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+20 +2
Found: an ancient crocodile as long as a bus
The largest ever sea-dwelling crocodile has been uncovered in Tunisia. It was longer than a great white shark and its skull was as big as a person.
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Rare venomous sea snakes keep washing up on California beaches
There are plenty of reasons you may wish you lived in California — beautiful weather, beautiful people, that 7-Eleven that sold a winning Powerball ticket. But you only need one reason not to: Be grateful, anyone who lives anywhere else. As for you Californians — well, we’re keeping you in our thoughts. For the third time in recent months, a rare, venomous yellow-bellied sea snake has washed up on the Golden State’s shores, freaking out beach-goers...
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These Crazy Cute Baby Turtles Want Their Lake Back | Deep Look
Turtles grow up without parents, which might sound lonely. But for threatened baby turtles raised in a zoo it’s an advantage: they can learn to catch crickets all by themselves. There’s a paradox, though. When they are ready to leave the nursery, there is little wilderness where they can make a home.
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The US just banned salamander imports, hoping to stave off disaster
A fungus could wipe out our nation's salamanders.
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+29 +4
Scientists discover 99-million-year-old lizards preserved in amber
Some 99 million years ago, 12 unsuspecting lizards stepped or fell into sticky tree resin and couldn't tear themselves loose in the forests of what is now Myanmar. Over time that resin fossilized into amber, preserving the little lizards for scientists to study later. Now, researchers are looking to these prehistoric golden chunks to better understand how lizards have evolved.
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+23 +1
This Snake Pretends to Be a Spider—and Catches a Bird
Scientists who filmed the rare spider-tailed viper in the wild have unlocked the secret of its bizarre tail. By James Owen.
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+32 +2
These Lizards Have Been Playing Rock-Paper-Scissors for 15 Million Years
Male side-blotched lizards have more than one way to get the girl. Orange males are bullies. Yellows are sneaks. Blues team up with a buddy to protect their territories. Who wins? It depends - on a genetic game of roshambo.
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+14 +1
Florida crocodiles: Man-eating Nile beasts confirmed in swamps
DNA tests have confirmed that three man-eating Nile crocodiles have been found living in Florida's swamps. Unlike local alligators, the species preys on humans and is thought to be responsible for up to 200 deaths a year at home in sub-Saharan Africa. It is possible more of the beasts are at large in the state, experts say. It is not known for certain how they reached the US. "They didn't swim from Africa," said University of Florida herpetologist Kenneth Krysko.
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+9 +1
Lizard
This slow worm was just looking at me and staying relaxed while I took a couple of pictures. More pictures at my site. It was about the length of an underarm and was no thicker than a little finger of a man.
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+8 +2
New venomous snake species discovered in Costa Rica
A group of researchers from the U.S. and Costa Rica announced this week the discovery of a new species of venomous snake in the mountains of Costa Rica that they’re calling the Talamancan palm-pitviper (Bothriechis nubestris). Researchers from the University of Central Florida (UCF) and the University of Costa Rica (UCR) discovered the snake in the cloud forests of the Talamanca mountain range, which runs through most of Costa Rica and northern Panama. Their research is published in the July 15 online issue of the journal Zootaxa.
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How Sulcata Tortoises Became America's Most Adorable Mistake
Over the last three decades, massive sulcata tortoises have become a popular American family pet. Meet the people who made that happen — and the ones that are begging you not to buy one.
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+38 +2
‘Ghost Snake’ Discovered in Madagascar
Researchers discovered a new snake species in Madagascar and named it “ghost snake” for its pale grey coloration and elusiveness. They found the ghost snake on a recently opened path within the well-traveled Ankarana National Park in northern Madagascar in February 2014. They studied the snake’s physical characteristics and genetics, which verified that it is a new species.
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A tortoise had so much sex that he's 'saved his entire species'
Several animals have gone extinct in the last decade – including the Baiji dolphin, the Spix’s macaw, the Liverpool Pigeon and the West African black rhino. One animal which has been pulled back from extinction however, is a species of Galapagos giant tortoise - thanks to the sexual exploits of just one male. Diego is over 100 years old and has fathered some 800 offspring.
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+13 +1
Tree frog named 'Toughie', last known member of his species, dies in Atlanta
The last known member of a rare tree frog species has died at the Atlanta Botanical Garden in Georgia. The Rabbs’ fringe-limbed tree frog was known to staff at the Garden as “Toughie” and believed to be approximately 12 years old. His body was found in his enclosure last week during a routine daily inspection, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
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+5 +1
Watch a Baby Iguana Run for Its Life From a Terrifying Pit of Snakes
Hold onto your butts because this scene from the new Planet Earth II will have you leaping off your seat. By Sarah Emerson.
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+25 +1
What our ancestors’ third eye reveals about the evolution of mammals to warm blood
French philosopher René Descartes believed that the pineal gland, a tiny button of neurons located in the depth of our brain, was the seat of the soul. By Julien Benoit.
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+22 +1
Meet Diego, the Centenarian Whose Sex Drive Saved His Species
By fathering hundreds, a giant tortoise in the Galápagos Islands reversed the threat of extinction. Another, earning the name Lonesome George, was unable to do the same.
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+26 +1
Unknown Ancient Reptile Roamed the Pyrenees Mountains
The footprint made by a reptile that lived almost 250 million years ago has been found in the Pyrenees.
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+11 +1
The world’s first glow-in-the-dark frog found in Argentina
Scientists in Argentina have discovered a frog that glows in moonlight and at twilight. Fluorescence in terrestrial environments had previously only been traced to a few species of insects and birds and had never been scientifically reported in any of the world’s 7,000-plus amphibian species. A team of herpetologists made the headline-grabbing discovery in the outskirts of the city of Santa Fe, Argentina, while collecting frogs to research the biochemical cloricia in amphibians.
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+23 +1
Birds, Bees and other Critters have Scruples, and for Good Reason
Humans are not the only species to show a strong work ethic and scruples. Researchers have found evidence of conscientiousness in insects, reptiles, birds, fish and other critters, such as working hard, paying attention to detail and striving to do the right thing.
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