New insights into crocodile evolution

Welcome

As the challenge of coronavirus continues to play out

Rediscovery of a lost chameleon

Featuring stories about the rare hatching of twin snakes by a UK breeder, unexpected sea turtle breeding patterns this year, new insights into the development of the crocodile lineage, beetles that cultivate fungus as food, an overlooked pterodactyl, a South America frog which may have been successfully rescued from the brink of extinction and more, starting here with the remarkable rediscovery of a chameleon that hadn’t been sighted officially for over a century.

STRANGE SEA TURTLE NUMBERS

Florida’s sea turtle nesting survey came to a close

Tadpoles offer hope for a critically endangered species

Nearly 200 Loa water frog (Telmatobius dankoi) tadpoles

Slingshot amphibians

Fossils of bizarre, armoured amphibians known as albanerpetontids

Unexpected twins

Snake-breeder Dean Reddy got more than he bargained

REPTILE FOCUS

Four-toed worm lizard - Bipes canaliculatus

FLIGHTS OF FANCY?

Could pterosaurs (also known as pterodactyls) - flying reptiles that lived at the time of the dinosaurs - still exist? Dr Karl Shuker focuses on some interesting reports from the Americas and Australasia.

YOU & YOUR Reptiles

If you have a favourite photograph of one of your reptiles

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John Courteney-Smith MRSB looks at recent advances

Amazing beetles

Ambrosia beetles belong to the bark beetle family

NEW PTEROSAUR FOUND

Palaeontologists have made an amazing discovery while

How amphibians breathe

There’s a key thing that links virtually all living organisms on Earth, and that is the need for oxygen. However, while in many animals, absorbing it into their bodies is a simple process, the same cannot be said for the amphibians, which have therefore evolved some rather intriguing ways of breathing. Paul Donovan reports.

Lighting concerns

Email your queries to practicalreptilekeeping@gmail.com.

Insights into the leopard gecko

John Courteney-Smith MRSB of Arcadia Reptile continues his in-depth series examining what we know about the universally popular leopard gecko from the wild, and how this information can be best utilised to care for these lizards in vivarium surroundings.

Ten benefits of keeping reptiles, in terms of our wellbeing

In these difficult times, people are focusing more on their pets than ever before, as we almost subconsciously identify the benefits that pets bring to our daily lives. Here Dr Margit Gabriele Muller, Dr Med Vet, MRCVS, MBA examines ten of the specific benefits that keeping reptiles offer to us, when it comes to assisting our wellbeing.

Starting out with STICK INSECTS

Ranking as experts in animal camouflage, stick insects are pets which will not disturb anyone, but that doesn’t mean they’re boring, as David Alderton explains.

Reptile skin and its care

Considerable research has been carried out into maintaining the health of various reptilian body systems, including the respiratory, digestive, metabolic and reproductive systems. Yet the body’s largest and most vitally important organ - providing the front-line in the battle against infection - is often surprisingly overlooked. This is the skin, as Hannah Salisbury MSc BSc (Hons) AnSci explains.