Frogs and Reptiles – PossibleThreat Articles

By cutting out one gene, researchers remove a tadpole's ability to regenerate

October 24, 2019 0 Comments Biotechnology, Cloning, Developmental Biology, Evolutionary Biology, Frogs and Reptiles, Genetics, Life Sciences, New Species

Tadpoles that can typically regrow amputated tails or limbs lost their ability to regenerate after researchers blocked the expression of a newly identified gene that is one of the drivers for this regrowth. Furthermore, scientists hypothesize that the loss of appendage regeneration in warm-blooded animals might have been caused by the gain or loss of this gene, dubbed c-Answer, in an ancestor's genome during evolution.

News Science

Underwater grandmothers reveal big population of lethal sea snakes

October 23, 2019 0 Comments Environmental Awareness, Exotic Species, Fish, Frogs and Reptiles, Geography, Marine Biology, Oceanography, Sea Life

A group of snorkelling grandmothers is helping scientists better understand marine ecology by photographing venomous sea snakes in waters off the city of Noumea, New Caledonia.

News Science

Toad disguises itself as deadly viper to avoid attack

October 21, 2019 0 Comments animals, Endangered Animals, Fish, Frogs and Reptiles, Invasive Species, Nature, New Species, Wild Animals

The first study of a toad mimicking a venomous snake reveals that it likely imitates one of Africa's largest vipers in both appearance and behavior.

News Science

First widespread chytrid fungus infections in frogs of Peruvian Amazon rain forests

October 17, 2019 0 Comments Ecology, Ecology Research, Forest, Frogs and Reptiles, Fungus, Geography, Nature, Rainforests

Biologists have documented, for the first time, the widespread presence of the notorious chytrid fungus in 80 species of frogs from lowland rain forest sites in the Peruvian Amazon.

News Science

Sexual selection alone could spark formation of new species

October 17, 2019 0 Comments Charles Darwin, Evolution, Evolutionary Biology, Frogs and Reptiles, Mating and Breeding, New Species, Origin of Life

Because of imprinted preferences, strawberry poison frog females mate more with similar colored males, and less with differently colored males. Over time, the behavior could lead to two color types becoming separate species.

News Science

Newly identified compounds could help give fire ants their sting

October 16, 2019 0 Comments Agriculture and Food, animals, Ecology Research, Frogs and Reptiles, Insects (including Butterflies), Invasive Species, Mating and Breeding, New Species

Native to South America, imported fire ants have now spread to parts of North America and elsewhere around the world. These invasive pests have painful stings that, in some cases, can cause serious medical problems, such as hypersensitivity reactions, infections and even kidney failure. Now, researchers have identified pyridine alkaloids that, along with other venom components, could contribute to these conditions.

News Science

Daddy daycare: Why some songbirds care for the 'wrong' kids

October 4, 2019 0 Comments Agriculture and Food, Behavioral Science, Birds, Botany, Frogs and Reptiles, Mating and Breeding, Nature, Trees

Interspecific feeding — when an adult of one species feeds the young of another — is rare among songbirds, and scientists could only speculate on why it occurs, but now, researchers have new insight into this behavior.

News Science

Imprinting on mothers may drive new species formation in poison dart frogs

October 3, 2019 0 Comments Beer and Wine, Environmental Awareness, Frogs and Reptiles, Geography, Mating and Breeding, Mining, New Species

By rearing frogs with parents — or foster parents — of different colors, biologists discovered that behavior in response to color may be more important than genetics in the evolution of new species.

News Science

T. rex used a stiff skull to eat its prey

September 25, 2019 0 Comments animals, Birds, Dinosaurs, Early Birds, Fossils, Frogs and Reptiles, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Wild Animals

A Tyrannosaurus rex could bite hard enough to shatter the bones of its prey. But how it accomplished this feat without breaking its own skull bones has baffled paleontologists. That's why scientists are arguing that the T. rex's skull was stiff much like the skulls of hyenas and crocodiles, and not flexible like snakes and birds as paleontologists previously thought.

News Science

Scientists track frog-killing fungus to help curb its spread

September 23, 2019 0 Comments animals, Biochemistry Research, Biology, Frogs and Reptiles, Fungus, Microbes and More, Nature, New Species

With the help of advanced genetic testing and hundreds of frog skin swabs, an international team of researchers has created the most complete map to date of when and where different genetic variants of the frog-killing Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis have infected frog populations around the world. The investigation also uncovered a whole new genetic lineage of the fungus, one that appears to have originated in Asia and may be the oldest variant yet discovered.

← Previous