That Reptile Blog – Reptile, Amphibian and Exotic Pet Care and Information

Pythons and boas bear small spurs, used by males during courtship, near the cloaca (please see photo).  These vestigial legs provide us with evidence that snakes may once have walked about on 4 limbs, but until recently we could only speculate as to further details.  However, new technology has now enabled us to fill in some of the blanks, and may offer insights into other creatures that seem to be “losing their legs”, such as Worm Lizards and Sirens.

Snake Ancestors

Utilizing a developing technology known as Synchrotron-Radiation Computed Laminography, researchers at the Paris Museum of Natural History were able to microscopically examine snake fossils in new detail.  They concluded that swimming or burrowing lizards were the most likely ancestors of modern-day snakes. Read More »

While the Emperor Scorpion and the South African Flat Rock Scorpion are, by today’s standards, huge and impressive, they pale in comparison to their extinct relatives.  Imagine, if you will, an 8-foot-long scorpion sporting spiked claws that extended 2 feet from its body!  Well, thanks to newly uncovered fossil evidence, we need not imagine so hard – such fantastic beasts did indeed exist.  Known as Sea Scorpions or Pterygotid Eurypterids, some, such as Acutiramus, were larger than a person!

Natural History

Sea Scorpions are the ancestors of modern-day scorpions, and perhaps of all Arachnids.  Pre-dating the dinosaurs, they emerged approximately 470 million years ago, and roamed the seas (and fresh waters) for over 100 million years.  Read More »

I’ve roamed the halls of NYC’s American Museum of Natural History since childhood, yet never come away without a sense of awe.  This week, the museum’s newest exhibit, The World’s Largest Dinosaurs, floored me.  Focusing on Sauropods such as the massive Mamechisaurus (the Brontosaurus, or “Thunder Lizard” of my youth), this ground-breaking exhibit goes beyond fossils to reveal just how these spectacular creatures moved, ate, reproduced and lived their lives.

Dinosaurs as Living, Breathing Creatures

Until recently, most of us could view and experience dinosaurs only by examining fossils in museums.  Certainly, this was more than enough to hold my attention, but there were limitations in viewing “remains” and in not being able to picture how these creatures actually went about the business of living. Read More »

Turtles and other reptiles are full of surprises when it comes to reproduction.  In the past few decades we’ve learned that incubation temperature, not genetics, determines the sex of many species, that some have dispensed entirely with males (i.e. the Brahminy Blind Snake) and that the massive Komodo Dragon is capable of reproducing without fertilization.  Recently (May, 2011), biologists have determined that turtle embryos move within the egg and actively seek heat.  This finding may cause us to re-examine conservation techniques, and raises an array of important questions – i.e., can turtle embryos actually determine what sex they will be? Read More »

The herpetology world lost one of its oldest and most celebrated members with the passing of the legendary Bill Haast on June 15, 2011.  Although surrounded by controversy for (literally!) most of his 100 years, Mr. Haast inspired millions of reptile enthusiasts, myself included, and saved countless lives by harvesting the venom needed to produce antivenin (the medicine used to treat bites from venomous snakes). He even donated his own blood, which he believed to contain antivenin, to snakebite victims (please see below). Read More »