Snakes are limbless, elongated reptiles of the suborder Serpentes within the order Squamata, characterized by extreme axial elongation, loss of limbs and external ear openings, and highly kinetic skulls enabling ingestion of large prey. They possess specialized vertebrae and ribs, a forked tongue used with a vomeronasal (Jacobson’s) organ for chemosensory tracking, and often heat-sensing pits in some lineages (e.g., pit vipers, some pythons). Many species exhibit venom-delivery systems involving modified salivary glands and fangs, while others rely on constriction or simple jaw mechanics. Snakes show diverse reproductive modes, including oviparity and viviparity, and occupy a broad range of terrestrial and aquatic habitats.
Hurricanes can be a devastating force—leveling trees, erasing beaches and damaging homes. But what do they do to wildlife? The answer ranges from the good to the bad to the ugly. Hurricanes sometimes help native species, ...
Evolution
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A new paper calls for ecologists and evolutionary biologists to consider how organisms experience climate rather than how weather stations record it when doing climate–biology research. The paper, "Matching climate to biological ...
Ecology
May 20, 2026
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If you travel around Australia, you will find an incredible diversity of lizards. The three-toed snake-tooth skink (Saiphos reticulatus), for example, is a peculiarly long and stumpy-legged reptile that burrows in rainforest ...
Evolution
May 13, 2026
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Researchers at the Technion have discovered how changes in genetic regulatory sequences can lead to alterations in the form and structure of animals—even when genetic regulatory systems are stable and resistant to change. ...
Evolution
May 13, 2026
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March's record heat made it the most abnormally warm month in recorded U.S. history, bringing plants into bloom early and coaxing animals out of their winter hiding places ahead of schedule. Among the creatures making an ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 23, 2026
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Draped in a uniform coat of vibrant grass-green and possessing eyes that shimmer like amber, a newly discovered pitviper is the latest hidden jewel to be found in the misty mountains of western Sichuan, China.
Plants & Animals
Apr 22, 2026
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Hidden among the red sandstone escarpments of Mutawintji National Park in western New South Wales lives a rare lizard, long isolated in this arid landscape.
Plants & Animals
Apr 14, 2026
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Earth is teeming with life: creatures big and small have spread and adapted to vastly different environments. Many animals can also change their physiology—how their bodies function—in response to local fluctuations. Just ...
Ecology
Mar 30, 2026
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A research team from the National Taiwan Normal University has clarified the status of a secretive reptile. Led by Si-Min Lin, the team focused on the Formosan legless lizard, scientifically known as Dopasia formosensis. ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 25, 2026
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Materials inspired by nature, or biomimetic materials, are nothing new. Scientists have designed water-resistant materials inspired by lotus leaves and rose petals, unsinkable metals based on the air-trapping, buoyant abilities ...
