Reptiles

An artist's rendering of Caiuajara dobruskii surrounded by its young in the ancient Brazilian desert.

New Desert-Dwelling Pterosaur Unearthed in Brazil

A massive bone bed is already yielding insights into the flying reptile's lifestyle

Baby Turtles Coordinate Hatching By Talking to One Another Through Their Egg Shells

A number of turtle species make sounds, but this is the first evidence that babies do so before they've even hatched

A Deadly Fungus Is Wiping Out Frogs and Toads—But Some Can Develop Resistance

Scientists hope it might be possible to develop a vaccine to the fungus, based on the frog and toad's immunity

The Clarion nightsnake, brought into the scientific light at last.

Written Off as a Figment, the Mysterious Clarión Nightsnake Reemerges after Nearly 80 Years

The snake was discovered on a remote Mexican island in the 1930s, but the notes of the famous naturalist who documented it were later called into question

Butterflies And Bees Drink Crocodile Tears

To the delight of winged invertebrates, crocodiles cry when they eat

A baby loggerhead sea turtle with a solar-powered tag attached to its shell swims in the Gulf Stream just after release off the southeast Florida coast in 2009. NMSF permit 1551 applies to all images featured in this article.

Where Do Newly Hatched Baby Sea Turtles Go?

Special satellite tags that track baby sea turtles show that some ride the North Atlantic Gyre while others float in the Sargasso Sea

Conservationist Are Resorting to Branding Endangered Tortoises

If the tortoises' shells are marred with numbers and letters, they'll be less appealing to poachers

Ancient Reptiles Kept Switching Between Laying Eggs And Giving Birth to Live Babies

Colder temperatures seem key to triggering the switch to live births

This flashy male chameleon is deadly beautiful to his competitors.

The More Rainbow Bright a Chameleon, the Greater His Battle Prowess

Male chameleons quickest on the color-changing draw and sporting the brightest palette tend beat out duller competitors

A friendly garter snake

Mating Snakes Engage in a Literal Battle of the Sexes

Male and female red-sided garter snakes have antagonistic genitals, evolved to further the interests of their respective gender

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This Bumpy-Faced Reptile Ruled the Prehistoric Desert

Newly excavated fossils tell us more about the cow-sized, plant-eating Bunostegos akokanensis, which roamed Pangea around 260 million years ago

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Unborn Turtles Actively Regulate Their Own Temperature

Before hatching, a baby turtle can deliberately move between warm and cool patches within its egg--a behavior that may help determine its gender

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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

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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 alter the forests' structure

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

Black-headed Spider Monkey (Ateles fusciceps)

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

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