Animals, features and articles | Educational Science

Sep 19, 2023

Snake choking on invasive fish the size of its head saved by scientist

A herpetologist in France has captured a remarkable photo of a snake choking as it attempted to eat a fish the size of its own head. While many snake species eat fish — and many can open their jaws wide enough to gulp down large prey — the fish species...

Oct 20, 2023

Ancient Egyptian papyrus describes dozens of venomous snakes, including rare 4-fanged serpent

How much can the written records of ancient civilizations tell us about the animals they lived alongside? Our latest research, based on the venomous snakes described in an ancient Egyptian papyrus, suggests more than you might think. A much more diverse range of snakes than we'd imagined lived in the...

Nov 10, 2023

200-pound 'monster' Burmese python finally captured in Florida after 5 men sit on it

The second-largest Burmese python ever discovered in South Florida has been captured after give people sat on the enormous snake, which was found stretched out across a road in the Big Cypress National Preserve. Initially, the python-hunters thought the female snake was an alligator due to its size. It was...

Nov 18, 2023

Arabian sand boa: The derpy snake that looks like it's got googly eyes glued to the top of its head

Name: Arabian sand boa (Eryx jayakari) Where it lives: Sandy deserts of the Arabian Peninsula and southwestern Iran What it eats: Short-fingered geckos (Stenodactylus), Baluch rock geckos (Bunopus tuberculatus) and worm lizards. Why it's awesome: These derpy-looking snakes have eyes that seem like they've been glued onto the top of...

Nov 26, 2023

Why does Australia have so many venomous animals?

Australia hosts a dizzying array of venomous creatures — including spiders, snakes, jellyfish, octopuses, ants, bees and even platypuses. But why do so many Australian animals wield this bioweapon? Many of these beasties predate Australia as a continent. But it's another story with venomous snakes, which arrived after the continent...

Jan 17, 2024

Slow-motion footage of snake attacks reveals surprise discovery about how they kill

Video footage of the moment snakes launch themselves at their prey reveals that the reptiles are either strikers or lungers — and the difference between the two is rooted in their teeth, new research has found. Strikers attack at lightning speed from above, impaling their prey with needlelike teeth at...

Feb 21, 2024

How we found the northern green anaconda, a new species of the heaviest snake on Earth

The green anaconda has long been considered one of the Amazon's most formidable and mysterious animals. Our new research upends scientific understanding of this magnificent creature, revealing it is actually two genetically different species. The surprising finding opens a new chapter in conservation of this top jungle predator. Green anacondas...

Feb 22, 2024

Snakes are built to evolve at incredible speeds, and scientists aren't sure why

Snakes have a supercharged evolutionary clock that enables them to adapt at far faster rates than other reptiles, scientists have discovered. This ability has helped them become evolutionary winners and spread across the planet. Snakes are like the Big Bang 'singularity' in cosmology — a dramatic expansion of diversity in...

Mar 8, 2024

Giant ball of Burmese pythons having sex discovered in Florida Everglades in record-breaking catch

An enormous mound of Burmese pythons entwined in a 7-foot-wide (2.1 meters) mating ball was recently found in Florida's Everglades after conservationists followed several tagged males that were out looking for sex. The mating ball contained a 14-foot-long (4.2 m) female and five males, and two additional males were found...

Mar 9, 2024

We're finally close to a universal antivenom that works against cobra, krait and black mamba snake bites, say researchers

If you're bitten by a venomous snake, the medicine you need is antivenom. Unfortunately, antivenoms are species specific, meaning you need to have the right antivenom for the snake that bit you. Most of the time, people have no idea what species of snake has bitten them. And for some...

Oct 17, 2012

Lives of Female Komodo Dragons Cut Short by 'Housework'

Female Komodo dragons live half as long as their male counterparts — 31 years on average compared with the guys' 62. A new study suggests the physical demands of lizard housework, which includes building nests and protecting eggs, cut the females' life spans short. A team of researchers studied 400...

Oct 22, 2012

Blue Iguana Slithers Back from Extinction

Just a decade ago, the Grand Cayman blue iguana was on the brink of extinction, with only 10 to 25 individuals left in the wild. But the reptile has made a major comeback and is no longer listed as a critically endangered species. The blue iguana, which is only found...

Oct 24, 2012

Why Do Lizards Do Push-Ups?

Lizards work out for the same reason a guy at the gym might: as a display of strength. And with lizards, as can be the case with men, the push-ups also mean get out of my territory. And a new study finds some lizards make a morning and evening routine...

Oct 29, 2012

Newly Found Lizard May Be Lost Soon

Say hello, and maybe goodbye, to the coastal plains skink — a new species of lizard discovered in Australia that researchers say is already on the decline. The skink, named Ctenotus ora, lives in the sand dunes along Western Australia's Swan Coastal Plain, a stretch of coastline just south of...

Dec 21, 2012

Cut Here: Gecko Tails Rip Off Along 'Dotted' Line

Like a pair of Velcro stripper pants, gecko tails come off easy. The lizards have pre-formed score lines in their tail that allow them to quickly rip off their tails when a predator has grabbed it, according to a new study. The gecko tails, which were described Wednesday (Dec. 19)...