In this Patreon-selected double bill we investigate the tricky task of sexing blue-tongued skinks and the strange underworld of olms.

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Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

McKenzie A, Li T, Doneley B. 2022. A comparison of two techniques to identify the sex of the eastern blue‐tongue skink (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides). Australian Veterinary Journal 100:407–413. DOI: 10.1111/avj.13170.

Recknagel H, Zakšek V, Delić T, Gorički Š, Trontelj P. 2024. Multiple transitions between realms shape relict lineages of Proteus cave salamanders. Molecular Ecology 33:e16868. DOI: 10.1111/mec.16868.

Editing and Music:

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy

Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com

Intro visuals – Paul Snelling

We chat about vipers hissing before hitting on some massive news with multiple new species of king cobra being described.

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Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop

Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

Van Zele N, Nicot T, Lengagne T, Ksas R, Lourdais O. 2024. Physiological costs of warning: Defensive hissing increases metabolic rate and evaporative water loss in a venomous snake. Physiology & Behavior 287:114708. DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114708.

Species of the Bi-Week:

Das I, Gowri Shankar P, Swamy P, Williams RC, Lalremsanga HT, Prashanth P, Sahoo G, Vijayakumar SP, Höglund J, Shanker K, Dutta SK, Ganesh SR, Wüster W. 2024. Taxonomic revision of the king cobra Ophiophagus hannah (Cantor, 1836) species complex (Reptilia: Serpentes: Elapidae), with the description of two new species. European Journal of Taxonomy 961. DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2024.961.2681.

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

Shankar PG, Swamy P, Williams RC, Ganesh SR, Moss M, Höglund J, Das I, Sahoo G, Vijayakumar SP, Shanker K, Wüster W, Dutta SK. 2021. King or royal family? Testing for species boundaries in the King Cobra, Ophiophagus hannah (Cantor, 1836), using morphology and multilocus DNA analyses. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution:107300. DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107300.

Other Links/Mentions:

Viper hissing sound from Vipera Ammodytes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YgJRa9675Y&t=33s

Editing and Music:

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy

Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com

Intro visuals – Paul Snelling

Crocodiles and apes have a long history together, and they might have been dining on our young...

Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights

Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop

Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

Thévenet J, Papet L, Coureaud G, Boyer N, Levréro F, Grimault N, Mathevon N. 2023. Crocodile perception of distress in hominid baby cries. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 290:20230201. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0201.

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

Seilern-Macpherson K, Lawson B, Macadam CR, West P, Reed N, Gibson L, Świątek P, Gajda Ł, Cunningham AA, Heaver J, Julian AM. 2024. Predation of anurans in southern England by Batracobdella algira, a leech previously unknown in the UK. The Herpetological Journal 34:221–227. DOI: 10.33256/34.4.221227.

King RB, Ray JM, Stanford KM. 2006. Gorging on gobies: beneficial effects of alien prey on a threatened vertebrate. Canadian Journal of Zoology 84:108–115. DOI: 10.1139/z05-182.

Massenet M, Anikin A, Pisanski K, Reynaud K, Mathevon N, Reby D. 2022. Nonlinear vocal phenomena affect human perceptions of distress, size and dominance in puppy whines. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 289(1973), 20220429. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0429

Other Links/Mentions:

Alligator sounds from AGKrokodile: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkW7-KpOQLA