World of reptiles and amphibians

Hello and welcome to the groups latest blog for now, this is a quick snippet of the latest news in the reptile and amphibian world. Later in the month, the sand lizard will be the focus of a much larger issue where habitat, ecology, distribution and threats will be discussed. We hope you find these little glimpses into the remarkable world of reptiles and amphibians as fascinating as we do. 

Two new species of Alligator Snapping Turtle discovered.

There are three species of Alligator Snapping Turtle rather than just the one solitary species already known to science, new research has revealed. The findings came as a result of both examination of museum specimens and wild animals. The Suwannee alligator snapping turtle resides in Georgia and Florida living as its name suggests only in the Suwannee River. It is now known this species separated a minimum of five million years ago. The second new species the Apalachicola alligator snapping turtle is found in Georgia, Florida and Alabama and became an isolated species around three million years ago. 

Taxonomic assessment of Alligator Snapping Turtles (Chelydridae:Macrochelys), with the description of two new species from the southeastern United States

Frogs skin predict likelihood of disease susceptibility.

The protective mucus layer on a frogs skin can now reveal how likely the frog is to fall foul of disease. The implication of this means scientists can  successfully reintroduce endangered amphibians into the wild.This is due to the reduction in likelihood that the diseases causing the initial decline in populations will cause mortality in reintroduced animals. 

The study was conducted via the collection of mucus samples from frogs skin the incubation of spores from the  chytrid fungus disease in the mucus sample then followed. The study found that the ability of mucus samples to kill fungal disease correlated to how numerous infections were in field populations of frogs and the survival rate of those in the laboratory. In conclusion, the results of the study mean that no longer do scientists need to expose frogs to a disease to ascertain the likelihood of succumbing to it.

Interacting Symbionts and Immunity in the Amphibian Skin Mucosome Predict Disease Risk and Probiotic Effectiveness. 

That's all for now be sure to look out for our sand lizard issue next time !

all the best, CRAG.