News

We in the herpetological community are aware of the many fascinating and strange ways  in which reptiles and amphibians go about the process of reproduction. Male iguanas (and other reptiles) with not one but two mating organs (called hemipenes)? Check. Turtles whose offspring’s gender is determined by heat during the time they are gravid? Check. Lizards that can switch from one gender to the other in order to bring forth their young? Check (that would be whiptails, by the way). Yeah, that parthenogenesis is not just for gods and goddesses anymore!

But this particular reproductive innovation is a new one on your editor….

There was on this planet—and for a good long while--a species of frog that gave birth…through its mouth. 

The species, Rheobatrachus silus, native to Queensland, Australia, was known for its unique ability to do gastric brooding, in which the frogs mate and the female…swallows her fertilized eggs. Her stomach then serves as an impromptu uterus until…well, until things cook and the froglets hatch.

Alas, it is no more. The species (and a related species, Rheobatrachus vitellinus) went extinct over 40 years ago. They succumbed to a human-activity borne pathogenic fungus that has decimated if not wiped out other frog species across the world.

That’s the bad news.

But there’s good news. They may have the slightest chance to bring it back.

Seems they were able to freeze a specimen just as it joined the Choir Eternal. And they embarked on experiments seeking to re-create the unique frog.

This de-extinction proposal is part of a larger “Lazarus Project” seeking to bring back extinct species from the Great Beyond. This one seems to have a (frog) leg up (if you will) on the others. The frog in question hasn’t been dead for all that long, and the specimen was complete and in remarkably good shape (for a frozen, dead frog, that is). The researchers were able to create “many hundred somatic cell nuclear transfer experiments” to produce early stage (blastula) embryos which were confirmed to contain the frog’s nuclear DNA.

Alas, the specimen was a juvenile, and so contained neither sperm nor eggs. So the chances of bringing the species back are slim at best. Still, researchers have a few other techniques to refine before they give up. And they are learning a lot for the larger project of bringing back extinct species.

Here’s hoping they hop to it!

Great news for those of us that keep reptiles as companions or simply are interested in them!

Also, perhaps, somewhat worrisome.

There is substantial evidence, from two completely different and disparate parts of the globe (Louisiana, USA, and India), that some reptilians, specifically alligators and crocodiles, use tools to attract and capture prey.

As in, go hunting for dinner by utilizing implements.

Both species (American alligators and Indian mugger crocodiles) displayed the use of sticks to lure nesting birds, who go after the sticks to use for their version of Home Improvement. This behavior occurs only during nesting season, and only in proximity to the birds that do actual nesting. The thought is that useful sticks to employ for nesting material are in less supply at this time (apparently birds even get into tussles to acquire them). The birds that are hapless enough to pursue the sticks and twigs without checking what might be lurking nearby…turn into crocodilian supper!

This implies:

--These reptiles pay attention

--They use what they have handy (clawsy?) to get what they need

--They show evidence of what humans have long considered higher brain functioning. That is, they are far more intelligent than has been thought.

So, overall, we herp-intrigued people can be happy to know these creatures are much more complex than may have been previously imagined.

But please, folks. Don’t show a gator a gun!

What could be better, amongst high tech aficionados, than 3-D printing? Why, 3-D printing that makes life better for reptiles, of course!

A recent article shone a spotlight on a scuted creature in distress that was assisted in a very hard-shelled way by this new technology. It seems that Moses, a Gulf coast box turtle at the Mississippi Aquarium in Gulfport, was utterly immobile, as it was missing its two back legs. Cue a colleague of its keeper, who goes by the redditor moniker of jawscritters, as well as jawscritters’ enthusiastic reddit 3-D printer community. Their suggestions led to Moses being equipped with a 3-D printed wheelchair that allows him to scoot around with ease. The rear wheels are held in place by means of a harness strapped over the domed creature’s shell.

And it really does mean the turtle goes…zoom!

The article details other recent creative tech solutions to reptilian problems. One creation mentioned was a LEGO wheelchair designed to help heal a turtle’s cracked shell without the risk of further injury. A LEGO car kit replaced another turtle’s missing back legs with a pair of wheels that would be the envy of many a toy-car enthusiast. And a 3-D printed harness helped weigh down yet another turtle suffering from…well, bubble-butt syndrome (Yes, it afflicts turtles too, though differently than it does humans).

Even better for others who might find a terrapin in similar need: the designs used for Moses’ wheelchair have been made public online, so they are available to all.

Let’s hear it for those who put their love of tech to such a kind and worthy cause!

Researchers in China recently came upon what they initially believed to be a new species of salamander. It was…but the creature turned out to be an old, if elusive, friend.

According to an article published last year, the creature, now designated Hynobius bambusicolus (aka the Fujian bamboo salamander), was first discovered in 1978. Observers at the time only got a fleeting glimpse of the amphibian, a "dark-chocolate-colored" creature that blended in with the mud in its habitat--the blue speckles on its underside would only be discoverable if it were unhappily overturned. It then disappeared—at least to those who sought after the creature—and was supposed to have gone extinct.

Surprise! Over 40 years later, researchers exploring a bamboo forest in the area stumbled across the salamander once more, lurking in the mud and under leaf litter, logs and other typical amphibian habitat. Their surmise that this was indeed a new species was confirmed by DNA testing, which proved the Fujian bamboo salamander was genetically distinct from other species in the area. These salamanders are also unique in their ability to vocalize, emitting a short squeak or "alarm call" when probed (Can you blame them?).

Hynobius bambusicolus is a large creature (reaching up to 71/2 inches) and, with estimates of only 200 individuals extant in the wild, is considered critically endangered. This is especially true because, ahem, it has been observed cannibalizing its kin! Scientists recommend its habitat remain as undisturbed as possible, with people encouraged not to collect or otherwise engage with the population.

Welcome, new old friend! We hope you flourish in private. And find other things to eat!

Amphibians have been much on our minds recently here at RARN.

The first story, dating from a few months back, is that of the newly-designated Kermit frog. This is, alas, not a creature we 21^st-century folk will ever actually stumble across. What was discovered is actually a frog's fossilized skull, 270 million years old, with a "cartoonishly wide-eyed face" that reminded researchers of everyone's favorite Muppet, Kermit the Frog. While the fossil of the proto-amphibian was excavated in Texas quite some time ago, it was only "rediscovered" in 2021 by a scientist doing his digging in the archives of the Smithsonian! The researchers came up with the iconic name, Kermitops granus, as a way to connect the modern public with the work of paleontologists. Good job!

Our second saga concerns the annual Frog Jumping Jubilee, held with much fanfare in the charming Gold Rush town of Angels Camp, California. 2024's contest was won by The Frog Father, which was encouraged (but not browbeaten) by its sponsor Lillian Fasano to finish with a record-nearing triple jump totaling 20' 5 ½"! This contest, going back many decades, was spawned by the story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" by America's great author and satirist, Mark Twain. The success of the short story (published in 1865 during Twain's stay in the Mother Lode country) is credited with jump-starting (pardon the pun) Twain's career as writer and orator. Though the event is not without its controversies—many are skeptical of the exploitative nature of the contest—it is much less hard on the frogs than in Twain's tall tale!

And finally, on an up-close-and-personal note: just this week, a wee froggie (that's him or her in the photo) came to us at RARN. It was rescued by a kind fellow in Hollywood who happened to spot this cute-as-the-Dickens interloper near his fig tree and brought it to us. Our sharp-eyed president quickly identified the thumbnail-sized creature as an invasive species: a Cuban tree frog. After a bit of research, we found out that these guys have been spotted all over the place in Los Angeles, along with other tourist herps that are also apparently trying to make their Hollywood dreams come true. We will be on the lookout for more of these creatures! (And maybe you should too!)