Study warns that snake fungal disease could be a global threat

New research suggests that a potentially fatal snake fungus found in several species in the United States and three in Europe could be global in scale. The study, published today in the journal Science Advances, shows that ...

Fragmented forests result in more snakes, fewer birds

About half of all bird nests don't survive due to predators, particularly in fragmented forest areas, but why? University of Illinois researchers monitored both the prey and predator to find an answer.

Ruthless boas know when to ditch their squeeze

Boa constrictors can sense the heartbeat of their quarry as they suffocate it, thus giving themselves the signal to know when the prey is dead, scientists say.

Using snakes to monitor Fukushima radiation

Ten years after one of the largest nuclear accidents in history spewed radioactive contamination over the landscape in Fukushima, Japan, a University of Georgia study has shown that radioactive contamination in the Fukushima ...

Scientists gear up to fight deadly snake fungal disease

Researchers have developed a faster and more accurate way to test for infection with Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, a fungus that is killing snakes in the Midwest and eastern United States. The test also allows scientists to ...