PRZEMYSŁAW ZDUNEK

𝐇𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐀𝐥 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐦𝐬?

🦎NO !!! The white substance they wipe away is not ordinary nasal discharge. When Uromastyx nigriventris sneezes, it secretes salt. If this large lizard did not do so, it would probably die of dehydration in the deserts of North Africa.

🔬This extremely salty mucus is sometimes called ‘snalt’ because it contains potassium and sodium bicarbonate salts that dry into crystals. This species often has a white residue around its nostrils, which is a remnant of a previous sneeze. Without this mucous layer, this species could very easily overdose on salt. The Urosmatyx's diet in the desert consists mainly of salty plants, and the animal rarely drinks water. Most of its hydration comes from food.

👀Therefore, this lizard has developed special glands that filter salt from the body, excreting excess salt through the nose to prevent dehydration.

👩‍🔬Some other species of lizards with a similar diet also excrete salt, e.g., marine iguanas in the Galapagos or Sauromalus ater found in the desert.

#herpetology #Uromastyx #agamaidae #Uromastyxnigriventris #sauria #morocco #wildlife #animals #lizards #reptiles #funfact #nature #curious ... See MoreSee Less

🐸 𝐀 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭. 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐞?

🐝🐸Izecksohn's Brazilian treefrog (Xenohyla truncata), a species of tree frog native to Brazil, whose individuals climb trees en masse on warm nights in search of fruit and nectar. This species of frog is unique in that it is the only known frugivorous frog in the world. This frog will eat various types of plants, including Anthurium harrisii, Erythroxylum ovalifolium, and Maytenus obtusifolia. Inside the stomach contents were found many different types of arthropods, fruits, seeds, pods, pulp and flowers.

💐During this process, the frogs become covered in sticky pollen grains and may unknowingly pollinate plants. This is the first time that a frog—or any other amphibian—has been observed pollinating a plant.

👩‍🔬Scientists have long believed that only insects and birds act as pollinators, but recent studies have shown that some reptiles and mammals are also excellent at this task.

👀 Now scientists must consider whether amphibians are also capable of performing this task. Scientists report that Brazilian tree frogs likely transfer pollen as they move from flower to flower. Further research is needed to confirm that frogs have joined the ranks of pollinators.

👉 If you want more information, I encourage you to read the references:

Carlos Henrique de-Oliveira-Nogueira, Ubiratã Ferreira Souza, Thaynara Mendes Machado, Caio Antônio Figueiredo-de-Andrade, Alexander Tamanini Mônico, Ivan Sazima, Marlies Sazima, Luís Felipe Toledo, Between fruits, flowers and nectar: The extraordinary diet of the frog Xenohyla truncata, Food Webs, Volume 35, 2023, e00281

#Frogs #treefrogs #fruits #amphibiens #funfacts #science #herpetology #animals #ecology #anatomy #wildlife #bees #flowers ... See MoreSee Less

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐢𝐥𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝'𝐬 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐋𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐫𝐝

🦎Lilford's wall lizard (Podarcis lilfordi) is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to the Balearic Islands, Spain. There are 27 subspecies that are recognized as being valid.

👀 P. lilfordi is named in honour of Thomas Powys, 4th Baron Lilford, a British ornithologist who studied the fauna of the Balearics.

🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎
The density of the Balearic lizard varies from less than 35 to almost 8000 lizards ha −1 , with an average of around 1500 lizards ha −1 . In some very small islets we detected no more than 10 individuals.

👉 This is the largest proportion in the world of a species of lizard that is close to endangered. 🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎

🐝🌻🐝Some plants endemic to the Balearic Islands depend on this lizard for pollination.

🌻🌻Plants known to be pollinated by it include the mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus), rock samphire (Crithmum maritimum), wild leek (Allium ampeloprasum), clustered carline thistle (Carlina corymbosa) and the sea daffodil (Pancratium maritimum).

#podarcis #lizards #bees #flowers #sauria #nature #herpetology #pollination #animals #science #spain #reptiles #squamata #plants ... See MoreSee Less

🐇𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐏𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚

👩‍🔬 Wildlife biologists in Florida are doing everything they can to eliminate invasive Burmese pythons, from organizing public hunts and hiring bounty hunters to installing tracking devices...
.

🤖 Now, in the fight against these destructive snakes: robotic rabbits! 🐇
.

🐰 Scientists from the University of Florida are deploying so-called ‘robot rabbits’ throughout southern Florida in the hope that they will lure Burmese pythons out of their hiding places so that they can be killed. By luring pythons to rabbit-like robots, biologists can save time that would otherwise be spent searching the swamps.

🐇🤖 The animatronic rabbits are equipped with motors and internal heaters to mimic the behaviour and body temperature of live swamp rabbits (Sylvilagus palustris).

🐍 In the past, scientists conducted experiments involving placing live rabbits in pens to lure invasive snakes. Live rabbits did indeed attract snakes effectively, luring about one per week, but caring for and managing the small mammals was labour-intensive. Scientists wondered whether robotic rabbits could perform the task just as well.

🐍 If the initial experiment fails to attract pythons, the researchers plan to conduct a second round of tests with the addition of realistic rabbit scents to the mechanical creatures.

The South Florida Water Management District is funding the robotic rabbit experiment, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has paid for related research in the past. 🐇

👉 If you want more information, I encourage you to read the references:

Palmbeachpost - Python challenge robot bunny new weapon to fight invasive in florida

Photo credit: Robert McCleery

#nature #conservation #herpetology #Burmesepythons #florida #snakes #rabbits #ecology #invasivespecies ... See MoreSee Less

𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟐 🌻

👀 Do reptiles feel emotions such as optimism or anxiety? I have already written about this in previous posts (link in the comments).

👩‍🔬 New research confirms and supplements our existing ideas about reptile consciousness in terms of emotions.

🐢 Scientists studied red-footed tortoises (Chelonoidis carbonaria) using a method often used in humans and mammals: the cognitive bias test.

🐢 Tortoises kept in a rich, stimulating environment were more likely to interpret ambiguous situations optimistically, indicating a positive emotional state. Even more convincingly, the same tortoises showed less anxiety in moderately stressful situations, suggesting that their mood was not fleeting but long-lasting.

🔬 The team studied 15 red-footed tortoises using a cognitive bias test—an approach developed in humans which reveals whether individuals respond optimistically or pessimistically in their judgment of ambiguity, depending on their background mood.

🕵 This is further evidence that reptiles, like mammals and birds, can experience sustained emotional states. And since reptiles diverged from mammals and birds more than 300 million years ago, these findings point to deep evolutionary roots for moods and emotions across the animal kingdom.

🤓 The implications are profound. As reptiles become increasingly popular as pets and in zoos, recognizing their emotional complexity may change the way we care for them. Understanding whether animals can experience moods and emotions is crucial for informing welfare standards.

👉 If you want more information, I encourage you to read the references:

Hoehfurtner, T., Wilkinson, A., Moszuti, S.A. et al. Evidence of mood states in reptiles. Anim Cogn 28, 52 (2025).

#emotions #reptiles #feelings #herpetology #lizards #education #worldwide #sociallife #social #curiosity #animals #biodiversity #turtles #tortoises ... See MoreSee Less