Photos of my own reptiles will be around as well :)
(still tweaking things, it should be ready soon.)
Drooling.
BHB has hatched the the first Pastel Woma Lesser Pinstripe.
![reptilesandexotics:
New Species: Bumblebee Gecko.
The latest buzz in the reptile world is a new “bumblebee” gecko species discovered in Papua New Guinea.
DubbedNactus kunan—kunanmeaning “bumblebee” in the local Nali language—the black-and-gold striped animal belongs to a genus of slender-toed geckos, a new study says.
That means “these guys don’t have the padded, wall-climbing toes like the common house gecko or theday gecko in the car-insurance commercials,” study co-authorRobert Fisher, a biologist at the U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center in San Diego, said in a statement.
In 2010 Fisher was searching for invasive brown tree snakes onManus Island (map)when locals brought him two specimens of the odd-colored animal, which appears to live nowhere else.
It’s unknown how many of the roughly 5-inch-long (13-centimeter-long) geckos exist, or if the species is threatened, according to the study.
New Gecko Has Rare Coloration
The evolutionary impetus for the bumblebee gecko’s colors is unknown, though the banded pattern likely helps the lizard hide on therain forestfloor.
Only one other species in theNactusgenus sports colors other than dull brown:Nactus galgajuga, a “striking” black-and-white striped species that lives in northern Queensland,Australia, said study co-authorGeorge Zugof the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
In fact, genetic research revealed thatN. galgajuga’s closest relative is the bumblebee gecko, said Zug, whose study was published April 4 in the journalZootaxa.
Zug and colleagues expect that more new gecko species will be discovered on Manus Island, which few scientists have explored.
La Sierra UniversityherpetologistL. Lee Grismer, who wasn’t involved in the study, said via email, “What’s really amazing is that the [locals] knew … all the time being that the specimens were found in their houses.
“It just goes to show that we cannot stop looking anywhere and everywhere.”](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2yv64dCMg1qln6muo1_1280.jpg)
New Species: Bumblebee Gecko.
The latest buzz in the reptile world is a new “bumblebee” gecko species discovered in Papua New Guinea.
DubbedNactus kunan—kunanmeaning “bumblebee” in the local Nali language—the black-and-gold striped animal belongs to a genus of slender-toed geckos, a new study says.
That means “these guys don’t have the padded, wall-climbing toes like the common house gecko or theday gecko in the car-insurance commercials,” study co-authorRobert Fisher, a biologist at the U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center in San Diego, said in a statement.
In 2010 Fisher was searching for invasive brown tree snakes onManus Island (map)when locals brought him two specimens of the odd-colored animal, which appears to live nowhere else.
It’s unknown how many of the roughly 5-inch-long (13-centimeter-long) geckos exist, or if the species is threatened, according to the study.
New Gecko Has Rare Coloration
The evolutionary impetus for the bumblebee gecko’s colors is unknown, though the banded pattern likely helps the lizard hide on therain forestfloor.
Only one other species in theNactusgenus sports colors other than dull brown:Nactus galgajuga, a “striking” black-and-white striped species that lives in northern Queensland,Australia, said study co-authorGeorge Zugof the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
In fact, genetic research revealed thatN. galgajuga’s closest relative is the bumblebee gecko, said Zug, whose study was published April 4 in the journalZootaxa.
Zug and colleagues expect that more new gecko species will be discovered on Manus Island, which few scientists have explored.
La Sierra UniversityherpetologistL. Lee Grismer, who wasn’t involved in the study, said via email, “What’s really amazing is that the [locals] knew … all the time being that the specimens were found in their houses.
“It just goes to show that we cannot stop looking anywhere and everywhere.”
Two-week-old Sri Lankan albino cobras.
My chameleon likes hanging out on my heated blanket. She’s adorable and she knows it!
Hélène Girard Photographer :)
Sunbeam Snake (Xenopeltis unicolor), so very pretty!
