Reptiles posses two main mechanisms of sex determination. In some species the sex of the individual is determined at conception by sex factors contained in sex chromosomes (termed genotypic sex determination or GSD). However, in other species sex is determined after conception by the environmental temperature during incubation and cannot be predicted by zygotic genotype (Bull, 1983; Valenzuela ...

of a widespread species than to be faced with the challenge of conserving every population because all are distinctive. Undoubtedly, some reptile species have already gone extinct before we even knew they existed. But a lot remain to be discovered: for example, a single square kilometre of Australian desert can contain 14 co-existing species of the lizard genus Ctenotus (many of them so similar...

The purpose of this perspective is to highlight the merit of the reptile integument as an experimental model. Reptiles represent the first amniotes. From stem reptiles, extant reptiles, birds and mammals have evolved. Mammal hairs and feathers evolved from Therapsid and Sauropsid reptiles, respectively. The early reptilian integument had to adapt to the challenges of terrestrial life, developin...

Amphibians and reptiles are popular pet animals in about 90.000 Austrian households despite their frequently debated capacity to transmit diseases associated with animal keeping. We studied the epidemiological significance of the triangle animal keeper, exotic pet animal, and feed mice by investigating the frequency of three intestinal infestations, caused by cryptosporidia, opportunistic free-...

As nontraditional model organisms with extreme physiological and morphological phenotypes, snakes are believed to possess an inferior taste system. However, the bitter taste sensation is essential to distinguish the nutritious and poisonous food resources and the genomic evidence of bitter taste in snakes is largely scarce. To explore the genetic basis of the bitter taste of snakes and characte...

Environmental pollution and habitat loss are described as underlying causes for population declines in reptiles and especially affect species in agricultural landscapes. Studies dealing with effects of pesticide exposure on reptiles are limited, mainly addressing the orders Testudines and Crocodylia, but largely neglecting the most diverse reptile order Squamata (lizards and snakes). As a conse...

FitzgeRald, l. a. 2012. Finding and capturing reptiles. In R. W. McDiarmid, M. S. Foster, C. Guyer, J. W. Gibbons, and N. Chernoff (eds.), Reptile Biodiversity: Standard Methods for Inventory and Monitoring, pp. 77–80. University of California Press, Los Angeles, California. ———, M. l. tReglia, n. F. angeli, t. J. hibbitts, d. J. leaVitt, a. l. subalusky, i. lundgRen, and z. hillis-staRR. 2015....

Thermoregulatory behavior is an important component of daily activities for many reptiles, especially for small heliothermic (sun-basking) species that inhabit cold climates. However, the relative costs and benefits of thermoregulation depend on numerous factors, such that reptiles may sometimes accord a low priority to precise control of body temperatures. We observed and radio tracked garter ...

In bilaterian animals, germ cells are specified by the inductive/regulative mode or the predetermined (germ plasm) mode. Among tetrapods, mammals and urodeles use the inductive mode, whereas birds and anurans use the predetermined mode. From histological data it has been predicted that some reptiles including turtles use the inductive mode. Examining turtle oocytes, we find that Dazl RNA, Vasa ...

A major difference between reptile and mammalian herbivores is that the former do not masticate their food. Actually, food particle size reduction by chewing is usually considered one of the adaptations facilitating the higher metabolic rates of mammals. However, quantitative comparisons of ingesta particle size between the clades have, to our knowledge, not been performed so far. We measured m...