Reptiles
Solving an Alligator Mystery May Help Humans Regrow Lost Teeth
A gator can replace all of its teeth up to 50 times--learning what triggers these new teeth to grow may someday keep us from needing dentures
May 13, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Where Have the Trees of Guam Gone?
Scientists are investigating whether the obliteration of the island's bird species is thinning the tree canopy and could ultimately alter the forests' structure
April 11, 2013 |
By Claire Martin
Why Geckos Don’t Slip Off Wet Jungle Leaves or Hotel Ceilings
A surface's ability to attract and repel water heavily influences the degree to which a gecko can cling overhead, new research shows
April 01, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Video: This Lizard-Inspired Robot Can Scamper Across Sand
It's a product of the emerging field of terradynamics, which studies the movement of vehicles across shifting surfaces
March 21, 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Snakes in a Frame: Mark Laita’s Stunning Photographs of Slithering Beasts
In his new book, Serpentine, Mark Laita captures the colors, textures and sinuous forms of a variety of snake species
February 26, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
The Komodo Dragon is an All-Purpose Killing Machine
A visit to one of Indonesia’s most popular tourist destinations could be your last
February 2013 |
By Brendan Borrell
How Long Can Turtles Stay Underwater and Other Questions From Our Readers
You asked? We answered
February 2013 |
By Smithsonian magazine
The Most Infamous Komodo Dragon Attacks of the Past 10 Years
An 8-year old boy; a group of stranded divers; a celebrity's husband: Just a few of the recent victims of Komodo dragon attacks
January 24, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Why Do We Hiccup? And Other Scientific Mysteries—Seen Through the Eyes of Artists
In a new book, 75 artists illustrate questions scientists haven't fully answered yet
November 28, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
Alan Dudley’s Wondrous Array of Animal Skulls
A new book delivers fascinating photographs of over 300 skulls from the British taxidermist's personal collection—the largest in the world
October 31, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
Scientific Illustrations: Your Go-To Guides for Halloween Costumes
The details are what separate a good outfit from an amazing one. The images in the Biodiversity Heritage Library can help you make the leap
October 26, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
24 New Lizard Species Discovered, Half Close to Extinction
The discoverer of the world's (then) smallest frog, snake and lizard does it again with new species of Caribbean skinks
May 01, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
How Titanoboa, the 40-Foot-Long Snake, Was Found
In Colombia, the fossil of a gargantuan snake has stunned scientists, forcing them to rethink the nature of prehistoric life
April 2012 |
By Guy Gugliotta
Attack of the Giant Pythons
The Smithsonian's noted bird sleuth, Carla Dove, eyes smelly globs to identify victims in Florida
April 2011 |
By Arcynta Ali Childs
Saving the World's Most Endangered Sea Turtle
Stranded on Cape Cod beaches, these Kemp's ridley turtles are getting a helping hand from volunteers and researchers
May 2010 |
By Amy Sutherland
Discovering the Titanoboa
As part of a multi-organizational team, Smithsonian scientist Carlos Jaramillo uncovered the fossils of a gigantic snake
April 20, 2009 |
By Bruce Hathaway
Mystery Bumps
Scientists knew that alligators' jaws are covered in bumps but it took biologist Daphne Soares to figure out why
May 2003 |
By David Berreby
Requiem for a Heavyweight
Science meets shamanism at a gathering to ponder the fate of the Pacific Ocean leatherback
November 2002 |
By Jeff Wheelwright
The Object at Hand
How a great snake, attended by alarums and excursions, made it from an Asian jungle to the National Zoo and so, eventually, to its present berth in a Smithsonian museum
June 1995 |
By Adele Conover
