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.

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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.

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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.

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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

Crocodiles and apes have a long history together, and they might have been dining on our young...

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Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

Thévenet J, Papet L, Coureaud G, Boyer N, Levréro F, Grimault N, Mathevon N. 2023. Crocodile perception of distress in hominid baby cries. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 290:20230201. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0201.

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

Seilern-Macpherson K, Lawson B, Macadam CR, West P, Reed N, Gibson L, Świątek P, Gajda Ł, Cunningham AA, Heaver J, Julian AM. 2024. Predation of anurans in southern England by Batracobdella algira, a leech previously unknown in the UK. The Herpetological Journal 34:221–227. DOI: 10.33256/34.4.221227.

King RB, Ray JM, Stanford KM. 2006. Gorging on gobies: beneficial effects of alien prey on a threatened vertebrate. Canadian Journal of Zoology 84:108–115. DOI: 10.1139/z05-182.

Massenet M, Anikin A, Pisanski K, Reynaud K, Mathevon N, Reby D. 2022. Nonlinear vocal phenomena affect human perceptions of distress, size and dominance in puppy whines. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 289(1973), 20220429. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0429

Other Links/Mentions:

Alligator sounds from AGKrokodile: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkW7-KpOQLA

Turtles have personalities and these can be influenced by the environments they live in, with urban environments seemingly changing the way turtle populations behave. Plus we talk about a chunky new toad species.

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Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

Carlson BE, Carter SE, Hulbert AC, Hyslop NL, Free Kashon EA, Kimble SJA, Lisk J, McElroy C, Mook JL, Refsnider JM, Roe JH, Tetzlaff SJ, Windmiller B. 2024. Intrapopulation variation in boldness differs while average boldness is similar across populations of a widespread turtle. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 78:64. DOI: 10.1007/s00265-024-03480-5.

Species of the Bi-Week:

Caicedo-Martínez LS, Henao-Osorio JJ, Arias-Monsalve HF, Rojas-Morales JA, Ossa-López PA, Rivera-Páez FA, Ramírez-Chaves HE. 2024. A new species of terrestrial toad of the Rhinella festae group (Anura, Bufonidae) from the highlands of the Central Cordillera of the Andes of Colombia. ZooKeys 1196:149–175. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1196.114861.

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

Marr MM, Hopkins K, Tapley B, Borzée A, Liang Z, Cunningham AA, Yan F, Wang J, Turvey ST. 2024. What’s in a name? Using species delimitation to inform conservation practice for Chinese giant salamanders (Andrias spp.). Evolutionary Journal of the Linnean Society 3:kzae007. DOI: 10.1093/evolinnean/kzae007.

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

A bunch of new research up for discussion with frogs building nests, two-tailed geckos jogging about, and a leucistic snake that's venomous and poisonous.

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Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

Angiolani‐Larrea FN, Jindiachi L, Tinajero‐Romero JG, Valencia‐Aguilar A, Garrido‐Priego M, Culebras J, Ringler E. 2023. Egg burying behaviour in Pristimantis highlights the link between direct development and specialised parental care. Ecology and Evolution 13:e10808. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10808.

Liang T, Ran J, Liang Q, Leng L, Du J, Wang J, Shi L. 2024. Report of abnormal tail regeneration of Eremias yarkandensis (Sauria: Lacertidae) and its locomotor performance. Ecology and Evolution 14:e11074. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11074.

Park S, Cheon S, Park H, Kim N, Rahman MM, Sung H. 2024. The first record of leucism in the Rhabdophis tigrinus (Boie, 1826) (Squamata, Colubridae) in South Korea. Ecology and Evolution 14:e11029. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11029.

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

Are lizards from fire-prone areas more savvy to smoke? New research suggests they are, plus we chat about a newly discovered green frog whose beautiful call (probably) resembles a flute.

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Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper Reference:

Álvarez-Ruiz L, Belliure J, Pausas JG. 2021. Fire-driven behavioral response to smoke in a Mediterranean lizard. Behavioral Ecology 32:662–667. DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab010.

Species of the Bi-Week:

Marinho P, Santos MTT, Faivovich J, Lyra ML, Giaretta AA, Haddad CFB, Carvalho TR. 2024. A New Species of the Aplastodiscus albosignatus Group (Hylinae: Cophomantini) from the Northern Mantiqueira Mountain Range. Herpetologica 80. DOI: 10.1655/Herpetologica-D-23-00008.

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 Australia rotten meat is a valuable commodity that monitor lizards compete for against dingoes and red foxes. Plus new work from a team including ZSL has discovered a key ingredient to some lizard and crocodilian teeth that explains how they are so tough.

Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights

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Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

Cairncross RJ, Spencer EE, Meisuria N, Crowther MS, Newsome TM. 2024. Carrion use by a reptile is influenced by season, habitat and competition with an apex mammalian scavenger. Ecology and Evolution 14:e70211. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.70211.

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

LeBlanc ARH, Morrell AP, Sirovica S, Al-Jawad M, Labonte D, D’Amore DC, Clemente C, Wang S, Giuliani F, McGilvery CM, Pittman M, Kaye TG, Stevenson C, Capon J, Tapley B, Spiro S, Addison O. 2024. Iron-coated Komodo dragon teeth and the complex dental enamel of carnivorous reptiles. Nature Ecology & Evolution. DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02477-7.

Editing and Music:

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy

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