Discover stories in Reptiles
Ten Strange, Endearing and Alarming Animal Courtship Rituals
To celebrate humans' holiday of love and romance, our blogger asked biologists for tales of fascinating animal mating habits. Here are some of the strangest and most endearing.
Can Helicopter-deployed Toad Sausages Save Australia’s Northern Quoll?
Australian scientists are teaching endangered northern quolls to avoid deadly cane toads by feeding them toad sausages laced with nausea-inducing chemicals. Yes, really.
Recovery: Rare Turtle Gets a Second Chance
Only 300 Plymouth redbellies remained – making them arguably the continent’s rarest turtle. They were confined to one county. And they weren’t breeding. What saved the redbelly from extinction?
Indigos Return: A Florida Breeding Program Raises Eastern Indigo Snakes for Reintroduction
Meet the captive-bred eastern indigo snakes destined for release at the Conservancy’s Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve.
Sea Turtle Tasks: A Night in the Life of a Researcher
Seeing a sea turtle lumber onto a beach and lay its eggs is a spectacular experience and, for researchers, a lot of work. Follow them through a typical night on the beach.
Sea Turtles of St. Croix: Research Benefits Nesting Beaches
Nesting sea turtles have staged a dramatic comeback at a Nature Conservancy site on St. Croix. What's behind the success? Our blogger heads afield for a firsthand look at turtle research and monitoring.
Tracking a Secretive Snake on the Prairie
The plains hog-nosed snake -- does it think it's a cobra, or a possum? Researchers are finding a lot of surprises tracking this mysterious grasslands creature on Minnesota's Chippewa Prairie, near a Nature Conservancy preserve.
Alligator Rescue on the Border
The alligator was trapped and destined to die a slow death: time for a rescue operation. An unexpected twist at one of the most biodiverse nature reserves in the United States, the National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas.
Silence of the Rattlesnake Researchers: Snakes, Culture and Conservation
Snakes should fear us more than we fear them. In Vermont, timber rattlesnake research unexpectedly exposes humanity's tangled relationship with snakes. Can education shape a new future?
Snake Fungal Disease: The White-Nose Syndrome for Reptiles?
Researchers in Vermont were tracking the movements of timber rattlesnakes for conservation planning, but they also made an unexpected discovery: snake fungal disease. Could these lesions be deadly to snakes ? Could it affect snake populations the way white-nose syndrome affects bats?
Snakes on a Cliff: Rattler Research in Vermont
There could be a rattlesnake anywhere: Join researchers as they scamper up rocky slopes while tracking snakes in Vermont, all to gain a better understanding of the timber rattler's movements, habits and health. Just watch where you put your hands.