibians, are known to let their babies eat their skin. But the full benefits of this practice are only now becoming clear.
Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights
Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop
Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com
Main Paper References:
Kouete MT, Bletz MC, LaBumbard BC, Woodhams DC, Blackburn DC. 2023. Parental care contributes to vertical transmission of microbes in a skin-feeding and direct-developing caecilian. Animal Microbiome 5:28. DOI: 10.1186/s42523-023-00243-x.
Species of the Bi-Week:
Li S-Z, Liu J, Ke X-C, Cheng G, Wang B. 2024. A new species of Amolops (Amphibia, Anura, Ranidae) from Guizhou Province, China. ZooKeys 1189:33–54. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1189.115621.
Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:
Starck, J. M., Schrenk, F., Schröder, S., & Pees, M. (2022). Malformations of the sacculus and the semicircular canals in spider morph pythons. Plos one, 17(8), e0262788.
Editing and Music:
Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10
Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson
Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy
Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com
Sunday Feb 25, 2024
183 Lizards Disrupting Dinner
Sunday Feb 25, 2024
Sunday Feb 25, 2024
A wildly ambitious study which fundamentally alters the ecology of islands? Count us in.
Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights
Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop
Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com
Main Paper References:
Lapiedra O, Morales N, Yang LH, Fernández‐Bellon D, Michaelides SN, Giery ST, Piovia‐Scott J, Schoener TW, Kolbe JJ, Losos JB. 2023. Predator‐driven behavioural shifts in a common lizard shape resource‐flow from marine to terrestrial ecosystems. Ecology Letters:ele.14335. DOI: 10.1111/ele.14335.
Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:
Kim KS, Lockley MG, Lim JD, Bae SM, Romilio A. 2020. Trackway evidence for large bipedal crocodylomorphs from the Cretaceous of Korea. Scientific Reports 10:8680. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-66008-7.
Other Links/Mentions:
Amos J. 2020. Fossil tracks left by an ancient crocodile that “ran like an ostrich.” https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-53011567
Barbados frogs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LdK6JQUNyw
Editing and Music:
Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10
Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson
Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy
Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com
Monday Feb 19, 2024
182 Sea Snake Squad
Monday Feb 19, 2024
Monday Feb 19, 2024
More evidence of social behaviour in snakes, this time from snakes that live underwater. Then we chat about a new species of alligator-looking lizard.
Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights
Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop
Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com
Main Paper References:
Somaweera R, Udyawer V, Amarasinghe AAT, De Fresnes J, Catherall J, Molchanova G. 2023. Apparent coordinated and communal hunting behaviours by Erabu sea krait Laticauda semifactiata. Scientific Reports 13:21471. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48684-3.
Species of the Bi-Week:
Clause AG, Luna-Reyes R, Mendoza-Velázquez OM, Nieto-Montes De Oca A, Solano-Zavaleta I. 2024. Bridging the gap: A new species of arboreal Abronia (Squamata: Anguidae) from the Northern Highlands of Chiapas, Mexico. PLOS ONE 19:e0295230. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295230.
Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:
Shine, R., Shine, T., Shine, J. M. & Shine, B. G. Synchrony in capture dates suggests cryptic social organization in sea snakes (Emy docephalus annulatus, Hydrophiidae). Austral Ecol. 30, 805–811 (2005).
Editing and Music:
Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10
Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson
Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy
Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com
Thursday Jan 25, 2024
181 Piebald Pythons
Thursday Jan 25, 2024
Thursday Jan 25, 2024
Royal pythons, ball pythons, regardless of their name the colour morphs can be stunning. But have folk found which gene is responsible? And can that gene create the same patterns in other reptiles?
Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights
Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop
Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com
Main Paper References:
Garcia-Elfring A, Sabin CE, Iouchmanov AL, Roffey HL, Samudra SP, Alcala AJ, Osman RS, Lauderdale JD, Hendry AP, Menke DB, Barrett RDH. 2023. Piebaldism and chromatophore development in reptiles are linked to the tfec gene. Current Biology 33:755-763.e3. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.01.004.
Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:
Chavan UM, Borkar MR. 2023. Observations on cooperative fishing, use of bait for hunting, propensity for marigold flowers and sentient behaviour in Mugger Crocodiles Crocodylus palustris (Lesson, 1831) of river Savitri at Mahad, Maharashtra, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 15:23750–23762. DOI: 10.11609/jott.8551.15.8.23750-23762.
Other Links/Mentions:
Theloderma corticale call by Peter Janzen from AmphibiaWeb - https://amphibiaweb.org/cgi/amphib_query?where-genus=Theloderma&where-species=corticale
Editing and Music:
Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10
Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson
Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy
Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com