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Open Access
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Synchrotron tomography of a stem lizard elucidates early squamate anatomy
A study using high-resolution synchrotron phase-contrast tomography documents the near-complete skeleton of a stem squamate, Bellairsia gracilis, from the Middle Jurassic epoch of Scotland, providing insights into early squamate anatomy.
- Mateusz Tałanda
- , Vincent Fernandez
- & Roger J. Benson
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Article
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A global reptile assessment highlights shared conservation needs of tetrapods
An extinction-risk assessment of reptiles shows that at least 21.1% of species are threatened by factors such as agriculture, logging, urban development and invasive species, and that efforts to protect birds, mammals and amphibians probably also benefit many reptiles.
- Neil Cox
- , Bruce E. Young
- & Yan Xie
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Bizarre tail weaponry in a transitional ankylosaur from subantarctic Chile
Stegouros elengassen, an ankylosaur from the late Cretaceous of Chile, has a large tail weapon, named a macuahuitl after the Aztec club, with a frond-like structure formed by seven pairs of laterally projecting osteoderms encasing the distal half of the tail.
- Sergio Soto-Acuña
- , Alexander O. Vargas
- & David Rubilar-Rogers
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A giant soft-shelled egg from the Late Cretaceous of Antarctica
A fossil egg unearthed from Cretaceous deposits in Antarctica is more than 20 cm long, exceeds all known nonavian eggs in volume, is soft-shelled, and was perhaps laid by a giant marine lizard such as a mosasaur.
- Lucas J. Legendre
- , David Rubilar-Rogers
- & Julia A. Clarke
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Morphology of the earliest reconstructable tetrapod Parmastega aelidae
Three-dimensionally preserved fossils of Parmastega aelidae, a newly described tetrapod from the earliest Famennian (Late Devonian) of Russia, provide detailed insights into the morphology and palaeobiology of the earliest tetrapods.
- Pavel A. Beznosov
- , Jennifer A. Clack
- & Per Erik Ahlberg
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Letter |
Hurricane-induced selection on the morphology of an island lizard
Two populations of Anolis lizards that survived Hurricanes Irma and Maria had larger toepads, longer forelimbs and shorter hindlimbs relative to the pre-hurricane populations, which suggests hurricane-induced natural selection.
- Colin M. Donihue
- , Anthony Herrel
- & Jonathan B. Losos
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The origin of squamates revealed by a Middle Triassic lizard from the Italian Alps
Computed tomography scanning of the Triassic fossil Megachirella wachtleri combined with a broad morphological and molecular phylogenetic analysis of reptile relationships confirm it as the most primitive stem squamate.
- Tiago R. Simões
- , Michael W. Caldwell
- & Randall L. Nydam
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Island biogeography of the Anthropocene
A contemporary test of the theory of island biogeography, in which species richness is determined by an island’s area and isolation, shows that geographic area is still a good positive predictor of species richness, but that geographic isolation as a negative predictor has been replaced by economic isolation.
- Matthew R. Helmus
- , D. Luke Mahler
- & Jonathan B. Losos
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Letter |
Unidirectional pulmonary airflow patterns in the savannah monitor lizard
Unlike the tidal (in and out) breathing of mammals, bird lungs have unidirectional airflow patterns; here the savannah monitor lizard is shown to have unidirectional airflow too, with profound implications for the evolution of unidirectional airflow in reptiles, predating the origin of birds.
- Emma R. Schachner
- , Robert L. Cieri
- & C. G. Farmer
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Research Highlights |
Thick-skinned but sensitive
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Virgin births seen in wild vipers
Snake broods are first examples of wild parthenogenesis in sexually reproducing species.
- Brian Switek
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Research Highlights |
Toxins for cane-toad control
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News Q&A |
Trade rules must be tightened to halt frog-killing fungus
Science is not sufficient to save amphibians, says herpetologist Mark Auliya.
- Katharine Sanderson
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Research Highlights |
New amphibians with no limbs
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Research Highlights |
Lilliputian lizards come to light
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Research Highlights |
Frogs fog up to absorb water
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Letter
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The genome of the green anole lizard and a comparative analysis with birds and mammals
- Jessica Alföldi
- , Federica Di Palma
- & Kerstin Lindblad-Toh
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News |
Turtles emerge from their evolutionary shell
Genetic data show turtles and lizards had a close common ancestor.
- Chloe McIvor
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News & Views |
50 & 100 years ago
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No safe haven for amphibians
Places spared from the chainsaw suffer most from disease.
- Virginia Gewin
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Letter |
Eocene lizard from Germany reveals amphisbaenian origins
- Johannes Müller
- , Christy A. Hipsley
- & Robert R. Reisz
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Sunbathing tadpoles make easy prey
Increased exposure to ultraviolet radiation could be linked to the decline of amphibian populations.
- Zoë Corbyn
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When snake fangs moved out of the groove
Ancient reptile hints at how venom injection might have evolved in modern snakes.
- Matt Kaplan
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Zoology: No sons for snake that shuns sex
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Amphibians wiped out before they are discovered
Fungal disease drives the loss of 30 species in Panama.
- Janet Fang
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Research Highlights |
Ecology: A watery grave
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Research Highlights |
Microbial ecology: Sated snakes
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News & Views |
When an infection turns lethal
Losses in biodiversity and the emergence of new infectious diseases are among the greatest threats to life on the planet. The declines in amphibian populations lie at the interface between these issues.
- Andrew R. Blaustein
- & Pieter T. J. Johnson
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Crocodiles go with the flow
Surfing currents allows crocodiles to travel long distances.
- Natasha Gilbert
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Lizards succumb to global warming
Climate change is already sending reptile populations extinct worldwide.
- Richard Lovett
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Whipping up a little natural selection
Manipulated islands reveal secrets of lizard adaptation.
- Emma Marris
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Wildlife biology: Lizard back burden
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The snake that swallowed dinosaurs
Fossils reveal that some snakes preyed on baby sauropods.
- Matt Kaplan
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Biology: Snakes face the heat
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Frogs' secret disposal system revealed
Talented amphibians urinate foreign objects implanted in their body cavities.
- Brendan Borrell
Triassic stem caecilian supports dissorophoid origin of living amphibians
Salamander's egg surprise