Worm lizards are strange legless animals that live underground. Turns out they communicate by smell and are able to pass on surprisingly complex messages. There's also a brand new species of these subterranean lizards.

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 Reference:

Martín J, Navarro-Castilla Á, De La Concha A, Cuervo JJ, Barja I, López P. 2024. Heat-altered scent marks of males of a fossorial reptile still allow recognition by females but lose information on male quality. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 78:77. DOI: 10.1007/s00265-024-03496-x.

Species of the Bi-Week:

Ribeiro S, Santos Jr AP, Martins IG, Oliveira ECS, Graboski R, Barbosa Da Silveira T, Benício MHM, Vaz-Silva W. 2024. A new four-pored Amphisbaena Linnaeus, 1758 (Amphisbaenia, Amphisbaenidae) from the north of Espinhaço Mountain Range, Brazil. ZooKeys 1213:1–27. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1213.122265.

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

Martín, J., Rodríguez-Ruiz, G., Navarro-Castilla, Á., Barja, I., & López, P. (2024). Blind date: female fossorial amphisbaenians prefer scent marks of large and healthy males. Integrative Zoology.

Editing and Music:

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy

Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com

Intro visuals – Paul Snelling

In this Patreon-selected double bill we investigate the tricky task of sexing blue-tongued skinks and the strange underworld of olms.

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:

McKenzie A, Li T, Doneley B. 2022. A comparison of two techniques to identify the sex of the eastern blue‐tongue skink (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides). Australian Veterinary Journal 100:407–413. DOI: 10.1111/avj.13170.

Recknagel H, Zakšek V, Delić T, Gorički Š, Trontelj P. 2024. Multiple transitions between realms shape relict lineages of Proteus cave salamanders. Molecular Ecology 33:e16868. DOI: 10.1111/mec.16868.

Editing and Music:

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy

Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com

Intro visuals – Paul Snelling

We chat about vipers hissing before hitting on some massive news with multiple new species of king cobra being described.

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:

Van Zele N, Nicot T, Lengagne T, Ksas R, Lourdais O. 2024. Physiological costs of warning: Defensive hissing increases metabolic rate and evaporative water loss in a venomous snake. Physiology & Behavior 287:114708. DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114708.

Species of the Bi-Week:

Das I, Gowri Shankar P, Swamy P, Williams RC, Lalremsanga HT, Prashanth P, Sahoo G, Vijayakumar SP, Höglund J, Shanker K, Dutta SK, Ganesh SR, Wüster W. 2024. Taxonomic revision of the king cobra Ophiophagus hannah (Cantor, 1836) species complex (Reptilia: Serpentes: Elapidae), with the description of two new species. European Journal of Taxonomy 961. DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2024.961.2681.

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

Shankar PG, Swamy P, Williams RC, Ganesh SR, Moss M, Höglund J, Das I, Sahoo G, Vijayakumar SP, Shanker K, Wüster W, Dutta SK. 2021. King or royal family? Testing for species boundaries in the King Cobra, Ophiophagus hannah (Cantor, 1836), using morphology and multilocus DNA analyses. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution:107300. DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107300.

Other Links/Mentions:

Viper hissing sound from Vipera Ammodytes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YgJRa9675Y&t=33s

Editing and Music:

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy

Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com

Intro visuals – Paul Snelling