Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

Check out this wonderful new video about the evolutionary history of Ensatina salamanders.

Hazel Galloway of Yosemite National Park filmed the most incredible sequence of male-male combat in alligator lizards that I have ever seen. Check it out! And if you've ever photographed or videoed alligator lizards like this, let us know. Your observations could be included in a research project examining mating behavior in this species.

The weather forecast is looking great for all the amorous alligator lizards tired of cold, rainy days. Maybe you'll even see something like this in the near future. If so, please let us know!

Springtime, and love is in the air!

Check out this 2006 observation of male-male combat in Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes! It is iNaturalist's throwback Thursday observation of the day. Stuck at home in the coming days? Go through your photo archive and upload older photos to iNaturalist. Most digital photos will have a date and time stamp, so if you can remember the location, these older photos can become important data points for biodiversity research.

A massive jump in the known elevational range of the Southern Alligator Lizard---this lizard was found at 10,300 ft in the San Jacinto Mountains by Joseph Esparza. You can read more in our note in the March Herpetological Review. (email me if you want a pdf). We also highlight a Southern Alligator Lizard found at 8375 ft at Whitney Portal, Inyo County. These high elevation observations open up so many questions: physiological tolerances, reproductive ecology, phenological change, climate change responses...on and on.

There might be primaries in 14 states, and the Dow might have dropped 800 points, but this should be the biggest news of the day. This is HUGE!!! A little bit of hope for flatwoods salamanders.

Happy Valentine's Day to all the alligator lizards out there. This weekend is likely to generate the first observations of mating alligator lizards for the 2020 season. If you see a pair---or more---please get some photos and let us know.

L.A. area reptile, amphibian, and citizen science fans, please consider participating in this year's SuperProject.

Staggering numbers and a staggering result. 70,716 dead birds salvaged following window strikes in Chicago (1978 to the present) and added to the Field Museum's Ornithology Collection. And 49 of the 52 species show significant decreases in body size through time, a result linked to climate change. https://www.cnn.com//dead-birds-body-size-clima/index.html

Horrible, though sadly predictable, news. If you suspect SFD in an animal, take lots of photos, and keep the animal contained and isolated if you are legally able to do so. Then report your observation to the state (contact info in story). You can also report to us here in the Section of Herpetology.